Business

‘Golden Memories & Sensational Melodies’ – A Tribute to Legacy and Charity

Published

1 year ago

2025/03/5

A charity event in aid of the Peter Weerasekera Children’s Home, Yakkala, was recently held at The International Women’s Club Auditorium, Colombo 7. The evening, dedicated to Sri Lankabhimanya, the late Lakshman Kadirgamar, was a heartfelt tribute celebrating his remarkable contributions to Sri Lanka and enduring legacy.

The program opened with an instrumental performance by Dr. Prashanthi Mendis and Ms. Indrani Wijesundera, followed by Kamil Weerasekera, Chairman of the Peter Weerasekera Foundation, introducing the foundation’s mission. A captivating musical performance by Dr. Manella Joseph added to the evening’s charm.

A special segment, ‘My Journey at Trinity’, by Nimal Cooke, Executive Director of the Capital Maharaja Group, reflected on the influential experiences from Trinity College, Kandy. This was followed by a panel discussion featuring Dr. Dayan Jayatilleka, Dr. Sakuntala Kadirgamar, and Prof. Rajiva Wijesinha, highlighting Kadirgamar’s lasting national impact.

A video presentation showcased the foundation’s dedication to supporting underprivileged children. The event also included a heartfelt speech by Ms. Mala Weerasekera and concluded with the Trinity College School Song in tribute to Kadirgamar’s alma mater.

The event not only honored a national icon but also underscored the power of music and collective goodwill in supporting a meaningful cause. Proceeds will go toward the welfare and development of children at the Peter Weerasekera Children’s Home.

The Panel Discussion : The life and times of Sri Lankabhimani Lakshman Kadirgamar

The Panel of eminent speakers:

Dr. Sakuntala Kadirgamar

Executive Director of the Law and Society Trust, Constitutional Lawyer and Human Rights Activist, who has worked with the United Nations and international organizations in Sweden, South Asia and Africa. She is the daughter of the late Sam Kadirgamar and Saro, and niece of the late Lakshman Kadirgamar.

Dr. Dayan Jayatilleka

Former Permanent Representative of Sri Lanka to the United Nations in Geneva, former Ambassador to the Russian Federation and France.

Professor Rajiva Wijesinha

A former Member of Parliament, and he is a Sri Lankan writer distinguished for his political analysis as well as creative and critical work. An academic by profession, he is an emeritus professor of languages at the Sabaragamuwa University.

Dr. Sakuntala Kadirgamar :

“…The cake that was baked at home, that was the way Lakshman Kadirgamar, my uncle, described himself when he went to the Oxford Union, several decades after he was the President of the Oxford Union. He was then Foreign Minister of Sri Lanka and invited for the unveiling of his portrait and Oxford was obviously ready to claim him as their own. I think he put them in their place saying, you are the icing on the cake but the cake was baked at home. So, this made me think a little bit about cake making. I’m not the best cook in our family, but I made a cake or two and I was thinking, well, good cakes depend on the ingredients. The right proportion of fruit and nut, if it’s a fruit cake, or whatever, good quality ingredients in the right proportion. The whisking, the mixing, all that matters. The pressure you use. The light touch or the heavy churning and of course, the heat of the baking. Too hot means it will burn. Too cool, it will flop. So all this goes into cake making and I thought about my uncle’s life in those terms as well.

My uncle, first of all, I must talk a little bit about his beginnings. Apparently, when his mother was expecting him, he was the sixth, the youngest child in the family and though she had started having children at the age of 18 or 19, when Lakshman was born, she was a little more settled and more mature. Someone had told her, it’s not only the food you eat and the rest you have, but also the books that you read. And though my grandmother was not formally educated, there was she with great thoughts and philosophers on her lap reading these books and my father was very amused. He said, Mom, you normally read fashion magazines. She said, no, no, I must read great thoughts. It will make a big difference to my child. And true enough, it seemed to make a difference.

Anyway, Lakshman was the youngest son of Sam Kadirgamar, Sr. and his wife, Edith Parimalam Medha and my grandfather himself had struggles in his life. His father died when he was very young. He was a talented boy, so he got a scholarship and came to St. Thomas’ – sorry, Trinitians. He was sent to St. Thomas’. After that, he never really returned to Jaffna but he was struggling to make his way in colonial Ceylon and I think the value of hard work and persistence and all that was deeply ingrained in his ethos.

He married my grandmother, who was born to a very well-established businessman and devout Christian in Jaffna, who was very comfortable with her place in her society in Jaffna. But when she came to Colombo, as a young bride with, I think, an ambitious upwardly mobile lawyer as a husband, she had to fit into a different world and she had to grow up fast. When she went back to Jaffna to have her first child, my father, her mother was continuing to have babies and so she realized she had to look after herself. She could not fall back on her family.

So they were independent and resilient and of course, when Lakshman was born, he was the youngest of six children, the family was well settled. So there was a lot of time to pamper him and pet him and shower him with love, which is what he grew up with. But their world fell apart six years later when his mother died.

And truly, I suppose in any family, a parent dying and especially a mother dying is a big loss but I think my grandfather was just not able to cope emotionally and so Lakshman was really in a very difficult place, loved by his brothers and sister. But the war was looming and they were busy in their careers and so the decision was made that he should go to Trinity.

Now I had a quiet chat with Nimal and I told him I thought boarding schools are total institutions and tough places to be in and I was quite critical about boarding schools but literally to Nimal, they seemed to be rosy places and no one remembers the canings and whatever. In retrospect, I suppose all things are good but Lakshman too, I realized what a lot Trinity meant to him from his friends. There he met Singha Weerasekera who was emerging from his own tragedy in his family and they bonded almost as brothers do. And his house, his home, whenever he came to Sri Lanka, was flooded with friends who wanted to see him and claim his time and, you know, he was very much a social animal in that sense.

To us in his family, especially when I was reading the letters that he has written to my father and my father had written to him, I realized, you know, what a thoughtful, I mean, he was the person who kind of appreciated his place in life as it were and he was very, very focused in what he did. I was quite amazed as a university student to see him planning his next steps and, you know, planning his career. I never thought of anything in those terms. So things did not happen by accident to him. He really planned his life in a very intense kind of way. Of course, when he went to Oxford, he had the advantage of being at the Oxford Union, and that is where he met and married his first wife, Angela. And when he came back to Sri Lanka, still Ceylon at that time, he was really ready to go into politics and he had asked my father for advice about joining the Federal Party.

Continued Tomorrow

All News Advertisement

Business

Nestlé Lanka celebrates 120 years of ‘Good Food, Good Life’ in Lanka

Published

12 hours ago

2026/03/15

Thilina Walpola

Nestlé Lanka Chairman and Managing Director Bernie Stefan (left) and Ruwan Welikala, Director – Corporate Affairs and Communications, provide an overview of Nestlé Lanka’s 120-year journey in Sri Lanka at a media briefing held on March 10 at Cinnamon Life – City of Dreams, Colombo. Pic by Nishan S. Priyantha

Nestlé Lanka Limited, the ‘Good Food, Good Life’ company, celebrates 120 years of operations in Sri Lanka this year. Since its founding in 1906, the company has grown into the nation’s leading food and beverage manufacturer, producing over 90% of its locally sold products in Sri Lanka. Guided by its purpose of enhancing quality of life for today and future generations, Nestlé Lanka has touched lives through nutrition, livelihoods, and sustainability.

Over the decades, the company has offered tastier and nutritious choices tailored to local needs, from birth to old age, with micronutrient-fortified products that promote healthier living. Iconic brands such as NESTOMALT and MILO further encourage active and healthy lifestyles through sports sponsorships.

Beyond products, Nestlé Lanka engages communities through partnerships with dairy and coconut farmers, supporting skills development, responsible sourcing, and local livelihoods. Its youth empowerment initiative, Nestlé Needs YOUth, strengthens employability, while collaborations with organisations like BConnected create inclusive work pathways for people with disabilities.

Sustainability is a core focus, with a commitment to achieve net-zero carbon emissions by 2050. Recent steps include a biomass boiler commissioned in 2024 and the use of 100% renewable electricity at the Kurunegala facility. Through these initiatives, Nestlé Lanka continues to deliver on its promise of enriching lives while safeguarding the planet.

Commenting on this milestone, Bernie Stefan, Chairman and Managing Director of Nestlé Lanka said, “Celebrating 120 years in Sri Lanka is a moment of immense pride for all of us at Nestlé. This milestone reflects not only the longevity of our business, but the trust generations of Sri Lankan families have placed in us and the strong partnerships we have built across the country. For over a century, we have been committed to Working Together for Good – contributing meaningfully to the Sri Lankan economy, supporting livelihoods, and positively impacting communities, while consistently providing tasty and nutritious products that consumers love. Through iconic brands such as NESTOMALT, MILO, MAGGI to name a few, we have been part of everyday moments in Sri Lankan homes, helping nourish families and support healthier, more active lifestyles. As we look ahead, we remain firmly committed to continuing this journey with purpose, responsibility and care, enriching Sri Lankan lives every single day.”

Business

Sampath Bank and Apartner Bring Digital Payments to Sri Lanka’s Growing Condominium Sector

Published

12 hours ago

2026/03/15

Thilina Walpola

Chirath Samarasekara, Head of Card Centre at Sampath Bank, exchanges the partnership agreement with Deshan Dias Bandaranayake, Co-Founder and Chief Executive Officer of Apartner, Chaminda Samarajeewa, Manager – Merchant Relationships, Digital Products and Card Sales at Sampath Bank (1st from left), and Shehan Adikari, Co-Founder and Chief Operating Officer of Apartner (1st from right), look on.

Sri Lanka’s condominium landscape continues to expand at pace, reshaping urban living across the country, yet many residential communities still rely on manual payment methods that slow down collections, delay reconciliations and limit financial visibility for both residents and management corporations.

Responding to this growing gap, Sampath Bank PLC has partnered with Apartner (Pvt) Ltd to digitise condominium payments in Sri Lanka, introducing a secure, real-time payment and settlement framework designed to support smarter, more efficient apartment living. The partnership integrates Visa’s Cybersource payment gateway with Sampath Bank’s API Manager, enabling seamless digital payment collection alongside instant outward settlements and reconciliations.

Speaking on the collaboration, Chirath Samarasekara, Head of Card Centre at Sampath Bank, stated, “Condominium living is becoming a defining feature of modern Sri Lanka and the financial infrastructure that supports it must evolve accordingly. Through Visa’s Cybersource payment gateway and our API Manager, this partnership enables real-time settlements and reconciliations that bring greater transparency, control and predictability to condominium payments while offering residents a secure and convenient digital experience.”

Deshan Dias Bandaranayake, Co-Founder and Chief Executive Officer of Apartner, commented, “This partnership with Sampath Bank allows us to remove one of the biggest operational pain points faced by condominium communities. Real-time payment visibility and automated reconciliation give management corporations confidence in their cash flows while residents gain convenience, security and peace of mind through a platform built for everyday living.”

Business

A lifetime of tickets: Kalawana retiree preserves a 76-year long lottery trail

Published

12 hours ago

2026/03/15

Thilina Walpola

Some of lotteries in Ekanayake’s collection

For many Sri Lankans, buying a lottery ticket is a daily ritual. Some do it out of habit; others try their luck from time to time. Morning crowds gathered around lottery kiosks across the country are testimony to the enduring appeal of the small slip of paper that promises fortune.

But in the quiet village of Dolahena in Kalawana lives a man whose relationship with the lottery stretches far beyond hope of a windfall.

At 88, retired postal worker E. M. D. Bandara Ekanayake has spent more than seven decades buying lottery tickets — and, more remarkably, preserving them. His collection, which dates back to the early years of organized lotteries in Sri Lanka, may well be one of the most extensive personal archives of lottery tickets in the country.

“I started buying lottery tickets in 1962, the year the National Lottery Board was established,” Bandara told the Sunday Island. “At that time a ticket cost only 50 cents, and the top prize was about one lakh of rupees.”

His fascination with lotteries, however, predates the National Lottery Board itself. Bandara recalls purchasing his first ticket in 1959 when a lottery was held in connection with an industrial exhibition.

“From then until today, I have been buying five tickets at a time,” he said. “For about 76 years I have continued this habit.”

Unlike most lottery buyers who discard their tickets once the draw is over, Bandara carefully preserved every ticket he purchased. As a result, he now possesses lottery tickets issued by both the National Lottery Board and the Development Lotteries Board from 1962 to the present.

“I don’t think anyone else has such a collection,” he said with a quiet smile.

Ironically, his decades-long participation has not brought him extraordinary winnings. “Apart from small prizes, the biggest amount I have ever won is Rs. 10,000,” he admitted.

Yet Bandara insists that winning has never been his primary motivation.

“I buy lottery tickets with great interest and enthusiasm, but not because I expect to win,” he said. “The lottery boards contribute a great deal to the development of this country. Funds raised through lotteries support education, health and other development work. I feel a deep sense of satisfaction knowing that I too contribute, even in a small way.”

His dedication to buying tickets has endured despite the difficulties he once faced in obtaining them.

“In the early days there were no lottery sales outlets in the Kalawana area,” Bandara recalled. “The only place we could buy them was at Sinnaiah Stores in Nivitigala. I used to travel by bus to buy the tickets and bring them back. Sometimes I would send someone else to buy them for me.”

Over time, lottery sales expanded to Kalawana itself. Bandara remembers that a trader named P. D. T. Lathpadura Mudalali began selling lottery tickets at the Ranasinghe Hotel, making it easier for locals like him to buy them.

E. M. D. Bandara Ekanayake

From then on, Bandara purchased his tickets locally, but the practice of carefully preserving them remained unchanged.

His passion for collecting does not stop with lottery tickets. Bandara has also maintained an extensive collection of newspapers over the years. Even bus tickets from his journeys have been preserved alongside his treasured lottery slips.

The unusual collection recently drew the attention of officials from the National Lottery Board, who visited Bandara’s home bearing gifts after learning about his decades-long dedication.

For Bandara, however, the recognition is secondary to a larger sense of purpose.

“I will continue buying lottery tickets as long as I live,” he said. “At the same time, I try to help others and engage in social service whenever I can.”

His commitment to community welfare is not merely rhetorical. Using his own funds, Bandara has already built a community hall for the benefit of residents in his village.

“I hope to continue doing social service in the future as well,” he said.

In an era when lotteries are often associated with dreams of instant wealth, Bandara’s story offers a different perspective — one of quiet dedication, civic-mindedness and personal discipline.

For him, the value of a lottery ticket lies not in the promise of riches but in the small contribution it makes towards the collective good.

And after 76 years, that belief remains unshaken.

By Upendra Priyankara Jathungama