In search of Bawa the thinker, the reader
The golden afternoon seeps across the black and white tiles, lighting up the corridor of the Galle Face Hotel. It settles on a woman, standing by a door. She is locked in impassioned debate with a foreigner. The words “colonial,” “imperialistic” and “orientalist” hang like daggers in the air. The speaker had just come out [...]
Letters to the Editor
It is high time that farmers rise against organised racket As pointed out by Akash Widanapathirana in the article titled ‘Prices rise–farmers and consumers suffer in middleman’s tyranny’ in the Sunday Times of November 5 it is the middleman’s tyranny that hits both the farmers as well as the consumers. As is rightly said by [...]
Let’s play a game to detect hearing impairment
It was of an evening nearly 10 years ago in their home in Birmingham, England, that he saw his 14-year-old daughter, Apsara, engrossed in a Pac-Man game with its beeping response as she played it on her computer. In his mind, a light bulb clicked on and he made a small note for future reference. [...]
Yes, there’s history and culture too in Macau, not just gambling
It was the first European trading post on the Chinese mainland – established by the Portuguese, who then controlled it as one of their overseas colonies from the mid sixteenth century until 1999 when it was handed back to the People’s Republic of China. This is Macau, a place where architectural, cultural and culinary influences [...]
Discovering Negombo’s hidden secret, Amagi Aria
Encircled by the calm emanating from the lagoon beyond, a visitor would fall in love with the place at first sight. This is Negombo’s hidden secret Amagi Aria, a four-star hotel located alongside the serene Negombo lagoon: one of the two properties of Amagi Hotels, the other being Amagi Beach in the Western coast of [...]
A place to unwind and explore surrounded by Galle’s rich heritage
Opening their latest venture in Galle this year, Thailand’s Amari Hotel has come to Sri Lanka! The hotel, we were pleasantly surprised to find, offers a scenic view of the Galle coastline. The interior design and architecture of the building pay homage to the rich heritage and culture of Galle. A collaboration by Sino Lanka [...]
Hooked on bats
A painting and a sketch encapsulate it all. The 1850 painting by William-Adolphe Bouguereau of ‘Dante and Virgil in Hell’ depicts a horrific winged-monster hovering in the background. Much-maligned and stigmatized are bats with numerous unkind epithets including vampires encircling them, with some politicians in Sri Lanka being linked derogatorily with ‘wavul prathipaththi’ or as [...]
Lord David Puttnam: From award-winning film maker to policy maker
In the summer of 1978, Lord David Puttnam was ill and housebound in Los Angeles when he came across a book that would change his life. Its title – decidedly undramatic – was “An Approved History of the Olympic Games” by Bill Henry. But the film that Puttnam would be inspired to make after reading [...]
“Designer Wedding Show’ all decked to walk down the aisle
The Bride and Groom Magazine, Sri Lanka promises potential Brides and Grooms an unforgettable experience with the “Designer Wedding Show’ 2017. The Bridal Couture show returning for the 8th time will be held at the newly opened Shangri- La Hotel, Colombo on November 28. Ramping up the show will be the De Lanerolle Brothers who [...]
He showed the way to ‘‘Amarillo’ and more with great gusto
Dressed in full white, Tony Christie made his grand entrance, bursting into song almost the second he walked onstage, taking a break on and off only to explain to his audience at the BMICH the unique stories behind his tracks. His energy and wit kept the show going. We learnt that his first hit ‘Las [...]
The conventional and the bold
“Concept 2018 CurioCity’ by Fouzul Hameed”saw the top three contestants of Mr. England striding the ramp at the Envoy Mansion along with local models earlier this month giving the audience a taste of what’s in vogue for the fashion-conscious man of today. Among the models was reigning Mr. England Jack Eyers who is also the [...]
BSC promises the best ever Christmas Carnival
It’s that time of year when shopping and seasonal fun predominate. Back this year, even bigger and more exciting is the British School Christmas Carnival, that will be held on Saturday, December 9 from 2 p.m to 8 p.m at the British School Colombo (BSC) premises, 63, Elvitigala Mawatha, Colombo 8. The carnival is annually [...]
Needlework creations for the season
Ramani Liyanage and Shamini Rockwood are the skilful duo behind the “Needle Creations” studio and academy. Having undergone professional needlecraft training in UK and New Zealand, they train students in the art at their academy. They will hold their annual Christmas exhibition and sale for the third consecutive year on December 2 and 3 from [...]
The patron and the painter
“The patron and the painter: Dutch governor Gideon Loten (1710-1789) and the Sri Lankan natural history artist Pieter de Bevere (1722-1782) the fruitful but unacknowledged collaboration in the study of the birds of Sri Lanka” – by Archt. Ismeth Raheem will be the 101st Session of the Monthly Lecture Series of the National Trust – [...]
Appreciations
One would need more than a fair knowledge of the Thesaurus to describe this gentle giant Malavige Tissaka Lal Fernando I had the fortune of signing as an articled clerk under Malavige Tissaka Lal Fernando (A.C.A. England and Wales), aka ‘MTL’ and ‘Lal’, in May 1961, as my Principal. He had the proud distinction of [...]
‘Vishaka Situ Devi’: Passionate production comes under a cloud
Vishaka Situ Devi’, a leading female figure in Buddhism, has over the centuries been the subject of much devotional literature. Known as one of the Buddha’s leading patrons, she has been hailed as the female embodiment of lay Buddhist virtues. Wanting her students to emulate this great figure, in 1958 the then Principal of Visakha [...]
Mahila Samiti annual handicraft sale
The Mahila Samiti annual handicraft sale and exhibition will be held on Tuesday, November 28 at the Lionel Wendt Gallery, No. 18, Guildford Crescent, Colombo 7 from 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. The Mahila Samiti seeks to promote and revive the traditional cottage crafts. A variety of beautiful handicrafts from baskets made of watakeiya, mats [...]
Community service programme by Lions Club, Rattanapitiya
A community service programme organised by the Lions Club of Rattanapitiya was held on November 4 at the Boralesgamuwa Sri Bodhirajarama Purana Viharaya. New N.I.C smart cards were issued, school books, uniforms, pre-school needs were donated as well as a wheelchair to the Boralesgamuwa police station and paint for the MOH Maternity clinic in Boralesgamuwa [...]
WASLAM holds sing-along tonight
The Women’s Association of Sri Lanka Malays (WASLAM) has organised a sing-along featuring Dr. Zavahir backed by the popular band Flame today, Sunday, November 26, at 7 p.m. at The British School in Colombo, as a fund raiser for their charity projects focused on the advancement of women and children. Launched in April 2010,WASLAM recognises [...]