Only hopelessness stares in her face
He called her at 11.15 that night to say that he had reached his destination in Ratnapura. He promised to call her early the next morning to wake her up so that she could cook, see to what their three children needed and send them off to school. It was the “avasana video call” on [...]
Ordinary voices made extraordinary by the times they lived in
Archive of Memory, launched this month, is made up of voices from across seven decades of independence. In the introduction to the book – edited and curated by Malathi de Alwis and Hasini Haputhanthri, with the accompanying photographs by Sharni Jayawardena – the editors note that the publication is as representative of the diversity of [...]
Letters to the Editor
A lament for the vanished lungs of the city of Colombo Many of us of the older generations, especially those who were sportsmen and sportswomen who had participated in outdoor team games, would recollect the large number of playgrounds that the city of Colombo had which have now given way to buildings. The city of [...]
Appreciations
Toast to a great love story and a wonderful lady Neelanganie Liyanage “Who can find a virtuous woman? for her price is far above rubies.” Proverbs 31:10 “Anything worth having is worth waiting for” “If the people we love are stolen from us, the way to have them live on, is to never stop loving [...]
The Gratiaen has its day in Jaffna
We were none of us alien to the sunny Jaffna peninsula- indeed some of us had our roots within its arid soil. But it was the first time the Gratiaen had gone North. The Gratiaen Trust established by Michael Ondaatje to recognise and promote creative writing in English, had long wanted to reach more beyond [...]
Passing of Ven Ampitiye Sri Rahula Maha Thera marks the end of an era
The departure of the Most Venerable Ampitiye Sri Rahula Maha Thera ends the ‘Pelene Siri Vajiranana Era’ where the learned monk, Most Venerable Pelene Sri Vajiranana Maha Nayaka Thera trained a set of monks resident at the Siri Vajiraramaya, Bambalapitiya with the aim of propagating the Buddha Dhamma both locally and globally. Along with fellow-monk, [...]
The weight of diaries
Fabienne Francotte moved to Sri Lanka in 2016. Her visual documentation of her experiences in the island was repeatedly maintained in her diaries. Her works combine social, emotional and spiritual experiences; the vivid narrative of an expatriate, teacher and observer. Born in Belgium, Fabienne studied calligraphy at the Maison du Livre in Brussels. I Don’t [...]
Great music, applause and an audience going wild: Dilip’s show had it all
Dressed in a sparkling gold jacket, hunched over the grand piano on the Lionel Wendt stage, the piano man started off his opening act in his Valentine’s Day concert with an Elton John classic. From then on, The Journey, well known musician Dilip Seneviratne’s personal accomplishment of a musical career spanning over four decades was [...]
A magical land rises from a series of workshops
Entering the mystical land of Yggdrasil the children from an orphanage are caught up in the battle between the Shrifflers (the good guys) and Grimmens (the bad guys). Stagecraft, the School of Musical Theatre and Performing Arts presents ‘The Missing Piece, A journey of imagination, friendship and love’ on February 28 and 29 at the [...]
Strokes of nostalgia
Not often do the seemingly different spheres of art and technology meet. Artist Ravi Kalubowilage is one who doesn’t view these worlds as separate, but instead as an extension of each another. An award-winning watercolour artist, Ravi’s paintings are being exhibited this weekend at the Lionel Wendt Art Centre. His exhibition “A Journey of Reminiscence [...]
Hoppers goes to King’s Cross London
On Tuesday, February 11, Hoppers, from JKS Restaurants, inspired by the home cooking and roadside stalls of Sri Lanka and southern India, opened its new restaurant in Pancras Square, King’s Cross, London. The inspiration for Hoppers King’s Cross follows the much-travelled coastal journey from Colombo, the island’s capital, down to the historic Dutch town of [...]