Saving a sanctuary
Some of the sun-baked plains within the Anavilundawa Bird Sanctuary located between Chilaw and Puttalam are not verdant and lush, but shimmer white in the morning sun. Lapwings and Black-winged stilts rise from their dry shrubs and circle the cerulean sky. But someday these wastes will be flooded, and the pleasing green abundance of mangroves [...]
Cartier-Bresson’s visit to Ceylon and his studies in portraiture
Early portraits of the artist George Keyt in his twenties and thirties are very rare. But more so are portraits of Keyt by the eminent French photographer Henri Cartier-Bresson. Cartier-Bresson was on a three-year exploratory journey through Asia amassing images through his camera when he captured Keyt. Born in 1908, Cartier-Bresson was 40 and at [...]
Letters to the Editor
It’s time to rectify the paltry pensions given to officers of Highways Dept. I’m writing to highlight the issue of pensions of Laboratory Assistants and Technical Assistants in the Highways Department who were after 15 years of service promoted as Materials Engineers in the Road Development Authority (RDA), after examinations and interviews. This year pensioners [...]
APPRECIATIONS
The nun who showed the way to many children in Trincomalee Sister Mary Stanislaus My grandmother’s sister Annaluxumy was born in Trincomalee in 1901. She was the eldest of a Tamil, Hindu family. She had three sisters and three brothers. At that time, there was only one girls’ school in Trincomalee – St. Mary’s which [...]
A blend of sumptuous music to unfold today
The main hall of the Goethe Institute with a black stage, a whiteboard and classroom chairs with writing pads attached looked like it might be the setting for a management seminar. On Sunday, it was witness instead to a riveting rehearsal by the Chamber Music Society of Colombo of Renaissance and Baroque music for a [...]
“ESCAPE: Stories of Survivors,” at the Lionel Wendt
“ESCAPE: Stories of Survivors,” a theatrical production of Sevalanka’s Anonymous Productions spotlighting the real-life stories of six child sexual abuse survivors in Sri Lanka will be staged at the Lionel Wendt Theatre on June 4 and 9. Written and produced by Angelo Perera and directed by Radshika Ranaweera, the play is presented by LEADS, in [...]
Blossoms of Hope: A thought for the environment
It was not all about flowers and twigs – wire, plastic, paper, all used in innovative ways captivated visitors. “Blossoms of Hope 2024” last month’s exhibition by the members of Ikebana International Sri Lanka Chapter #262, held at the Ivy Room of the Cinnamon Grand Hotel was a vibrant showcase of the creative artistry of [...]
A deep-sea adventure with Asha de Vos
Dr. Asha de Vos will share never-before-seen footage of some species living in the deep waters of our island from the National Geographic Society-supported deep sea expedition in 2022 when she delivers this month’s Wildlife and Nature Protection Society (WNPS) lecture on ‘Beyond the realm of light: Exploring the deep ocean of Sri Lanka’ on [...]
Connecting women across the country through stories of women
“Don’t say Happy Women’s Day. Instead, be an ally,” urge the group of young women at Everystory Sri Lanka, a non-profit organisation that aims to create a safe space for the underrepresented and marginalised women in South Asia. With the month of March when International Women’s Day is marked with much enthusiasm, now past, the [...]