Gifts of art for a master garden
Lunuganga- the Italian-tropical garden where a puckish Hindu Pan cavorts with a leopard and Greek youths- was Geoffrey Bawa’s greatest gift to his island home. It is, above all, a place that inspires- from Michael Ondaatje who used its deep sepia peace and beauty to leaven his tale of wartime grimness in the novel Anil’s [...]
Giving more voice to our lesser known languages
Sinhala, Tamil and English – are the languages commonly spoken in this country. But did you know there are several lesser known languages that are also in use? Dr. Romola Rasool, a Senior Lecturer at the University of Kelaniya’s Department of English Language and Teaching, dedicates most of her time and efforts to raise awareness [...]
Letters to the Editor
Fort Railway Station: Travel may be ‘cheap’, but what about the hassle? I had been wanting to write this piece for a long time about the Colombo Fort Railway Station. An archaic building of the British period, it is not only the building that looks archaic, but inside its workings too are also archaic. Is [...]
Appreciations
To me he will just be Dad DR HATIM HYDERALLY My Dad…a true gentleman who handled himself with grace and dignity. Some moments from my time with Dad: Outside in the front lawn throwing and catching a baseball. Yes… Dad was more than brilliant as an Anaesthesiologist… he could also throw a baseball… well, kind [...]
It’s my story and the story of my Galle Fort community
Taking a deep nostalgic look back, then forward, she ponders what the “right balance” is for her community as modernity envelops them in its vigorous demand. “I don’t have all the answers but I have something to say – so I have said it in ‘Stay, Daughter’,” smiles Yasmin Azad whom we meet on Wednesday, [...]
From jaguars to gorillas; encounters with the wild around the world
“We chased a dream of travelling in the wilds both here in Sri Lanka and across the world,” says Chitral Jayatilake, CEO of Cinnamon Holidays on how Cinnamon Holidays began facilitating photographic safaris six years ago. Starting off with India – exploring the Chambal River in Madhya Pradesh photographing Skimmers and Comb ducks and then [...]
Renowned British architect takes audience on a journey of knowledge
The Royal Institute of British Architects (RIBA) Members – Sri Lanka presented ‘People, Personalities & Presentation’ – a guest lecture by Archt. Richard Brindley visiting from the UK. Brindley is renowned for his lectures at the Architectural Association (AA) & Bartlet and his impactful tenure as Executive Director in the RIBA from 2003 to 2015. [...]
Artistic hideout in the hills of Kandy
The artistic scene in Kandy has been finding new inspiration. The buzz is originating from an architect designed space where artists and art lovers are finding a congenial meeting ground. From meetings of the Kandy Writers Group to movies about Vincent Van Gogh and Gamperaliya, a talk by Prasad Fonseka on the Battle of Narambedda: [...]
Unravelling the economic factors in Sri Lanka’s 30-year conflict
Assembling Ethnicities in Neoliberal Times: Ethnographic Fictions and Sri Lanka’s War by Nimanthi Perera- Rajasingham, published by Northwestern University Press, USA, in October 2019, is an important contribution to the discussion of what forces were at work during the 30-year conflict between the Sinhala and Tamil ethnic groups in Sri Lanka. Like the recent work [...]
CMSC begins year-long celebration of Beethoven’s music
In 2020, Germany will celebrate the 250th birthday of Ludwig van Beethoven, arguably its most famous citizen with the whole world. The Chamber Music Society of Colombo (CMSC) in association with the Goethe-Institut, Colombo, will begin the year-long celebration of the Maestro’s music with a concert on January 26 at the Goethe-Institut Hall. The concert [...]