Let him be
The eyes said it all – yes, they were very sad, but this is absolutely not the time to move Bandula from his home of long years to a strange abode. Sri Lanka needs to do what is best for Bandula, the zoo elephant. This is the heartfelt plea of top-notch international expert on elephants, [...]
Letters to the Editor
An independent salaries commission is a must It is reported that a special Salaries and Cadre Commission has been gazetted ‘to study the existing salary structure of the Public Service’. This is welcome. However, there is a much bigger issue. It is time that a permanent independent commission is set up constitutionally, to look into [...]
Appreciations
The old family home will never be the same without you Wapamma Nafathul Hamsa Marikar Thahir When my father called that Wednesday morning informing me that our beloved Wapamma was ill and being brought to Colombo, I felt that despite her age, everything was going to be alright. She was a strong and independent lady [...]
A gift of art and a message
‘Girawa wedding’ features two parrots – one in vivid colour and the other an intricate silhouette of white (on a bright red backdrop) facing each other – beak to beak. This and other collages of nature and daily life with equally intriguing names will be exhibited at the Lanka Alzheimer’s Foundation’s upcoming exhibition ‘Remember Me [...]
A chocolate brown croaking beauty emerges from the mist-covered Knuckles
Long nights and tired days, cold and wet atop the Knuckles Range, braving strong winds, heavy drizzles and thick mists! The loud croaking of frogs, mainly on rainy nights, nudged them on against the inclement weather, with the quest ending in a new rare species, a chocolate brown beauty, being picked up in the mist-shrouded [...]
Camera trapping the elusive leopards of Wasgamuwa
As dusk descended gradually obliterating the land of its features we slowly headed towards the entrance to the Wasgamuwa National Park, cruising on the dusty dirt track that wound alongside the dried grass plains. And then suddenly there by the forest edge was a solitary leopard! It was sitting on its haunches with the head [...]
‘Cue’to bring novelty to stage with Our Town
Ranga Jayaratne’s home in Ratmalana bustles with fun and laughter, but underneath the light hearted pre-rehearsal gaiety runs a deep ore of serious passion for the theatre, something that has always animated ‘Cue’. If you are unfamiliar with the name of this theatre group, you won’t stay the same for long, for the fresh-faced cast [...]
Fairway National Literary Awards: Shortlisted writers
The audience was brimming with anticipation as the judges were ushered in for the fourth Fairway National Literary Awards Shortlist for the year 2018- at the Kingsbury Hotel. The award is given in all three language categories for an original novel, each judged by a group of distinguished judges comprising, in each panel, an academic, [...]
Veteran author & journalist honoured with the ‘Dayawati Modi Stree Shakti Samman’ award
veteran novelist and journalist, Anula de Silva has been honoured with the ‘Dayawati Modi Stree Shakti Samman,’ an award established by women, for women, in the memory of Dayawati Modi, an Indian philanthropist, known for her welfare work for women and children. Ms de Silva is the first Sri Lankan woman to receive this award. [...]
Spice up your Sunday with an Indonesian brunch
Whether you prefer cuisine which does not veer too far from the Sri Lankan flavours or refuse to eat anything which isn’t authentic, there just might be something for you at today’s brunch buffet at Shangri-La hotel, Colombo which features authentic Indonesian cuisine. Three Indonesian chefs from Shangri-La Hotel, Jakarta, Chef Anton Sujarwo, Chef Meidi [...]
College of Physicians to hold 51st annual academic sessions
The Ceylon College of Physicians (CCP), Sri Lanka’s premier professional organisation of specialist physicians, will hold its 51st anniversary annual academic sessions from September 12-15 at the Galadari Hotel Colombo. More than 700 fellows, members and associate members of the CCP spread throughout the country in both the state and private sectors, will come together [...]
Maestro Victor Ratnayake returns with ‘Sarasa- Ratnamaya Gee Amanandaya
Maestro vocalist and musician, Victor Ratnayake will present his new solo musical extravaganza, ‘Sarasa- Ratnamaya Gee Amanandaya,’ on September 16 at 6.30 p.m. at the Nelum Pokuna. The ‘Sarasa’ concert series is a revival of Victor’s ‘Sa’ solo shows, much loved by Sri Lankan classical music fans for many years. The first concert of the [...]
Urgent need of kidney transplant
J. Fernando, 63, is suffering from chronic kidney disease and end-stage renal failure. He is on twice-weekly dialysis at Sri Jayewardenepura Hospital under the care of Dr. Chula Herath, Consultant Nephrologist. He urgently requires a kidney transplant. His blood group is A+ and he requires a kidney from either A or O blood group. Any [...]
Talk on excavating the birthplace of the Buddha
A lecture on “The earliest Buddhist shrine : Excavating the birthplace of the Buddha, Lumbini (Nepal)’ will be delivered by Sirisaman Wijetunga, former Assistant Director of the Department of Archaelogy at the auditorium of the Mahaweli Centre, Dr. Ananda Coomaraswamy Mawatha, Colombo 7 at 2.30 p.m. on Monday, September 9. The lecture is organised by [...]
Sumithrayo holds awareness event to mark Suicide Prevention Day
Sumithrayo will commemorate World Suicide Prevention Day tomorrow (September 10) with a public awareness programme on ‘Working Together to Prevent Suicide’ to reduce the number of suicides further from 5-8 p.m. at the Lavender Hall of the BMICH. The evening’s programme, open to the public, will include a dramatic presentation by the Rotaract Club of [...]
Mysteries of nightfall from amante
Leading lingerie brand amanté debuted their 2018 Autumn/Winter collection titled ‘Starry Tales’ at Barefoot Garden Café this week, along with a few additional delights from both amanté and its sister label Ultimo. Inspiration for the Starry Tales collection comes from the mysteries surrounding night-time, according to the design team. The collection aims to evoke the [...]
A fashion treat from across the Palk Strait
kavita Thulasidas, the audience at the Hilton Ballroom last Sunday was told, had reinvented her grandfather’s tailoring establishment in Singapore turning it into a high-end designer store Stylemart. Bringing her creations to Colombo, “Threads of Time’, the fashion show that Kavita presented at the Colombo Hilton along with her co-organiser Anita Dorai (a Singaporean resident [...]