Living next door to elephants
It is an extraordinary audience, from a short distance away, with a ‘King’. As we spot the majestic tusker, monarch of all he surveys, we are spellbound. The scene is picture-postcard perfect. A fairly strong breeze blowing across the vast wewa makes ripples on the waters, set a-shimmer with silvery hues by the gently setting [...]
No script to sell Lanka as moviemakers’ paradise
As film destinations go, Sri Lanka nearly has it all. From rolling hills to verdant rainforests, and sandy beaches to historical ruins, a range of locations accessible within hours of each other. The workforce is educated and genial, the costs are low. And Sri Lanka is today the most peaceful nation in the region. But, [...]
Erudite monk who guided many on the path of meditation
Saffron-robed monks and nuns in their hundreds carrying sprigs of white flowers solemnly walked along the red carpet at Parliament grounds to pay their last respects to one of the most erudite Maha Theras in modern Sri Lanka, the Most Venerable Nauyane Ariyadhamma Anu Nayaka Thera of the Sri Ramanna Nikaya. Well -versed in the [...]
A place that does not forget those with dementia
Dementia causes progressive loss of brain power. There are many types of dementia, but the most common is caused by Alzheimer’s disease. The most common symptom of dementia is memory loss. This means that a person with dementia may forget the names of family and friends, where they are and other vital information. Although there [...]
Open doors for these special needs children
Down a lane in Ambagahawatte, Kalapaluwawa, is an acre of land surrounded by a wall, like any other large or small property in Rajagiriya. Walking in, what greets the eye is a wonderful world, a world just being put in place for special children. The painting is over, with bright greens of different shades for [...]
Can one enjoy the pleasure of good manners and common courtesy and still call oneself a Feminist?
Recently, I have begun to wonder whether or not I am allowed to call myself a feminist. I fiercely believe that women and men should have equal rights and opportunities. I religiously adhere to the theory of political, economic and social equality of the sexes. I absolutely believe in equal pay for equal work. The [...]
The Music Project hits the road
The Music Project’s new venture – “The Unite Roadshow 2016” saw a group of 140 – students, parents and teachers all set off to Katunayake. On Thursday, August 25, 40 children of the Music Project’s orchestra performed at the Bandaranaike International Airport. For most of the children and teachers this was their first visit to [...]
A lone Rolling Stone in Ceylon
In the fading minutes of July 2, 1969, Brian Jones, 27, who founded and named The Rolling Stones, was seen motionless at the bottom of the swimming pool at his property, formerly owned by Winnie-the-Pooh creator AA Milne, in Sussex, England. Brian, a brilliant multi-instrumentalist sacked by the Stones a month before due to his [...]
Lines that take on a life and rhythm of their own
Tilak Samarawickrema is an iconic and an iconoclastic figure. Passionate and provocative, sometimes explosive, there is nothing conformist or indeed correct about him. He cannot be predicted; he will always confound and confuse, do the opposite and be the very opposite of what you expect. He remains uniquely himself and uniquely Sri Lankan. Tilak’s line [...]
Chamber Music Society presents an evening of string quartets
The Chamber Music Society will present “String Quartets at the Goethe” on Sunday October 2 at 7 p.m. This evening of chamber music at the Goethe’s main hall, will open their 2016/17 season. The performers from the CMSC, will include artistic director, Lakshman Joseph de Saram, with Sulara Nanayakkara, violins; Othman H. Majid, viola and [...]
A delectable musical menu from SOSL
Are you a fan of Elvis? The Eagles? John Lennon? Santana? Well, they’re on the menu. The Symphony Orchestra of Sri Lanka will present you with a veritable smorgasbord of musical bites that will leave you hungry for more. Or do you veer towards Broadway musicals? The snacks on offer are delightful— there are aperitifs [...]
Fitting a missing portrait into a frame
It was a shot in the dark, my quest to track down a decades-old painting by Stanley Kirinde. A task I undertook after some gentle prodding by the artist’s younger brother. I wasn’t expecting it to come to a happy conclusion but it did and this made me want to share the story. I had [...]
A bygone era comes to life
Life is short, yet music is timeless, it resonates throughout the generations. They promised to take the audience back in time, to the 90’s and that is just what Soul Sounds, Sri Lanka’s all-female choir did with their show ‘Totally 90’s’ in early (August 6 and 7) directed by Soundarie David Rodrigo. It is not [...]
They kept it real and entertaining
“Pick a song for us to sing,” said Rohan De Lanerolle, “what song would you like us to sing?” When given an answer from the audience, he announced that they would be singing the song they rehearsed anyway. Humorous comments like this really gave life to the recent De Lanerolle brothers concert ‘Keeping it real’. [...]
Bollywood glamour to everyday chic
Director of the Mango Tree and Jak Tree restaurants Crish Panchal along with a friend Upasna Satwani have together launched Karat – an ethnic and fusion wear studio with clothes ranging from Bollywood glamour to casual everyday chic. Stocked with ethnic, formal, semi-formal, indo-western and contemporary clothing , Karat also has accessories, handbags and an [...]
Birthday boy
Birthdays are occasions to celebrate and there was cake and a crowd of well wishers as Minister of Plantation Industries Navin Dissanayake marked his birthday with his wife by his side at Kotmale on September 9.
Kandy fellowship in Colombo
It was an evening of Kandy fellowship down in Colombo when the ‘SACKOBA Ball 2016’ was held at the Colombo Hilton recently with old boys of St. Anthony’s College, Kandy and their partners enjoying their annual get-together.
A wealth of historical information
That Franklyn Amerasinghe was commissioned to write the history of the Colombo Club is not surprising since he has already produced the histories of three other prestigious institutions, namely, the Employers’ Federation of Ceylon, Julius & Creasy and Ernst & Young. This publication bears the same stamp of excellence as its predecessors. Several features of [...]
Preserving our fragile environment
In an effort to promote harmonious coexistence between man and nature and preserve our fragile environment Dilmah Conservation launched its latest publication, ‘Common Forest Trees of Sri Lanka’, authored by Dr. Sudheera M.W Ranwala, Dr. A.H. Magdon Jayasuriya and I.A.D Nadeesha Dilrukshi. The launch at Dilmah t-Lounge Chatham Street on August 31 also celebrated their [...]
Lively accounts of visitations from the unknown
‘The Mysterious, The Mystical and The Unexplained’ is the title of Bernie Hay’s latest publication. Having enjoyed two of her previous publications, ‘Lives that Touched My Own’ and ‘Love Learning and Laughter’ I tried to guess what this book may contain. Has she written some horror stories I wondered. Impatient to know what the book [...]
Discounts and more at Book Fair
The Colombo International Book Fair is here yet again. The book fair is organised every year by the Book Publishers’ Association and is held at the BMICH. This year, the fair offers bookworms a 20% discount on all books being sold. There will be 410 stalls this year, with 60 stalls comprising foreign publishers. While [...]
Golden Anniversary
Retired High Court Judge Indra Liyanage and his wife Kusum celebrated their 50th Wedding anniversary at Hotel Galadari recently amidst their close friends and relatives. Their two sons Indunil and Shamal and daughter Shiranka hosted the party in honour of their parents. Grandchildren Akash, Shenali, Shilendra and Nimthaka spoke about their grandparents and a beautiful [...]
Be a part of Blue Rose Village in Kandy
Within the green trees of Kandy Primrose Hill rests the ‘Blue Rose Special School’ on a land donated by a philanthropist family. The school gives hope to children and adults who are differently abled. Today, the school is looking at working further towards enhancing the quality of life of Blue Rose students even after they [...]
Saluting cancer survivors
The CAN-SUR-VIVE programme will take place for the second time this year by popular demand, on October 1 at the Lanka Hospital Auditorium from 8 a.m. onwards. A CSR effort aimed at reinstating lost zeal while providing survivors with emotional, psychological and societal confidence, the programme was instigated by the CAN SUR VIVE Trust. Little [...]
‘A Good Death’ by leading neurologist
“A Good Death” will be the topic of this year’s public lecture at Lanka Alzheimer’s Foundation on Wednesday, September 28 at 6 pm. The lecture will be delivered by eminent neurologist, Dr Thashi Chang (MBBS, MD, FRCP, DPhil), who is a Senior Lecturer in Clinical Medicine at the Faculty of Medicine, University of Colombo. As [...]
Dr. Pilapitiya to speak on conservation
Dr. Sumith Pilapitiya, former Director General, Department of Wildlife Conservation will deliver this month’s Wildlife and Nature Protection Society Lecture on ‘Civil Society’s Role in Conservation.’ Sri Lanka, with the highest biodiversity per unit area in Asia, is considered a global biodiversity hot spot. A recent survey finds that 33% of inland vertebrate fauna and [...]
Appreciations
Ged Gooneratne A man admired and respected by all who knew him It is a month and more since Ged passed away after a brief illness. I read with pleasure the very elegant tribute paid to him by Lucky Chickera and felt that I should add a few words of tribute to a true gentleman, [...]
Letters
Vindictive transfers: The need for code of procedure for Police Commission I refer to the item under the heading, “Sent to desert because of dinner” published in the Sunday Times of September 11. It read, “A Chief Inspector who claims to have an unblemished record with 24 years in service, has complained to the National [...]