From church choir to Sinhala cinema’s queen of nightingales
Her silver bell of a voice was immediately recognisable over the radio for nearly 80 years. Countless films endeared themselves to fans due to her honey-sweet tone. Latha Walpola, the doyenne of our cinematic songstresses, has now passed on to join the celestial choir… Of course, she was not one of the “prabuddha” singers, yet [...]
An insider’s account from the corridors of power
Thisuri Wanniarachchi won the State Literary Award for Best English Novel at just 16 with her first book ‘Colombo Streets’. Her new book ‘The Department of Chosen Ones’ is an eye-opening insider’s account of how power truly operates inside the Sri Lankan state set against Sri Lanka’s recent political upheavals. Published by Vijitha Yapa Publications, [...]
Letters to the Editor
Time to reaffirm national ownership of disaster response and recovery I write in response to a recent article in a local newspaper titled “Flood Relief Should Help Victims, Not Bureaucracies. Sri Lanka Has the Capacity to Respond to Disaster. Donors Should Let It.” The article offered a calm but compelling examination of how international donors [...]
APPRECIATIONS
A pioneer linking engineering, ecology, and human habitats D. L. O. Mendis Eng. D. L. O. Mendis, affectionately known as ‘LO’ to his friends and colleagues, was a rare kind of engineer, one who visualized far beyond design, concrete structures, and calculations to the deeper relationships, binding human life to its natural habitats. At a [...]
Two artists with shared yet distinct rhythms of life
From January 21 to 31, 2026, Colomboscope will bring together over 50 artists whose practices traverse disciplines and geographies. United by the theme Rhythm Alliances, this edition of the arts festival explores memory and rhythm, tracing the shifting relationship between material life and spiritual experience. Here, artists Mahesha Kariyapperuma and Tharmapalan Tilaxan offer two distinct [...]
From his home in Kandy comes an artistic canvas of exactitude
Dennis Candy, down in Colombo from his home in the hills of Kandy, looks much younger than his fourscore years. Dressed in a pink shirt, the soft-spoken British artist exudes the contentment of a seeker who has finally found his Holy Grail, even if late in life… Udayshanth Fernando, founder of the Paradise Road Galleries [...]
Billy and Devashrie bring Christmas magic
‘A Classic Christmas 2025’ – a passion project of Billy Fernando & Devashrie wrapped up on a sweet note on December 21, treating the audience at the Musaeus College auditorium to a magical Christmas journey visually, dramatically and musically. Fusing musical theatre with showbiz entertainment, the show turned the spotlight on the talented musicians and [...]