‘Markedly Sri Lankan’
It was the bridesmaid’s night! As Ashok Ferrey, in his fifth shortlisting, won the Gratiaen Prize, there was a tremendous cheer from the gathering around the giant, bell-hung tree at Barefoot. He was, of course, the celebrity among the shortlisted four–the chronicler of Colpetty People and so many questioning, soul searching Sri Lankans whether living [...]
Seeing something new
The Museum of Modern and Contemporary Art at Crescat Boulevard, Colombo 3, in its latest series of exhibitions – Encounters – looks at how a chance encounter between two things can alter the way something commonplace is otherwise seen; how two artworks placed side by side can “reveal something new about each of them”. The [...]
400 years ago: A tale of two Danish expeditions
Some 400 years ago, a decisive encounter took place at the court of Christian 1V (1577-1648) in Copenhagen, Denmark which had a profound impact of commerce and trade in the East. The Danish East India Company founded in 1616 was funded largely by Christian IV, a notable Danish monarch. King Christian expended large sums of [...]
A little heart beats against all odds
It was touch-and-go. The distraught parents watched terrified wondering whether their newborn twin son still had life in him for his lips were a blackish-blue and he was not moving. The 14-day baby was being transferred from a private hospital to the premier Lady Ridgeway Hospital (LRH) for Children, Colombo, at 5 a.m. on April [...]
Letters to the Editor
Time to leave and let an interim “theocratic group” bail the country out It is time that that our current leaders bow out gracefully. The following tale of woe should impel them to make a safe and honourable exit. It is hoped that the three comrades in arms – the brothers also follow suit. A [...]
APPRECIATIONS
An ordinary person who accomplished extraordinary things Audrey Rebera Audrey Rebera was born in October 1933 and passed away in August 2021. Educated at the Presbyterian Girls’ School (Dehiwala), Methodist College (Colombo 3) and the University of Peradeniya, Audrey began her ecumenical journey in the Church of Ceylon Youth Movement. Joining the Central Bank in [...]
It’s personal, but it’s something beyond too
Shades by Edmond Jayasinghe Vijitha Yapa Publications Price: Rs 1000 Reviewed by Sasanka Perera I initially began reading ‘Shades’ – Edmond Jayasinghe’s collection of recent poems in English during a government-imposed quarantine in faraway Tissamaharama. In that unplanned solitude, other than wandering peacocks, loitering pigeons, and military personnel clad in personal protective equipment checking my [...]
On a tea country trail with Baloo
We arrive on a starlit night and, seeing the ‘Amba’ sign, we know we have finally reached this stunning artisan tea estate cradled by the highlands near Ella in the Bandarawela District, Uva Province. Also a self-sufficient sustainable farm, it has a Jungle Book mountain guide: Baloo – a huge and extremely friendly Belgian Shepherd [...]
‘Chatroom’: Now more important than ever before
In this room, words are power,” director Tasmin Anthonisz encapsulates the crux of her upcoming production ‘Chatroom’, an adaptation of Irish playwright Enda Walsh’s darkly comedic and thought-provoking work of six teenagers meeting online. A production by her company Studiolusion, ‘Chatroom’ presented in special agreement with Concord Theatricals Pvt Ltd and on behalf of Samuel [...]
Bethel Chapel: A ‘Century of Blessings’
Seemingly hidden away amidst towering office buildings and apartment blocks, Bethel Chapel, at 7 Alfred House Gardens, celebrates a ‘Century of Blessings’ on July 7. Over the past 100 years, through the many changing scenes of life, it has been a place of solace where weary souls come heavy laden and cast their burdens at [...]
Tilak receives UN’s Long Service Award
Tilak Samaranayake, one of the longest serving Sri Lankans at the UN Secretariat in New York who retired last week after 33 years of service, was presented with the UN’s Long Service Award. He worked for the Department for General Assembly and Conference Management from 1989, initially handling all the IT functions of his department. [...]