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People and Events

Calling all young musicians

The Institute of Western Music and Speech will conduct the “Young Musicians of the Year –2006” competition, as this year has been dedicated to children, and also marks the 250th birth anniversary of child prodigy composer Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart. The event has been organised to provide an opportunity for children to display their talents.

The contest is open to solo pianists, violinists and vocalists under 21 years of age. There will be four categories for piano, which includes Primary, Junior, Intermediate and Senior, and three categories for violinists, which will be Junior, Intermediate and Senior.

Vocalists will be categorizsed as Junior (under 14) and Senior (under 21 years). The contestants in the Senior category may choose to be Soprano, Alto, Tenor or Bass soloists.

While the winners of each category will receive a trophy and a cash award, there will be a grand award presented to the “Young Musician of the Year – 2006”, who will be the most outstanding performer from all categories. The semi-finals will be held on Sunday, July 9 at the Institute of Western Music and Speech (IWMS), and the grand finale is scheduled for Saturday, September 16.

The I. W. M. S. being a premier examining body for over 45 years in Sri Lanka, conducts various programmes annually to encourage the participation of children and young adults in performance-related activities in music and speech.

Panel discussion on solid waste disposal

The Environment Committee of the Sri Lanka Association for the Advancement of Science (SLAAS) is organising a Panel Discussion titled, “Solid waste disposal: barriers for a solution!”

Its objective is to identify barriers that had hindered the implementation of various proposals that had been made over more than a decade, for management and disposal of solid waste generated at the household, commercial and industrial levels.

The lack of a proper mechanism for the disposal of solid waste, particularly in urban areas, has resulted in the piling up of garbage at almost every street corner. This has become not only an eye-sore, but also a health hazard in the city and the suburbs.

Though various proposals have been made and pilot projects commenced in the past for proper management of solid waste, many barriers – social, environmental, economic, legal and political – have come up preventing local authorities from implementing these proposed schemes.

It is hoped that the panel discussion will assist policy makers in deciding on appropriate measures that should be in place to overcome these barriers, including a suitable policy framework. Resource persons for this programme are drawn from institutions/organisations directly dealing with this problem.

The programme will be held on Wednesday, May 24 from 2.00 p.m. to 5.00 p.m. in the SLAAS Auditorium at Vidya Mawatha.

Those interested in participating are requested to send their names to the Administrative Officer, SLAAS on or before May 22.

An Osteopathic Centre for kids

The inauguration of the Lanka Osteopathic Centre for Children (LOCC) was held on April 11 at the Bandaranaike International Memorial Conference Hall with leading osteopaths, paediatricians and medical specialists in attendance.

The President’s declaration of the National Year of Children with the theme “A caring hand through childhood’s land” motivated the LOCC team to expedite the setting up the Lanka Osteopathic Centre for Children.

The Lanka Osteopathic Centre for Children was conceived some 17 years ago by the late Professor Anton Jayasuriya and some of his dedicated students. The first centre will be in Galle, where the children felt the full brunt of the tsunami and the trauma of its aftermath.

The Rajagamma Vihara will be the focal point for treatment of children in need, being in close proximity to the Karapitya Teaching Hospital.

The Osteopathic therapeutic modalities used will be in harmony with both indigenous and western treatment, encompassing restoration and realignment of mind, body and spirit. Paediatric Osteopathy is a tried and tested modality with the pioneering centre initially set up in London, championed by its then patron Princess Diana.

The vision of the LOCC is to set up a centre of world excellence in Sri Lanka to train and treat both patients and practitioners, and to duplicate this process worldwide in every country and area of need.

Stage one is to set up complementary and integrated osteopathic clinical centres in key locations in Sri Lanka, while stage two looks to expand into medical centres, incorporating theatre facilities for children with cleft palates, reconstructive surgery and dental centres specialising in orthodontics and oral facial dentistry, while stage three is to set up teaching centres of excellence for children with learning difficulties to facilitate their further education and integration into mainstream society.

Children will be treated for free with all auxiliary and patient care costs borne by the LOCC.

Events Diary

Plants from Ruk Rakaganno

Ruk Rakaganno will hold a plant sale on Saturday, May 27 at Kithu Sevana, Bauddhaloka Mawatha, Colombo 7 (next to the Cathedral of Christ the Living Saviour and opposite the Met Department) from 9 a.m. to 1 p.m.

Ruk Rakaganno’s nursery focuses primarily on Sri Lankan indigenous trees and stocks timber, flowering, fruiting, ornamental and medicinal plants. Among other species on sale will be Jak (18 month variety), Koboleela (Bauhinia), Rambuttan, Ebony, Gammalu and many many more.

For more info or to book your plants early please contact Pubudu/Premila/Tilaka on 2554438 or email rukraks@sltnet.lk

LC family picnic

The Old Girls’ Association of Ladies’ College will hold their annual family picnic on May 27 at Tangerine Beach Hotel, Wadduwa.

Old Girls interested in participating could contact a committee member for more details.

RASSL lecture series

The lecture of the Royal Asiatic Society of Sri Lanka for May 2006 will be held at 5 p.m. on May 29 at the Gamini Dissanayake Auditorium of the Mahaweli Centre, No. 96, Ananda Coomaraswamy Mawatha, Colombo 07 on the subject “Greeks in the Mahavamsa”.

The lecturer will be Prof. Merlin Peris. All are welcome.

Events album


The Rotary Club of Colombo Uptown recently constructed ten tube wells for the fishing village of Mathangawatte in Moratuwa. Picture shows President Manoji Samararatne opening one of the wells.	The inaugural show of R. R. Samarakoon’s latest drama “Kaputu Bo” will be held at the Lumbini theatre, Havelock Town on May 28 at 3.30 p.m. and 6.45 p.m. The cast includes Gihan Fernando, Hashinika Karalliyadda, Prasannajith Abeysuriya, Anusha Dissanayake, Shiromika Fernando, Ravindra Ariyaratne and Yamuna Weerasekara. The music is directed by Navaratne Gamage, stage management is by Ravindra Ariyaratne and Jude Srimal, who presents the play, is production manager.

The North Dakota State University will be admitting 15 students from Sri Lanka this fall with financial aid, including part time and full-time work, through Priyanthi Dissanayake, University Placement Advisor. The students from Kandy, Galle, Kurunegala, Wennapuwa and Gampola are seen here at the US Embassy in Colombo with Cultural Affairs Officer Angela Gemza.

Students and staff of the Asian International Infant School organised a bread dhansala to celebrate Vesak, 2006. The picture shows from left Vice Principal Sita Chelliah, Deputy Vice Principal Marie Mendis and Headmistress of the Infant School, Manrukka Pasquel in front of the dhansala.	A poor family of four, living in a shed in Aniyamulla, Kiribaththuduwa, Pogosowita received a wonderful gift on Vesak Day. The youth of the village had constructed a house for them and the Pradeshiya Sabha Chairman of Homagama, Manjusri Arangala donated some chairs to the family. The father of the family Wedikarage Susantha Silva, a labourer, thanked all involved for their meritorious deed on Vesak day.

Office bearers

St. Patrick’s College (Jaffna) Alumni Association, Colombo branch

The following office bearers were elected at the 94th Annual General Meeting of the St. Patrick’s College (Jaffna) Alumni Association, Colombo Branch for 2006/2007:

Patron – Rt. Rev. Dr. Thomas Savundaranayagam – Bishop of Jaffna, Vice Patrons – Rev. Fr. Dr. Justin Gnanapragasam, Ph.D – Rector, St. Patrick’s College, C. N. Lawrence and R. H. S. Phillips

President – Achilles Joseph (Retd, DIG), Immediate Past President – J. S. Bastiampillai, Past Presidents – M. D. Jesuthasan and B. J. Vincent, Vice Presidents – J. B. M. Ponrajah, S. R. Swamipillai, Brig. H. L. David, N. T. Pathmadasa and S. B. David, General Secretary – P. M. G. Selvarajah, Asst. Secretary – L. R. Constantine, Treasurer – S. Jesurasan, Asst. Treasurer – P. C. Arulranjan, Sports Secretary – C. R. M. Chryshanthan, Social Secretary – Aloy Peter.

Committee members –Anton Gerard, W. C. M. Gunaratnam, Anton Punithanayagam, S. P. Emmanuel, W. D. Jegan, R. B. Prashanthan, N. V. Emmanuel, T. Mukunthan, Terrance Martyn, S. F. Rajendra, A. A. Joshan and M. J. Dinesh.

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