Letters to the Editor
View(s):An unrecognised Laki painting on a Sri Lanka banknote
Many know that the late Laki Senanayake’s paintings were used for the flora and fauna series of Sri Lanka Currency notes issued with the date 1979-03-26.When I met Laki in November 2019 at his hideout Diyabubula, to discuss the publication of a book on the artwork, he mentioned that he had been commissioned to submit designs for the higher denomination Rs 500 and Rs.1000 notes that the Central Bank of Ceylon (CBC) issued with a date of 1981-01-01. Laki said his designs for these two notes had not been used, and the CBC issued notes with a historical and archaeological theme.
I have serendipitously noticed that the lower part of the portrait back of the Rs.500 which was issued in 1981 was almost the same as the lower part of a Bradbury Wilkinson essay drawn by Derek Friday of Laki’s painting, I had won at the Noonan’s London Auction on May 29th. So BW & Co had in fact used part of Laki’s painting on the 1981 Rs 500 for which it was commissioned. Even Laki had not known.
This part of the Rs 500 design continued to be used till 1990. This was a truly amazing discovery of an unknown Laki painting used on a Sri Lanka banknote.
The background to this discovery is posted at https://notes.lakdiva.org.lk/cbc/1979lkff/essay/
Kavan Ratnatunga Via email
Different shades, playing the same old game
Elections come and go, yet the rulers remain,
Different shades, playing the same old game—
Deceiving the public, chasing fleeting fame,
For their gain alone, they bear no shame.
Our disillusionment deepens; belief starts to fade,
Even the ‘learned’ join the corruption parade.
Unless we strive for a genuine change,
‘Aragalaya’ risks being a hollow name.
It’s time to see beyond grand facades,
And uproot the culprits who plague our land.
No use dwelling on what’s past and done;
Cast your vote with clarity and hope for the sun.
Think deeply when choosing the guiding light,
Seek virtues that build a fair house of might.
Trust those who listen to our plight—
The honest, selfless, and empathetic bright.
Encourage voices for humanity’s cause,
Beyond colour, gender, or language’s laws.
Reject the ones who spend to dazzle and shine,
Unseen, the source of their golden line.
Chula Goonasekera Via email
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