The resurrection of Kochchikade
From the ashes, nay from the blast, the smoke, the destruction, the grief and the tears, has risen a beautiful church-by-the-sea to which men, women and children are coming back in their numbers. The barricades are still there and the security checks are ongoing, all needed in the face of the threats of terrorism, but [...]
Looking back: Little-known art of well-known architect
“I am an architect by profession (now retired), but art has been my first and abiding vocation. It is both a deep-seated passion and an almost daily ritual. Most days I wake up very early and sketch, creating new work or re-working earlier compositions.” So writes the artist/ architect/ historian/ designer /ornithologist and much more. [...]
Letters to the Editor
Why the enforcement of lane law is bound to fail The proposal to hurriedly introduce strict law enforcement in lane discipline when the existing system is so faulty, will only end up as yet another unexpected source of revenue to the government while indiscipline on our roads will remain the same. It will only make [...]
Appreciations
An illustrious man of a bygone era who served the people Godfrey Edward Madawala Our grandfather Godfrey Edward Madawala’s birth anniversary falls today, June 23. Godfrey Edward Madawala was the son of Madawala Basnayaka Nilame, Notary Public and landed proprietor of Madawala in the North Western Province and Ranmenike, daughter of Chandarasekera Goonaratna Tennakoon Herath [...]
The stage is his one sanctuary
Arun Welandawe-Prematilleke’s great asset in his role as an actor (for he is also a playwright and a director) are his expressive eyes. Their subtly accusing defiant glance seems to confront you at times with the spirit of Felipa de Souza (the openly gay Brazilian woman who fell foul of the Catholic inquisition in the [...]
Rarely seen Ivan Peries work on exhibition in Kandy
Lovers of Sri Lankan art are in for a treat as the work of a renowned member of the 43 Group, Ivan Peries is currently being exhibited at the Alliance Française de Kandy. The exhibition will run until June 26. Courtesy of Shamil Peiris and the Taprobane Collection, it features some of the artist’s early [...]
The De Lanerolles return to the Lionel Wendt
The De Lanerolle Brothers will be returning to a favourite venue – one they recognise as one of the best acoustic halls Sri Lanka has – the Lionel Wendt. Celebrating 10 years this year, the duo will stage ‘It’s a classic’, their fifth local concert out of 10 this year on July 1, this concert [...]
At 17 a desire to teach English soon turned into the beginnings of a school
“If you are passionate about what you are doing, you absolutely don’t work, you just enjoy every moment,” Yohanka Jayasuriya reflects. As the Yohanka School of Speech, Drama & Performing Arts in Kandy celebrates 25 years, she takes us down memory lane. Soon after she finished her Ordinary Level exams, Yohanka put her school uniform [...]
Endana Nature Corridor’s second phase takes root
In 2018, Dilmah Tea founder, Merrill J Fernando uprooted the tea bushes at Dilmah’s tea garden at Endana to create a nature corridor across the estate, reconnecting Sri Lanka’s fragmented forest ecosystems in the region. The initiative looks towards enhancing the genetic diversity around the Sinharaja Rainforest, a UNESCO designated World Heritage site and Biosphere [...]
An artist with a mission to seek the other
‘Being the Other’ is an explorative collection by a Belgian artist that attempts to dive deeper into the human experience. Fabienne Francotte explains that “women are the roots of our society”, and their eyes are the windows to our pain and resilience. Her exhibition that opened at the Saskia Fernando Gallery in Colombo, on Thursday, [...]