News
Champion’s baguettes to be made in Sri Lanka?
Tharshan Selvarajah, 37, the acclaimed Sri Lankan baguette maker whose baguettes were recently pronounced the best in France is thinking about franchising his business to Dubai and Sri Lanka where he sees “big possibilities,” the New York Times recently reported.
The Times Paris bureau chief Roger Cohen, a Pulitzer prize winning veteran of that paper, recently interviewed Selvarajah after he made news as the maker of the best French baguettes in a competition earlier this year. French President Emannuel Macron breakfasts on Selvarajah’s baguettes every morning as part of the prize is delivering his product to the Elysee Palace for a year. That plus a modest USD 4,250.
These 25-inch loaves of about 10 ounces each, crusty on the outside and soft and slightly salty inside, within with myriads of air pockets are virtually a French staple that Selvarajah knew nothing of when he migrated in 2006 to Paris where a brother and a cousin lived because he could not find suitable work here.
He began work at a restaurant in Paris making salads and desserts. A regular patron of this restaurant, owner of several boulangeries (as bakeries are known in France) saw him offered a job making bread.
“I knew nothing about baguettes,” he told the NYT. But by 2012 he had become the chief baker at his workplace and in 2018 participated for the first time in the ‘Best Baguette’ competition finishing third. In 2021 he bought one of the stores belonging to his patron who introduced him to the trade and set up on his own.
Today long lines of customers form outside his boulangerie on the fringes of eastern Paris. And the President of France is breakfasting on the baguettes of a Sri Lankan baker!
“God gave us different hands,” he has told the NYT in the interview which had wide traction among Lankans scattered all over the U.S. ” My mother’s chicken curry and my wife’s may use the same chicken but they do not taste the same. God gave me the hands to make the best baguette in France. I’m never angry with the dough as I knead the flour.”
Immigrants do many jobs that the French shun. Selvarajah has said he encountered occasional racialism and prejudice. He remains a Sri Lankan citizen with a 10-year residence permit in France while his wife (of Lankan descent) he married in France is a French citizen and his two children are French.
“Would he follow suit?”, the NYT had asked. “Maybe one day,” he had said, “right now I don’t have the time.”
Selvarajah does two or three pilgrimages a year to Chennai where he meets Sri Amman Bhagavan whose religious movement called Oneness inspires him. “Everyone is so tense today and thinking about money in a selfish way. He helps me to be happy inside my heart,” he’s been quoted saying.
Selvarajah has not met Macron and had no opportunity to meet and be photographed with the president although previous winners did. He had also not been invited to a party organized by the French confederation of bakers. He believes that this is because he’s the first winner of the contest who’s not French or from a French overseas territory.
“It’s not pleasant,” he had said. “Bit I don’t give a damn.”
Has he been paid for the baguettes delivered to the Elysee so far? “Not yet. Maybe at the end of the month.”
News
Prime Minister of Sri Lanka holds a bilateral meeting with Minister for Education and Skills Development of Bhutan
On the sidelines of the inaugural Global Conscious Food Systems Summit 2026, being held in Bhutan from 31 August to 4 September 2026, Prime Minister of Sri Lanka, Dr. Harini Amarasuriya, in her capacity as Minister of Education, Higher Education and Vocational Education, held a productive bilateral meeting with Yeezang De Thapa, Minister for Education and Skills Development of Bhutan, on 03 September 2026.
The discussions focused on further strengthening and expanding Sri Lanka-Bhutan cooperation in the education sector, with particular emphasis on developing mutually beneficial initiatives through enhanced Government-to-Government engagement.
Both sides underscored the importance of deepening institutional cooperation and exploring new avenues for collaboration in education, higher education and vocational training, with a view to creating greater opportunities for students, educators and academic institutions of both countries.
During the meeting, both sides agreed to initiate discussions towards the finalization and signing of a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) on cooperation in the fields of education and vocational training. It was also agreed that the implementation of the MoU could be facilitated through the establishment of a Joint Working Group, headed at the Secretary level, with meetings to be convened annually to review progress, identify new areas of cooperation, and facilitate the effective implementation of agreed activities.
The major areas of cooperation discussed included enhancing collaboration among universities and academic institutions, promoting academic and faculty exchanges, joint research and university programmes, strengthening training and capacity-building opportunities for educators and teachers, and sharing expertise and best practices in the education and vocational training sectors.
The two sides also discussed strengthening child protection and safeguarding mechanisms, promoting ethical values among students, and addressing violence against children while ensuring their safety, protection, well-being and access to quality education.
Opportunities for Bhutanese students to pursue undergraduate studies at universities in Sri Lanka were also discussed, with particular emphasis on Dentistry, Medicine (MBBS), and allied health disciplines such as Physiotherapy. The discussions further covered opportunities for postgraduate studies in medical and health sciences at Sri Lankan universities, as well as enhanced collaboration among universities and other academic institutions of the two countries.
The meeting provided a valuable opportunity for Sri Lanka and Bhutan to advance cooperation in education and vocational training and explore new avenues for long-term collaboration for the mutual benefit of students, educators and academic institutions of both countries.
(Prime Minister’s Media Division)
Prime Minister Dr. Harini Amarasuriya had an audience with His Majesty King Jigme Khesar Namgyel Wangchuck at the Tashichhodzong in Thimphu on September 02, during her official visit to the Kingdom of Bhutan.
The cordial discussion focused on Bhutan’s future development priorities and opportunities for cooperation between the two countries.
His Majesty expressed Bhutan’s interest in drawing on Sri Lanka’s experiences and expertise in areas relevant to its development plans. The discussion also focused on promoting investment between the two countries, including the possibility of establishing an investment zone in Bhutan.
The two sides also exchanged views on demographic challenges facing Bhutan, including the increasing migration of young people and its impact on the country’s population and future workforce.
The meeting highlighted the importance of strengthening bilateral cooperation and sharing experiences and best practices in support of the sustainable development of both countries.
(Prime Minister’s Media Division)
Sri Lanka Podujana Peramuna (SLPP) Member of Parliament Namal Rajapaksa has been arrested by the Commission to Investigate Allegations of Bribery or Corruption (CIABOC).
Namal Rajapaksa had been summoned by CIABOC to provide a statement in connection with investigations into the controversial Airbus deal. He was subsequently arrested by CIABOC after recording his statement for over 5 hours.
Prime Minister of Sri Lanka holds a bilateral meeting with Minister for Education and Skills Development of Bhutan
Prime Minister Meets His Majesty the King of Bhutan
Kusal Mendis, Binura Fernando ruled out of T20I series in England
SLPP MP Namal Rajapaksa arrested by CIABOC
Devapathiraja clinch U15 Division I title with 33-run win over Royal
Mandhana’s record ton powers India into semi-finals
‘Dates have the highest sugar content to fight Coronavirus’
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