Events diary

Calling all members of the Peradeniya University's 1957 Batch- a get-together of all those who entered the Peradeniya University in 1957 is being planned to celebrate their golden jubilee.

Batchmates are kindly requested to contact one of the following members of the organizing committee:
Prof. J.B. Disanayaka- tel: 2856699
G.A.S. Ganepola - tel: 2734291
Dhammika Amarasinghe - tel:2773269
Tilak Iddamalgoda -tel: 2776369
Namel Weeramuni - tel: 2672121
Nihal Jayawardhana -tel: 2866800

"Charandas", the award-winning play directed by Parakrama Niriella, will be staged at the Rukmani Devi Memorial Theatre, Negombo on February 10 at 3.30 p.m. and 7 p.m. for the first time after its winning streak at the National Drama Awards Festival 2006 in both Sinhala and Tamil Drama categories.

"Charandas" is an adaptation of the Indian version "Charandas Chor" by Habib Tanvir, a veteran drama director and the leader of the Naya Theatre Group of Chhattisgarh. Habib's 'Charandas Chor' won the highest award at the Edinburgh International Drama Festival in 1983.

The Sri Lankan version of 'Charandas Chor' too bagged nine awards at the National Drama Festival of 2006 including Best Play and Best Direction. Music direction of the drama is by the veteran H.A. Perera while Ravindra Mapitigama contributes as choreographer and Assistant Director Dilip Rohana chips in as the manager while Chaminda Prasad and Palitha Abeylal handle makeup jointly. Jude Srimal is the chief organizer of the show.

The Girls' Section of Crescent Schools International presents an adaptation of The Lion King II: Simba's Pride, at the Bishop’s College Auditorium on February 18, at 4 p.m.

Tickets are available at the school office 189/4, Havelock Road, Colombo 05.

The Holiday Inn's Liberty Ballroom will once again open its doors to welcome lovers of all ages with a spectacular Valentine's Day dinner dance on February 14. The pioneer DJ crew in town Cool Tempo will keep crowds entertained with their music and special lighting effects on the dance floor.

Ladies will be welcomed with a rose, chocolate and a glass of wine. There are also lots of competitions, surprises and prizes lined up for the night. Table reservations could be made for couples as well as groups. The highlight of the evening will be the selection of the Valentine's Queen.

Meanwhile the Holiday Inn's Tempt Inn pastry shop will have a special selection of chocolates and cakes for Valentine's Day available from February 10.

The 15th anniversary celebrations of "Sai Mandir', at Barnes Place, Colombo 7 will be held under the patronage of the Sri Sathya Sai organization Asia Pacific Chairman Prof. Pal Dhall at the Saraswathie Hall, Bambalapitiya today, February 4 at 5 p.m.

Minister Karu Jayasuriya will preside. Second Secretary of the Indian High Commission in Sri Lanka Shri M. Visnu Namboodiri will be the guest of honour.

A special Service of 'Praise and Worship' will be held on February 11 at 10.30 a.m. at the Cathedral of Christ the Living Saviour, Bauddhaloka Mawatha (adjoining the BMICH) Colombo.

This service, which is open to all, is designed to proffer personal blessings upon individuals through anointed prayer. The Speaker and Minister at this service, conducted under the umbrella of the ministry of 'Peace for All', will be Dr. Vijaya Corea.

The Community of the Risen Lord (CRL), an organization dedicated to work for renewal within the Catholic Church, will once again hold its 'Four Steps' retreat at St Peter's College Hall, Bambalapitiya on February 10 and 11.

"Since we started these retreats in 2000, thousands have discovered the love of God filling their lives and changing them,' says a spokesperson for CRL. 'We have witnessed a tremendous movement of the Holy Spirit in the healing of broken marriages, physical illnesses, broken relationships and more."

The retreat will start at 2 p.m. on Saturday, February 10 and continue till 8 p.m. On Sunday February 11, it will begin at 9 a.m. and end with Holy Mass at 5 p.m. Lunch will be provided on Sunday. All are welcome. For inquiries, call 'Tabor' on 2366264.

The Sri Lanka Library Association (SLLA) will hold its National Conference on Library & Information Studies on March 8 and 9 at Hotel Galadari.

This conference is organized with the intention of uplifting the professional image of the Association, and also to provide its members the opportunity to present their research findings. This has been an annual event during the last few years.

This year the conference will be on the theme "Information Management in the Digital Environment", as the government has now focused heavily on the e-lanka concept. In order to broaden the scope of the conference, the SLLA has decided to open it for those in the profession outside Sri Lanka, and has already received abstracts from India, Iran, Malaysia, United Kingdom and New Zealand.

The SLLA invites those in the field of information and communication to participate in this seminar. For further details please refer to www. Slla.org.lk