Denial riles the soothsayer

A story that said the sporty one at the top team level consulted a female soothsayer about the future of the country’s popular game went viral in the recent past. 

His gumption saved the situation

There was widespread speculation recently that a former purohita from the central hills now in the JO was about to pole-vault to yahapalanaya. In the meantime, the politico had to face an unexpected dicey situation. 

It’s his turn now to offer pooja

There was a time when his grandfather was the undisputed monarch of the upcountry estate-kingdom. The political landscape in the estate-kingdom has undergone much change since then and the grandson, the King Rooster who inherited the grandfather’s political mantle no longer reigns supreme there. 

He lost his way inside the large mansion

There is a certain purohita in yahapalanaya who held similar high status in several previous regimes as well.

He was greeted with a deafening silence

The inaugural convention of the Pohottuwa alliance was held in the city with much fanfare. 

Angry over the pot calling the kettle black

A group of Diyawanna Greens who are highly worried and disconcerted over the appellation ‘rogues’ being freely used in referring to their party leaders these days have decided to hit back at the detractors, they say.

He knocked on the wrong door

A high-up of a government security wing responsible for maintaining law and order visited the most sacred Buddhist shrine in the country for worship at the dawn of the New Year.  

A party bigwig to be pitted against Big Vig

The leadership of the main alliance of the North has got their hands full with the task of holding together in one piece the shaky alliance that has now begun cracking up, they say. 

Hampers were too big for her car

Two New Year hampers received by a fair one heading a state-owned undertaking were so massive, that she could not take them home in her car, employees say.

He sees writing on the wall

A leading henchman of a former powerful political leader who has gone into a panic following a tip-off that he was to be arrested soon has begun delegating the functions and responsibilities of his position to his loyalists, they say.

It’s free timber, but the big mansion is still a wonder

Administrations come and go like water under a bridge, but this highly academically qualified commissioner remains in his seat like the bridge.

Weeping for votes

This female is in the running for a seat in a local body in the Wayamba province and she has made it a point to attend every funeral in the area and weep for a long spell as if she has lost someone whom she had loved most in her life. 

A cattle thief in the fray!

A certain candidate in the local polls fray from a main political party is said to be a well-known cattle thief.  He is a close associate of a leading politico in the area.

Cheat with right political connections beats others!

This guy who resigned his post in the public service at a time he was facing serious charges of misconduct made a complaint soon afterwards to the high political authorities saying that he was politically victimized.

Two wrongs make one right for him!

There is a white collar high-up, a political appointee, serving in the country’s diplomatic mission in a foreign country.  He has misused his official position to secure a job for his wife in that country, they say.

Running a slave camp?

How a leading businessman, a sibling of a very high political authority, metes out summary punishment to his employees found or suspected to have neglected duty or done some wrong is a main subject of discussion in the public domain these days. 

He gets the warning, “It’s now or never”

The purohita from Sabaragamuwa who once vowed to quit the Blue party to join Pohottuwa called on the former strongman the other day. 

All set for pole-vaulters’ Week

The second week of January 2018 has already been named as ‘Pole-vaulters’ Week’, they say.    

He had it out behind the stage

Number One in Yahapalanaya recently attended a party meeting organized by a prominent purohita on behalf of the Party candidates in the running for the upcoming local polls.

New grist to their propaganda mill

There is a deputy purohita well-known as the political power behind the issuance of many permits for mining and transporting sand. Of course, the politico is keeping himself out of the scene as he has a family member as the front man for directly dealing with the permit seekers. 

A gaffe and then off the cuff

Our country had the occasion to host a very important international conference in Colombo recently.  A senior purohita hailing from the central hills too was billed to deliver an address at the inaugural session of this conference and thanks to a good copy done by his aides, he delivered an impressive speech when his turn came to take the floor.

Erasing history

On a recent night a lorry had suddenly appeared on the Galle Face Green. Several persons who got out of the vehicle had made a beeline to the place where the foundation stone for the port city was laid at a historic ceremony. 

Self-appointed disciplinarian turns spoilsport at Christmas party

A Christmas party hosted to minor employees of two establishments owned by a multi-billionaire friend of a very high political authority last week went sour when a guest employee hit a female executive with an empty bottle.

A bull in a china shop

A top executive of a statutory body  is alleged to have assaulted an engineer in its employ and proceeded to interdict him, they say.

She had turned a snob overnight

A story coming from Wayamba says how a better half of a Diyawanna member had given a female constituent a dressing-down for not addressing her as ‘madam’. 

Unable to practise what he was preaching

There is a deputy purohita who had been consistent over the years in his stand against the practice of grooming family members for high political office resorted to by some powerful politicos and he would often condemn this practice in his public speeches. 

Difference between precept and practice

This politico is known to be waxing eloquent about the need to protect the environment. However, he has been passively looking on when the wewa in a village is being polluted by the effluent from his close kinsman’s factory located on a village. 

Did walls have ears? No! It’s Viber

A story doing rounds in an establishment conspicuous by its Dharma Chakra emblem says that the head of this establishment had a shocking experience while on an official visit abroad recently when he had occasion to listen verbatim to a hush-hush discussion going on against him back home.

Query about pay hike flung egg on his face

A story is abuzz in political circles about how a Diyawanna politico had to suffer much humiliation when he made an inquiry about a possible pay increase to them.

A mystery wrapped up in a three-word conundrum!

Employees of a Ministry handling the subject of trade and commerce often refer to ‘two hot seats’ during their gossip sessions, they say.