From ashes of war rise art and healing
Once upon a time, the very aridness of Mullaitivu was always its charm; palmyrah clusters grew copse-like in the middle of paddy fields and on sand dunes, were reflected on cerulean lagoons alongside colourful gopurams, the salt pans shimmered and the flamingoes crowded like candy floss. Forty years ago, however, all that was blighted and [...]
The Chitrasena legacy: Inspiring story at the Design Festival
In a world overrun with disasters of all kinds, including a global pandemic, it is important now more than ever that the arts and culture of a country remain resilient. The arts restore balance in a world that is often disrupted when the focus is only on economic development. Heshma Wignaraja, Artistic Director at the [...]
Letters to the Editor
A fund would help revive much needed theatre Open letter to the Prime Minister Of all the arts in Sri Lanka, theatre is the most neglected, not considered necessary for the development of societal values, and most importantly, the sense of reflection of the embedding of humanity or compassion amongst the populace, a factor which [...]
Appreciations
Legacy of integrity, friendship empathy and generosity Dion Jayasuriya We first met Nearcus Dion Jayasuriya on the first day of Fifth Form in January 1966 when he and a few others including R.G.A. Perera, S.T.B. Jayasinghe, S. de S. Jayasinghe, B.R.Ranaweera and D.T De.S. J. Gunawardena joined our grade – as the inimitable MC Arun [...]
Pink Wednesdays: One step more in raising breast cancer awareness
‘On Wednesdays we wear pink’. This is the simple but powerful message of the Indira Cancer Trust’s new campaign to raise awareness about breast cancer in partnership with the National Cancer Control Programme of the Ministry of Health which was launched last Wednesday. It follows their breast cancer awareness month campaign, ‘TLC: Touch, Look, Check’ [...]
Lankan rail bridges can still be saved
Some time ago, rail bridges in the Puttalam area were inspected as part of a study to evaluate their condition. “Instead of building a brand-new bridge, we proposed to repair the existing rail bridge by retrofitting the worn-out parts,” said Professor Ranjith Dissanayake from the Department of Civil Engineering of the University of Peradeniya. As [...]
Rebirth of Thiruketheeswaram
The ancient temple of Thiruketheeswaram is situated near Mannar. According to mythology Kethu took refuge here, performed penance and beseeched the Supreme Lord of the temple Iswara. Hence the temple gained the name Thiru-Kethu-Iswaram. Originally built by Mayan, father-in-law of Ravana, Thiruketheeswaram is one of the five leading Shivan temples in the country, considered as [...]