| Plus
|
|
| It’s OUR New Year |
AVERTISTMENTS |
 The call of the koha during the Maha season, the country’s most important rice harvest, is a reminder that the National New Year is around the corner. Another New Year sign is the flowering of the beautiful erabadu. When nature starts sending out these signals, people know it is time to start preparing for the festive celebrations, which are enjoyed on a grand scale all over the country. |
| |
| Beeralu shirts give life to dying skill |
 The tragedy of December 26, 2004, did not just take away lives. It washed away the livelihoods of scores of people, taking with it all their hopes and dreams. There was much to be done, for all those victimized by the killer waves. A small community at Mirissa struggled to keep a fast dying art and industry alive- the art of beeralu. Said to have been introduced to Sri Lanka in the 1500’s beeralu has come close to being an obsolete art form. Until now, that is. |
| |
| In the land of the wigmen |
 Grandfather Lloyd was a keen gardener. Rajawatte was a five acre property, most of it planted with coconut trees that provided a source of income, fuel and food. Around the house there were fruit trees of different types and the grandchildren enjoyed these. There was mango, jam fruit, jak fruit, guavas and sapodilla to name a few. There were a lot of flowering plants also. Water came from a well, pulled up with a line and bucket and when there was a water shortage a second well near the property entrance was used. |
| |
|
