Exhibition
September 1 - 15
Ocean and Climate, an exhibition of posters by the French Institute for
Research and Development, at the Alliance Française Auditorium, 11
Barnes Place, Colombo 7.
Public talk
September 7
Thought and the divisive process, organised by the Krishnamurti Centre,
Sri Lanka, at the Study Centre, Baddagana, Duwa Road, Kotte, at 10:30
p.m.
Book
launch
September 7
Heart of Silence, a selection of English poetry written by veteran
journalist and critic Elmo Fernando, at the Kalutara Children’s Library
Auditorium, at 4 p.m.
G.A.Matupema will review the book and recite some of its poems. Senior
Journalist Siri Abeysekara will talk on Elmo and his society. The event
is organized by 3-G Literary Movement in Kalutara
.
Film
September 2
Je Déteste Les Enfants Des Autres by Anne Fassio (2007, 90 minutes)
at the Alliance Francaise, 11 Barnes Place, Colombo 7, at 6:30 p.m
****
Stitch Fantasy
-Two shows in Kandy and Gampaha
 A
creative needle-work exhibition entitled stitch fantasy by veteran
needle craft artist Indumathie Paranawithana will be held on 5, 6 and
7th of September from 9.00 a.m. to 6.30 p.m. at Samapath Hall near Devon
Rest Kandy, and on September 19 and 20, at Nivahana Hall opposite
Yashodhara Ladies College, Gampaha at the same times..
More than hundred items of net, ribbon, Brazeelian, Hand and Haradanger
Embroidery Work and Candle Wicking, Casuthi Cross-Stitch, Paper
Quailing, Paper Tall, Black Work, Stump-Work and Parchment Craft are
among the exhibits that will be on display..
Also on display will be an exhibition of books authored by Indumathie on
Ribbon, Hand, Brazeelian and Hardanger Embroiderery work.
****
Colombo Plan International Society
Office Bearers – 2008/2009
Patron: Secretary General, Colombo Plan Secretariat,
Patricia Yoon-Moi CHIA,
Vice – Patrons: Dr. P. R. Anthonis, Sanath Weerakoon
President: Upali S. Jayasekera
Vice Presidents: D. S. D. P. R. Senanayake, PC, B. Anton Jeyanathan W.
I. Gunawardena, A. C. M. Shafeek, P. Baskarasingam
Secretary: Sam Chandrasena
Asst. Secretary: Sanath Dissanayake
Treasurer: Tilak Fernando
Asst. Treasurer: M. W. de Costa
Committee Members: Amaradasa Gunawardena, Sriyani N. Perera
Dr. Sunethra Gunasena, W. A. C. Weerasinghe, Thushitha Munindrasasa, J.
Weerasignhe, B. H. Passaperuma, Dr. V. U. Ratnayake, L. Bombuwela, H. A.
Jayasekera, Eugene M. de Silva
Trustees: Dr. M. Fahmy Ismail, Dr. H. W. Perera, V. K. J. Ramanayake
Member Auditor: Chitral Jayawardene
****
Ceremony to award 100 Mahatma Gandhi
Scholarships to Students The Government of
India has launched the Mahatma Gandhi Scholarship Scheme. Under this
scheme, around 3-4 meritorious students at the O/Level are selected from
every district of Sri Lanka and provided with a scholarship of Indian
Rupees 1,500/- per month for a period of two years i.e. until they
complete their A/Level studies.
This year, the year of commencement of the scheme, 100 Sri Lankan
Students have been granted the Mahatma Gandhi Scholarship. The students
have been selected on the basis of merit-cum-means.
High Commissioner of India Alok Prasad awarded these scholarships on
August 14, at the Kularatne Hall, Ananda College, Colombo 10.
**** ‘Thoughts for
the day’ / ‘Culture of Islam’ Programme on SLBC on Fridays
On ‘Thoughts for the day’ programmes, quotes from the Quran/Hadees are
broadcast on Friday mornings at 6 a.m. on the SLBC on frequency 95.6 MHz
– English Service. The Presenter is Naadira Ramiz / Suzannah (Suzie)
Jamaldeen of Al Muslimaat, an Association of Muslim Women and Girls,
Dehiwela.
On Culture of Islam programme, interesting topics from an Islamic
perspective are broadcast over the airwaves of the English Service of
the SLBC on 95.6 MHz at 9 p.m. The Resource Personnel are Dr. Mareena
Thaha Reffai, Naadira Rameez, Saadiqa Fouz, Fathima Shifani and the
Moderator is Sherifa Thahir (all are members of Al Muslimaat).
**** Dilini
Silva wins Sri Lanka Prize at CIM (UK)
 Miss.
Dilini Silva who completed her Post Graduate Diploma in Marketing, CIM
(UK) was adjudged Sri Lanka’s Best Student in “Strategic Marketing in
Practice” at the examination held in June 2007.
Dilini holds a Bsc (honor’s) degree in IT from Metropolitan University
of London and a MBA from the University of Wales. Her MBA dissertation
was based on Multinational Corporations.
She’s a member of Rotary International. Presently; she is at the Monash
University in Australia following her Post Graduate studies in
International Relations, leading to her Doctorate (PhD).
Prior to her departure to Australia to further her studies, she was the
Director Marketing at Skyline Pacific Real Estates (Pvt) Ltd, a
Consultant to Nucleus Entrepreneur Foundation (project by Gtz) and also
the Senior Advisor to the ‘Dumindha Silva Foundation’, a charitable
organization founded by her Brother – Western Province, Provincial
Councillor – Dumindha Silva.
She’s a student from Ladies College Colombo 7 and the daughter of Lal
Silva and Malkanthie. Silva is a Fellow Member of the Institute of
Chartered Accountants in Sri Lanka (FCA) and is the Managing
Director/CEO of CIC Feeds Group of Companies. ****
Annual Meeting of the Science Association – SLASME
The annual session of the Sri Lanka Association of Science and
Mathematics Education (SLASME) was held recently at Lyceum International
School in Ratnapura. The chief guest was the principal of the same
school, Susila Witharana, a well qualified and most experienced
scientist who has now taken to education.
In her address she pointed out that local examination statistics have
shown that science education and mathematics education have not improved
in Sri Lanka over the last few decades. The reason for this she said,
cannot be attributed to lack of monetary allocation, or intake of
teachers for training colleges, which have increased. Nor can one say
that children have deteriorated in intelligence, as psychologists have
pointed out subsequent generations have become more intelligence due to
the evolution of the human brain. Therefore as she apologetically
pointed out, the blame goes to teachers and teaching methods adopted in
this country. ****
Newly refurbished Jinnah Hall inaugurated The
High Commissioner of Pakistan, Mr Shahzad Chaudhry, on 22 June 2008
inaugurated the newly refurbished Jinnah Hall in Kandy, completed with
the friendly assistance of the government of Pakistan.
The Jinnah Hall, named after the founder of Pakistan Quaid-e-Azam
Muhammad Ali Jinnah, was founded with the assistance of the Government
of Pakistan immediately after the partition. Later, in subsequent years,
Pakistani government kept assisting in uplifting and expanding the
facility, which has now acquired the status of and icon of Pakistan-Sri
Lanka traditional friendship.
The latest extension includes a highly modern mini-auditorium, a
computer centre, a library and a hall for around 350 people. Under the
current project two new floors have been added in the existing building
of the Hall, which remains a centre for various social gatherings and
community functions in the City. The project has been jointly completed
by the High Commission for Pakistan and the Kandy Muslim Traders
Association (KMTA) at a cost of around 6 (six) million rupees.
Inaugurating the newly established Pakistan Auditorium and business
centre in the Hall, The High Commissioner of Pakistan, Shahzad Chaudhry
declared it as a gift for the Kandy City and its people. He said that
addition of new facilities would hopefully be remembered for a long time
as a gesture of goodwill and affection by the people and government of
Pakistan towards the people of Sri Lanka and particularly those of Kandy.
Speaking on the occasion, Mr L.D.Aluvihare, Mayor of Kandy welcomed the
assistance provided by the Pakistan government in putting up an ultra
modern conference and business promotion facility for the people of
Kandy. He expressed his hope that the facility would be used by all the
communities in the city, which was an icon of multi cultural harmony in
the Island. He appreciated the quality of the completed project and
congratulated the Kandy Muslim Traders Association for a project very
well done. President of the KMTA Alhaj Muhammad Usoof, Mufti Rizvi and
some other speakers also spoke on the occasion.
**** Expressions
captures essence of Japanese art
 By
Pradeep Ruwanpura
“Nihonga” or Japanese-style paintings, is a term used to
describe paintings that have been made in accordance with Japanese
traditional artistic conventions, techniques and materials. Based on
traditions of over a thousand years, the term was coined in the Meiji
period (1868-1912), to distinguish such works from Western-style
paintings.
I have been fascinated by the simplicity of Nihonga for a long time and
was able to experience the magic of this art during my stay in Japan
from 2000-2005 whilst reading for my PhD in Biochemistry at the Tokyo
Medical Dental University. During this time it was my good fortune to
meet Mr. Inoue Seisui, an eminent artist and a teacher of Nihonga, whose
teacher too was well recognised as a painter at the imperial palace. Mr.
Seisui became my teacher, mentor and guide and encouraged me to realise
my long time dream of painting Nihonga, and I was fortunate enough to
learn the basic concepts of Japanese style paintings. Nihonga is
typically executed on washi (Japanese rice paper) or on silk, using
brushes. The paintings can be either monochrome or polychrome. If
monochrome, typically Sumi (Chinese ink) made from soot mixed with
animal glue is used - hence the term Sumi-e (e, pronounced ye, meaning
painting). If polychrome, the pigments are derived from natural
ingredients: minerals, shells, corals, and even semi-precious stones
like garnets or pearls. Animal glue is used as fixative for these
powdered pigments. In both cases, water is used; hence Sumi-e is by
definition a sub-genre of watercolor painting.
Initially, Sumi-e were produced for hanging scrolls, hand scrolls or
folding screens. However, most are now made to be displayed in frames,
similar to Western-style paintings.
By studying Sumi-e, I was not only learning the brush strokes and
principals of the art itself, but also experiencing the Japanese way of
seeing nature and understanding life. I learnt to express my feelings
through Sumi-e which is more of an exercise of meditation and discipline
rather than a mere method of painting.
Alliance française de Kandy will hold an exhibition of Japanese style
paintings titled, “Expressions” by Pradeep Ruwanpura. Governor Central
Province, Tikiri Kobbekaduwa will declare the exhibition open on Friday,
September 5 at 6 p.m. The exhibition will continue till September 12.
**** Al Nasser Ahadiyyah celebrates
Islamic Day & prize giving at Tower Hall
Al Nasser Ahadiyyah School, Grandpass, Colombo held its Islamic Day and
Prize Giving Ceremony at the Tower Hall, Colombo recently. Here ITN
Director Purawalar Hashim Omar receives the first copy of Souvenir from
the chief guest Parliamentary Affairs Minister Al Haj. M.H. Mohamed. Al
Nasser Maha Vidyalaya Principal Khairun Nissa, former Member of
Parliament Lilantha Perera and Ahadiyyah School Principal Ash Sheik S.M.
Jaufer are also in the picture ****
Loans given to 300 women
Hambantota District UNP MP and Janasuwaya Development Foundation
Chairman Sajith Premadasa awarding Rs. 5,000 loans each to 300 women in
the Lunugamwehera Division of Hambantota District at a cost of Rs. 1.5
million **** |
