The making of a movie on a master
‘Serendipitous’ is how director Afdhel Aziz describes the 12 days his team spent filming five Geoffrey Bawa buildings: Kandalama; the Lighthouse Hotel; Red Cliffs; Lunuganga and the Ena de Silva house – capturing stairwells and owls; Ena’s batiks and moss covered orange walls and statues. The cinematic chef d’oeuvre, titled ‘Bawa: the Genius of the [...]
From her soul to the soul of the listeners
Virtuoso pianist Shani Diluka is back in Colombo and will be playing a chamber concert with Dushyanthi Perera and Nilupul Silva on Wednesday, July 12 at the Lionel Wendt. The programme, including works for solo piano and piano trio by Debussy, Grieg, Dvorak, Schumann and Piazzolla, is the second performance she will give during this [...]
Letters to the Editor
Wishing Sak Surin a speedy recovery and happy life in Thailand It was indeed a sad day for Sri Lanka when the Government of Thailand, after having received a report on the condition of the health of the elephant named “Sak Surin”– which was gifted to Sri Lanka and later re-named as Muthu Raja – [...]
Appreciations
Adios sweet princess, you were special in every sense of the word Naomi de S. Wijeyeratne When my sister Naomi was born it was another child in the De Silva Wijeyeratne family to bridge the gender ratio. Our mum who had 10 children before Naomi realized a difference in her during the routine baths and [...]
Filling a void through micro-drawings
Thabendran Krishnapriya’s canvases tell a poignant story. The gentle artist sits in the Barefoot Garden Café and casts back to the Jaffna of her youth. She was born within the maws of ethnic trouble in 1987, and her sick mother was to die when Priya was barely three months. It was that shattering event that [...]
Finding art after retirement
“There was a space after retirement and I looked through that space and finally found myself!” says self-taught artist Swarna Abeytunge who after working in the corporate sector for 40 years, reignited a long put aside passion for art. “Art has made my retirement life very beautiful” she smiles. Swarna will present ‘Artful Blend’, a [...]
The pleasures of gardening
One of the benefits of being retired, I have discovered, is that I can enjoy the pleasures of gardens and gardening. There is a lovely verse about gardens in a poem I recall learning in my schooldays. It was written over 100 years ago by an Englishwoman Dorothy Gurney: “The kiss of the sun for [...]
All set for Sri Lanka Bocuse d’Or cook off
The Sri Lanka edition of Bocuse d’Or, a renowned competition in the culinary world will take place on July 23 at the William Angliss Institute in Malabe, showcasing the culinary skills of Lankan Chefs. President of Bocuse d’Or Sri Lanka Rohan Fernandopulle, Event Coordinator Chef Alan Palmer and the Ambassador of France to Sri Lanka [...]
An indelible stamp on forgeries
“Be like a postage stamp. Stick to one thing until you get there” -Josh Billings Dulshan Ellawela has recently published his MPhil research — ‘Philatelic study during the British colonial period in Ceylon’ with the front page featuring an elegant design. Ellawala is a stamp collector and enthusiast with a keen interest in scholarly works. [...]