COVID CONUNDRUMS

Covid brought with it a whole dictionary of new terms ranging from Delta to Bulto, new forms of greeting from fist bumps to elbow touching, the word positive was looked at negatively and negative looked at positively, and as for me personally, it turned my orderly predictable life into positively unpredictable chaos. The new normal was further away from normal as it could be in my case, as the thoughts and scenarios penned below will illustrate.

Paradise Disrupted

In the last 25 years, this small island has repeatedly re-emerged; it has suffered a brutal civil war, devastating tsunami, heinous terrorist attacks, inter-faith strife, political crises, global pandemic, economic collapse and now peaceful protests turned violent.

Jolly Juggling Jesters!

As we jump hurdles over what seems to be muddy, murky mire otherwise known as life in Sri Lanka, we have a set of involuntary comedians who are determined to behave in the most-base manner, showing blatant disregards for humanity in general. How long more must we watch this nonsense.

Manil Pathirana Founder, Boutique Ranmal

I first heard about Boutique Ranmal from my mother and her five sisters. They would often reminisce fondly of their time spent at Colombo’s premier fashion retail store.

GOING GOING GONE AT PARADISE ROAD OUTLET

Paradise Road announced today the opening of its new Outlet Store. Featuring a trove of unique pieces collected, last collection pieces, discontinued styles all with discounts upto 80% off.

Malintha Pathiraja.

They don’t call this nation the ‘Pearl of the Indian Ocean’ for nothing; tourism has been a significant export sector for Sri Lanka for more than five decades. Even today, despite the difficult conditions we are currently experiencing, tourists from all over the world visit our country to enjoy its natural beauty while being treated with utmost hospitality! The Cinnamon Grand Hotel in Colombo is a luxurious 5-star hotel that offers the best of bo

THE GRATIAEN PRIZE 2022

The Gratiaen Prize, the most prestigious literary prize in Sri Lanka for creative writing in English, is in its 29th edition this year.

WIM TOP50 GLOBAL CONFERENCE, DUBAI 2022

The Top50 Global Conference and Awards is scheduled to be held on the 18th of June 2022 at the Le Meridian Hotel, Dubai.

SHERO MEEZAN

On this week’s edition of ‘The Founder’ we feature Shero Meezan, Founder, Events by Shero, Love Drops by Shero and Weddings by Shero.

Desperate Deep Darkness

I have always been an absolutely positive person with the mindset of ‘the glass half full.’ This is a proudly inherited trait from my mother who worked tirelessly to promote travel and tourism even during the worst of times, including the 30 years of conflict.

IN CONVERSATION WITH Talia Haleem

Talia Haleem is a finalist at the Miss Canada for Miss Universe 2022 pageant. She is of Sri Lankan origin and holds a Bachelor of Arts in International Relations from the University of Calgary, Canada.

Bowing Out – Gracefully!

I asked a friend and a former dance partner of mine, if her children are as passionate about dance as she was. Her response made me think of how confident, bold and utterly fearless we were in our younger days.

Toxic TikTok Time

TikTok is a phenomenon that swept the world giving everyone the opportunity to lip sync and twirl to the latest swirl while having an awesome fun filled time. Globally, we have actual ‘stars’ created through this medium with their magnificent mélange of rhythmic routines mesmerizing their multitudes of followers.

Change is Constant; Communication Should Be Too

As I boarded the flight to New York from Sri Lanka in April 2021, I envisioned how my beloved NYC would look after the battering it took due to the pandemic.

CHENUKA FERNANDO

On this week’s edition of The Founder, we feature Chenuka Fernando, Founder of CeCe’ by Che. An alumna of Bishop’s College,

Virticle by Jetwing

A pioneer in Sri Lanka’s hospitality industry for nearly 50 years, Jetwing Hotels embarked on an ambitious new venture with Virticle by Jetwing, Colombo’s highest open-air rooftop bar and restaurant.

NATIONAL YOUTH MUSIC FESTIVAL 2022

The inaugural Youth Music Festival 2022 is scheduled to be held from the 1st to the 10th of August 2022 at the Bishops College Auditorium and the Lionel Wendt Theatre, Colombo.

JAYANTHA PREMACHANDRA FOUNDATION PRESENTS REVIVE

An auction and exhibition of selected paintings by Jayantha Premachandra was held at the Galle Face Hotel on the 28th of February 2022.

THE COLOMBO BRUNCH CLUB: EPISODE II

Partying is something that we, Lankans, usually look forward to at night time. There aren’t many options for us to go to during the day, especially on a Sunday, in the hopes of relaxing or having a good time with our friends. Hence, the concept of “day-partying” is certainly non-existent in our culture and it is something we are yet to experience in the years to come.

Paradise: Life’s A Beach 2022

On the 26th of March 2022, the Beach Park at Colombo Port City will come alive from sunset to sunrise. The Amuseum Special Event company will be hosting a twelve hour beach party featuring some of the island’s most renowned DJ’s and Live Acts including,

Tesouro Takes Over Botanik!

Botanik Bistro Bar presents Tesouro, a top 100 bar of the world for two nights only in Sri Lanka!

Testy Travel Tartlets

It seemed like for the past almost three years international travel was a distant memory, where we sat safely and happily at home reminiscing about visiting friends and families spread across the world, and in my case visiting favorite museums and galleries.

DANU CELEBRATES 20 YEARS IN MEDIA

WOMEN IN MANAGEMENT GOES GLOBAL

The WIM Top50 Global Conference and Awards to be held on the 16th and 17th of June 2022 in Dubai

For the Love of Dance

After a lapse of two years, I returned to Sri Lanka and spent some rewarding time with two of my greatest friends. Our continuing relationships are cemented by a lifelong love for dance. Dance is the premise on which we met, became friends and it remains pivotal to almost every conversation we have.

RUVANI SOYSA

On this week’s edition of ’The Founder,’ we feature Ruvani Soysa, an alumna of Methodist College, Colombo. She resigned as a Banker in order to care for her two daughters, but continued to pursue her dream of designing jewelry. She launched her own label ROONI JEWELLERY in 2011.

OVERSTATED OVERRATED ORNAMENTATION

With our splendid history drawing from thousands of years of wonderfully diverse and varied costumes, along with the stunning accessories, we are spoilt for choice when it comes to inspiration. Gleaming metals, and vibrant gems add to the historically driven jewels, which over the many years were documented accurately giving guidance as to how it was done. Unfortunately, just because we have guidance doesn’t mean that some of us are guided!

Tickling Tales Up The Khyber Pass

Please do not let the title of this tale mislead you, this anecdote has no relation whatsoever to that historical pass situated somewhere between the North West frontier of Pakistan and Afghanistan, but alludes to a different kind of passage which will become clearer as we go on.

SPOTTED AT THE OGF RETAIL FESTIVAL 2022

RANDHULA DE SILVA

She is the Founder and CEO of GoodLife X. She is a Director of the Global Entrepreneurship Network and is a Co-Founder of Kolamba Talkies.