Remember! Man, monkey and forest need each other
The raucous troupe of monkeys that visit Dr. Jinie Dela’s house in Panadura do not realize how closely they are being studied. Dr.Dela, a biologist, with a doctoral degree in primate ecology and behaviour, treats her sprawling one-acre garden like an enormous, open laboratory. The primates who come visiting, sometimes on a daily basis, have [...]
Touching up our heritage with a little help from Korea
Several white marble bodhisathwa statues, a grinding stone for herbal concoctions (behethoruwa), a figuring of the‘Holy Cow Nandi’ believed to be the mount of Lord Shiva and his gate keeper dating back to our ancient kingdoms, several bronze guardian figures retrieved from an ‘image house’ in Owagiriya, Ampara and fragments of a copper mixed lamp [...]
Complex psychological principles simplified using examples of practical application
Mental health and mental illness, to the average individual, are issues that are usually confronting and challenging. Similarly, even to most doctors and medical students, Psychiatry is an abstract discipline, away from the comfort zone of the more ‘mainstream’ disciplines in their medical curriculum. Associated with this is the fact that especially in the Sri [...]
A life peppered with well known names and places
A circuit bungalow, just two Heads of State and an earnest plea: “Yanna epa – maath ekka inna.” This and much more have been packed within the covers of ‘The Long Littleness of Life – A Memoir of Government, the United Nations, Family and Friends’ by Leelananda De Silva, 80, not only about the time [...]
Changing your name after marriage
I have always believed that names contain power. They have a unique strength and character as it identifies an individual. Having used it since the day one is born, it is intrinsically linked to one’s own personal identity. It is as familiar to us as our own faces and hands and feet. So why then, [...]
Lost in another time, another place, another life
Cathy Marie Buchanan’s The Painted Girls was inspired by a documentary about the famous sculpture – Degas’s Little Dancer Aged Fourteen.She told a journalist from NPR: “I learned about the seedier side of the Paris Opera, and also about the privation of the young girl, Marie van Goethem, who modelled for the sculpture. It certainly [...]
An event fit for an emperor
Japanese ambassador Kenichi Suganama hosted a reception at his residence on the occasion of Japan’s National Day. The event on December 7 was in celebration of the Japanese Emperor’s 83rd birthday which falls on December 23 and guests enjoyed traditional Japanese hospitality with the members of Ikebana International presenting some striking examples of their flower [...]
Galle Face Hotel lights up for Christmas
One of the stately old institutions in Colombo’s hospitality scene, the Galle Face Hotel celebrated the advent of the festive season by inviting friends and guests for the lighting of the Christmas Tree last week.
Foodie columnist dishes out her cookbook
If you were to ask Beryl Gunasekera how to cook something, her reply would be instant. Not only would she explain the process, you would also get tips on how to make the dish extra special. For Beryl, cooking is a passion that she readily shares with anyone. “Cooking is something you must want to [...]
Another Thai treat from Tasty Caterers
Tasty Caterers unveiled their newest offering –the La Rambla – a brand new Thai restaurant in Hotel Road, Mount Lavinia, last month. Chef Papat Pachid from Thailand presides over the kitchen and promises authentic Thai fare. Chef Pachid has worked in several Thai restaurants across South East Asia, most notably in Singapore. His signature dish [...]
Sony turns the bass up
Sony is turning the bass up this year with three impressive additions to its EXTRA BASS™ audio lineup which were launched at the Park Street Mews recently. The new EXTRA BASS of headphones is designed to get you and your friends moving into those great Electronic Dance Music (EDM) tracks. The three exciting additions to [...]
On a TVS with the mesmerising sea as companion
It was early morning and reaching my friend’s new house should have been easy. “Just after Hakmana junction’’ they had initially said but then there had been other more confusing directions, “near temple road…a temple”. People tried to convince me that they knew the way and sent me off down various side roads, past a [...]
A throwback to the past amidst a rubber plantation
Travelling an hour out of Colombo amidst the traffic is far from a pleasant experience but upon entering the premises of the Sanctuary Lodge, all traces of weariness evaporate. The sight of the driveway lit with row after row of tiny clay lamps, the inviting ‘Ayubowan’ of a gentleman dressed in a sarong with a [...]
Lankan Supreme Court lawyer admitted as Solicitor in Australia
Menik Gunasekera, an Attorney at Law of the Supreme Court of Sri Lanka was admitted last week as a Solicitor in Australia taking her oaths before Justice Henry, Judge Morzone Q.C., and Judge Harrison of the Supreme Court of Cairns, Queensland. Ms. Gunasekera joined the well-known firm Julius and Creasy in her early years as [...]
PATA ex-CEO publishes book of tributes
Lakshman Ratnapala, Emeritus President and ex CEO of PATA, has achieved the rare distinction of publishing a second book in a year. Titled ‘Soaring Spirits and Shooting Stars’, the book is a compendium of tributes to 14 people who have inspired the author through his life as a global corporate executive of travel and tourism. [...]
Christmas, New Year services at the Cathedral
The Christmas and New Year services at the Cathedral of Christ the Living Saviour, Bauddhaloka Mawatha, Colombo 7 will be as follows: Christmas Eve service – English: 11.15 p.m. Christmas Day services –Sinhala: 7 a.m. English: 8.15 a.m. Tamil: 11 a.m. New Year’s Eve service – English: 11.15 p.m. New Year’s Day services -Sinhala: 7 [...]
RAMP, new designer store in town
RAMP – the new designer store opens today- Sunday, December 18 on the 2nd Floor, Liberty Plaza at 4 p.m. offering customers a collaboration of Sri Lankan and international designers. RAMP will focus on upcoming designers.The glamorous ‘Style Studio’ aims to meet the demands of the fashion industry by acting as a platform for artists [...]
Letters
Bringing about good practices on our roads; fines not the only way Much is being discussed about road safety, traffic congestion, road traffic accidents, casualties and fatalities by various parties including the government, opposition, general public, media and police. The topic became hotly debated among current issues when budget proposals for 2017 were presented in [...]
Appreciations
Lyn de Alwis Growing up around a man who lived and breathed conservation It is hard to believe that a decade has gone by since Lyn de Alwis passed away, because he was such an integral part of our formative years. But with each passing year, we have grown to appreciate more and more the [...]