Enjoying Buddhangala – past and present
In Digamadulla or modern-day Ampara, there is no dearth of ancient shrines, many taken over by jungle tide, with giant sleeping Buddhas in caves, unidentified stupas and unread inscriptions and legends on rock and pillar. The Buddhangala forest monastery however, has been revived from that state when leopard and bear used to roam the drip-ledged [...]
In this time of crisis let us not forget the environment
There is little practical purpose in just dwelling on the evils of the past without taking action now to ensure that they never happen again. This is never more pertinent than in the protection of the environment, and of the incredible biodiversity of this land. The challenge ahead is not going to be easy with [...]
Tribute to Barbara Sansoni by Ruk Rakaganno
Ruk Rakaganno, The tree Society of Sri Lanka will celebrate the life and work of trail-blazing entrepreneur, artist and writer Barbara Sansoni who was also a Charter Member of Ruk Rakaganno in an online event next Sunday, June 19 at 6 p.m. The guest lecture titled ‘Colours of Barbara Sansoni’ highlighting Barbara’s work will be [...]
Pride and protection must go hand in hand
Being just one of two remaining ‘island-living’ leopards on earth, Sri Lanka’s Big Cat needs ‘stepping stones’ to ensure its survival, a new study conducted at Wilpattu National Park has found Sri Lanka is very proud of its one and only Big Cat and apex predator – the magnificent leopard. The most important measure to [...]
Out of chaos comes beauty
Digital artist Muvindu Binoy’s upcoming exhibition ‘Survival of the Fragile’ also reflects the current situation in country “Right now, especially with the current situation it’s the people who are actually fragile that are surviving – the ones who are kind to each other, sympathetic to each other and share each other’s stories – there’s a [...]
Protest and art: Workshop Players take their act to Galle Face
Art has been actively associated with the ongoing Aragalaya movement. Whether it is the painters and mixed-media artists displaying their installations or one hundred voices singing a song of revolution, there is no doubt that art, in all its forms, plays a part in bringing people together for a cause. It was with this idea [...]
A Poson Poya that changed our culture
It may be said that the Poson Full Moon Poya is one of the most important poyas for Sri Lankans. It was on a Poson Poya that Arahant Mahinda Thera visited the island and established the Buddha Dhamma during the reign of King Devanampiyatissa, which changed the whole history of the island. After the third [...]
Letters to the Editor
Take a good look before you buy your soap Yes, we all know and experience the unbearable cost of living today with the prices of essential items rising steeply without any control day-by-day. A couple of weeks ago, I bought a 1 Kg laundry powder packet for Rs. 220 for which I had to pay [...]
Appreciations
A true priest of the people Fr. Ronald de Silva Fr. Ronald de Silva was called to his eternal rest on May 17. His body lay at St. Mary’s Church Mattakkuliya and was taken to Kanatte to be buried at the family vault. Many dignitaries of the Catholic Church and parishioners came in their numbers [...]
Holding a mirror up to society, but not telling readers what is right or not
Continuing our series on the authors shortlisted for the 2021 Gratiaen, we feature Rizvina Morseth de Alwis whose Talking to the Sky highlights growing conservatism amidst Sri Lanka’s Muslim community Rizvina Morseth de Alwis recalls growing up in a compound of colourful Malay homes, where siblings and cousins were always spilling in or out. It [...]
Tapping into tradition
Yet another notable contribution by scientist Asoka De Silva, this work builds on his earlier book, ‘Technological Innovations in Ancient Sri Lanka’. It is meant for the general reader and even enriched with over 100 popular folk songs. The most important aspect of this work is its premise of “Live and Let Live” which traditional [...]
With Rosemary Rogers as ‘partner in crime’ she went on her own literary path
Usula Wijesuriya was born and grew up by the Bolgoda Lake in Panadura, and it was the ‘lovely environment’ with birds and fish that made her a writer. With many an adventure novel for youth and translations of some of the most beautiful Buddhist poetry in Pali and Sinhala under her belt, this nonagenarian has [...]