New lustre for old Pettah
Before the advent of plush shopping malls, it was Pettah that was the hub for shoppers and it is still faithfully visited by determined bargain hunters, who comb the crowded streets and bustling shops for a purchase. Pettah admittedly lost some of its lustre in recent years but the Ministry of Defence and the Urban [...]
Tavern in the town gets right royal makeover
A glance down King Street in the heart of the forever busy Kandy town will reveal a row of shops, office buildings and little saiver kades. Tucked somewhere in the middle, the Royal Bar and Hotel is easily the most attractive structure on this road; it doesn’t stick out like a sore thumb, thanks to [...]
Walking in Gaudi country
When Antonio Gaudi was young, one of his teachers described him as “either a genius or completely crazy”. His architectural marvels are now visited by millions of people from all over the world. Gaudi was a deeply religious man who went to church every day. He was crossing the road to go to church when [...]
An evening of winners and performers
The annual prize-giving of the Trinity College of London was held at the Bishop’s College auditorium last week with CEO Trinity College London Sarah Kemp flying down to attend the ceremony as the chief guest. Pictured here are some of the performances and prize winners.
You can pluck leaves while having lunch
It was when I was toiling up the granite steps from a roadside car park to join a line of chattering tea pluckers bobbing along a track to a reception pavilion, that I wondered what I was doing. I had been enticed to visit the 98 Acres Resort & Spa by Druvi Gunasekara’s essential luxury [...]
The Knight who befriended ‘Elephant Man’ visits ‘Elephant Island’
“The approach to Ceylon was heralded by a token in the sky, by a baldachin [rich brocade] of white clouds. These were the first clouds that had been visible in the heavens for many months of this journey. In India the clouds had been forever the same – a windless desert of turquoise blue, glaring, [...]
In a pristine room with JWST
I never anticipated being quite so enthralled by the sight of a man vacuuming a spotless floor. It’s not just what he’s wearing – a white coverall with a hood – but the whole room around him. There’s nothing here in the way of interior décor – the worlds largest clean room is all function. [...]
Another ‘Evolution’ by Old Joes to take them to world stage
The Old Joes Choir (OJC) is ready with the fourth episode of ‘Evolution’, their concert to raise funds for their upcoming trip to Riga, Latvia for the World Choir Games where they will be the only South Asian Choir taking part. Evolution goes on the boards on Friday, June 27 at the Lionel Wendt. The [...]
De Lanerolle Brothers share the stage with star opera singer Sabina Cvilak
The de Lanerolle Brothers need no introduction. They have toured the world, delighting audiences with their harmonies and love of stage performance. But come July 1, the brothers themselves are stepping onto a different level, when they take the stage with star soprano Sabina Cvilak. “It’s an honour, pleasure and privilege to have such a [...]
None the verse for all that violence?
By the time you read this, a lot of ink (to say nothing of blood, sweat, and tears) would have been spilled on the subject of the recent sectarian violence in our blessed isle’s southwest quarter. So I’ll spare you the platitudes and clichés of a plethora of well-meaning commentators elsewhere, who have been at [...]
People and events
Lankan journalist in team that wins top Asian award for human rights reporting Sri Lankan journalist Marwaan Macan-Markar was a member of an international team of reporters who bagged a top Asian award for human rights reporting at the recent Society of Publishers in Asia (SOPA) annual awards in Hong Kong. The reporting team contributed [...]
Letters
Caste still a talking point in India Reading through the biodata of India’s Premier Narendra Modi I was shocked to note that it is said that he belongs to a “low caste family”. It is a most disrespectful way of describing a world figure. It would have been more polite if he was described as [...]
Appreciations
Prof. Valentine Basnayake There is so much to say of this humble ‘national treasure’ Writing an appreciation of Valentine Basnayake, popularly known as Bas, is no easy matter; not because there is little that can be said about him, but because there is so much that calls to be said of this multifaceted, true human [...]
Books
It really worked: Reading to each other “over the fence” For the first time, after 30 years, southern and northern writers meet in Jaffna to share their work By Ashok Ferrey Vivimarie Vanderpoorten, Lal Medawattegedara and I were on the road to Jaffna, courtesy of the Goethe Institut and British Council: the first time in [...]
