Air travel during a pandemic

Travelling during Covid-19 has completely sucked the joy out of travelling. Formerly a pleasurable experience, getting on an airplane is now fraught with anxiety and worry. When my son decided that he wanted to return to the UK to continue his education I was the parent that drew the short straw to accompany him back and settle him in. Since the advent of Covid-19 air travel has borne the brunt in the aviation and travel industry. What used to b

A Classless Society & Frightening Times

It could easily be said that we have all come to a standstill in our lives. No one knows what is happening in our lives now. In recent years everything seems to have gotten out of hand. Gone are the days where a million in rupees or a

Hurulu Wewa Haven for elephants

Hurulu Forest Reserve of Sri Lanka was designated as a biosphere reserve in January 1977. The forest reserve is an important habitat of the Sri Lankan elephant, as it is located between Minneriya and Kalawewa National reserves. With the opening of National Parks after the island- wide lockdown, visitors to the National Parks are slowly visiting again but within the province, of course.

Finalist At Technovation Girls 2021

Anudi Nupearachchi (14), emerged as a Finalist at the global technological competition Technovation Girls 2021 in the Junior Division.  Anudi is one of the 12 finalists at the competition and the only finalist and representative from Sri Lanka.  Anudi’s entrant for the competition was COLBY, an AI app that aims to lessen loneliness via interactive communication with an AI powered chatbot.

In-Between II A celebration of abstract art

“The artist is always a good and positive dreamer and it takes a long time for those dreams to come true,” says Kingsley Gunatillake, an award winning Sri Lankan visual artist. Gunatillake specialises in installation, abstract and book art and is currently showcasing the second phase of his ‘In Between’ exhibition series at the Paradise Road Gallery Café.

Author Anuk Arudpragasam longlisted for 2021 Booker Prize

Putting Sri Lanka on the global literary map, Sri Lankan author Anuk Arudpragasam’s book A Passage North, (Granta Books, Gran

Aruna Rodrigo The first Sri Lankan-American Judge in California

Hard won achievements and determination paved way for Aruna Rodrigo to have the prestigious honour of being the first Sri Lankan American to be appointed by the Governor of California to the San Bernardino County Superior Court. Born in Kesbewa, Piliyandala, Aruna moved to the United States with his family when he was 9 years old with the help o

Ushering in nature’s light

Feng Shui is the art of creating a happy living environment within the home, one that ushers in good energy and feel which is not only beneficial but positive for the occupants. It is probably mo

INVEST YOUR TIME TO DEVELOP YOUR INNER PEACE JINA RAJAPATHIRANE

‘Your Community’ is a series that hopes to bring recognition and business to the amazing entrepreneurs living in villages, to appreciate the wealth of talent and sheer resilience of spirit that exists among our people. If corporates are struggling in these Covid-19 times, imagine how much more difficult it is for these small businesses who may ha

15-Year Old Tristen Gunesekera Releases Original Song “I’ve Been There”

Tristen Gunesekera, a 15 year old aspiring young musician and a student of Gateway College, Rajagiriya has just released his first original track. Tristen first started showing an interest in music at the age of 12 years. Constant research and practice helped him to hone his skills wher

Sri Lankan father and son doctor duo to feature in docum

An amazing story featuring a Sri Lankan father and son doctor duo in the UK was published across sections of the UK media recently. This story hit the media spotlight as part of a new BBC TV documentary set to air on British TV titled Our NHS: A

Seeking a new abode

With the pandemic that does not seem to have an end date, it has become a real bother for many foreigners who have been regular visitors to this paradise isle to return as often as they used to. Others have be

Nozomi Japanese Restaurant Japanese cuisine served the right way

Sri Lanka is not immune to the hype surrounding Japanese cuisine and Colombo has seen more than its fair share of sushi restaurants popping up during the last few years. And what’s not to love? It’s one of the healthiest cuisines in the world, its exotic and delicious and….it is also not unaffected by Sri-Lankans trying to ‘localise’ it as we do with every other cuisine. While localisi

Best Selling Books of All Time

Despite the fear that fewer and fewer youngsters are reading, some books still continue to sell and win over new generations of readers. The books in this list have been especially successful around the worl

Chaiwala Colombo

Today I went to the most tagged request, Chaiwala Colombo. I must say it’s a smart business model with a lot of scope. I’m so not the tea drinker, I’m not the guy who HAS to have his afternoon tea at 3 o’clock. So I was kind of reluctant when I had to try the tea but they made me eat my words. The Masala tea, it really did have the kick and the right kind of balance and I ended up havin

Urgent call to protect Sri Lanka’s dwindling population of turtles

Over 250 carcasses of turtles, dolphins and whales have so far washed ashore following the X-Press Pearl inferno. While investigations are underway, conservationists speculate that the intensity of damage is much greater if the entire ocean bed is thoroughly inspected. However, with more carcasses, especially of turtles being reported from various parts of the island, this incident is a wake up call to conserve the remaining population of turtle

Space and Designs

For many, Feng Shui is just a fad although a lot of people adapt it in their design and layout. One could look at vaastu or Feng Shui purely from the design perspective which prescribes unhindered flow of light, air and in turn enhances the feel and

WORK ON A PLAN TO LEAVE A LEGACY

‘Your Community’ is a series that hopes to bring recognition and business to the amazing entrepreneurs living in villages from far flung regions of our country, to appreciate the wealth of talent and sh

Austerity

Colombo socialites are astir with the news of the proposed cuts in imports, especially with many of the well to do in Colombo who are now used to enjoying crème fraiche, varieties of cheeses, air dried meats and similar luxury food items. With no quinoa in the market their diet will go out of the window, it seems. We must not forget the cosmetic product

Where have the sawfish of Sri Lanka gone?

By Sahan Thilakaratna, Akshay Tanna, and Daniel Fernando

Magnificent Dutch Fort in Kalpitiya

From Portuguese territory to current Vijaya Naval Base

DSD Cakes

In this series, we talk to people who turned their passion for food and baking into a business idea amidst lockdown and COVID-19 fears. Some have been in the market for years and others saw the new opportunity and took it! These home busines

Bringing it home Cafe Maitland

text Vihan Wickramasurendra As the dust (barely) settles on yet another wave, we find ourselves yearning for semblance of what used to be. We all need a little something to de-stress and what better form of doing so than experiencing a fancy meal without the actual stress of cooking!

Mueen Wins Prestigious Awards

It has been an eventful and impactful year for Billari Art Gallery despite the challenges the pandemic has created. One of Sri Lanka’s leading galleries for abstract expressionism has once again showcased its prowess in both the local and international markets. Mueen’s work has reached the pinnacle of achievements this year having been crowned with presti

Ruwanthi Gajadeera emerges as first Runner Up

It was applause all around at the AOD when Ruwanthi Gajadeera one of their own students was declated the first runner up at the Graduate Fashion Week International Catwalk London. Representing Sri Lanka with her brand Kaeli, this is n

TWO SRI LANKANS RECOGNIZED BY THE DIANA AWARD 2021

The Diana Award was established back in 1999 in continuation of Princess Diana’s legacy to recognise the youth that are going above and beyond to help their local communities. Among other awardees from around the world; two Sri Lankan peacebuilders, Janith Perera and Anojitha Sivaskaran, were honoured with The Diana Award 2021 on the 28th of June 2021 at the virtual Diana Award Ceremony with the distinguished presence of Prince Harry - Duke of Su

A “can do” attitude can break any barrier PRADEEPA FERNANDO

‘Your Community’ is a series that hopes to bring recognition and business to the amazing entrepreneurs living in villages from far flung regions of our country and appreciate the wealth of talent and sheer resilience of spirit that exists among our people. If corporates are struggling in these Covid-19 times, imagine how much more difficult it is for these small businesse

When human-wildlife conflicts involve an iconic species

World-wide, many native wildlife species have become locally abundant or have increased in geographic range. In some situations, this has resulted in impacts on human health or livelihood, damage to ecosystems through unsustainable bro

A Garbage Society

I am baffled by the disgusting way the majority behave when it comes to disposing of any form of garbage. We are all guilty if we do not care to responsibly dispose of anything, unless we are disabled or are small children who are yet unable to pick up after themselves. Even then, the grown ups around such children or disabled persons should pick up after them and get rid of their garbage in a responsible manner.

GOING HOLLYWOOD! AZLAN SHARIFFDEEN ON PRODUCING MUSIC FOR MOVIE ‘NIGHT WALK’

Multifaceted and accomplished musician and businessman, Azlan Shariffdeen is the man behind the theme song ‘I’m Running’ for American crime-thriller movie, Night Walk starring Academy Award nominees Mickey Rourke and Eric Roberts. Shariffdeen co-wrote and co-produced ‘I’m Running’ with actor Federick James Koch (also starring in the movie) and had two of his other songs titled ‘Always Meant To Be’ and ‘Don’t Know Why’, written and produced with A