He dug deep to blaze a trail
It was with some trepidation that I rang Eknaligoda Walawwa. Even though I knew Dr Siran Upendra Deraniyagala to be an artist and musician as well as an archaeologist (always a humane breed, these latter-poets with hoary stone), I was nervous of disturbing the peace of that old Kandyan manor on a misty Monday morning. [...]
When big trees fall
With great sadness I record two recent events that have befallen us. One more personal than the other, but they are interrelated. The first was the sorrowful event of the passing of Dr Siran Deraniyagala, a former Head of the Department of Archaeology. A scholar who was widely recognized for his research and publications on [...]
Pioneering step in little girl’s battle between life and death
A little girl would have been dead……..but for the timely intervention, a first-ever in Sri Lanka at short notice, excellent coordination between a base hospital and a teaching hospital and a state medical system which does not discriminate between the poor and the rich. The first successful paediatric liver transplantation for acute liver failure is [...]
Appreciations
The lessons I learned from my father Gratien Amirthanayagam “Love is patient, love is kind. It does not envy, it does not boast, it is not proud. It is not rude, it is not self-seeking, it is not easily angered, it keeps no record of wrongs. Love does not delight in evil but rejoices with [...]
Three Lankans honoured with Indian literary award
As India celebrated its 75th Independence day on August 15, the Indian Government awarded 440 writers across the globe the literary honour – Gujarat Sahitya Academy award. In the list were three Sri Lankan writers, Nilukshika Dimithri Wijerathna, Thasneem Aala and Sakina Mohammed. The Gujarat Sahitya Academy is one of the many Indian literary boards, [...]
On ‘Second Coming’
So COVID came again. The Second Coming…….that is, if it had gone away, in the first place, as it was supposed to. Like we Sinhalese say, “I’ll go and come” when we really mean “I’ll be off now”. It’s gentler, and it’s nice to end on a positive note. No dead finality. There’ll always be [...]
Lankan Isle goes digital
The Lankan Isle magazine which brought readers insightful features on a wide range of subjects is now available online.Lankan Isle has moved from print to digital to make it accessible at the click of a button to readers both in Sri Lanka and overseas. Readers can now access its digital platform at www.lankanisle.lk at no [...]
Lecture on UK’s famed Kew Gardens
Two experts from the UK’s famed Kew Gardens – Richard Barley, Director of Horticulture and Learning, and Janaka Balasooriya, Horticulturist, Tropical Nursery, Royal Botanical Gardens, Kew, will talk on ‘Conservation of Plant Life at Kew Gardens’ today, Sunday, October 10 at 6 p.m.. The lecture is organised by Ruk Rakaganno, the Tree Society of Sri [...]