A man for all seasons
Tony Ranasinghe, the much loved screen hero passed away last week. Here D.C. Ranatunga looks back at his multi-faceted career He started with acting – first on stage and then on screen. With the advent of television he was in demand to act in teledramas. Driven to be more creative, he started writing screenplays and [...]
The voice of protest
Vihanga Perera is a study in contrasts. On the internet and in the media, he is a forceful voice and a happy dissenter of mainstream opinion. As a published author he is confrontational and prone to writing well received if somewhat inflammatory text. In person he’s laidback, amusing and genuinely, thoroughly baffled as to why [...]
How do I love thee? Let me count the ways
A few days ago, Luxshman Nadaraja called me and excitedly said that he had photographs and a small video clip, taken in Kumana, of the courtship dance of a pair of black-necked storks. I went to his house as soon as I could and marvelled at the elegance of the pair, as they bowed to [...]
Little miracle
Saved from the rapidly-closing jaws of death! If not for the diagnosis of Familial Mediterranean Fever, a rare genetic disorder, reportedly for the first time in Sri Lanka on May 26, an 11-year-old would be dead. This is the miraculous tale of little Anusha* living on the very fringes of society and suffering from a [...]
Letters to the Editor
The old G.P.O. should be used for a majestic purpose Having read the letter on the old G.P.O. on Queen Street published in the Sunday Times of May 10, 2015 by Mr. S.R.M. Samarasinghe of Dehiwala, here are more details that may be of interest to readers. The construction of a new building for the [...]
Aunt Rita’s wedding
In the late fifties we lived in a twin house separated by a fence from the other house, in which lived Aunt Rita and her mother (Granny to us). During school times, Aunt Elizabeth and her children lived there too. Aunt Elizabeth was a roly-poly, jolly lady, very quick on her feet in spite of [...]
Eastern elegance
Elegant ethnic creations were the focus of the Festive Collection 2015 presented by Aszai Studio together with the Ani and Olive Salon at the Aszai Studio down Sulaiman Terrace, Colombo 5 recently.
Iftar at the Barnesbury
The Barnesbury at Barnes Place, Colombo 7 has become known as the venue to meet up for that casual chat, a formal meal or even a special celebration! Launched in February 2013, the restaurant is open for breakfast, lunch, snacks and dinner. While the interior has essentially a western feel to it with urban modern [...]
Say it, Sam, say it once again
It’s been over forty years since Sam Goldwyn passed on to the great celluloid set in the sky. But beyond the wide blue yonder, in a little island republic far from his old familiar stamping grounds – Hollywood – Goldwyn’s spirit lives on. The same Sam Goldwyn of mistaken Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer fame, American film producer, and [...]
Charming resort by the lagoon
When I had an early flight to catch last year, I checked into a cheap hostelry near the Bandaranaike International Airport, reasoning that since I would be leaving the hotel at 5 a.m., any bed would do. It was a mistake. It was low-cost in cash as well as in décor, maintenance, cleanliness, comfort, security, [...]
Irish vibes in Fort
The Shamrock Club, the only Irish pub in Colombo along with the Red Snapper restaurant opened its doors with a well-attended party recently. The club is located on Chatham Street, Fort.
‘Frangipani Year’ launched
Frangipani Year is the newest addition to post-tsunami inspired literature. Launched on Thursday May 28, the book is Alexandra Harris’s account of aid work in Aceh Indonesia. Using her protagonist, Angela to tell of the experiences of a young aid worker from America employed by the UN as a researcher, the book is based on [...]
Sri Lankan artist exhibits work at ‘Migrant Artists’ show
Jayamini de Silva, a Sri Lankan living in Newcastle, United Kingdom, exhibited her work at the Holy Biscuit Gallery, Newcastle upon Tyne from June 7 -15. The Migrant Artists’ Show is a collaboration of artists of foreign origin practising their trade in the UK. Jayamini works with acrylic on canvas, ink on rice, stone colours [...]
The art of short story writing workshop
2011 Gratiaen Prize winner Madhubashini Ratnayake makes a point during the half day workshop on the Art of Short Story Writing at the SLFUW recently. Organised by the English Writers Cooperative of Sri Lanka it drew participants from Colombo to Anuradhapura.
Winners of EWC Creative Writing competition
The English Writers’ Co-operative has announced the results of the 2015 Creative Writing competition. The first prize went to Nelani Gunawardene for her short story ‘Time’, the second prize to D.L. Sirimanne for ‘Flossie the Fly’ and the third prize to Jessica Gunwardhana for her story ‘The Storm’. In the poetry section, a joint first [...]
Voyage of discovery
Young photographer Ravindra Ranasinghe having been made an Associate of the Federation International de L’Art Photographique, the world body of photography, is holding his first exhibition, “Vision beyond the frame- A passion revealed’, this weekend at the Lionel Wendt Gallery. “If I were to pinpoint a singular passion in life, to me it would be [...]
Appreciations
A beacon of light Leela Dayaratne “Thousands of candles can be lit from a single candle, the life of the candle will not be shortened. Happiness never decreases by being shared.” I liken my beloved Achchi to a candle – a beacon of light that illuminated and brightened the lives of many others, especially those [...]
‘Enliven’: An event not to be missed!
The Interact Club of the British School in Colombo presents an evening of song, dance and drama entertainment, titled ‘Enliven’ teaming up with a special group of children. This year the Interact Club is working with the Navodhya Special Children’s Foundation in Mount Lavinia. The foundation educates children with special needs, provides them with lunch, [...]
GFS “May Breeze” coffee morning
Girls of the Girls’ Friendly Society Hostel took to the catwalk at the “May Breeze” coffee morning held in aid of the development of the GFS Hostel for working girls, at the GFS Hall last month. They modelled exclusive fusion wear – sarees and kurta tops combining the traditional Sri Lanka crafts of handloom, beeralu [...]
Piano recital in aid of Project Joy
Harsha Abeyaratne will present a piano recital at the Lionel Wendt Theatre on Sunday July 5 at 7 p.m. in aid of Project Joy. Project Joy’s core mission is to establish the infrastructure, both in terms of equipment and professional expertise, in Sri Lanka to provide for the early intervention in the event of neurological [...]
Hiru Mala Hinehenawa – A necklace of pearls!
There are songwriters and there are lyricists. There is a vast difference between the two. Creating songs for children is even more of a difficult art and the album “Hiru Mala Hinehenawa” was an amazing example to every lyricist out there. The album comprises 12 original Sinhalese songs penned by well-known lyricist Maithri Panagoda, a [...]
Harold Jansz re-elected President of the Old Peterites’ Group of Pre-1970
Harold Jansz was unanimously re-elected as President for 2015/16 at the Annual General Meeting of the Old Peterites’ Group of Pre-1970 held on May 29 at the Old Boys Union Lounge., The Patron and Rector of St. Peter’s College, Rev. Fr Trevor Martin and the President of the Old Boys Union Romeish de Mel were [...]
National Trust lecture: ‘Interesting episodes from Sri Lankan history’
The 74th session of the monthly lecture series of the National Trust – Sri Lanka will be held at the HNB Auditorium, 22nd Floor, HNB Towers, 479 T.B. Jayah Mawatha, Colombo 10 at 6.30 p.m. on Thursday, June 25. Frederick Medis will speak on “Interesting Episodes from Sri Lankan History”. Frederick Medis is a Fellow [...]
Sustainable development through education
Dr. Ram Boojh and Dr. Mitrasen Bhikajee, programme specialists from the UNESCO in New Delhi were in Sri Lanka recently to attend the World Environment Day Commemoration on June 5 organised by the National Institute of Education in Maharagama. Themed as ‘7 billion dreams. One planet. Consume With Care’ this year’s World Environment Day celebrations [...]
SOS Children’s Villages celebrates 35 years in Sri Lanka
SOS Children’s Villages Sri Lanka marked a significant milestone as they celebrated their 35th year of operations in Sri Lanka.The celebration was commemorated with an unveiling of an official 35th anniversary logo which took place at the very first SOS Children’s Village in Piliyandala last week. The event was attended by SOS management, members of [...]