Mystery over the last King’s ‘cell’ in Fort
The prison cell of the last King of Kandy, King Sri Wickrama Rajasingha in Colombo Fort is a well-known monument situated within the premises of the Ceylinco House building down Janadipathi Mawatha (Queen’s Street) at the turn-off to Bank of Ceylon Mawatha. Although it is commonly known as the prison cell where the last King [...]
The role of the Asgiriya Gedige Raja Maha Viharaya in the Dalada Perahera
As the historic Senkadagala (Kandy) Dalada Perahera concluded with the Daval (day) perahera yesterday, the role played by the Asgiriya Gedige Viharaya on the last night of the Randoli Perahera comes into focus. After the Perahera concludes with the Maligawa perahera entering the main Wahalkada, (entrance) the Perahera Karanduwa (casket ) is taken in procession [...]
Letters to the Editor
These grandiose foolhardy projects are definitely not for the people I was shocked to read in the print media of the Cabinet approving US $300 million towards a project to roll back the sea from Kollupitiya to Dehiwela and create a luxury beach resort. The Nobel Prize-winning economist Joseph Stiglitz has described such public-private partnerships [...]
Appreciations
No more chats at Hulftsdorp, but the memories will linger SULAIMAN JIFFREY MOHIDEEN Innah Lilahi Wa Innah Illaihi Rajyoon – surely we belong to Allah and to him we shall return. It is almost two months since my dearest friend and mentor Moiya passed away after the Ramazan festival. I still cannot believe that he [...]
Making a change and starting young
Their motto is simple: ‘I must change for my country to change’. By upholding the message that every one of us has the power to change our country for the better, the Mother Sri Lanka movement has made great strides in encouraging youth to become responsible citizens. Founder and Chairperson of Mother Sri Lanka Dr. [...]
The Colombo Opera Festival: Meet the international artistes
The inaugural Colombo Opera Festival in November is an opportunity to witness and explore the world of opera, in different aspects and forms. There will be masterclasses and performances and Q&A sessions with international artistes who have excelled in the world of opera and are now bringing their artistry to the shores of Sri Lanka [...]
Unveiling complex emotions with the expertise of a surgeon
“In my childhood, I was known as the boy whose mother had run off as an Englishman”-so begins Anuradha Roy’s latest novel All The Lives We Never Lived, a story about people out of sync with their times and their surroundings. This is a beautifully written and compelling tale of how families fall apart and [...]
‘The One Who Loves You So’: Setting a new standard in originality
Thus far, it has been an excellent year for local theatre with directors pushing themselves to produce plays that tackle issues audiences aren’t always familiar with or comfortable talking about. Off the top of my head, ‘Every Brilliant Thing’ and ‘Fun Home’ provided a platform for conversations about mental health and sexuality, so ‘The One [...]
The Bharatha Natya arangetram of Dr. Miriyalini
The Bharatha Natya arangetram of Dr.Miriyalini Sundararajah will take place on Saturday, September 1 at the New Kathiresan Hall Bambalapitiya at 6 p.m. Dr. Sundararajah is a student of Dr. Subashini Pathmanathan. Dr. Sundararajah is attached to the Cardiology Unit of the National Hospital. The Chief Guest at the event will be Dr. S.A.E. Sepalika [...]
Nonagenarian who once strode the UNP platform
A faded leaflet gummed onto an old album bulging with black-and-white photographs is announcing a political meeting. The colour is faded but it is obviously green. Stalwarts are billed to speak at this ‘Yoda Reliya’ on December 9, 1962, with none other than J.R. Jayewardene in the main chair. A Rathu Virodi Yoda Maha Pelapaliya [...]
Laki’s green green ‘jungle’ of home
The forest envelops Diyabubula in a close embrace and Laki Senanayake is content- it is as he envisioned it. “Thirty or 40 years ago when I planted these trees I thought, will I live long enough to see all these branches meeting,” he says. The branches have now formed a canopy so thick that only [...]
Stripping away colonial hangups
Andre Estefan’s much awaited step back into fashion on August 17 was an evening like no other! Cleverly conceptualized, the “Colonial Romance” show drew much applause as the liberated fashion statements took the ramp at the Trace Expert City. Stefan Andre Joachim has been in and out of the limelight through his 30 years in [...]
Let’s us give tradition a little twist, shall we?
“We don’t have to stick to a 2000-year old tradition. That became a tradition because it was created so many years ago. Crafts need not be only traditional, they can be contemporary as well to suit this age,” says well known design expert Senaka De Silva. This is the thinking behind Lak Arcade, the newest [...]
Musical tribute to Dayan by his fellow artistes
A concert of Chamber and Choral Music featuring some of the leading performers in classical music will be held on September 1 at 7.30 p.m. at the Russian Cultural Centre. The concert is being held in memory of Dayananda Fernando (Dayan), an outstanding musician who passed away in 2016. Dayan played and taught both string [...]
Pera holds stakeholder workshops on gender and economics
In recognition of the knowledge, training and research needs for gender-aware policy making, the Postgraduate Institute of Humanities and Social Sciences of the University of Peradeniya is preparing to offer two postgraduate courses that focus on a gender-sensitive analysis of economic theory and policy. The initiative is led by senior academics from the Department of [...]
Motivational speaker at Positive Living with PD meeting
Fahad Farook, a motivational speaker and trainer will lead the Positive Living with PD support group in a session on the power of positive thinking, how to stimulate the ‘happiness hormone’ and the art of mastering your thoughts and emotions. The Positive Living with PD – Support Group Meeting will be held on Wednesday, August [...]