His life and times as an Ace Aviator

“It was flying that attracted me while studying at S. Thomas’ College Mount Lavinia in the 1950s. I used to ‘cut’ school with my friend Rakitha Wickramanayake.....

Book Review: Raja never feared the fight

“I Flew Over the Mountain” is the just-published autobiography of a fellow Richmondite, Raja Arambewela of Galle. The youngest (“bada pissa”) in a family....

In memory of a champion hockey player

Sandiya Ithagane Wijekoon Peiris is an unforgettable name in the history of women’s hockey in Sri Lanka.

Catching a ‘glimpse’ of hope

The story of 37-year-old Sanjaya Sandaruwan from Wennapuwa still echoes to this day. Sandaruwan became a victim of an acid attack on October 18, 2010..

Cracks on the Victoria Dam: When a Professor’s cautions were thrown to the winds

Minister in charge of Mahaweli has said that foreign experts are expected to inspect the Victoria Dam and other dams in the country.

Magic in the offing!

We are fast approaching the end of yet another year, albeit a highly unconventional one. If 2020 has taught us anything, it’s that the status quo can change for the worse. After all, everything – be it material or non-material – is subject to change.

Unduwap Poya Impacts of planting the Siri Maha Bodhiya

It was just two weeks ago that we saw the firm stand taken by the custodians of the Jaya Siri Maha Bodhiya against a so called anti-virus herbal syrup being taken to its upper precincts for whatever the reason. This hallowed Tree has been pro

Coming to terms with our own mortality

Recently I read an article which stated that those who are extra sensitive, ( artists, musicians- Basically those who create things) expe

MOBILISE project to fight SL’s climate change vulnerability

During a 20 year research, in 2018 Sri Lanka was ranked second in a global index among the most affected countries by extreme weather conditions.

Was Christmas celebrated in the Kandyan Royal Courts?

Christmas may have been a grand occasion in the Royal Courts of the Kandyan kingdom way back in the 16th Century when Konnappu Bandara who reigned as Vimaladharmasuriya 1 in Kandy made Dona Catherina his consort.

She was a beautiful mix of worldliness and innocence

It was a weekday morning in the year 1952. 13-year-old Khair was preparing for school. Her mother was preparing to be admitted to the hospital. Before leaving, she told Khair: “Look after the children”.

A banker with a heart of gold

The sudden death of Arumugam Rasanayagam after a short illness on November 8, 2020 sent shock waves among all the people who knew him and his family.

Christmas heralds the Birth of the Eternal Galilean

Two thousand years ago there lived in the humble sea-sidehamlet of Nazareth to the south of Galilee in Palestine, a carpenter’s son by the name of Jesus.

Uncorking the Sinhala genie: The Champika Project

In the annals of horribilis, 2020 wasn’t just an annus horribilis. It was much more and much worse. Sri Lanka fared better.....

All is from Him to all

The birth of Christ is not an abstract event. It is a most historical event. It embraces the totality of universal history. God took flesh in order to relate.....

Joseph and Mary unified in obedience, trek to Bethlehem, for the fulfillment of the Prophecy

MARY shifted her weight uncomfortably atop the little beast of burden. She had been riding for hours. Just ahead, Joseph walked steadily onward.....

Gender based violence on the rise!

According to the UN, one in three women experiences physical and/or sexual violence especially in the form of intimate partner violence.

AFD aims to transition SL towards a sustainable economy

The French Agency for Development (AFD) started operations in Sri Lanka back in 2005 as part of a post-tsunami intervention.

DMC, experts share lessons on reducing disaster risk

The international symposium on Multi Hazard Early Warning and Disaster Risk Reduction 2020 (MHEW DRR 2020) held from December 14-16 at the BMICH, Colombo witnessed the participation of 32 national, regional and international agencies responsible for tackling disaster risk in Sri Lanka.

Let me help!

As dozens of Covid-19 remedies continue to circulate on social media, a traditional medicine physician has come forward with allegations that indigenous medicine is now ridiculed thanks to the actions of a few quacks.

Pamunuwa traders oppose political hand in clothing business

The clothing business in Pamunuwa, Maharagama contributes largely to the Sri Lankan economy and is sadly in dire straits. Pamunuwa is popular for ready-made garments.

Mandatory Cremation: Bodies in freezers till Govt’s final decision

Fifty-year-old mother of three, Fathima Shakeela died on December 14 while undergoing treatment at the Homagama Base Hospital.

Introducing the Hanuman Plover: An ornithological treasure from Sri Lanka

The discovery of the ‘Hanuman Plover’ bird by a group of researchers in Sri Lanka comes as a ray of hope at a time when the country’s biodiversity is going through a rough patch. While introducing a new species to the world, the research also encou

Tribute to Berti Fernando The wonderful man who was comforted by watching his students being crowned

We have read the works of great captains of world literature such as Disapamok, Duishen, Kobayashi, Ricardo Braithwaite,

Dion Jayasuriya Demise of a thorough gentleman and true friend

Dion Jayasuriya joined S. Thomas’ College, Mount Lavinia in January 1959 from year 1 in the Lower School. I joined S. Thomas’ Mount Lavinia to Lower Four (Standard 6) from St. Thomas’ Prep. School, Kollupitiya and, I had the good

Arisen Ahubudu- An Unparalleled Educator

It is a rare opportunity that a student gets to write about his teacher on his 100th birth anniversary. He was our teacher 51 years ago. But to this day he, and what he taught us is strongly etched in our minds. That is why it is such an honour for me to write about him and the influence he had on generations of Thomians.

95 YEARS OF RUSSIAN PUBLIC DIPLOMACY

The All-Union Society for Cultural Relations (AUSCR) was created in 1925, aimed at “the establishment and development of scientific and cultural ties between institutions, NGOs and cultural figures of the USSR and abroad.” Olga Kameneva, sister of Leo Trotsky and wife of the first head of the Soviet state Leo Kamenev had become the chair of the organisation.

To my brother, who left an imprint on our lives

My brother passed away five years ago, but still, I feel that he is living. He left behind a set of children who are like him three sons and a daughter. Though he passed away, yet his thoughts for his kith and kin is embodied in them. That is what should be of people, when they pass away, to leave their imprint, at least among his or her near relatives.

A COUNTRY’S FUTURE IS ITS YOUTH

“We cannot always build the future for our youth, but we can build our youth for the future,” 32nd President of the United States, Franklin D Roosevelt said in an address to the University of Pennsylvania on September 20, 1940.

POWER MAFIA EMPOWERED

In a surprise move, President’s Secretary P.B. Jayasundera on December 1 wrote to Treasury Secretary S.R. Attygalle instructing him to take steps....