Old Dutch Hospital in Colombo: Now open to the public
Image from by C.G. Uragoda and K.D. Paranavitana Being Poya with nothing much else to do, we strolled over to the newly restored and opened Old Dutch Hospital, which Colombo’s oldest building…
Environment
Restoring Shelter
The World Meteorological Organization, part of the United Nations, have just stated that the warmest 13 years of average global temperatures have all occurred in the 15 years since 1997. That has…
Cutting down trees to make Colombo beautiful?
Trees that have stood for decades are being wantonly cut down in Colombo today. Being a Poya Day, there’s not much of people and traffic in Colombo, which make the task of…
Can a ‘Sinhala patriot’ explain pesticides, arsenic and fertiliser?
Photo courtesy Arsenic and toxins found in baby rice food – what you need to know There is a new Sinhala nationalist political trend that now throws out a completely novel discourse,…
Future of Farming in Sri Lanka
Original photo from asianews.it Farming in a sustainable, productive manner has been a hallmark of every human tradition that has endured history. There are many traditional farms existent today that have been…
Right to Food: Ecologically based agriculture
Gannoruwa Agriculture Park. Photo credit Chaminda Wijesekara Background: “We” said the villager holding his dying child in that unspeakable agony only parents in such situations know, “don’t want the right to vote,…
Elephant Walk revisited: Mixing Tea, Jumbos and Monsoons
[Editors note: For an in-depth interview on Sri Lanka’s human-elephant conflict, see ] If those hardy Englishmen and Scotsmen who ran large tea plantations in Ceylon were far removed from the local people…
Humans vs. elephants: Sri Lanka’s tragic on-going conflict
The a few days ago noted that in a bid to ease the growing human-elephant conflict in the country, the Wildlife Conservation Department had undertaken moves to restrict the habitat of rogue…
In conversation with Iranganie Serasinghe: Environmentalist and cinematic icon
Iranganie Serasinghe needs no introduction to many Sri Lankans. For decades she has graced stage, cinema and televisions with characters indelibly etched in memory. I grew up with Iranganie playing which over…
Old Mannar Road and IDPs Access
Photo of Mannar-Puttalam road, courtesy Panoramio Environmentalists have gone to courts demanding that the road connecting Mannar and Puttalam that runs through the Wilpattu National Park be permanently closed. The opening of…
The Wild Elephant Census in Sri Lanka
The proposed elephant census that is to be conducted in a few months’ time by the Department of Wildlife Conservation (DWLC) has generated a lot of interest among the public. Obviously, it…
Monsoons: Another western conspiracy against Sri Lanka?
: The unusually heavy rain and storm activity over Sri Lanka during the past few days could be the result of another international conspiracy against the resurgent island, a citizens’ science group…
The future of tourism in Sri Lanka: A conversation with Renton de Alwis
Renton de Alwis was one time Chairman for Sri Lanka Tourism Promotion Bureau. As noted on this website, he has over 35 years experience in marketing, communications and tourism related areas, having…
A Reply to Tissa Devendra on Rebuilding Sri Lanka
The venomous response of Devendra in the Island of 16th March does not merit a reply but I need to set the record straight. As I said in my original entry, “The…
Death of a Green Activist: Tribute to Piyal Parakrama (1960 – 2010)
Piyal Parakrama’s smile was regular and genuine, but it could be also be a bit misleading. Those who engaged him found that there was a keen mind, passionate heart and a sharp…