http://www.sundaytimes.lk Official website of the Sunday Times Newspaper in Sri Lanka Sat, 18 Apr 2026 08:57:19 +0000 en hourly 1 http://wordpress.org/?v=3.3.2 http://www.sundaytimes.lk/260419/plus/a-pure-and-undying-love-for-batik-639135.html 17 April 2026 @ 5:21 pm lt;div gt; [caption id= quot;attachment_639136 quot; align= quot;alignright quot; width= quot;375 quot; caption= quot;The sweeping Tree of Life: A banyan tree depicting Jezima amp;#39;s whole life story quot;] lt;img class= quot;size-full wp-image-639136 quot; title= quot;TreeofLife_P1 quot; src= quot;http://sundaytimes.lk/260419/uploads/2026/04/TreeofLife_P1.jpg quot; alt= quot; quot; width= ... http://www.sundaytimes.lk/260419/plus/unearthing-the-buried-roots-of-ceylons-early-botanic-gardens-639131.html 17 April 2026 @ 5:15 pm lt;div gt; The early history of the establishment of botanic gardens in this country which culminated in the establishment of the present Royal Botanic Gardens (RBG) nbsp; at Peradeniya is still shrouded in mystery. lt;/div gt; The establishment of a botanic garden exclusively for scientific use by specialist botanists and the public for leisure activities was, in essence, a European conc... http://www.sundaytimes.lk/260419/plus/letters-to-the-editor-2-639128.html 17 April 2026 @ 5:06 pm lt;span style= quot;font-size: medium; quot; gt; lt;strong gt;Repeated tariff hikes for electricity: How to move beyond them lt;/strong gt; lt;/span gt; We are now paying the price for electing successive governments that, with their oligarchic advisers, promoted continued dependence on imported fossil fuels for personal gain rather than national interest. This has been reinforced by repeated ... http://www.sundaytimes.lk/260419/plus/appreciations-2-639125.html 17 April 2026 @ 5:03 pm lt;span style= quot;font-size: medium; quot; gt; lt;strong gt;A rice breeder par excellence lt;/strong gt; lt;/span gt; lt;strong gt;DR. M.P. DHANAPALA lt;/strong gt; It is with great sadness I learnt that Dr. M.P. Dhanapala (Dhane to many of us) had passed away earlier this month after a brief illness. Dr. Dhanapala was the Director of the Rice Research and Development Institute at Batala... http://www.sundaytimes.lk/260419/plus/renewable-energy-green-shift-in-the-future-of-plantations-639121.html 17 April 2026 @ 4:59 pm lt;div gt; A quiet but significant transformation is underway across Sri Lanka rsquo;s plantation sector. For decades, energy was treated as a routine operational cost. Today, that thinking is changing. Decentralised renewable energy is emerging as a practical pathway to reduce costs, strengthen climate resilience and support sustainable land management. lt;/div gt; At a recent high-level... http://www.sundaytimes.lk/260419/plus/gratiaen-prize-longlist-is-out-639118.html 17 April 2026 @ 4:51 pm The longlist for the 33rd annual Gratiaen Prize was announced on Thursday by the Gratiaen Trust, in partnership with the John Keells Foundation, and supported by the British Council. The 2026 invitation for applications for the Prize received a record number of entries, showcasing a broad mix of voices, styles, and perspectives in contemporary Sri Lankan writing. The longlisted authors for t... http://www.sundaytimes.lk/260419/plus/a-dialogue-between-artists-across-centuries-sky-gallery-presents-icons-2-639110.html 17 April 2026 @ 4:47 pm You can stand in front of a life-size Vermeer or a monumental Monet and feel the dialogue between artists who never met but shaped each other across time. From April 24 ndash; May 3, the Sky Gallery of the Fareed Uduman Art Forum will present its new exhibition ICONS. ICONS is conceived as ldquo;a dialogue across centuries rdquo; bringing together over a dozen artistic geniuses whose works... http://www.sundaytimes.lk/260419/plus/palms-together-turning-traditional-crafts-into-village-incomes-639099.html 17 April 2026 @ 4:37 pm lt;div gt; In the landscape of Sri Lankan development, ldquo;training rdquo; is a common word. From Colombo to the furthest corners of the North and East, thousands of women have attended workshops and received certificates in various crafts. Yet, for many, the journey ends when the workshop closes. Without a bridge to the market or a leader to secure orders, those skills often lie dormant. ... http://www.sundaytimes.lk/260419/plus/valuable-information-on-a-critical-environmental-problem-639094.html 17 April 2026 @ 4:32 pm ldquo;Soil Erosion and Conservation: With Special Reference to Sri Lankan Dry Zone rdquo; written by Dr. P.B. Dharmasena and published by Cambridge Publishers provides valuable information on the most critical environmental problem related to land. Soil erosion is a serious global issue, affecting billions of people and undermining food security, livelihoods and the climate, with up to 40% of the... http://www.sundaytimes.lk/260419/plus/a-mothers-well-crafted-poetry-and-a-daughter-following-in-her-footsteps-639090.html 17 April 2026 @ 4:29 pm I was looking forward to reading Pia rsquo;s collection of poems having enjoyed reading some of her work along the way. Pia rsquo;s poems, let me say at the outset, are wonderfully clever and well crafted - pithy at most times and often piercingly poignant, weaving in and out of personal relationships. One rsquo;s mind often resonates with hers, delighting or sorrowing in agreement with the aut...