Mihintale: The mountain where Lanka kept her tryst with destiny
It is the mountain top where two thousand three hundred years ago, Lanka kept her tryst with destiny when a Sinhala king hunting deer for thrill and sport in the forest glade met an Indian Emperor’s son who carried with him not the trove of his father’s treasure but the stoic bowl of the Dhamma [...]
Modi’s big power politics, NAM and vision of Lanka
The greatest enemy of clear language is insincerity—George Orwell There is a feeling of insincerity and being dodgy about the term ‘Non Alignment’ which was coined in the sixties to represent a group of nations that represented a greater proportion of humanity. The dictionary meaning of the term ‘align yourself with’ implies that if you [...]
The tortoise on the fence post
While indulging in my usual musings this weekend, pondering over the happenings in our land over the past few weeks, I was reminded about the story told to me by one of my friends a few months ago. “I say Silva” he began “do you know that our president’s position these days is just like [...]
Communal violence: When Police failed to act
It is regrettable, sad and unpardonable for the failure by the Law Enforcement Agencies primarily the Police Department, in periodically, allowing the attack on the minority Sri Lankans by the majority Sri Lankans. Even though I abhor drawing a distinction between the majority and minority communities in Sri Lanka, I am compelled to refer to [...]
Pulling Sudan back from the brink
NEW YORK – Sudan is on the threshold of disaster. On June 3, paramilitary forces opened fire on peaceful pro-democracy protesters in Khartoum, killing over 100 and wounding hundreds more. Now, hope for a smooth transition to civilian rule is giving way to fear that the country will go the way of Yemen, Syria, or [...]
Lankan expats pay tribute to outgoing UN ambassador
NEW YORK — When Sri Lanka’s outgoing Permanent Representative Dr Rohan Perera first stepped into the United Nations as a delegate back in 1980, he entered the building, accompanied by then Permanent Representative Ambassador Ben Fonseka, “through the UN’s revolving door at the main entrance,’” as he recounted last week. Since then, he has been [...]
Cleaning up of polluted wells
The Prgana Pradeepa Foundation has launched a project to clean up polluted wells in the Colombo district. The UNP’s Borella district organiser and Pragna Pradeepa founder Jayantha de Silva is seen here joining residents of Wanathamulla in cleaning up a well. The project is to be extended to Kaduwela and Avissawella.
SLUKS celebrates Queen’s birthday
The Sri Lanka United Kingdom Society (SLUKS) will celebrate the Queen’s birthday at the Oak Room, Cinnamon Grand Hotel on Tuesday, June 25 from 7.30 p.m. onwards. The chief guest at this event will be British High Commissioner James Dauris, who is also the patron of SLUKS. The event will include cocktails, sit down dinner, [...]
Poson Bhakthi Gee recital by AAUP- CC
A Poson Bhakthi Gee programme organised by the Alumni Association of the University of Peradeniya Colombo Chapter (AAUP-CC) will be held today. The first segment of the programme will be held at the Attidiya Healing Home for the disabled war heroes. It will be limited to the inmates due to security reasons. The second part [...]
CIMA Sri Lanka Toastmasters shine at ovation 2019
The CIMA Sri Lanka Toastmasters club received the prestigious Golden Gavel award at Ovation 2019, District 82’s annual Toastmasters conference held at the Chennai Trade Centre, India from May 23 – 26. The award was a testimony to the collective annual club effort and diligence, planning and execution by club president Nashitha Mohamed and the [...]