Those halcyon days at Royal College hostel
By Nalin Pathikirikorale This is the story, of a journey of what hostel life was in the 1950s. I joined Royal and the Hostel in 1956 from Greelands (now Isipathana), after my father passed away a year before. The hostel became my second home for the next eight years, for I went home to my [...]
A Lankan woman in the White House: Krishanti Vignarajah
The website birchbox.com, as part of its series on powerful and influential women, has featured a Sri Lankan-born woman who held a key post in the White House during the presidency of Barack Obama. The article written by Kate Bartick says: This month, and every month, we celebrate powerful and influential women. We remember and [...]
Hallowed halls of academia occupied by the hounds of hell
By Y. Fernando Many Sri Lankan graduates of bygone eras reminisce about the best years of their lives and the many wonderful memories within the hallowed halls of their universities. With dignity and honour they served the country subsequent to receiving their degrees, proving gratitude for the free education they received. Humbly they retired in [...]
Launch an all-out effort to rid universities of ragging
By Dr Jeyaraman Devarajan This week, I read some news about ragging in the Sri Lankan newspapers. At the beginning of every academic year, news surfaces about ragging. This is often unpleasant to read. It is important to understand that we need to eradicate this ugly activity in our higher educational institutions for good. We [...]
Re-balancing foreign policy in the Trump era
By Dr. Sarala Fernando Given the historic pattern in US foreign policy of vacillation between the poles of isolationism and “manifest destiny” (promoting American values overseas), perhaps President Trump’s victory should not have come as a surprise. The smouldering discontent in America’s manufacturing heartland was well known as a consequence of globalisation freeing up the [...]
Let’s talk about sex
By Mabel van Oranje BRUSSELS – Last week, at the “She Decides” conference in Brussels, government ministers met with representatives from NGOs, United Nations agencies, and foundations from around the world to talk about an issue that is rarely discussed in such dignified settings: sex. Too many young people – especially girls – lack access [...]
Freedom for Education: Free Education and SAITM
By Prof. Chandrika Jayasinghe After basic needs such as air, food, water, clothes and shelter, education is the most important thing that a living being, particularly human beings need. Education is a life skill: At baseline level, it provides the person with basic life skills necessary for survival. Education is essential for virtually all types [...]
Batakotte (Vaddukoddai) Resolution written by Jaffna Pinocchios
By H. L. D. Mahindapala Starting from the Dutch period to modern times, the Jaffna Tamil leadership, which consisted exclusively of the Vellalas, relied entirely on two fundamental ideologies to retain their power and privileges in the peninsula. Both ruling ideologies were defined in two separate documents. First was the Tesawalamai codified by Class Isaacksz, [...]
Model UN forum connects public speaking with diplomacy
Delegates representing different countries gather under one roof to establish diplomatic ties with fellow nations and speak for or against a common theme. This is what Colombo Operated Model United Nations better known as COMUN is all about. Acknowledged as the fifth largest student-run body in Sri Lanka, COMUN has emerged as a potential platform [...]
Sri Lankan Expat Association in New York Marks 46th anniversary
NEW YORK — The Sri Lanka Association of New York (SLANY), one of the longest surviving social grouping of expatriates in the US, recently marked its 46th anniversary with a celebratory dinner at its annual general meeting held at a well know Sri Lankan Restaurant “Sigiri” in Edison, New Jersey. Formed in 1970, SLANY is [...]
Last chance for Country Roads 2017 tickets
This year marks the Country Roads concert’s 29th anniversary, as it continues its remarkable stint as South Asia’s and Sri Lanka’s longest running concert series wherein all proceeds are donated to children’s charities. It is also noteworthy that Country Roads in 2017 is welcoming back favourites – the Mavericks Duo (Dirk and Wolfgang) from Germany, [...]
A new Viharaya for Randenigama Purana Temple
A ceremony was held to launch the construction of a new Viharaya at the Randenigama Purana Temple at Nikeweratiya on Monday. Former Minister Rohitha Bogollagama and Mrs Deepthi Bogollagama participated at the foundation ceremony as chief guests and the main sponsors. The Randenigama Temple has remained the traditional family Temple of the Bogollagama family for [...]
Bishop speaks on justice for Palestinians
A talk on the “Struggle for Social Justice for the Palestinian People” will be given by widely respected Social Justice activist, Colombo’s former Anglican Bishop Duleep de Chickera, tomorrow (Monday) at 4.30 pm at the the Lakshaman Kadirgamar Institute at Horton Place, Colombo. This has been organised by the Sri Lanka Journalists for Global Justice [...]
Peradeniya ex-Ramanathan inmates’ 28th get-together
The 28th annual get-together of ex-Ramanathan-Hall inmates of the Peradeniya University will take place on Saturday April 1 at the Police Families’ Welfare Association Hall (next to the Police Officers’ Mess) at Joseph Frazer Road, Colombo 05. All ex-Ramanathan Hall inmates — male and female, young and not-so-young, are invited to take part in the [...]
Shramadana at Ketawalamulla
Under the guidance of Western Provincial Councillor Jayantha de Silva, who is the UNP’s Borella organizer, the People’s Committee of the Ketawalamulla Grama Niladari division organised a Shramadana to clean up the area. Mr. de Silva is seen here joining the residents in the Shramadana.
Enjoy the fusion of fashion and food at CFW that begins tomorrow!
Every season HSBC Colombo Fashion Week partners with four premier restaurants in Colombo to curate unique, limited edition menus and signature dishes from March 13 -19, intended to provide attendees with an appetising gastronomical experience. This year is no different. Fashion + Food is essentially a marriage of the fashion world with the culinary world. [...]
World Glaucoma Week begins today
Many activities have been organised by the Glaucoma Interest Group of the College of Ophthalmologists of Sri Lanka with the Vision 2020 Programme in connection with the World Glaucoma Week from today, March 12 to 18. The Glaucoma Awareness Walk and Demonstration will be held on March 16. The walk will set off at 8.30 [...]
Almost 20,000 women and children trafficked in India in 2016
By Nita Bhalla NEW DELHI (Thomson Reuters Foundation) – Almost 20,000 women and children were victims of human trafficking in India in 2016, a rise of nearly 25 percent from the previous year, government data released have showed. The Ministry of Women and Child Development told parliament that 19,223 women and children were trafficked last [...]
Young and wise: Lessons from my younger brother
In loving memory of Adhil Bakeer Markar March 11th, Adhil would have been 27, and it is almost five months since this young soul left us. Just like another day, on this day, I would have spoken to him to inquire about how he is doing, plans for the weekend, about studies and cricket and [...]