The grandeur of Ahlul Baith

The wives of the Holy Prophet (Sal.) and his descendants are known as “Ahlul Baith”. They are called in different names in certain countries. They are called “Thangal” and “Koya” in India. These descendants are called : “Mowlana” in Sri Lanka.

30th death anniversary of K. Gunaratnam of Jaffna: Brutally gunned down by unidentified goons on August 9, 1983

K. Gunaratnam, popularly known as ‘KG,’ with his humble beginnings in Jaffna, had commenced businesses in Colombo. I came to know him in 1974 when his son G.R. Pathmaraj introduced me to him. Mr. Gunaratnam wanted....

Ubeypale Gurugamage of Baddegama: Epitome of simplicity and sincerity

Unselfish, unruffled, Ubeypale Orugamage, gentleman extraordinary, Benign lad, hailed from Baddegama, Galle, self-made man, exemplary.

VIJEYDEVI THAMBYAHPILLAY : Devout Christian and teacher par excellence

The hard and certain reality of death has taken away from our midst the wife of our Peradeniya Don Dr. George,Vijeydevi. Vijeydevi was the daughter of a teacher and Malar of Kopay.

The Cardinal factor

The acquittal of Dr. Shafi Shihabdeen, the unquiet return of several Muslim Ministers to the Cabinet, and the leadership tussles in the UNP, SLFP, and SLPP have turned the tables on the head of the local Catholic Church, Archbishop Cardinal Malcolm Ranjith.

Book Review “Thee haa Thaa”: A Millennial Narrative of Love and Lust

One would prefer sidestepping the intricate task of positioning this a typical oeuvre in literature genre map we are accustomed to. Sadly, one has no choice. It should be placed somewhere.

History of Anuradhapura-Mihintale Railway line

Buddhist history of Sasana says that the historical value has gone up and Mihintale Village was known as Mihintalawa, as the historical rock became popular due to arrival of Anubudu Mihindu Thera.

Matale district big onion cultivators in dilemma

Matale district is very prominent among the areas where big onions are cultivated in Sri Lanka. Onion is cultivated in the areas such as Sigiriya, Dambulla and Galewela. In addition, the farmers in Naula, Kongahawela, Laggala, Pallegama and Wilgamuwa areas are engaged in big onion cultivation.

MMDA Reforms and Child Marriages in Sri Lanka

The calls to reform the Muslim Marriage and Divorce Act (MMDA) in Sri Lanka have been longstanding. Drawbacks pointed out by the Muslim female activists in the much old community law are the minimum age of marriage....

University ragging intensifies ’Breaking a Slave’ to Obey the System?

“I have a squint by birth, but my seniors don’t understand that. They asked me to remove my glasses and look straight. Even though I did, they thought I was looking elsewhere. Then they referred to me as a ‘pottaya’ and questioned as to why I came to university if I can’t see properly. They said that I’m lying and hit me in my ear. After getting beaten up, I attended lectures.

Reversing type-2 diabetes with a plant-based diet?

Diabetes is reaching epidemic proportions in Sri Lanka and around the world. According to recent statistics by the International Diabetes Federation (IDF), the prevalence of diabetes among adults in Sri Lanka is at 8.5% of the population (about one in 12 adults) - roughly 1.16 million people.

NOCSL launches first ever Sexual Harassment and Abuse Policy

Back in 2000, when Sri Lanka’s Olympic medalist Susanthika Jayasinghe publicly accused a Cabinet Minister of wanting to have sex with her, her complaints fell on deaf ears. 19 years later, the National Olympic Committee of Sri Lanka’s (NOCSL) Women’s Committee has established a Sexual Harassment and Abuse Policy for the first time in the history of sports in the country.

Karu Jayasuriya A Man of Honour, a Politician of Principles and an Exemplary Statesman

Deshabandu Karu Jayasuriya, M.P. and Speaker of Parliament will be paying respects to Maha Sangha in a ceremony to be held on 7th August presided by the Chief Prelates of the Tri Nikayas and attended by Maha Sanga, Members of Parliament, political leaders and representatives of civil society at BMICH for the honours bestowed upon him for service to the nation and

Reconnecting with our roots

It would be rather unlikely of a cricket enthusiast in Sri Lanka to be unfamiliar with the name Andrew Fidel Fernando. Be it on account of his well-worded cricket updates or the early morning mumblings on a popular radio programme, Andrew is the country’s go-to cricket writer par excellence.

Red: Exhibition of contemporary visual arts

Red, an exhibition of contemporary visual arts by a group of twenty women artists, will be inaugurated at the J.D. A. Perera Gallery, University of Visual and Performing Arts, on August 9 at 5 p.m. Red has been chosen thematically by the artists because they feel it is a colour which symbolic of a gamut of human feelings and activities such as love, revolution, strength, anger

Epic of the War Hero Colonel A.F. Lafir, INSSSL Inaugural lecture on August 7

The inaugural lecture of the Institute of National Security Studies Sri Lanka (INSSSL) annual memorial lecture series will be held at 3 p.m. today at the Suhurupaya Auditorium (19th floor), Battaramulla.

Petrol The Sri Lankan Story

Along with the confusion surrounding the method of pricing petrol for the Sri Lankan market, an analysis of the price of petrol over time in comparison to both US petrol prices and global crude oil prices appears to be timely.

Review Melroy Dharmaratne’s ‘Gee Kavi Sarasa’

Melroy Dharmaratne’s lyrics contain a peculiar, dualistic quality. It’s hard to get around it, except by going through his songs and placing them in the period which they were written in. The most memorable and best loved of them were, I believe, written in the latter half of the 1960s, when pop culture was flourishing (with the Moonstones and the Jetliners, among other groups, churning out one hit after another

Analysing the direct impact of logging

Sri Lanka is a country with rich biodiversity. This green nation is blessed with highly diversified clusters of forests including Dry Monsoon Forests, Moist Monsoon Forests, Tropical Rain Forests, Wet Zone Mid-Country Forests and Wet Zone Up-country Forests. Around 1,933,000 hectares of forest cover provides natural habitats for around 217 species of endemic plants and more than 287 species of endemic animals where a traveller can experience high

Appreciation Wilfred Pathman Mather Your personality has been inspiring to all of us

Pathman who was born in Jaffna in 1938 and raised in a family of three boys, passed away in Hertogenboschon, in the Netherlands on July 19, 2019. Due to unfortunate circumstances, the family fell apart and Pathman was placed in a boarding school from the age of 6 to 16. He felt quite lonely dur

Tracing origins of VEs Dancers in Kandy Perahera

As the Kandy Esala Perahera took to the streets yesterday it marked 100 years of the introduction of Ves in 1919 to this great ritual, bringing blessings on the people. It is difficult to find information on Ves and how it originated. There are certain masks in mu

Response to Vishwamitra Open season of Rajapaksa bashing begins

The piece written by columnist Vishwamithra on Wednesday, July 31 titled Mahinda Rajapaksa: Sculptor of a Brutal Political Architecture reminded us all that we are now on the threshold of yet another presidential election and that open season on the Rajapaksa’s has begun.

End of resignation pantomime

Nine Muslim Cabinet, State and Deputy Ministers, along with two Provincial Governors collectively performed a pantomime when they resigned from their posts on Monday, June 3, 2019.

Sugath Rathnayake launches a book on media and IT

Information Revolution and News, a groundbreaking book written by versatile media personality, Sugath Rathnayake, was launched in Colombo recently. Delivering the keynote address at the distinguished....

Kandy Esala Perahera heralded with ‘kap’ planting

As many as 275 drummers from the armed forces took part in a ‘kap’ planting ceremony held recently commencing from Aluthnuwara Dedimunda Devalaya.

Chartered Institute of Arbitrators opens SL branch

A branch of the Chartered Institute of Arbitrators, London (CIArb) has now been set up in Sri Lanka. It intends to pave the way for local arbitrators to be equipped with qualifications, integrity and expertise to better resolve commercial disputes. The accreditation received by members of the CIArb is what every arbitrator seeks to obtain in order to be recognised internationally.

Egypt expresses solidarity with SL on national day

During its national day celebrations in Colombo, Egypt expresses its firm solidarity with the Sri Lankan Government and its people.

Hindu Ladies College hosts diabetes screening programme

A diabetes screening and lecture programme were held recently at Hindu Ladies College, Saiva Mangaiyar Vidyalayam in Colombo 6. The event was jointly organised by the Teachers’ Guild of the college and life management coach Maruthai Ravindhiran in keeping with his vision: “Better health for all!”

Jean Arasanayagam A personal and professional tribute to a life lived in exuberance

My first memories of Jean Aunty are from the suburb of Watapuluwa in Kandy where the Arasanayagam’s were our immediate neighbours. Our house was on a small hillock and they lived immediately below us. The compounds in the Watapuluwa housing scheme were generous 40-perch blocks of land which were separated by nothing more than patchy live fences. Food, neighbourly affection, d

An exhibition of paintings by two renowned artists

The Duo Exhibition of Paintings which will be on August 3 and 4 in Colombo, will feature paintings by Sri Lanka’s renowned artist and sculptor Raja Segar and young artist Nisansala Karunaratne Rajapaksa. The Duo Exhibition will be held on August 3 and 4 at the Lionel Wendt Gallery, Colombo 7 from 9 a.m. to 7.30 p.m. Two renowned artists with different mother tongues; ethnicity; gender and it’s entirely two different styles, yet one thing in commo