At 102, he recalls his days on ‘cloud 9’
The email to the Editor of The Sunday Times received last month was what led us to Don Lionel Sirimanne for right at the end of the article he had sent in, titled ‘An Unreal, Futuristic and Fantastic Dream’ was the line ‘The writer is now 102 years old, Former Radio Officer/Navigator, Air Ceylon and [...]
‘Malays of Sri Lanka’: Story of a vibrant culture, people
From a language in which many Sinhala terms have originated to relished food including the likes of Nasi Goreng or Pittu, the minuscule Malay community of Sri Lanka has maintained its unique niche in the social fabric of the country for centuries, standing side by side with their brothers and sisters of other communities. Now [...]
Await! A Danielle de Niese special and cantata from St. Mary’s Choral Group
‘Behold, A Savior!’, a Christmas cantata will be performed on Saturday, December 17 at 7 p.m. at St. Mary’s Church, Bambalapitiya by the St. Mary’s Choral Group. The choir is conducted by Eshantha de Andrado and will be accompanied by Neomal De Alwis and Neranjan De Silva on piano and keyboards respectively, with monologues directed [...]
Shades of blue that soothe
One would have thought Christmas had come early as Barefoot gave us a pre-yuletide treat in mid November with ‘Silence of The Blue’, Channa Ekanayake’s first solo exhibition since 2001, when his exhibition ‘Dwellings’ was at the Lionel Wendt Arts Centre. Starting his artistic journey in 1997, Channa was apprenticed to Croatian artist Dora Tomulic. [...]
A common space with a message to all
The spotlight falls on Gender Based Violence (GBV) from November 25 – December 16 with many organisations running workshops, social media campaigns and other awareness initiatives. Considering this and the United Nations theme “UNITE! Activism to end violence against women and girls”, Advocacy and Communications Consultant Shanuki de Alwis decided to curate an exhibition which [...]
Inspiring installations
December 1 saw the opening of the Sri Lanka Design Festival 2022 giving this year’s Academy of Design (AOD) graduates the floor to share their work with the public. The AOD Grad Exhibition is one of two key events that take place during the annual festival, the other being the Mercedes-Benz Fashion Week, which has [...]
“Frosty Fest” rings out the promise of a pre Christmas treat
Bouncing back into the holiday spirit since the pandemic’s undoing of all holiday festivities is the British School of Colombo, who will hold their annual Christmas Carnival and fund-raiser “Frosty Fest”, on December 10 from 2 p.m. to 8 p.m. at the school premises on Elvitigala Mawatha, Colombo 8. A great success since 2016, the [...]
When the Cathedral resounded with music and message of the Birth
An enforced Covid pause notwithstanding, news of the choir of the Cathedral of Christ the Living Saviour’s Advent Sunday programme spread quickly among lovers of choral music. The choir directed by Ishan de Lanerolle was presenting an Advent Cantata titled ‘Journey of Promises’ last Sunday – a significant date, it being Advent Sunday when Christians [...]
Mahila Samiti sale: Gifts for the season
The Lanka Mahila Samiti will hold their annual handicraft sale on December 6 from 9 a.m to 5 p.m. at the Lionel Wendt Gallery. The Samiti’s talented rural members will display their skills and crafts. There will be a wide array such as ‘Indikola’ table mats, wall hangings, embroidered tablecloths, cushion covers, batik sarees, sarongs, [...]
Carol service by S. Thomas’ Prep School
The Choir of S. Thomas’ Preparatory School, Kollupitiya will celebrate “A Festival of Nine Lessons and Carols”, at St. Michael and All Angels Church, Polwatte, next Sunday, December 11 at 6 p.m. The annual carol service, introduced in December 1957, is an institution at Prep School and this year’s service will include works by Boris [...]
Inspired by colour
Rhuani Rambukwella is holding her annual art exhibition and sale of her work and that of her students after a hiatus of two years this weekend at the Lionel Wendt Gallery. The exhibition is on from 10.30 a.m. to 7.30 p.m. today. With the artists ranging in age from five to the sixties, the work [...]
10-year plan for Sinharaja
‘Saving Sinharaja and Beyond – a 10 Year Landscape Management Plan’ is the subject of this month’s Nations Trust Wildlife and Nature Protection Society (WNPS) lecture. It will be delivered by Prof. Nimal Gunatilleke, Dr. Jinie Dela and Anura Sathurusinghe at 6 p.m., on December 8 at the Jasmine Hall, BMICH. The Sinharaja Forest Range [...]
Gallery for Fareed Uduman: Final tribute from son to father
High amid the treetops of Kirula Road, Colombo 5, Sky Gallery of the Fareed Uduman ArtForum- a permanent exhibition that also comes with a promise to share this space with aspiring artists, will open this week. The Gallery will be declared open on December 9 by art connoisseur Malaka Talwatte who will thereafter talk about [...]
Letters to the Editor
Get expert advice before a national treasure turns into a national disaster As a former senior officer of the National Library Documentation and Services Board (NLDSB) in the 1980s and 1990s, I am disheartened to learn of the present ill-fated renovation project of the National Library. The main functions of a national library are to [...]
Appreciations
My schoolboy hero; a great innings on and off the field Michael Willie It was on March 22 and 23, 1957 that Michael Willie captained Royal versus Michael Tissera’s star studded Thomian team at the Colombo Oval for which Mahinda Wijesinghe named him for his rigorous fitness training. As predicted by his coach Dr. Barney [...]