Mohan Raj Madawala’s novels translated into English

‘Dear Victoria’ and ‘Loveena,’ two novels by popular novelist Mohan Raj Madawala, have been translated into English and will be launched in Canada on Nov. 09th 2019.

Recognising Sri Lanka’s selfless heroes

“One day in May, 1990, I was walking along the pavement when I noticed some old ‘Readers Digest’ magazines for sale. I bought two of them, one Rupee each. In that year’s March edition there was an article titled ‘Don’t let My Father Die’ which was published as a real life story. The story was about a nine-year-old girl who saved her father in a display of daring bravery. I was inspired by reading this article and I wrote to Readers’ Digest reques

Crushed by the weather Sri Lanka faces multiple challenges from incessant rains and rising monsoon waves with little to mitigate or solve the challenges

Sri Lanka is reeling from the downpour across the island, with hundreds of people across ten districts affected by flash floods, heavy rainfall and strong winds. While in the capital, commuters were seen grappling with flooded roads, which disrupted traffic flow across the city last week, at least five weather-related fatalities were reported earlier this month from various parts of the

‘Steal Away’ A concert of hope and remembrance

Despite the passage of time since the horrifying Easter Sunday bombings, we as a nation are still unable to understand and come to terms with what happened on that seemingly beautiful morning.

Tourism at a standstill in the South-It’s not the candidate that matters say residents

Following the Easter Sunday carnage, tourism was one of the main income generating sectors that experienced a thundering blow. Almost all tourists left the country while many bookings were cancelled. Although several tax concessions were given to hotels, particularly those registered with the Sri Lanka Tourism Development Authority, small scale hotels suffered badly.

Protecting world biodiversity and ending poaching - UK pledges millions of dollars

Currently, more than 28,000 species are threatened with extinction according to the International Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN) Red List of Threatened Species - the world’s most comprehensive information source on the global conservation status of animal, fungi and plant species.

Reflecting on ‘Clergy in politics’

The above headlined editorial in The Daily News of 15th Oct., should be considered very important and noteworthy and action by authorities, wherein it says “Two leading members of the clergy of th

An appreciation of Michael my friend, boss and mentor

I first set eyes on the larger than life character of Michael J. De Zoysa, sporting an imposing “afro mop “ hair style as a 16-year-old school boy, when he picked me up from “homeleigh” my parents’ house on Castle Street to play cricket for the SSC in a Division III game. We hit it off from day one and thus the start of a 40-year long friendship - mentor, boss and spiritual guide in later years. Naturally I called him “Mike” as everyone at the SS

Can challenging status quo be a criminal offence?

‘Niwahal Sithuvili Sithana Sithath Udarai’ reads the first stanza of Pandit W. D. Amaradeva’s popular track written by Dolton Alwis. It translates to “great is the mind of an independent thinker”. But for centuries, free-thinkers and those with creative ideas and rich imaginations were viewed as a threat to conventional society. Recently, post-modernist writer and poet Shakthika S

Entangled in a triangle: “Vijayaba Kollaya”

Sunil Ariyaratne once told me of a film he watched at the Quinlon in Nugegoda in the early 1970s. The film was Ryan’s Daughter, and it was directed by the great David Lean, who also made the immensely popular Doctor Zhivago. Dayan Jayatilleka, who would have been all of 15 at the time when Ariyaratne was approaching 21, told me that as far as movies came and went, Ryan’s Daughter was “forgettably anodyne” (go ahead, check it up). Despite the blan

The trouble with fearing difference A personal journey

Sri Lanka has been through turbulent and transformative times over recent years, which have affected all of us living here. Our weak and divided....

What next for translation in Sri Lanka?

Perhaps not one of the hot topics which attract a great readership, but the problems Sri Lanka is facing in relation to quality translation certainly is an issue that needs to be fixed in a country...

Reopening of Musaeus College Auditorium, Sports Complex today

Rising from the ashes, the reconstructed Peter De Abrew Memorial Auditorium and Sports Complex of Musaeus College will be reopened today, giving prominence to the event in a solemn manner by following traditional Buddhist rituals and blessings.

Mano Muthukrishna Candappa Devout Christian and lady of virtue

My mind travels back to a day in the mid-1970s when I was a young Advocate. At that time, I had a great desire to do a Pitman’s Course in shorthand and typewriting at ‘The Polytechnic’ in Wellawatte, which was an institution established by the Muthukrishna family. Mano Muthukrishna was in charge.

Sir Cyril de Zoysa Philanthropist with great foresight

During the long years of rule in Sri Lanka by the Portuguese, Dutch and British, Buddhism, which was the religion of the country, suffered a setback. In the late 19th century, there was a national struggle initiated by monks to revive Buddhism. At this time, American national Colonel Henry Steel Olcott arrived in Sri Lanka in search of the pure teachings of Lord Buddha.

Notes from an Election: Cutting down Sajith

Michael Patrick O’Leary, Padraig Colman to me and most of us, once wrote that more than anything else, what prevented Ranil Wickremesinghe from winning the presidency was the insularity....

Saluting the heroic thomians

In these days and times when Politics is a dirty word and most politicians are of questionable character Vijitha Yapa Publications and the Political Science Society of S. Thomas’ College, Mount Lavinia....

“Handa” printed voice of the SLBc

For the numerous fans of the Sri Lanka Broadcasting Corporation, the SLBC produces a tri-monthly radio journal called Handa (Voice), carrying the following slogan on each cover page: “The printed voice of audio media.”

Shankar’s 2020 International Children’s Competition

The Shankar’s 2020 International Children’s Competition organized by the Swami Vivekananda Cultural Centre (formerly the Indian Cultural Centre), High Commission of India, Colombo....

Remarkable act of bravery of a Sri Lankan in Korea

The Sri Lankan armed forces have been under a cloud of allegations on extra-judicial killings, abductions and war crimes. Despite such allegations, there are instances that exemplify that Sri Lanka’s highly trained armed forces are empathic and humane. Altruism is one of the most highly prized qualities in society. The special qualities of people who act selflessly to try to find out what sets them apart, that they just have more empathy for oth

Children of Sri Lanka are suffering They need your vote

There are six serious problems affecting the six million children of Sri Lanka, according to the United Nations Children’s Fund (UNICEF). In a dialogue with the media held in Colombo recently, UNICEF Sri Lanka Representative Tim Sutton outlined the six major issues confronting our children, in the fields of nutrition, education, poverty, physical punishment, peace and inclusion and of course, climate change. However, the UN agency does not inte

Climathon Jaffna

Climathon is a year-round programme, with a powerful solutions-hackathon at its core. Climathon Jaffna is an initiative aimed at raising awareness about climate change as well as to seek future-oriented solutions, centred around the city of Jaffna, translating climate action solutions into tangible projects. The initiative also aims to support climate-positive businesses and start-ups as well as address local policy changes. Sri Lanka has been ra

Legal Officers’ Association brings “A Ray of Hope” to children of Easter Sunday victims

Celebrating the 135th anniversary of the Attorney General’s Department, the Legal Officers’ Association has organised a fundraiser, “A Ray of Hope” to help the education of the children who lost their parents in the Easter Sunday Bomb attack. A Musical Extravaganza is being organized as a fund raiser for this charitable cause with the participation of reputed artistes on October 26 at 6.30 p.m. at the Shangri -La Hotel, Colombo. The funds raise

Protests, petitions as green spaces in Indian cities vanish

Just hours after the high court dismissed petitions against cutting trees in a heavily wooded area in suburban Mumbai for a metro rail depot, hundreds of protesters swarmed the site, crying and clinging to trees as the felling began.

Green-fingered children launch ‘seed balls’ project in Kudathanai

Environmental crisis is possibly the greatest challenge humanity has ever faced and our generation has been handed the mammoth task of reversing the damage. Although we have come a long way in dealing with the environmental challenges we have created, it goes without saying how crucial an imperative for action is.

Money where meat isn’t - $8.1 bn plant-based protein industry globally by 2026

Fake meat, mock meat, meat analogues, plant-based protein, whatever you want to call it – it’s a growing industry across the world as consumers become more aware of the environmental impact raising animals for food has on the environment, as well as animal welfare concerns.

Outlines of Education: Portugal and Holland

Like the monasteries before them, the Jesuit colleges were supported by temple lands which had been transferred to the churches. On October 22, 1605, for instance, on the orders of Jeronimo D’Azevedo the villages of Munneswaram, Moratuwa, and Kohilawatte were transferred to the Jesuit College at Colombo; later several villages in the Siyane Korale were added; a distinction was drawn between reside

Kandy’s veteran dancers honoured

Kanday Esala Maha Perahera is over and as dusk sets in Kandy Town anyone feels an emptiness after the streets are cleared of the drummers, dancers and elephants. This is perhaps the only country in the world that men and animals brush against each other and walk side by side without causing harm to each other. But have we given a thought to those living the lives of a dancers and drummer? Without them these elephants would not be part of this an

Katina Pooja: An austere act that rewarded the deserving

With the dawn of the Vap Full Moon Poya on October 13, we witness Katina Pinkam processions, winding their way to the temples in the early hours of the morning. These will continue until the arrival of Ill Poya next month.

Ora’s Diary: An oracle in the mean world of tourism

Jayantha Perera has followed up his Orage Dina Pothen Bindak Part 1’ (A bit from Ora’s Diary) with the second part of this saga. In his rambling style, the author picks up the narrative in 2018....