Indispensable Accessibility: An essential need to enjoy civil rights
Have you not yet realised that the chances are now very high that, at any stage or any moment in life, for a short time or for a long time, for different reasons, you or your loved ones, could experience physical and/or sensory impediments, and fall into the category of “People with disabilities” as defined [...]
Taking refuge in the Buddha, the Dhamma and the Sangha
The London Buddhist Vihara goes back to 1955, and before that to the period 1926 to 1939, having been founded by Don David Hewavitarne (1864–1933), who took the title Anagarika Dharmapala. He was a Sinhalese man who took up the new role of the Anagarika that is half way between that of a layperson and [...]
Why Sri Lanka is a crucial hub in the Indo-Pacific region
Many of us in Sri Lanka do not realise what a significant position our little island has in the world. The part of our globe that comprises the maritime space stretching from the coasts of East Africa and West Asia across the Indian and western Pacific Oceans (including the eastern coasts of East Asia) right [...]
Time to get hooked on books once again
It is that time of the year when book lovers head to the BMICH to indulge in new books as the Colombo International Book Fair, celebrating its 20th consecutive year, returns with a range of fiction, academic texts, children’s books, stationary and much more. Organized by the Sri Lanka Book Publishers’ Association, this year’s exhibition [...]
Stigmata wins gold at Asia Music Awards contest
Sri Lanka’s leading heavy metal band Stigmata has brought home the gold, winning the prestigious Asia Music Awards contest. The Asian Music Awards is a regional Battle of the Bands competition hosted by www.channelfix.com, sponsored by Boost Records and enables any artist representing any genre of music to participate. Stigmata was approached to submit a [...]
Devalaya opening at Palliyawatte
Western Provincial Councillor and UNP’s Borella chief organiser Jayantha de Silva was the chief guest at the opening of a Devalaya at Paliiyawatte in Wattala. He is seen with devotees at the opening day pooja.
Kofi is no more, but his legacy continues to revitalise UN
On behalf of the Asia Pacific group, Sri Lanka’s Ambassador Rohan Perera addressed the United Nations General Assembly Plenary Meeting convened to pay tribute to the late Secretary-General Kofi Annan. Produced below is the text of his speech: Sri Lanka has the honour to deliver this statement, as Chair for the month of September 2018, [...]
Medical luminary Dr Chris Uragoda steps into the mighty nineties
Eminent medical physician, pre-eminent scholar, prolific writer, avid researcher and indefatigable nature lover, Christopher Gunapala Uragoda, popularly alluded as “Chris” or “CG” who carves a niche in the annals of medical history reached his 90th milestone in life yesterday (Sept. 22) in the arduous journey of samsara. Hailing from Hikkaduwa, Dr. Uragoda was first schooled [...]
Source of inspiration to Muslim women
Enterprising and inspiring educationist Rasheeda Mohideen who left us on Tuesday September 15, 2018 is one of those few who lived to see her dream come true.Her dream was to establish a school with all modern facilities capable of providing an all-round education to Muslim girls in Sri Lanka while preserving the values and virtues [...]
Governments must stand up for health
GENEVA – It was just a century ago that the Spanish flu epidemic spread across the world and killed tens of millions of people. Long before the moon landing, the Internet, or the discovery of the Higgs boson, the world was at the mercy of a disease that struck indiscriminately and did not respect national [...]