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British Council turns a new page in Kandy
By Ishani Ranasinghe
An amazingly exciting project is what the British High Commissioner Stephen Evans had to say about the British Council moving to its new premises in Kandy at 88/3, Kotugodella Veediya.

Brightly decorated in sunny, contemporary colours, the British Council now offers its members better Internet facilities, more evening classes and longer library hours. Members are thrilled to find everything on one floor. They particularly like having a café to take a break and relax with refreshments after studies.

The Kandy library has more than 4000 members while the Language Centre has more than 500 members of all ages enrolled at any given time. The council also offers a comprehensive education service for those interested in studying in Britain and an efficient exams service for those wanting a British qualification.

At the opening day ceremony last week, visitors were able to sample the delights of Story Time, Grammar Games, Web Quest and a tour of the Global Village. Along with other games, quizzes and briefing sessions, there were opportunities for everyone to stroll through the British Council and see what it offers.

A special guest at this event was Shelton Perera, who gained library membership in 1960, just four days after the British Council opened its branch in Kandy. Born in the colonial era and having had his primary and secondary in English, Mr. Perera said that English books meant everything to him. Speaking about the library when it first opened, Mr Perera said the range of books was quite limited.

"The library mainly had fiction and biographies," he said adding that over the years it had expanded to bring in new books on fields such as IT. "Over the years tastes have changed and I feel the library reflects the changing trends in the field of art and literature."

The British Council library has been a source of fellowship and information for Mr. Perera where he could spend hours just browsing, he said. "I am such a bookworm that I come to the library at least three times a week."

At the end of the day what the team at British Council hopes is that more and more young people as well as those who are young at heart will come to the new British Council to read, learn, surf the Net and develop ever-stronger connections between the two countries.

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