Maidens Ahoy!
A red T-shirted team of athletic women had disembarked at Galle International College. Tanned by the sun and salty Indian Ocean winds, they lit up the school auditorium where the students waited eagerly to hear their story- an extraordinary saga featuring a wonder woman, a kind king and a unique yacht that can claim to [...]
St. Xavier in Ceylon and a 17th century painting in Lisbon
The recent discovery of a mass grave in the Mannar district was traced to the period of Portuguese colonial administration and occupation of this part of the country. The findings in the US could only fix a date of 1500-1700. The arrival of the Portuguese in Sri Lanka in 1505 coincided with the height of [...]
Sri Lanka, like India, should organise Buddhist pilgrimages
It was an amazing experience and a dream come true for my wife and I to join a Buddhist pilgrimage to India organised by one of the leading tour operators in Sri Lanka recently. We were overwhelmed by the beauty and serenity in particular of the four main places of Buddha’s life- Lumbini (Nepal), Bodhgaya, [...]
Iconic London college hosts Anoma’s book launch
It was International Women’s Day and there I was perched on the third floor of Central St Martins, the world-renowned art and design college of the University of Arts London for the launch of the book ‘Anoma’. Anoma Wijewardene, the artist, draws her inspiration by a process of osmosis from another island, Sri Lanka. She [...]
Australian medical team joins Zonta Club II for breast cancer workshop
Ann Selle of the Botany Bay Zonta Club in Australia first became known to Sri Lankans when the Post Surgery Breast Cushion that she had developed for cancer patients was distributed to patients in Sri Lanka. Ann was back in town recently at the special invitation of Zonta Club II along with Breast Physician, Associate [...]
Inspiration, food and fun; all for women
As you walked into the Shangri-La ballroom, the ladies were welcomed with a delicate rose and a warm smile, for every woman deserves flowers no matter the occasion. Marking International Women’s week 2019, ‘Ladies VIP Night’ held on March 6 was an evening of empowerment, inspiration and celebration. Under the theme of Balance for better, [...]
SAARC celebrates women in arts
‘A celebration of the struggles, triumphs and legacies of women’ was the theme of the SAARC Cultural Centre celebrating this year’s 109th International Women’s Day on March 8 at the University of Visual and Performing Arts. Special guests- film director Sumitra Peries, educationist Mercy Nalini Edussuriya, former principal of Visakha Vidyalaya, author Sumithra Rahubaddhe and [...]
Great company in a perfect setting
With the sun setting against the Galle Face Green, the shimmering Indian ocean and the bustle of Colombo city as the backdrop, Cosmopolitan Sri Lanka together with CE LA VI Colombo hosted a soiree celebrating International Women’s Day on March 8. The evening was paired with exciting pop up stores, an exclusive designer jewellery collection [...]
Bitten and smitten by the Beetle bug
A doctor, a Beetle and an unlikely love-story in print! It is as ‘Bumble Bee’, the popular Transformer which takes on the persona of the yellow Volkswagen (VW) Beetle which is doing the cinematic rounds that ‘A visual, technical guide & a lifetime of association’ with this very same vehicle came to my desk the [...]
Evolution of a classic language unfolds in a simple engaging style
George Bernard Shaw once enthused, “Ceylon is the cradle of the human race because everyone there looks an original”. The finely sculpted swarthy island people he admired share their classic character with the Sinhala alphabet. The beautifully curvy, full-figured Sinhalese letters are eloquent of an ancient civilization, chiselled on to rock and inscribed onto ola [...]
Hema launches book on Mahawamsa paintings in Myanmar Temple
Dr. Hema Goonatilake who over the past 20 years has researched and published on the relationship over the last 1000 years between Sri Lanka and the nations of South-east Asia has just brought out a book titled, “The Mahawamsa Illustrated: Paintings from a 12th Century Myanmar Temple”. The picture shows her handing over the book [...]
Appreciations
An honest and genuine friend with an exuberant personality Gamini Ameresekere Gamit (Gamini) Ameresekere was a grand friend among our good friends whom we cannot forget. Memories of the fascinating chats we enjoyed don’t fade. He lives every day in the realm of my thoughts for he was such an admirable person whom I associated [...]