Safe in their circle
We conclude today our series on the Bawa awards shortlist with the Santhi Home in Rakwana, a unique shelter for abused or abandoned young girls, designed by a team from the Technical University of Munich’s (TUM) DesignBuild programme Ensconced in the dark rainforest, the Santhi Children’s Home in Rakwana is a reminder that architecture rests [...]
Days in the sun on Tangalle beach now only a memory
“Do you serve lager?” “Are these jumbo prawns from the lagoon behind?” “How much is one of these grilled large crabs?” “We want to taste your calamari!” “What kind of fish is this – it looks yummy!” “Hello there! We want to try out something different to what we had yesterday.” “We want the same [...]
Appreciations
Yes I will miss this noble man with a cultivated mind DR. NIHAL ABEYSUNDERE Nihal passed away a few days ago. His father Dr. Aelian Abeysundere was my father Clement Alles’s cousin. Chevaliar William Abeysundere was our great-grandfather. The Abeysunderes were a well-known southern family, prominently featured in Arnold Wright’s tome, the ‘20th Century Impressions [...]
For Mala, every human story was worthy of attention
This morning I saw a heron on a London canal. It flew out of some reeds and landed on a nearby barge. I would normally have taken a photo of the bird and sent it to my friend Mala. It was just an ordinary grey heron, but her reply would have lifted the gloom of [...]
Chugging down memory track to ‘Summit Tunnel’, Pattipola
Tunnel No 18 or the ‘Summit Tunnel’ is 220km from Colombo on the upcountry railway line, around one kilometre from the highest point of the railway summit (1898.1m above mean sea level). It separates the Nuwara Eliya District from the Badulla District and is also a boundary demarcation of the Central and Uva provinces. The [...]
Letters to the Editor
The National Council of Elders should step in to see that elders are prioritized for vaccination It is the internationally accepted principle that senior citizens be given priority when administering the COVID-19 jabs. But according to media reports, it appears that our Health authorities have ignored this procedure. Under the protection of the Right of [...]
Standing tall both architecturally and spiritually
A familiar landmark within the Galle Fort, All Saints Church was built in 1868 under the guidance of the second Bishop of Colombo Bishop Claughton and the dynamic leadership of Rev. Dr. George Justus Schrader, later Archdeacon of Colombo.The construction was completed in 1871, with its consecration taking place on February 21,1871. It has been [...]
What it takes to be a Mrs World
The hunt is on for a new Mrs Sri Lanka for Mrs World and as part of their intensive preparation, the contestants now in the fray were put through their paces on what it takes to aspire for the prestigious title at a workshop held at the Shangri-La Hotel last Sunday. Experts from the beauty [...]
Anusha fulfils her design dream
The recent launch of Gabriel Couture by Anusha David sees the PR professional at last fulfilling her dream of having her own couture label. Why Gabriel? “My father’s name was Gabriel and he was just the most amazing, magical person in my life. He would always say I could achieve anything I set my sights [...]
Bhagavad Gita live lectures online by Sunandaji
Bhagavad Gita is a manual of life. It enunciates the ancient philosophy of Vedanta. Vedanta presents the eternal and universal principles of life and living which transcend the barriers of race and religion, caste and creed. These principles equip one with a strong intellect to meet the challenges of the world at all levels – [...]
3-year journey of Little Minds Strong Values goes online
Rotary Governor Ajith Weerasinghe recently launched the new website www.LittleMindsStrongValues.com as past president and chairman Rukshan Perera presented the three-year journey of Little Minds Strong Values (LMSV), a national project to inculcate ethics and values in children through video animated songs. Spearheaded by composer, singer and Past President of the Rotary Club of Colombo Metropolitan, [...]
Requiem for ‘Villa Venezia’
I wonder how many are yet around to share my memories of the wonderful library of Villa Venezia that brightened our undergraduate years in the University before it fled Thurstan Road to Peradeniya. It was, probably, Jennings’ predecessor Marrs who picked on the exotic Villa Venezia to house the University Library. I have not yet [...]
A definite page turner of murder and intrigue set in Sri Lanka
A shot on the beach- by David Cooper Reviewed by Dr. Rajiva Wijesinha A year or two back I was sent, out of the blue, a novel called ‘Street Dog’. It was by a man called David Cooper whom I did not know of previously, but I subsequently found out that, having qualified at Oxford, [...]
An insight into Israel-Palestine conflict
History as I See It and Others by Hafiz Sheriff, a searing take on the Israel-Palestine conflict and current world affairs, has now been launched in Sri Lanka. The Israeli occupation of Palestine has been a hotly debated topic for many years, among academic circles, casual gatherings, and within the hallowed halls of the United [...]
Stages call to artists and child artists
Stages Theatre Group, set up in 2000 to promote socially and politically challenging original Sri Lankan theatre, has launched an islandwide initiative to connect artists with children and communities to address the challenges faced by children because of the COVID-19 pandemic. ‘Children in Lockdown’ supports artists to work with children helping them deal with the [...]