Harold Seneviratne Tissa Ratwatte Loving husband, doting father and planter par excellence

Harold Seneviratne Tissa Ratwatte, known to us friends as Harold, was born on March 20, 1937and departed from this world on August 2, 2017. He was married to my relative, more appropriately my niece, daughter of one of my first cousins.

Father figure and gentleman of integrity

Impeccably-dressed, in a crisp white short-sleeved cotton shirt, light trousers, socks and shoes and a white sailor cap; this is how Shums Mariff is remembered. His passing came as a shock to his family. He left suddenly, without much ado, as was his character. On September 27, two months shy of turning 76, he was preparing to leave for Friday prayers, had bent to tie his shoes, when he collapsed.

Vital to strike a balance between faith and State

A regular writer to the press, my church friend Ilika Malkanthi de Silva Karunaratne, has gone on record in a recent article on the subject of religious leaders and their involvement in affairs of the nation. She argues that it would be better if these leaders spend their time on matters pertaining to their faith community.

Star pupil and erudite professor

The certainty of death has taken from us our family friend Jaya, popularly known as Gunda.

Critiquing the circle: National consciousness rising

Gunadasa Amarasekara’s first two novels, Karumakkarayo and Yali Upannemi, have long been out of print. I have been told that this has partly been due to Mr Amarasekara’s wishes, though I can’t quite confirm.

Ceylon Scooter Club goes for the charms of Kalpitiya

The Ceylon Scooter Club has chosen the seaside charms of Kalpitiya for its annual road trip this time. ‘Summer Party Ride’ will take off from the usual venue at Kottawa on Oct. 26, 2019, and members will ride their classic scooters...

Sri Lankan Meditation Master to visit Sydney: Melbourne “How to Find Stillness of Mind – Comfortably ”

After successful weekend retreats in Melbourne Australia in June, Acharin G. Wijenayake has fortunately decided to return to Australia (Sydney and Melbourne) to run further weekend, non residential, non religious, retreats....

Construction of a Community Welfare Centree for Navamahasenpura, Welikanda, Polonnaruwa

Yet another community welfare project undertaken by Sri Lanka Belgium Association (SLBA) will be successfully completed during October 2019 at Welikanda, in the Polonnaruwa District.

To Rise Above Violence and Hate

Two Americans sat opposite me on the train from Venice to Verona. It was a relatively long journey, and we struck a conversation. One was Matthew, and asked to be called Mat. The other’s name escaped me.

Ethnic outbidding and the origins of the ethnic conflict: A blast from the past and a lesson for the future

On the 18th of May 2019, Sri Lanka celebrated victory commemorating ten years of ending the civil war and establishing peace. It is important to ask at this juncture, whether a military victory can guarantee lasting peace....

If laws implemented properly, SL would be a paradise: Prof. Munasinghe

Following is the second part of the interview with the Chairman of Presidential Expert Committee (PEC) on Sustainable Sri Lanka 2030 Vision, Professor Mohan Munasinghe. The first part was published on Tuesday. Prof. Munasinghe elaborated how Sustainable Sri Lanka 2030 Vision Report provides solutions for many burning issues in the country.

Techno 2019 Grassroots level opportunity for young inventors

Techno 2019 was held for the 7th consecutive year at the Bandaranaike International Memorial Conference Hall (BMICH) premises from October 11-13. Organised by the Institute of Engineers Sri Lanka (IESL), Techno 2019 is the foremost exhibition in the country to promote engineering technology and innovation. In this backdrop, the IESL conducted its annual Junior

Photosynthetic biomass A new sustainable economy based on life

Greta Thunberg became a global sensation in no time. If a 16-year-old could go round the world, doing what she could in her capacity to voice out for climate change, there’s much more that the rest of global citizens could do. The most suitable remedy to counter global warming is planting trees. But at EarthRestoration, it is not about planting any tree. While photosynthesis is the

Muslims want a leader who will eliminate extremism

National security-conscious concerns that nearly 1.4 million Muslim voters will be strongly-influenced this time by election manifestos as well as ‘promise-upholding’ credentials of presidential candidates who pledge an end to terrorism without multiplying extremism among diverse communities.

‘Sabbe Sañkhara Aniccã’ All conditioned things are impermanent

At the age of 92, the Most Venerable Kurunegoda Sri Piyatissa Nayaka Maha Thera (Bhante Piyatissa) passed away in his room with mindfulness on October 11, 2019 at 10.10 a.m. At that time, residential monks who gathered in his room were chanting discourses of the Buddha with Metta (having great loving-kindness).

Time to act on sustainable development is now: Prof. Mohan Munasinghe

Subsequent to the article on ‘Sustainable Sri Lanka 2030 Vision’ published yesterday, Daily Mirror sat for an interview with the Chairman of Presidential Expert Committee (PEC) on Sustainable Sri Lanka 2030 Vision, Professor Mohan Munasinghe. Following is the first part of the interview; the second will be published tomorrow.

Palaly comes to life again

October 17 is the scheduled date for Sri Lanka to re-open the Palaly Airport as its third international aerodrome. There will be many who would applaud and praise the refurbishment and upgrading of the new airport; and there will be others who would criticise and curse the very thought of another international airport.

Forsaken land Modara burdened by bad planning

Situated in Colombo’s northern border, Modara is today a neglected land. Infrastructural decay in this once-prestigious harbour city resembles more underdeveloped areas in Sri Lanka. Important trunk roads experience unending construction as major underground oil, sewerage and waste-water pipelines connect to the sea via this area. Further, constant electricity,

‘Steal Away’ – a night of hope and remembrance

Looking back at the year 2019 as it approaches its end, the Easter Sunday bombings are a sickening memory engraved in the minds of all Sri Lankans and although it’s been almost six months since the shock of the bombings, we are still in a state of disbelief about everything that happened.

Outlines of Education: Back to the beginning

In March 2016, Thisuri Wanniarachchi wrote what can only be described as a confrontational essay. Titled “What your schools didn’t teach you?”, it was aimed at one institution: the elite public school in the towns. Half the tirade was against “the culture of fraternity” surrounding the Big Match culture (matches played between rival schools, the Royal-Thomian being the prime example); the other half was against the (alleged) racism of Buddhist sc

CMC’s costly affairs Third parties profiting from Colombo’s garbage crisis

New issues have emerged in Colombo’s garbage crisis. With an explosion taking place at the Aruwakkalu sanitary landfill site, signs of a second ‘Meethotamulla episode’ were seen last week. While the process of dumping garbage was disrupted on several occasions, the proposed landfill sites are exceeding their capacities. On the other hand, several allegations were levelled against the Colom

Sustainable Sri Lanka 2030 - Vision and Strategic Path

By 2030 Sri Lanka hopes to become a sustainable, upper middle income, Indian Ocean hub with an economy that is prosperous, competitive and advanced; an environment that is green and flourishing; and a society that is inclusive, harmonious, peaceful and just. We will follow the middle path based on balanced inclusive green growth.

Drama, woodworms and Dharmasiri

The launch of ‘Drama,’ a new magazine on that subject by Jehan Srikantha Appuhami, turned out to be an event both exhilarating and sad – exhilarating because the large auditorium at ‘Ape Gama’....

Saga of a Witch Hunt

May 2011 marked the beginning of a historic period for Sri Lanka’s judiciary. As a fundamental arm of government, the judiciary must remain independent to the legislature and executive.

Rev. Sr. Angela Fernando Good Shepherd who dedicated her life to human wellbeing

Sr. Angela Fernando was a nun for over 60 years in the Good Shepherd Order. She was truly a Good Shepherd caring for all sheep in the entire herd including those that were lost. A few months prior to her demise in August, she was helping the families living under duress in police quarters with nowhere to go and being shunned by the majority Sinhalese after the Katuwapitiya bomb blast. She was the main author of the recently published book titled

Dr. Ranjan De Sylva Chivalrous gentleman with a great sense of humour

I first met Ranjan De Sylva at Medical College in 1955 when five of us De Silvas sat next to each other. We were called the ‘De Silva family’ and four of us spelled our last name plain old ‘De Silva’ and Ranjan was ‘De Sylva.’ We were quite intrigued by this!

What’s in your store?

Have you ever considered what is in your store? By store, I mean, what you have collected so far; those may be materials you can touch, feel and see, or those maybe possessions intangible or demonstrable in any palpable way. I am sure the readers of your esteemed paper will know what is meant by material things, as we all have these stacked-up everywhere, in cupboards, bookcases, almirahs and every accessible nook and corner. But the latter – mea

Buddhist approach to sustainability and achieving MDGs

This article series considers the Buddhist approach to conceptions of sustainability and development. It deals with the interpretation of the United Nation’s (UN) Millennium Development Goals (MDGs) from a Buddhist perspective. It examines the conception of sustainable development, background of MDGs and draws up the Buddhist solution for securing environmental sustainability.

Ven. Dr. Bhikkhuni Kusuma turns 90

As internationally-acclaimed scholar and Buddhist monastic Ven. Dr. Bhikkhuni Kusuma turned 90 years, her clergy and lay disciples gathered on October 5 at MahamegaramaTemple in Maharagama to felicitate their beloved teacher.

Notes from an Election: Gotabaya and Gota-Baya

“When a future historian writes the political history of the most obtuse and inept government in post-independence Sri Lanka, he or she will, without doubt identify the zenith of idiocy having been the Constitutional prevention of Mahinda Rajapaksa...