Coming to Ceylon, their new home
Tightly-wedged amongtextile-dealers andjewellers along bustling Greens Road in Negombo, is a unique shop doubling up for two trades. Styletex claims the big board in English, while ‘Dath bandina sthanaya’ states the second line in bold Sinhala letters. Textiles and dentures symbolize the quiet and unsung contribution of the early Chinese settlers who wandered into then [...]
Appreciations
Suhasini Nadesan She left a mark on our lives and a place in our hearts Although Suha spent most of her time in the US, the grief that engulfed her extended family living in India and Sri Lanka at the news of her passing, was palpable. Of course those of us near to the family [...]
Letters To The Editor
There’s a ray of hope amidst the disaster Once again we Sri Lankans have rallied around sans thought of religion, caste or creed to help those who were badly hit by the floods and landslides due to the extreme weather conditions we faced last week. This was made possible mainly due to the instant action [...]
When the message of Poson lights up Thanthirimale
I remember sitting on a rock observing the religious ceremonies associated with the Duruthu Poya programme held at Thanthirimale in January 2004 taken up with the sacred and serene surroundings of this hallowed place. This was before the Aloka Pooja programme was begun by Wijeya Newspapers. Though I had visited this place earlier, I had [...]
Visiting the cradle of Buddhism
Mihintale is the focal point during Poson Poya. Pilgrims in their thousands gather at Mihintale, the cradle of Buddhism in Sri Lanka, to commemorate the sacred day that Arahant Mahinda appeared at the ‘aradhana gala’, addressed the king who was on a hunting expedition, explained his mission, and convinced the king and his followers to [...]
Make home living a fine craft
Fine Furniture opened its doors with a promise to make sure that their every brand and product would exceed customer expectations. Now, they have expanded to an even larger physical space designed to give new perspectives of interior design and homeware. In their new Fine Furniture Lifestyle Department Store on Nawala Road, Rajagiriya spread over [...]
Fusion from George Calombaris
Popular MasterChef judge and Australian celebrity chef George Calombaris will be in Colombo this week curating two exclusive dinners for Colombo’s foodies with his trademark authentic Greek cuisine combining the freshest ingredients, with the use of creative flavour pairings and timeless presentation. Special ingredients have been shipped in from Greece and Australia, to be featured [...]
Wearable art
Hand embroidery, shadow work and exquisite Brussels lace on a variety of items, will be on sale at “Threaded Dreams” – an exhibition and sale by Andrea Boekel and her students. To be held from 9 a.m. on Saturday, June 10 at the J.D.A. Perera Gallery, Horton Place, Colombo 7, the display will be the [...]
Stories without frills
Behind Charulatha Abeysekara Thewarathanthri’s house on the outskirts of Colombo, are fields heavy with overgrown greenery blotting the canal beyond. A stray dog named Rex confidently ambles through the house to ensure that all is well (“He thinks he belongs to us”) and makes a polite exit. Charulatha points out a maara tree her children [...]
From Pinnawala’s freedom to shackles in somebody’s backyard
“Within the span of 40 years of the Pinnawela Elephant Orphanage, the baby born on the eve of 2nd July 2015 was the 70th. He was born to parents Shanthi and Wasabha under the observation of veterinarians as a very healthy young one. As this was the first birth recorded after 2010 it was an [...]
Norway home to the world’s largest underground auditorium
Gjøvik Olympic Cavernhall was constructed in hard rock using the Norwegian method of tunneling. This world’s largest man-made underground auditorium was built for the XVII Olympics Winter Games in 1994 to host ice hockey events and also hosted the 1995 World Short Track Speed Skating Championships. Norwegian engineers blasted into mountain hillside in Gjøvik, some [...]
Peering at insects, looking for answers
As a tiny-tot,Nayana, never attended Montessori. Even though his mother took him to school with her in their hometown of Gampaha and made him sit in the primary classes, until it was time for him to join Grade 1 formally, he would slip out surreptitiously, walk quietly into the science laboratory, climb onto a high [...]
Siri G – the affable rebel artiste
He preferred to lead the way and face the music. It all started towards the end of 1956. He released his first collection of poems. The cover carried an unusual design – two blobs in red on a black background – one with the title of the book and the other with the author’s name. [...]
A royal redemption
The name of Sri Lanka’s last king Sri Vikrama Rajasinha, more often than not, conjures up images of a cruel and tyrannical man, remembered more for his abominable cruelty than as a just ruler. And this is not without reason. The vivid images that have been created in the minds of people by the tales [...]
70 minutes of pure entertainment with the “The American Song Book”
It was an evening to remember! The 400-strong crowd that filled the auditorium of the British School in Borella on Friday, May 27, not just revelled in the music but were thankful to Gananath Dasanayaka and his talented Band “En Route” for taking them down memory lane in virtual international style, to relive the American [...]
English Writers’ Cooperative holds workshop on Short Story Writing
‘A Workshop on Short Story Writing’ conducted by Madhubhashini Ratnayake was held on Saturday, May 6 at the auditorium of the International Centre for Ethnic Studies. Twenty-five participants including a Buddhist monk, a Buddhist nun, university students and professionals from various fields were expertly guided through the structure and the craft of writing exceptional short [...]
Clean water flows once more in Kotmale Oya
TheArunella waste management project spearheaded by Unilever Sri Lanka’s CeyteaFactory in Agarapathana recently achieved the complete elimination of waste being dumped in and around the Kotmale Oya in the surrounding towns of Dayagama, Agarapathana,Gleinline,Holbrook and Nagasena. A joint initiative of Unilever, the Nuwara Eliya Pradeshiya Sabha, the Agarapathana and Dayagama Police and members of the [...]
Vinoda Swami Maharaj here to conduct programmes
The internationally acclaimed itinerant ordained monk H.H. Bhakti Vinoda Swami Maharaj will be visiting Sri Lanka this week. An outstanding scholar and interpreter of the Bhagavad Gita– he is Director of Acadamia Turiya. This spiritual mentor is on his second visit to Sri Lanka. He is to be the moderator/facilitator for an interactive function on [...]
Appointed all island JPs
A.M.P. Alahakoon A.M.P. Alahakoon of Ambagahalanda watte, Yakkala, has been appointed a Justice of Peace for the Whole Island. He took his oaths before the Additional District Judge Gampola on May 26. An old boy of Ku/ Pothuhera Dutugamanu MMV, he served for 41 years in the Postal Department and retired as Controller of Money [...]
‘Living with Multiple Sclerosis’- A programme at Sathuta Uyana
An extensive awareness programme on ‘Living with Multiple Sclerosis’ by the Multiple Sclerosis Association of Lanka will be held on Saturday, June 10, in commemoration of World MS Day at the Viharamahadevi Park in Colombo. To be held outside the Sathutu Uyana from 10 a.m. to 12 noon, the awareness programme will show people how [...]
Moratuwa Uni Rotaract Club helps Rangulla villagers realise their dreams
“Grama Prabodhaya” a sustainable community service initiative to develop rural villages of Sri Lanka as self-sufficient economic units, launched by the Rotaract Club of the University of Moratuwa, was selected as the ‘Single Club International Winner’ for 2016-17 in the Rotaract Outstanding Project Awards, organised by Rotary International. The Moratuwa University’s Rotaract Club is the [...]