He can’t forget Gaza’s children
A skinny eight-year-old boy with excruciating burns and another tiny four-year-old with no left leg……these are the images seared into the psyche of humanitarian Pradeep Samanjeeva from Sri Lanka. Pradeep with the Swiss-based Medecins Sans Frontieres (MSF – Doctors Without Borders), will “never-ever forget” not so much the intense shelling and deadly missile strikes but [...]
A Royal pocket watch unwinds a tale from the past
A gold pocket watch that was in the possession of the last king of Kandy, Sri Wickrama Rajasinha when he was captured by the British on February 18, 1815 tells an intriguing tale with links to the family of the country’s first Executive President J.R. Jayewardene. The watch which is now on display at the Colombo [...]
Letters to the Editor
To catch the conscience (for Richard de Zoysa) This breaking of a young and vibrant life Can be no act of God. So then what meaning In this play of ours? Do wanton ones dispose of us in sport? We are not toys Our severing is no game And I – an unbeliever – need [...]
APPRECIATIONS
A dear friend and colleague Dr. Mahinda Kurukulasuriya A talented son of Sri Lanka, Dr. Mahinda Kurukulasuriya (1942-2025) passed away peacefully in Vientiane, Laos on January 29, with his daughter Liza by his side. According to his wishes, a three-day memorial service was held in a Buddhist temple in Vientiane, Laos. Among close friends, he [...]
Cricket and the arc of a changing world
“You can’t really understand West Indian cricket unless you understand West Indian history,” says Simon Lister, deftly switching between superfan speak and history expert. Lister is a 55-year-old cricket fan and writer. His three books, Supercat, an authorised biography of Clive Lloyd, Worrell: the Brief but Brilliant Life of a Caribbean Cricket Pioneer, and Fire in Babylon: How a [...]
Finding answers to “questions no one asked”
Peter Frankopan, Oxford historian, was first enticed by history in the 1970s, during summer holidays as a child in rural Sweden visiting his maternal grandfather (his paternal line was the ancient Frankopan family from Croatia) where in a house in the middle of a forest, the only entertainment was cricket and the library. Grandpa Detter’s [...]
From Ruben to Rohan
Ruben Jeyasundaram never met Rohan de Saram before his passing last September, yet the renowned cellist was paradoxically a frequent presence. An accordion player who had played often with de Saram and who knew Ruben as well would frequently ask Ruben if he had met de Saram. Ruben developed a fondness for the cello solos [...]
KALA is on
KALA – a platform for South Asian art kicked off in style with an evocative expression of art and creativity at the J.D.A. Perera Gallery. Celebrating the 75th anniversary of the University of Visual and Performing Arts, the opening of KALA and the second edition of KALA’s Pivot Glide Echo exhibition, the Monday evening reception [...]
Role of wetlands and Earth’s survival
Following on this year’s World Wetlands Day theme ‘Conserving Wetlands for a Common Future’, this month’s Nations Trust WNPS (Wildlife and Nature Protection Society) lecture on February 20 at 6 p.m. at the Jasmine Hall, BMICH is titled ‘The Right to Survive: Wetlands and you’. It will be presented by Nishantha Edirisinghe, Manjula Amararathna, and Dr. [...]
A Country and Western nite for charity
A Country and Western Musical Nite with Rajitha, Misty and Suzette Croner from Switzerland (former member of the popular group Friends), a fun-filled evening of music and dancing will be held on February 21 at the Ramada Hotel. The show is a fund raiser for the St. Vincent de Paul Society of St Theresa’s Church, [...]
‘Adopt a Beach’ for the third year
Aimed at preserving Sri Lanka’s coastline and combating marine pollution through cleanup and recycling initiatives, the ‘Adopt a Beach’ programme brings communities together to protect marine ecosystems, promote sustainability and drive meaningful change. Coca-Cola, together with Clean Ocean Force extended their partnership on the ‘Adopt a Beach’ programme for a third year with Chairman and [...]