Across the seas to a distant past
Several British cannon stand imperially, at the entrance to the Sri Lanka Ports Authority Maritime Museum on Chaithya Road, adjoining the Colombo Port. A lesser-known attraction of Colombo, now onto its 15th year, the museum, housed in an old Dutch warehouse is dedicated to the history and evolution of the ports of the island. Maintained [...]
Letters to the Editor
We all shout about traffic jams, but nothing seems to move! Traffic blocks are endlessly talked about. In fact, this column itself has published so many articles addressing the woes faced by commuters. And yet, the problem persists. Traffic jams during rush hours are inevitable- true- and are common enough around the globe, but they [...]
Don’t make this ‘paradise isle’ a hell for animals
How does animal cruelty impact on the tourism industry of a nation? In some tourist resorts in Sri Lanka, there are cruel methods of dealing with stray dogs and cats. Tourist hotels are the latest addition to a list of public places like hospitals, state universities, parks and the streets, with the authorities claiming that [...]
Share some great moments with Nigella!
Since the publication of her first book in 1998, Nigella Lawson has inspired and nurtured home cooks around the world with her relaxed and accessible cooking style and engaging personality. The award-winning British food writer, broadcaster, journalist and well-loved television personality will be in Sri Lanka for a series of exclusive events from June 21 [...]
Relive those disco nights with Boney M. hits
Remember Daddy Cool, Brown Girl in the Ring and Rivers of Babylon? Boney M. were the disco-kings of the late ’70s with their toe-tapping beats blasting at every party. The Euro-Caribbean band comprising Liz Mitchell and Marcia Barrett from Jamaica, Maizie Williams from Montserrat and Bobby Farrell from Aruba was formed in 1976 by German [...]
A voice from the Caribbean for the voiceless
Long before Jacob Ross began to spin the prose sagas of his motherland, he was a poet. It was the paradisiacal tropical landscapes of the Caribbean Islands- and particularly his own motherland Grenada- that sang to him, cajoling him to be the chronicler of these virgin lands, first sighted by Columbus in that bright twilight [...]
In defence of art as a social reality
While Dr. Lester James Peries called Dharmasiri Bandaranayake’s maiden cinematic labour, Hansa Vilak a ‘dazzling debut’ which ‘displays a remarkable feel for the medium’ and ‘imaginative, experimental and very exciting,’ scholar and critic Reggie Siriwardene lauded him for ‘a form and style which went further than any Sinhala film before in taking us into the [...]
EWC Workshop on the Short Story
A half day workshop on the Short Story by the English Writers Collective (EWC) will be held on Saturday, June 9, at the auditorium of the International Centre for Ethnic Studies (ICES) from 9 a.m. to 1.30 p.m. The sessions will be conducted by an experienced academic with talks, discussion and exercises. The workshop fee [...]
An eye for the cats
He is just back from the wilds. Without attending to work piled up from his fledgling business while he was away, he has been sorting out his “captures” from the wild, drawing the ire of his wife. The “captures” have been “really good”. Seven leopards, three sloth bears and “loads of elephants” including a couple [...]
Talent and enjoyment take centre stage at ‘Samanalayaya 2018’ finals
The talented young thespians of the Sunera Foundation took to the stage on Wednesday, May 16 to perform at the finals of ‘Samanalayaya 2018’ at the Lionel Wendt Theatre in Colombo. The colourful and educative plays of the finals night of Sunera Foundation’s annual drama festival included ‘An Amazing Gift’ performed by the Katugastota workshop, [...]
Appreciations
The ‘diffident’ scientist who made waves in his quiet manner Prof. Samantha Hettiarachchi The Sumatra-Andaman earthquake on Boxing Day 2004 measuring 9.3 on the Richter scale generated what was soon called the Indian Ocean tsunami, claiming 250,000 lives and displacing over 1.5 million people. Of the people who survive in a possible future scenario of [...]