Casting a dye for the future
He is one of the early practitioners of Sri Lankan batik. Looking back on 70 years of art, and 60 years perfecting this ancient Eastern craft, Eric Suriyasena has come up with a new gallery down Lauries Road, Colombo 4 where his nature paintings and batik designer-wear sit cheek by jowl. We meet a dapper [...]
Animal SOS, where every stray finds a refuge
Every day, countless animals suffer in silence – abandoned, abused and forgotten. While most turn away, some choose to respond with fierce compassion and unrelenting action. Animal SOS Sri Lanka, a UK-registered charity, was founded by Kim Cooling with one simple yet powerful mission: to alleviate the suffering of stray animals and give them a [...]
CLF broadens its scope
The HSBC Ceylon Literary and Arts Festival’s second edition will happen at the Colombo Public Library from January 17 to 19. It’s the year the library turns a hundred and under the curatorship of Mita Kapur, the festival promises over 32 sessions with more than 50 authors and artists including Pulitzer, Gratiaen and State Literary [...]
Letters to the Editor
Make it a point to refer to them as public servants The results of the general elections have established the supremacy of the public. The government is the political and administrative structure by which the people are ruled. Ministers and state officers regard themselves as the superior race to ‘govern’ the citizens. Many years ago, [...]
APPRECIATIONS
Living with Lenin and risking HELL Lenin Jayasinghe The name was a conversation piece. He was known as ‘Lenin,’ but that was actually an afterthought. Born Hirohito Edward Jayasinghe to a radical communist – Jones Alexander Jayasinghe – and his Eurasian bride, Myra Nesta Crutchley, my father underwent a name substitution just two days before [...]
The start of another year
With the dawn of this new year, I am reminded of the fact that I – as well as my childhood friends – have been around for over seven decades. While that is a long time in itself, I have realised that our lives have spanned not just two different centuries but also two different [...]
Building a bridge between tradition and modernity
Chartered architect, designer and artist, Ajantha Ranaweera is constantly, consciously and often unconsciously, challenging the norms. In his latest exhibition, ‘The Dance of a Water Garden’ –subtitled ‘Symbol of Power, Struggle, Change, and Disappearance’, instead of an artist’s statement that most artists use to explain their work, he chooses to address the viewer directly: Dear [...]
KALA 2nd edition: Pivot Glide Echo traces Sri Lanka’s artistic paths
Highlighting Sri Lankan and regional art initiatives, KALA returns for its second edition this February. This second edition sees KALA in close collaboration with the University of Visual and Performing Arts (UVPA), Colombo. As the UVPA’s celebrates its 75th anniversary this year, KALA pays homage to its early leaders such as J.D.A. Perera, Stanley Abeysinghe, [...]
WNPS lecture on novel efforts to protect our forests
This month’s Nations Trust Wildlife and Nature Protection Society (WNPS) monthly lecture titled ‘Building a Thousand Species refuge – WNPS PLANT’s groundbreaking effort to save our diversity’ will be delivered by Sriyan de Silva Wijeyeratne on January 16 at 6 p.m. at the Jasmine Hall, BMICH. Pioneering private conservation in Sri Lanka, WNPS PLANT’s network [...]