With a hymn in their hearts
Voices raised in praise, worship and thanksgiving……not for a day, a week, a year, but for a lifetime. Music and song, transcending all barriers, have been the offering of love of Jude Gomis, 55, and as Christmas draws nigh, his single-minded purpose is to give of his best along with his family to Mary, Joseph [...]
Letters to the Editor
President should have got legal advice from the Attorney General In his address to those assembled at the Presidential Secretariat after swearing in Prime Minister Ranil Wickremesinghe last Sunday December 16th, the President stated, among many other things, that he had dissolved Parliament not on his own accord (“everyone knows I’m not a lawyer”) but [...]
Appreciations
A great friend of the cardiac surgical fraternity of Sri Lanka is no more Dr. Ravi Perumal Pillai Dr. Ravi Perumal Pillai, a Sri Lankan-born cardiac surgeon, who practised in UK and Sri Lanka passed away after a brief illness on December 16. Dr Pillai was a great friend of the cardiac surgical fraternity of [...]
‘Lottie Moore’ and the ruby ring
“Sailors then were sailors and ships, ay, they were ships, When the ports were filled with loveliness and sails were on the sea.” “Hi, Somasiri, Now that you have finished with the young Aussie……..” It was a mail from a fellow member of our maritime heritage chat room. I had just completed a most rewarding [...]
Look who’s back in their numbers
With the start of the migratory season, thousands of birds make their way to the regions bordering the equator to flee the winter, and Mannar transforms into an avian paradise. Although the previous year saw a drastic dip in the number of Flamingos in the region, currently there are approximately 800-1000 Flamingos seen in Mannar, [...]
Eshan’s Christmas favourites
Christmas is just around the corner and Eshan Denipitiya has a little surprise for his fans that is bound to get you feeling all Christmassy. The 23-year-old musician who became something of an overnight sensation when his video ‘Rhapsody of Queen’ was shared by the great Brian May (lead guitarist of Queen) himself, has a [...]
Mohammed Hanif’s Red Birds set to steal the limelight at FGLF
Though Mohammed Hanif was born in rural Pakistan to middle class parents who were highly respected- regarded as “pillars of wisdom” in the community- neither of them could read or write. Mohammed himself, though a high achiever, would leave home at 15 for Karachi. There, fate would send him to the Pakistan Air Force who [...]
An educative voyage through the history of Pacific Islands
I must confess, going into this exhibition I knew very little about the Pacific Islands. Maybe that was part of the reason I was so keen to see the exotically titled ‘Oceania’ exhibition before I left London, following a work trip. Before this, my only (rather ignorant) impressions of the Pacific Islands were a set [...]
MAMMA MIA! : It’s finally here
The much awaited West End production of MAMMA MIA! is finally in Colombo. MAMMA MIA! opened last evening at Nelum Pokuna Mahinda Rajapakse Theatre with local thespians in the audience, along with the original director of MAMMA MIA!,Phyllida Lloyd, who also graced the opening night. Being performed for the first time in South Asia, the [...]
In these troubled times, let us present ourselves before the Child
You know the players. A Child born in Bethlehem in a cold, uncomfortable manger. A mother smitten. A foster father whose eyes and allegiances are firmly fixed. Angels of Heaven with a proclivity to startle. Three magi at the point of no return. A worldly king enraged. In the chill of a high desert evening, [...]
Keep the message of Christmas alive through the year
Does it not strike you that somewhere along the way, Christians seem to have put Christ out of Christmas? Christians who seem to have been dormant most of the year, have a way of coming alive at Christmas. For them, it is an endless round of parties, feasting, giving and receiving of gifts, etc. Do [...]
Another Christmas comes along, and the memories return
As one who is celebrating his 89th Christmas, it is with a profound sense of nostalgia that I pen these thoughts. Memories of days gone by, those near and dear, and friends long gone, come crowding in. One feels like a straggler in a strange world! So, to start with, what exactly is Christmas? The [...]