Farewell to a musical icon
Last weekend, a prominent music journal in the UK, published a short article as an obituary for Rohan de Saram, declaring, ‘British Cello Legend dies, 85’. The notice is not entirely wrong, yet not accurate either! Few among the people of Lanka have been considered as worthy and held in highest esteem among a global [...]
Letters to the Editor
The hope that high-cost govt. vehicles will not ply the roads again In recent days, the vehicle display at Galle Face was the cynosure of all eyes, as a large number of returned luxury vehicles had been parked there in full public view. Most of those vehicles are fuel guzzling, power-packed jeeps, cars or pickups, [...]
APPRECIATIONS
The epitome of a S. Thomas’ alumnus in every way Sriyan Jayasekera The passing away of Sriyan Jayasekera is a profound loss for the Thomian Freshmen of ‘59 (the batch that joined S. Thomas’ College Mt. Lavinia from Forms 1A and 1B in 1959). It is no exaggeration to say that he was the cornerstone [...]
National reading month event at D.S. Senanayake library Kandy
In 2004, The National Library and Documentation Services Board together with the Ministry of Cultural Affairs and National Heritage declared October as the reading month to encourage people of all ages, especially children to read books. To mark the national reading month this year, the D.S. Senanayake Public Library, a department of the Kandy Municipal [...]
Ahas Ganga and Wasanthe Awith unveiled
Ahas Ganga, a collection of columns written by Supun Athukorala, and the song Wasanthe Awith, written by Dinith Uthpala Ranasinghe, were officially launched recently at the Mahaweli Centre auditorium in Colombo 7. Prof. Sarath Wijesooriya and veteran writer Buddhadasa Galappathi shared their insights at the launch which was compered by Saman Jayaratne. Kumudika Attanayake performed [...]
Lecture on Dr. Ananda Coomaraswamy’s contributions globally
Dr. Subashini Pathmanathan will deliver a lecture on Dr. Ananda K. Coomaraswamy’s contribution to art, culture and religion globally, with a focus on India and Sri Lanka, on October 7 at 6 p.m. at the Swamy Vivekanda Cultural Centre (Cultural wing of the High Commission of India for Sri Lanka). The lecture will be followed [...]
Winds of change blow through the dusty shrines of history
At the helm of the National Archives, leading the greatest repository of archival material in the island into the AI age, Dr. Nadeera Rupesinghe, has made ‘accessibility’ the keyword in a domain once shrouded in secrecy. Today, with material of 24 linear kilometres under her care, Nadeera strives to change the traditional mindset that archives [...]
Happiness in a cup of coffee
A perfect cup of coffee is born with the distinct art in the relationship between the ground coffee beans, the sophisticated machines and the skilled baristas who serve them. In a country traditionally known for tea, the ritual of coffee drinking is gaining traction, as evident in the thriving coffee shops. With an impressive expansion [...]
Titillating K-Food: Something old, something new
Dressed in a pink and red hanbok, the South Korean ambassador to Sri Lanka Miyon Lee welcomed us in to her elegant residence down Horton Place. There were oriental screens with mountain scenery and the room swelled with diplomats, Korean alumni, scribes and others. It was time to celebrate the cuisine of this land of [...]
‘Te Deum’: A challenging programme well executed by Colombo Philharmonic
Being a fortunate recipient of an enjoyable ‘Te Deum’ presented by the Colombo Philharmonic Choir at the Church of St Michael and All Angels on September 25 – this review is a sincere ‘Thank you’ to the choristers for a well-rehearsed performance and Harin Amirthanathan for his excellent conducting of the evening’s challenging programme. The [...]
The Chitra Bopage Story, a docu-drama at the ICES
Nun Other Than – The Chitra Bopage Story, a docu-drama directed by Udan Fernando will be screened on October 8 at 4 p.m. at the ICES Colombo Auditorium, No. 2, Kynsey Terrace, Colombo 8. Udan Fernando’s 90-minute film in English and Sinhala with English subtitles, is set in the immediate aftermath of the JVP insurrection of 1971. While the [...]
Narratives that grip the imagination
In this latest collection of short stories, Sasanka Nanayakkara once again proves himself as a master storyteller, drawing from the wellspring of his personal adventures and encounters. In our younger years, Sasanka was among a cadre of nature enthusiasts, traversing the island whenever time allowed. I can still vividly recall those evenings around the campfire [...]