Raising a cuppa to tea and lit
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Tea Library talk and entertainment: Maitri Gunaratne with Joanne Jollie
A great night out: Herman Gunaratne with mural artist Chandana Samarakoon
The Tea Library launched last week in Hikkaduwa, with some 250 guests enjoying tea and home-made cinnamon biscuits from its sister property Mirissa Hills. Tea Library, the brainchild of veteran planter Herman Gunaratne is located in the beach and surfing town of Hikkaduwa.
The vision Herman had buying the building post-pandemic was to make the Tea Library a cosy meeting place for tea and for literary discussions, talks on artisan tea, poetry readings and even musical dinners. Singer Joanne Jollie gave a lively musical taster of this during three exciting sessions at the Tea Library launch.
Tea Library artists, Mural on top floor by Chandana Samarakoon and photographer John Vincent
On the third floor with spectacular views of the beach and town, Kandy artist Chandana Sumarakoon had painted a giant mural covering the highlights of Herman’s exciting life in tea.
The Architectural team
Herman’s aim with the Tea Library is to deliver a tea and food experiences as he believes tea is the world’s most important and valuable health drink with many medicinal benefits. “I am constantly trying to improve and enhance people’s tea drinking habit by adding spices like cinnamon good for the long term memory and ginger, great for preventing COVID coughs and colds.”
At 80 you might think this would be the last of Herman’s big ventures, but on the contrary he says his next project will be the biggest of them all – a home not only for seniors, but for all those who are desperate and in need of help. Herman says “I will do this immediately after I launch the Tea Library. It will be the biggest project of my life. The Home of Hope is going to take a lot of my time and resources. I will gladly do this as I have had a contented and wonderful life and I owe something to those less lucky.”
He is very grateful to his visionary architect Shayan Kumaradas for transforming a derelict building into one of multiple uses and charming interiors, that embraces the arts including mural, metal work, photography and handpainted mandalas by artist Maneesha Sewwandi on the bedroom walls.
Hikkaduwa’s new highlight: Tea Library
The Tea Library is open from 9 a.m. – 10 p.m. daily.
Tea Library talk and entertainment: Maitri Gunaratne with Joanne Jollie
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