Beginnings of the Bhikkhuni Sasana and Binara Poya
Binara Poya falls tomorrow, September 20. It is an important Poya as the Bhikkhuni Sasana (nuns order) was established in India during the time of the Buddha. At that time when women had a low status in Indian society, the establishment of the Bhikkhuni Sasana was the first step to release them from the fetters [...]
Chugging to life a vanished rail heritage
In this magnificent hard cover volume with 450 pages of text, timetables, maps and over 200 rare photographs, Rasika Wickramanayaka has captured the essence of the railways that played an important part in the development of this country. A chartered architect and certified project manager by profession, Rasika Wickramanayaka (born in 1978) has drawn on [...]
Anuk’s story that ‘unfurls like smoke’ shortlisted for Booker
Sri Lankan writer Anuk Arudpragasam has been shortlisted for the 2021 Booker Prize for his novel A Passage North. “We had to find a place on the shortlist for A Passage North, in which Anuk Arudpragasam turns his poetic sensibility and profound, meticulous attentiveness to the business of living in the aftermath of trauma. The [...]
Letters to the Editor
Baffling move to appoint monitoring MPs It is believed that the Govt is thinking of appointing Monitoring MPs to observe and report on matters affecting the public in their electorates. MPs have been elected by the public to look after their interests and it is for this purpose the MPs are paid salaries and allowances [...]
Appreciations
We will hold you close to our hearts Suresh Goonesekere Where do I begin to write about my nephew Suresh? Suresh came into my life at a tender age, being my nephew Hishan’s college buddy and neighbour. They grew up together in Mount Lavinia and attended S. Thomas College. This shy little boy I would [...]
Would the adorable alpacas help our fight against COVID-19?
The Alpaca is a member of the camel family, Camelidae, and is reputed as a gentle, quiet and friendly animal. The relationship between humans and alpacas goes back to thousands of years. It is believed that the people of the Andes Mountains in South America domesticated the wild relatives of these animals 6000-7000 years ago, [...]
Child Action Lanka marks 15 years with ‘CAL Me’ emergency mobile app
For 15 years, Child Action Lanka (CAL) has made it their mission to provide aid and support to disadvantaged children across the country. From striving to support just eight children in 2006, to over a thousand more across eight Child Development Centres across the country currently, CAL works towards creating a better future for children [...]
WNPS lecture on conserving Asian elephants
“Asian elephant conservation: the long road ahead”, will be the topic of this month’s Wildlife and Nature Protection Society (WNPS) lecture by Nilanga Jayasinghe on September 23 at 7 p.m. The lecture will be via Zoom and FB Live and those interested could register online on https://forms.gle/WoHurA2n2465k6Y76 Asian elephants once ranged from West Asia, through [...]
A chance to enjoy a ‘couch safari’ of Wilpattu National Park
Ever since the pandemic descended on us, wildlife lovers have been missing their park visits. But here’s a chance to go on a couch safari as the Wilpattu National Park goes live on September 24 and 26. Sri Lanka Tourism and the Department of Wildlife Conservation together with Deutsche Gesellschaft für Internationale Zusammenarbeit (GIZ) GmbH [...]
Up from within
“The Kraken wakes” I am in my garden – another garden, in another house – pacing up and down, alone, grappling with a seemingly insurmountable problem…… Something there is, deep within us, that wells up, erupts, in moments of stress. No, I am not talking of Kundalini, coiled serpent-wise at the base of the spine. [...]
Info session on how to apply to Oxford for graduate studies
The University of Oxford is one of the world’s most renowned and oldest universities, having been ranked second in QS World University Rankings 2022. Today, the Oxford family comprises over 24,000 students of postgraduate and undergraduate students from a wide variety of courses. Gaining admission to the University is highly competitive, with only 3,000 students [...]