DR. USHA PERERA Her language skills were useful in the medical field

I first met Usha as a post graduate student in the MSc Community Medicine class. Since then I have seen her progressing step by step to become a Board certified Consultant in Community Medicine, and serve the Ministry of Health as a Consultant Community Physician with distinction.

Dr. Heshani conducts 14th exhibition of creations

Dr. Heshani Karunathilake, who is in charge of the counseling centre of Colombo South Teaching Hospital, Kalubowila, is holding the 14th handy creation exhibition called ‘ Handy Stitches 2020’ on July 11 (today) at Lagoon view, Moratuwa. Exhibits will be on show from 10.00 am to 4.00 pm and entrance is free.

She was a music teacher with a heart of gold

A legendary teacher of music and the arts Mrs. Joy Ferdinando was called to her maker last month (June 27) after a brief illness.

You were a larger than life personality

It has been two years since the passing away of my Uncle Milroy Alles on July 1. Fond memories of you as a lively, cheerful and jovial person will never fade away. We could never forget how we broke up laughing when you cracked jokes which knew no bounds. Your winsome smile, humour and humility softened stony hearts and melted malice and ill-will in some, as wax.

Foundation stone laid for stupa at the Birmingham Buddhist Temple

The foundation stone for a stupa at the Birmingham Buddhist Maha Viharaya was laid on July 5 by the Sri Lankan High Commissioner to the United Kingdom Saroja Sirisena together with the diplomatic officers of her office in London.

Stripping the environment naked in the guise of development

Sri Lanka’s wildlife and environment are experiencing a rough patch and environmentalists have been up in arms ever since.

Sybil Wettasinghe : An affable lady of immense talents

The late versatile artist and storyteller for our children in particular, has passed away at 93 with much sorrow for most of us.

Fate of K.P Oli Govt.in Nepal hangs in the balance

The fate of the “strong” communist Government in Nepal is hanging in the balance due to serious internal differences and a st

The 77-year struggle of the Communist Party

Dr. S. A. Wickremasinghe, the pioneering leader of the socialist movement in our country, was elected to the First State Council of Sri Lanka representing the Morawaka Korale. Dr. Wickremesinghe was one of the founding leaders of the L

M.M.C. Wickramanayake Success never eroded his simplicity

M.M.C. Wickramanayake, a legend who worked tirelessly to put Sri Lanka on the world industry map, passed away peacefully in Kandy in 2001. He died at the age of 89. July 6 marked his 108th birthday and his 19th death anniversary

Placing nature at the centre of change: Preserving biological diversity

The loss of biodiversity is a loss for humanity. When we re-examine our relationship to the natural world, we find that despite technological advances, we are completely dependent on healthy and vibrant ecosystems for day to day needs.

Invoking healing through Bharatha Natyam

On Friday, June 19, evening there was an online live Bharatha Natyam recital presented by versatile Thushyanthy Velauthan. The performance of this young dancer....

Remembering Niroshan thru his Sai poem

My beloved son Niroshan Srideva was a final year medical student of Sri Jayawardanepura Medical Faculty. The following clipping was written by Niroshan in 1994 to his beloved Spiritual Guru, Swamy Sri Sathya Sai Baba.

Meaning of Esala and Dhammachakka

“At Saranath near Benaris I would almost see the Buddha preaching his first sermon and some of his recorded words would come like a distant echo to me through two thousand five hundred years. Asoka pillars of stone with their inscriptions would speak to me in that magnificent language and tell me of a man who though an Emperor, was greater than any King or Emperor.” - Jawharlal Nehru :Discovery of India--

Renunciation of Prince Siddhartha

In the snowy peaks of Himalayas and in the valleys of Ganga, Yamuna and Brahmaputra in Dambadiva the ancient Indian trees in the natural vegetation were laden with fruits and flowers during the month of Esala and it had been a festive season from time immemorial.

Are our artists immune to Covid-19’s economic ravages?...or doesn’t anyone care?

All over the world, governments are scrambling to preserve the arts sector in an attempt to protect culture from economic ruin. From rich to poor, their efforts make us realise what people tend to forget in the chaos caused by the pandemic....

A tribute to Sybil Wettasinghe And umbrellas will not be stolen

‘Kuda Hora’ (Umbrella Thief) is a story that many have grown up with. It’s a fascinating tale of umbrella after umbrella being stolen to the consternation of not just those who lost theirs but the entire village.

Rights lawyers face intimidation in Sri Lanka

At least three lawyers have faced reprisals in the days afterwards. Attorney-at-Law Mr. Roy Dilaksan’s house was reported to have been attacked by unknown persons. Another lawyer who had appeared for the same case....

Euthanising Shanthi: Spotlight on Painless Killing of Animals

Smithsonian’s National Zoo mourned the death of Shanthi; a gift received by United States from Sri Lanka back in 1976 when the elephant....

THE AFTERMATH

Though we are still reeling from the effects of the pandemic, an uneasy calm pervades not only our country but every other country that has also....

GRATIAEN PRIZE 2019 SHORTLIST ANNOUNCED!

The shortlist for the Gratiaen Prize 2019 was announced recently. The short-listed writers are, Andrew Fidel Fernando for the travelogue “Upon a Sleepless Isle”, Praveen Jayamanne for his novel “The Double Doorway”, Upali Mahaliyana

Ranil Jayawardene, Herbert Freeman and Lessons to Learn

Ranil Jayawardene is Britain’s new Trade Minister. He is only 35-years old. His father is a Sinhalese, who migrated to the UK in the early 1980s....

Appreciation: Shelton: Known for his quiet efficiency and friendliness

Shelton Amarasuriya, retired Assistant Governor of the Sri Lanka Central Bank passed away last month.

Yoga Session marking the Sixth International Day of Yoga

In marking the Sixth International Day of Yoga which fell on 21 June, 2020, the High Commission of India organised a yoga session in collaboration with Sri Lanka Army, at the Headquarters of the Sri Lanka Army in Colombo on the same day.

An inspiring and remarkable friend, mentor and scholar

Dr Jayatissa Perera (J.A.J Perera), a remarkably intelligent scientist born on 12 October 1949, was an internationally known expert for environmental pollution matters. He attended Thurstan College in Colombo (Sri Lanka) from 1962-1969 and was affectionately known by his friends as Jaya, Jaka or Jak.

Rajah Salgado A tower of strength to all who knew him

As the first anniversary of Rajah Salgado’s passing away approaches, the thoughts of many of his family, friends and associates are turning to their memories of him. In my own case, as I was living in England from childhood, my early memories were mainly my parents discussing how he was helping them with their affairs in Sri Lanka. The respect they had for him was apparent in their voices. It was when I started to visit Sri Lanka regularly that I

An Appreciation for the life of Venerable Godwin Weerasuriya

This is an appreciation for the life of Ven. Godwin Weerasuriya, whose demise on 25th March 2020 was a great loss to the Anglican Church. He was a devout and committed priest who served in many churches in Sri Lanka. While being in the ministry for over 60 years Ven. Godwin, also served as the archdeacon of Nuwara-Eliya and Colombo for several years.

Swindlers deal to deprive Rs. 5000 allowance

COVID-19 is a crisis like no other the world has faced in recent decades, in terms of its economic impacts. The World Bank estimates that the pandemic could push about 49 million people into extreme poverty in 2020.

Toothless laws and inept action hamper leopard conservation

So far this year, six leopards in Sri Lanka have been killed due to human activities. And the count would certainly rise if authorities continue to ignore the gravity of the situation. According to wildlife conservationists, leopards frequent....

Sri Lanka’s vanishing Elephant Corridors

The dry zone is home to a majority of the estimated elephant population of Sri Lanka. This population is scattered in small pockets of habitats as small herds and individual elephants. Efforts to mitigate the human-elephant conflict by conservationists haven’t proven the desired outcomes since most elephant habitats and elephant corridors (also called elep