Going beyond fixing bones
The emotion is tangible – her tear-filled eyes say it all………a little boy who was beyond any healer’s help. A six-year-old from Galle who had lost one eye to retinoblastoma and was also having a complicated osteosarcoma (bone cancer) of the leg. She was a surgical post-graduate trainee in the paediatric ward of the National [...]
A lioness in summer
Malinee Jayasinghe-Peris’s solo recital at the Women’s International Club in Colombo as a 12-year-old may well have had the blessings of the gods. Her piano teacher, Alice Cockburn, insisted the stage be adorned with coconut flowers and altar lamps “to keep away evil spirits and the thoughts of jealous music teachers,” Malinee recalls with a [...]
Letters to the Editor
Ways to honour the victims of Easter Sunday attacks Whilst welcoming the Vatican’s decision to declare those who died in bomb attacks in churches on Easter Sunday six years ago as ‘Heroes of Faith’ (men and women who have sacrificed their lives for Jesus Christ) on Monday April 21, I would suggest a few other [...]
APPRECIATIONS
An exemplar of national unity A. H. M. Anver The 25th death anniversary of Abdul Hameed Mohamed Anver, popularly known as A.H.M. Anver fell on April 16. He passed away at the age of 72 while serving the nation from southern Sri Lanka. He began his political career in the late 1950s at a very [...]
A carpet of yellow that lights up the dry zone
This is a quick-growing, common tree of the dry zone, often planted along roadsides as an ornamental tree. During the flowering season, these trees flower profusely and during that period, fallen flowers form yellow carpets under these trees. You may see this tree in bloom around you now. The flowers are about 3 cm in [...]
Travel stories that instruct and entertain
Two Friends on Many Roads: Travel Tales from Near and Far is a tastefully knitted collection of travel stories written by Srianthi Perera and Romany Kadurugamuwa. Good travelogues are personal narratives of travels, presenting a glimpse into the experiences, reactions and revelations of the traveller. This, I believe, the two authors have achieved in spades. [...]
The importance of being like Ernest
A few weeks ago I met up with an old friend who, like me had served as a medical officer in the Army many years ago. We were colleagues then at the old Military Hospital in Galle Face – a lovely heritage building, built by the British in the latter part of the 19th century [...]
Where black pork curry is home
Apologies are not in order when it comes to Sri Lankan black pork curry. It all at once envelopes heat, tang and a culinary chorus of gritty flavours. The dark-roasted Sri Lankan spice powder (badapu thuna paha), Ceylon cinnamon bark, crushed black peppercorn, aromatic pandan leaf, dark-roasted coconut, and tarty dried garcinia (goraka) melt together [...]
Making her mark in the peace-building world
Pushpi Weerakoon’s career as a peacebuilder has been all the more enriching because she was a Rotary scholar and later a Rotarian. This alumnus of St. Bridget’s Convent and Harvard Kennedy School (among other universities) says that the fellowships offered her by Rotary Foundation were “life-changing” and “opened possibilities I never knew existed”. As yet [...]
Two nights of all your favourites from the De Lanerolle Brothers
The De Lanerolle Brothers are back! Joined by two of their favourite accompanists Soundarie David and Neranjan De Silva, Rohan and Ishan are gearing for a two night musical celebration ‘Reunited’, come May at the Lionel Wendt theatre. On Saturday, May 3, they will take the stage at the Lionel Wendt to present a nostalgic [...]
Jayantha’s canvas of expressions
Veteran artist Jayantha Silva presents ‘Expressions 18’ from May 2-4 at the Lionel Wendt Art Gallery. Well known for his figurative art and his skill in capturing fleeting moods and moments in his portraits, Jayantha continues to paint undaunted despite having to face health challenges in recent times.
National Trust 2025 awards for publications on intangible heritage
The National Trust Sri Lanka invites Sri Lankan authors to submit books published in 2024 that explore the island’s intangible heritage for its 2025 awards programme. The awards aim to honour and promote excellence in heritage writing, and are open to works published in Sinhala, Tamil or English. The initiative is part of the Trust’s [...]
Talk on recent advances in Zooarchaelogy
The Royal Asiatic Society of Sri Lanka’s (RASSL) monthly lecture on Monday, April 28 at 5.30 p.m., is on ‘Bones, Biomolecules and Beyond: Recent advances in Zooarchaelogy and their potential implications for Sri Lanka’. The lecture will be delivered by Kalani Rodrigo, Research Fellow at the University of Ferrara (Italy), former visiting lecturer in archaeology [...]