When February 4 dawned 71 years ago
As church and temple bells pealed, guns boomed and ship sirens shrieked, 7.30 a.m. on the dot, a formally-dressed gentleman entered the august Audience Hall of Queen’s House in the Fort as Governor and exited a few minutes later as Governor-General (GG). This seven-minute ceremony — an oath taken before Chief Justice Sir John Howard [...]
Rio awash with a sea of change
The ocean has always been shrouded in mystery, symbolising many things from turmoil to trade to tranquillity. The theme for this year’s edition of Colomboscope (January 25-31) was ‘Sea Change: As Tides Turn’, and addressed the urgencies of a rapidly changing coastline and the complex negotiations that have to be carried out between communities and [...]
Letters to the Editor
Fighting dengue with indifferent decision- makers and ineffective subordinates I strongly feel that the efforts of conscientious writers to the newspapers to draw the attention of decision makers, on matters that matter, often go unheeded – sadly! Perhaps the decision-makers of the Local Government authorities are far too busy and cannot find time to read [...]
Appreciations
I have lost my mentor, confidant and more importantly friend DIG Lionel Gunatilleke Some people come into our lives, leave footprints on our hearts and we are never the same…. To me, one of the foremost among them was Lionel Gunatilleke Jr., retired Deputy Inspector General of Police (DIG). When his daughter Vindya told me [...]
Click to find your right tour guide
Lina Gedvilaite and Jacinta Lim like to talk about the time they went to Bali and met a driver named Ketut. They knew what they wanted to see – the truly local. Ketut’s response was to take them to meet local craftsmen in Bali’s remote villages. They were impressed by the guide’s knowledge and friendliness, [...]
Amesh’s designs walk the ramp at Berlin Fashion Week
A rising star in the fashion world,young designer Amesh Wijesekara’s latest collection inspired by Sri Lanka’s sunny tropical landscape was on the international ramp at the Mercedes-Benz Fashion Week Berlin, following a successful showing at the Mercedes-Benz Fashion Week (MBFW) Sri Lanka. Mercedes-Benz Fashion Runways in Sri Lanka is organized annually by Diesel & Motor [...]
Guess who hopped in for Australia Day?
Staff of the Australian High Commission posed with High Commissioner Bryce Hutchesson and the country’s famous mascot at the Australia Day celebrations, which was also a farewell to the High Commissioner. The reception at the High Commiss-ioner’s residence on January 26 was well attended.
Celebrations galore to mark India’s 70th Republic Day
India’s 70th Republic Day was celebrated in Colombo with multiple events – a special cultural event “Strings of Peace” featuring legendary Sarod maestro Ustad Amjad Ali Khan along with sons Aman Ali Bangash and Ayaan Ali Bangash at the BMICH on January 25 and a garden reception on Saturday, January 26 at India House, the [...]
From Europe to Ceylon, in the thick of the leftist movement
She was not a first-line Communist who fought for independence but someone who was initiated into the cause soon after, to take the struggle forward in England and also the fledgling nation state that was Ceylon. It is to have a chat about old times that we meet 92-year-old charming Barbara Seneviratne in her home [...]
He waged his own battles to get that unique Don McCullin look
Black and white is a world unto itself- a world where we’d all like to disappear into sometimes- away from the cacophony of colour. The shades of grey create a timeless, silent, eloquent harmony. Yet few in our times have understood monochrome like the British photographer Sir Don McCullin. Into a lifetime of subtle images [...]
Indian Bharatha natyam exponent to perform here
The Swami Vivekananda Cultural Centre, High Commission of India, Colombo will present a recital by a young Bharatha natyam exponent from Coimbatore, India, Aparna Nithyanand on February 8 at 6 p.m. at the Swami Vivekananda Cultural Centre auditorium, 16/2 Gregory’s Road, Colombo 7. Aparna Nithyanand has performed solo in many festivals such as Pollachi Tamizhisai [...]
Robert Sedgley’s latest exhibition at the Lionel Wendt
For more than 20 years the British artist, Robert Sedgley, has been visiting Sri Lanka; and in that time has built up a considerable body of water colour paintings of scenes and buildings of the island. From Galle to Jaffna, from Colombo to the hill country, he has recorded, in his inimitable personal style, historic [...]
‘Beatles Go Jazz’ for a worthy cause
Sri Lankan jazz band En Route will present ‘Beatles Go Jazz’ on Saturday, February 9 at 7 p.m. at the Western Province Aesthetic Resort, 275/74, Professor Stanley Wijesundara Mw, Colombo 7. The concert is presented by the Women’s International Club (WIC) as a charity fundraiser in aid of the Christopher Maithree (Compassion) Therapy Centre. The [...]