Features

Multicultural Services Centre of Western Australia’ Tribute to Dr. Leela De Mel

Published

5 years ago

2021/06/13

I wish to acknowledge the Whadjuk people of the Noongar nation who are the traditional owners of the land we are meeting on. I pay my respects to their leaders, past, present and emerging. Dr Leela de Mel worked in the indigenous sector before she worked in the multicultural sector and always made this acknowledgment at every function she officiated or hosted.

It is an absolute honour and privilege to have been asked to pay tribute to Leela and I thank the family for the same. However, I was hoping that wouldn’ eventuate for succinctly summing up the significant influence that she has had on our sector is no easy task.

We often refer to the late emeritus professor Laksiri Jayasuriya as being the father of multiculturalism, and though I don’ believe in royalty, it would be fitting to describe Dr Leela de Mel as the Queen of multiculturalism. What brings us together today is not our nationality, religion, ethnicity etc. but our love and admiration of a woman whose personality, belief in human rights, and perseverance in achieving it for vulnerable sections of our community, touched our hearts and our lives in so many ways.

Our sector has been blessed with many giants and warriors but none as endearing as Leela for she was able to utilize her immense intellectual and unique interpersonal skills to articulate what needed to be achieved, with great passion, dignity and without disrespecting anyone. Social activists including me, have much to learn from her.

Leela’ splendid legacy has not been adequately acknowledged let alone celebrated by our sector. Many including me have had the good fortune to have immensely benefitted from her valuable experience, wisdom, mentoring support and advice. Anne Aly Member for Cowan in paying tribute to Leela in the House of Representatives said, and I quote “mong the public sector in WA and within multicultural communities her bravery, her vision and her tenacity will be fondly remembered” End of quote. Anne’ tribute can be seen in full from the following link https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Pc4du5qAhZs

Cathy Hollander a former senior staff member of OMI and the Equal Opportunity Commission and I were at Leela’ bedside two days before her passing, reminiscing about our time with

Leela. One of the things Cathy shared was her response when she is praised on her written communication skills. She would say without hesitation those skills are what it is because of the guidance and support she received from Leela. She is not the only one who highly regards and appreciated the mentoring support and advice that Leela so generously gave to so many people.

Suresh Rajan, the President of the Ethnic Communities Council of WA (ECCWA) in his FaceBook post conveyed and I quote “eela taught me much about cultural diversity and related matters. She was undoubtedly one of the most knowledgeable people (about issues of multiculturalism) that I have ever met or dealt with. No one since or before her has brought the kind of change that she did to this state to give us, the CaLD communities, a voice at the table. She was a gem of a person and one who will be sorely missed by all of us.”End of quote. Suresh’ post can be accessed from the following link https://mscwa.com.au/wp-content/uploads/Suresh-Rajan-FaceBook-Tribute-to-Leela-De-Mel.pdf

We all justifiably praise the visionary Hon. former Premier and Minister for Citizenship and Multicultural Interests, Dr Geoff Gallop for his admirable multiculturalism scaffolding (comprising the Multiculturalism Charter, the Anti-Racism Strategy, the Substantive Equality and the Language Service policies) and yes, many notable people contributed to it. However, it was left to Leela to implement it within a public sector that put bluntly had little time for it and sought to vehemently resist it being put into practice. The fact that these mechanisms still remain in place is testament to the success that Leela has had.

This was well summed up by Dr Gallop and I quote “All too often those analysing and commenting on public policy focus only on the decisions themselves, who makes them and in what interest. Not surprisingly then the spotlight goes to the ministers, their offices and outside influences be they good or bad. There is of course another domain of great importance and it relates to the implementation of the decision itself; the time when it is taken into the real world both within government itself and also within the wider community. It is here that the role of the public service becomes crucial; as advocate, negotiator, influencer and perhaps even enforcer. When the policy itself breaks new ground or is controversial any slip up in implementation can be catastrophic.

When it came to the range of policies related to multiculturalism and anti-racism I was fortunate to have Leela de Mel as Executive Director of the Office of Multicultural Interests. She fully understood what it was the government intended, was resolute in her support for the policies when the inevitable challenges emerged and through all of this acted in a dignified and respectful way.

Sometimes the stresses were great but Leela worked her way through them – and with a lovely sense of humour when appropriate! If I was to think of words to describe her approach I would say “truly professional”. The fact that so much of what we intended has “stuck” is because of her work within the sector.”End of quote

Leela recognized the need for strong advocacy to tackle structural inequality and discrimination and truly respected and admired ECCWA for the role it played in this regard. I understand from Said Padshah Senior Policy Advisor to the Minister for Citizenship and Multicultural Interests who was working at OMI at that time, that Leela on more than one occasion at OMI staff meetings made it explicitly clear that she wouldn’ respond kindly to any criticism of ECCWA by OMI staff. A senior commonwealth public servant who worked for OMI when Leela was its Executive Director also endorsed the aforementioned stance of Leela in relation to ECCWA’ role. In hindsight, Suresh and I, when we were Presidents of ECCWA, could and should have utilized her support much better than we did.

ECCWA honoured her by presenting her the Multiculturalism Award, an honour that has been extended to just four other people since 1980. She was the first public servant on whom this honour was bestowed. A peak body honouring persons for what they did as public servants is rarer than the proverbial hen’ teeth. ECCWA waited a lot longer than was necessary to bestow this honour but, in doing so, it sent a clear signal to all concerned, that former and current leaders of ECCWA and the multicultural sector at that time valued and respected Leela highly.

At this dangerous time for social inclusion and fairness we need public spirited citizens like Leela to defend and extend the social and political gains that we have made over more than three decades. It has been a great pleasure and privilege for me to have been associated with Leela in promoting the development of Australia as a multicultural society.”End of quote

The board of the Multicultural Services Centre of Western Australia (MSC) has decided to name its recently acquired Cannington office Dr Leela De Mel Centre in her honour. Regrettably they were not able to do it before her passing. Feedback from board members include, “eela was obviously a very kind lady and had empathy for the community at large. “hey say that amongst all the human qualities there is none greater than kindness”and “eela was indeed a remarkable woman who had contributed immensely to the multicultural community. I had the pleasure of knowing her when I was working at EDAC. It’ sad we didn’ get the chance to acknowledge her good work and tell her personally how much she was appreciated” End of quotes

In 2011, MSC won the tender to provide the Accommodation and related component of the Humanitarian Support Service and it became its single largest program. Regrettably, a very senior official in the Department of Immigration, on the basis of unsubstantiated reasons, pressured the board to change me as the Contract Manager. Many a board in our sector would have succumbed to such pressure but MSC’ highly professional and experienced board of which Leela was a member, firmly resisted the pressure that was placed on it. Leela’ views played an important role in this along with two other board members who were former senior commonwealth public servants. I cannot thank her enough for what she did in this regard and in the effective implementation of that program.

The board, staff and volunteers of MSC were the beneficiaries of Leela’ famous culinary skills on many occasions. It was not just the taste but the presentation of Leela’ exquisite dishes that will remain in our memories forever.

It was Leela’ advocacy that led to the OMI Executive Director position being upgraded from level 9 to Executive Class 1, for she was acutely aware that otherwise the views of that position wouldn’ be taken seriously by the higher echelons of the public sector. Having achieved the desired outcome, not surprisingly, Leela chose not to accept the higher level. The four people who subsequently served as Executive Directors of OMI were all appointed at Executive Class 1. Due to the unwarranted and unconscionable action of the previous Director of the Department of Local Government, Sports and Cultural Industries, the Executive Director position was downgraded to Level 9.

Hopefully, Minister Buti and the new Director General of that department, Lanie Chopping, will accept the wisdom and reasoning of Leela and revert the position to Executive Class 1, as a matter of urgency.

In an email that I received from Dr. Gallop, he captured so much of Leela’ qualities and attributes, in so few words. He wrote, and I quote, “eela will be much missed. Her wisdom born of experience and plenty of reading – and expressed firmly but gently and often with a lovely sense of humour – made her a wonderful adviser on all matters multicultural and a great friend to many” End of quote

From what I have shared it is obvious that Leela was very much an unsung hero. She was by far the quietest achiever I have ever known. Leela richly deserves to be awarded the Order of Australia for her outstanding public sector service and I have written to the Minister for Multicultural Interests to nominate her for the same, albeit posthumously.

If the impact of her passing on people at OMI, ECC, MSC, and past and present Ministers and senior bureaucrats are anything to go by, I can only imagine what Michael, Janek and other family members must be experiencing. We thank Michael and Janek immensely for sharing Leela with us for our lives are so much richer because of it. So, let us pray for them; as well as members of their extended families, for theirs is an irretrievable loss.

the song, “ight a Candle” Daniel O’onnell, states “e could unite the world from one tiny spark; and it is better to light a candle than curse in the dark” Leela not just believed but practiced that message by lighting candles for many causes. Some of them still shine brightly.

This song epitomises Leela in so many ways, her substantial contribution to the multicultural sector, her love of family, her loyal and deep friendships, and her unconditional faith. She has left us a very rich legacy, which will live on in all of us. This song will inspire us to keep lighting candles just as she did, and I will end my tribute with some words from it.

“Life is for giving for those who are living in love’s ray of light

And life is for caring, so never stop sharing your beacon so bright

Light a candle, to start a new dawn, let it be like a prayer

And together we’ll shine, in a moment of time, we can share

Light a candle, to start a new dawn

We can unite the world from one tiny spark

It’ better to light a candle than curse in the dark”

Till we meet again, Vale Dr. Leela De Mel.

Ramdas Sankaran OAM on behalf of the board and staff of MSCWA

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Features

More state support needed for marginalised communities

Published

2 days ago

2026/02/13

Thilina Walpola

A landslide in the Central Province

Message from Malaiyaha Tamil community to govt:

Insights from SSA Cyclone Ditwah Survey

When climate disasters strike, they don’t affect everyone equally. Marginalised communities typically face worse outcomes, and Cyclone Ditwah is no exception. Especially in a context where normalcy is far from “normal”, the idea of returning to normalcy or restoring a life of normalcy makes very little sense.

The island-wide survey (https://ssalanka.org/reports/) conducted by the Social Scientists’ Association (SSA), between early to mid-January on Cyclone Ditwah shows stark regional disparities in how satisfied or dissatisfied people were with the government’s response. While national satisfaction levels were relatively high in most provinces, the Central Province tells a different story.

Only 35.2% of Central Province residents reported that they were satisfied with early warning and evacuation measures, compared to 52.2% nationally. The gap continues across every measure: just 52.9% were satisfied with immediate rescue and emergency response, compared with the national figure of 74.6%. Satisfaction with relief distribution in the Central Province is 51.9% while the national figure stands at 73.1%. The figures for restoration of water, electricity, and roads are at a low 45.9% in the central province compared to the 70.9% in national figures. Similarly, the satisfaction level for recovery and rebuilding support is 48.7% in the Central Province, while the national figure is 67.0%.

A deeper analysis of the SSA data on public perceptions reveals something important: these lower satisfaction rates came primarily from the Malaiyaha Tamil population. Their experience differed not just from other provinces, but also from other ethnic groups living in the Central Province itself.

The Malaiyaha Tamil community’s vulnerability didn’t start with the cyclone. Their vulnerability is a historically and structurally pre-determined process of exclusion and marginalisation. Brought to Sri Lanka during British rule to work for the empire’s plantation economies, they have faced long-term economic exploitation and have repeatedly been denied access to state support and social welfare systems. Most estate residents still live in ‘line rooms’ and have no rights to the land they cultivate and live on. The community continues to be governed by an outdated estate management system that acts as a barrier to accessing public and municipal services such as road repair, water, electricity and other basic infrastructures available to other citizens.

As far as access to improved water sources is concerned, the Sri Lanka Demographic Health Survey (2016) shows that 57% of estate sector households don’t have access to improved water sources, while more than 90% of households in urban and rural areas do. With regard to the level of poverty, as the Department of Census and Statistics (2019) data reveals, the estate sector where most Malaiyaha Tamils live had a poverty headcount index of 33.8%; more than double the national rate of 14.3%. These statistics highlight key indicators of the systemic discrimination faced by the Malaiyaha Tamil community.

Some crucial observations from the SSA data collectors who enumerated responses from estate residents in the survey reveal the specific challenges faced by the Malaiyaha Tamils, particularly in their efforts to seek state support for compensation and reconstruction.

First, the Central Province experienced not just flooding but also the highest number of landslides in the island. As a result, some residents in the region lost entire homes, access roadways, and other basic infrastructures. The loss of lives, livelihoods and land was at a higher intensity compared to the provinces not located in the hills. Most importantly, the Malaiyaha Tamil community’s pre-existing grievances made them even more vulnerable and the government’s job of reparation and restitution more complex.

Early warnings hadn’t reached many areas. Some data collectors said they themselves never heard any warnings in estate areas, while others mentioned that early warnings were issued but didn’t reach some segments of the community. According to the resident data collectors, the police announcements reached only as far as the sections where they were able to drive their vehicles to, and there were many estate roads that were not motorable. When warnings did filter through to remote locations, they often came by word of mouth and information was distorted along the way. Once the disaster hit, things got worse: roads were blocked, electricity went out, mobile networks failed and people were cut off completely.

Emergency response was slow. Blocked roads meant people could not get to hospitals when they needed urgent care, including pregnant mothers. The difficult terrain and poor road conditions meant rescue teams took much longer to reach affected areas than in other regions.

Relief supplies didn’t reach everyone. The Grama Niladhari divisions in these areas are huge and hard to navigate, making it difficult for Grama Niladharis to reach all places as urgently as needed. Relief workers distributed supplies where vehicles could go, which meant accessible areas got help while remote communities were left out.

Some people didn’t even try to go to safety centres or evacuation shelters set up in local schools because the facilities there were already so poor. The perceptions of people who did go to safety centres, as shown in the provincial data, reveal that satisfaction was low compared to other affected regions of the country. Less than half were satisfied with space and facilities (42.1%) or security and protection (45.0%). Satisfaction was even lower for assistance with lost or damaged documentation (17.9%) and information and support for compensation applications (28.2%). Only 22.5% were satisfied with medical care and health services below most other affected regions.

Restoring services proved nearly impossible in some areas. Road access was the biggest problem. The condition of the roads was already poor even before the cyclone, and some still haven’t been cleared. Recovery is especially difficult because there’s no decent baseline infrastructure to restore, hence you can’t bring roads and other public facilities back to a “good” condition when they were never good, even before the disaster.

Water systems faced their own complications. Many households get water from natural sources or small community projects, and not the centralised state system. These sources are often in the middle of the disaster zone and therefore got contaminated during the floods and landslides.

Long-term recovery remains stalled. Without basic infrastructure, areas that are still hard to reach keep struggling to get the support they need for rebuilding.

Taken together, what do these testaments mean? Disaster response can’t be the same for everyone. The Malaiyaha Tamil community has been double marginalised because they were already living with structural inequalities such as poor infrastructure, geographic isolation, and inadequate services which have been exacerbated by Cyclone Ditwah. An effective and fair disaster response needs to account for these underlying vulnerabilities. It requires interventions tailored to the historical, economic, and infrastructural realities that marginalized communities face every day. On top of that, it highlights the importance of dealing with climate disasters, given the fact that vulnerable communities could face more devastating impacts compared to others.

(Shashik Silva is a researcher with the Social Scientists’ Association of Sri Lanka)

by Shashik Silva ✍️

Features

Crucial test for religious and ethnic harmony in Bangladesh

Published

3 days ago

2026/02/12

Sahan Weerasooriya

A political protest that led to governmental change in Bangladesh mid last year. (photograph: imago)

Will the Bangladesh parliamentary election bring into being a government that will ensure ethnic and religious harmony in the country? This is the poser on the lips of peace-loving sections in Bangladesh and a principal concern of those outside who mean the country well.

The apprehensions are mainly on the part of religious and ethnic minorities. The parliamentary poll of February 12th is expected to bring into existence a government headed by the Bangladesh Nationalist Party (BNP) and the Islamist oriented Jamaat-e-Islami party and this is where the rub is. If these parties win, will it be a case of Bangladesh sliding in the direction of a theocracy or a state where majoritarian chauvinism thrives?

Chief of the Jamaat, Shafiqur Rahman, who was interviewed by sections of the international media recently said that there is no need for minority groups in Bangladesh to have the above fears. He assured, essentially, that the state that will come into being will be equable and inclusive. May it be so, is likely to be the wish of those who cherish a tension-free Bangladesh.

The party that could have posed a challenge to the above parties, the Awami League Party of former Prime Minister Hasina Wased, is out of the running on account of a suspension that was imposed on it by the authorities and the mentioned majoritarian-oriented parties are expected to have it easy at the polls.

A positive that has emerged against the backdrop of the poll is that most ordinary people in Bangladesh, be they Muslim or Hindu, are for communal and religious harmony and it is hoped that this sentiment will strongly prevail, going ahead. Interestingly, most of them were of the view, when interviewed, that it was the politicians who sowed the seeds of discord in the country and this viewpoint is widely shared by publics all over the region in respect of the politicians of their countries.

Some sections of the Jamaat party were of the view that matters with regard to the orientation of governance are best left to the incoming parliament to decide on but such opinions will be cold comfort for minority groups. If the parliamentary majority comes to consist of hard line Islamists, for instance, there is nothing to prevent the country from going in for theocratic governance. Consequently, minority group fears over their safety and protection cannot be prevented from spreading.

Therefore, we come back to the question of just and fair governance and whether Bangladesh’s future rulers could ensure these essential conditions of democratic rule. The latter, it is hoped, will be sufficiently perceptive to ascertain that a Bangladesh rife with religious and ethnic tensions, and therefore unstable, would not be in the interests of Bangladesh and those of the region’s countries.

Unfortunately, politicians region-wide fall for the lure of ethnic, religious and linguistic chauvinism. This happens even in the case of politicians who claim to be democratic in orientation. This fate even befell Bangladesh’s Awami League Party, which claims to be democratic and socialist in general outlook.

We have it on the authority of Taslima Nasrin in her ground-breaking novel, ‘Lajja’, that the Awami Party was not of any substantial help to Bangladesh’s Hindus, for example, when violence was unleashed on them by sections of the majority community. In fact some elements in the Awami Party were found to be siding with the Hindus’ murderous persecutors. Such are the temptations of hard line majoritarianism.

In Sri Lanka’s past numerous have been the occasions when even self-professed Leftists and their parties have conveniently fallen in line with Southern nationalist groups with self-interest in mind. The present NPP government in Sri Lanka has been waxing lyrical about fostering national reconciliation and harmony but it is yet to prove its worthiness on this score in practice. The NPP government remains untested material.

As a first step towards national reconciliation it is hoped that Sri Lanka’s present rulers would learn the Tamil language and address the people of the North and East of the country in Tamil and not Sinhala, which most Tamil-speaking people do not understand. We earnestly await official language reforms which afford to Tamil the dignity it deserves.

An acid test awaits Bangladesh as well on the nation-building front. Not only must all forms of chauvinism be shunned by the incoming rulers but a secular, truly democratic Bangladesh awaits being licked into shape. All identity barriers among people need to be abolished and it is this process that is referred to as nation-building.

On the foreign policy frontier, a task of foremost importance for Bangladesh is the need to build bridges of amity with India. If pragmatism is to rule the roost in foreign policy formulation, Bangladesh would place priority to the overcoming of this challenge. The repatriation to Bangladesh of ex-Prime Minister Hasina could emerge as a steep hurdle to bilateral accord but sagacious diplomacy must be used by Bangladesh to get over the problem.

A reply to N.A. de S. Amaratunga

A response has been penned by N.A. de S. Amaratunga (please see p5 of ‘The Island’ of February 6th) to a previous column by me on ‘ India shaping-up as a Swing State’, published in this newspaper on January 29th , but I remain firmly convinced that India remains a foremost democracy and a Swing State in the making.

If the countries of South Asia are to effectively manage ‘murderous terrorism’, particularly of the separatist kind, then they would do well to adopt to the best of their ability a system of government that provides for power decentralization from the centre to the provinces or periphery, as the case may be. This system has stood India in good stead and ought to prove effective in all other states that have fears of disintegration.

Moreover, power decentralization ensures that all communities within a country enjoy some self-governing rights within an overall unitary governance framework. Such power-sharing is a hallmark of democratic governance.

Features

Celebrating Valentine’s Day …

Published

3 days ago

2026/02/12

Sahan Weerasooriya

Valentine’s Day is all about celebrating love, romance, and affection, and this is how some of our well-known personalities plan to celebrate Valentine’s Day – 14th February:

Merlina Fernando (Singer)

Yes, it’s a special day for lovers all over the world and it’s even more special to me because 14th February is the birthday of my husband Suresh, who’s the lead guitarist of my band Mission.

We have planned to celebrate Valentine’s Day and his Birthday together and it will be a wonderful night as always.

We will be having our fans and close friends, on that night, with their loved ones at Highso – City Max hotel Dubai, from 9.00 pm onwards.

Lorensz Francke (Elvis Tribute Artiste)

On Valentine’s Day I will be performing a live concert at a Wealthy Senior Home for Men and Women, and their families will be attending, as well.

I will be performing live with romantic, iconic love songs and my song list would include ‘Can’t Help falling in Love’, ‘Love Me Tender’, ‘Burning Love’, ‘Are You Lonesome Tonight’, ‘The Wonder of You’ and ‘’It’s Now or Never’ to name a few.

To make Valentine’s Day extra special I will give the Home folks red satin scarfs.

Emma Shanaya (Singer)

I plan on spending the day of love with my girls, especially my best friend. I don’t have a romantic Valentine this year but I am thrilled to spend it with the girl that loves me through and through. I’ll be in Colombo and look forward to go to a cute cafe and spend some quality time with my childhood best friend Zulha.

JAYASRI

Emma-and-Maneeka

This Valentine’s Day the band JAYASRI we will be really busy; in the morning we will be landing in Sri Lanka, after our Oman Tour; then in the afternoon we are invited as Chief Guests at our Maris Stella College Sports Meet, Negombo, and late night we will be with LineOne band live in Karandeniya Open Air Down South. Everywhere we will be sharing LOVE with the mass crowds.

Kay Jay (Singer)

I will stay at home and cook a lovely meal for lunch, watch some movies, together with Sanjaya, and, maybe we go out for dinner and have a lovely time. Come to think of it, every day is Valentine’s Day for me with Sanjaya Alles.

Maneka Liyanage (Beauty Tips)

On this special day, I celebrate love by spending meaningful time with the people I cherish. I prepare food with love and share meals together, because food made with love brings hearts closer. I enjoy my leisure time with them — talking, laughing, sharing stories, understanding each other, and creating beautiful memories. My wish for this Valentine’s Day is a world without fighting — a world where we love one another like our own beloved, where we do not hurt others, even through a single word or action. Let us choose kindness, patience, and understanding in everything we do.

Janaka Palapathwala (Singer)

Janaka

Valentine’s Day should not be the only day we speak about love.

From the moment we are born into this world, we seek love, first through the very drop of our mother’s milk, then through the boundless care of our Mother and Father, and the embrace of family.

Love is everywhere. All living beings, even plants, respond in affection when they are loved.

As we grow, we learn to love, and to be loved. One day, that love inspires us to build a new family of our own.

Love has no beginning and no end. It flows through every stage of life, timeless, endless, and eternal.

Natasha Rathnayake (Singer)

We don’t have any special plans for Valentine’s Day. When you’ve been in love with the same person for over 25 years, you realise that love isn’t a performance reserved for one calendar date. My husband and I have never been big on public displays, or grand gestures, on 14th February. Our love is expressed quietly and consistently, in ordinary, uncelebrated moments.

With time, you learn that love isn’t about proving anything to the world or buying into a commercialised idea of romance—flowers that wilt, sweets that spike blood sugar, and gifts that impress briefly but add little real value. In today’s society, marketing often pushes the idea that love is proven by how much money you spend, and that buying things is treated as a sign of commitment.

Real love doesn’t need reminders or price tags. It lives in showing up every day, choosing each other on unromantic days, and nurturing the relationship intentionally and without an audience.

This isn’t a judgment on those who enjoy celebrating Valentine’s Day. It’s simply a personal choice.

Melloney Dassanayake (Miss Universe Sri Lanka 2024)

I truly believe it’s beautiful to have a day specially dedicated to love. But, for me, Valentine’s Day goes far beyond romantic love alone. It celebrates every form of love we hold close to our hearts: the love for family, friends, and that one special person who makes life brighter. While 14th February gives us a moment to pause and celebrate, I always remind myself that love should never be limited to just one day. Every single day should feel like Valentine’s Day – constant reminder to the people we love that they are never alone, that they are valued, and that they matter.

I’m incredibly blessed because, for me, every day feels like Valentine’s Day. My special person makes sure of that through the smallest gestures, the quiet moments, and the simple reminders that love lives in the details. He shows me that it’s the little things that count, and that love doesn’t need grand stages to feel extraordinary. This Valentine’s Day, perfection would be something intimate and meaningful: a cozy picnic in our home garden, surrounded by nature, laughter, and warmth, followed by an abstract drawing session where we let our creativity flow freely. To me, that’s what love is – simple, soulful, expressive, and deeply personal. When love is real, every ordinary moment becomes magical.

Noshin De Silva (Actress)

Valentine’s Day is one of my favourite holidays! I love the décor, the hearts everywhere, the pinks and reds, heart-shaped chocolates, and roses all around. But honestly, I believe every day can be Valentine’s Day.

It doesn’t have to be just about romantic love. It’s a chance to celebrate love in all its forms with friends, family, or even by taking a little time for yourself.

Whether you’re spending the day with someone special or enjoying your own company, it’s a reminder to appreciate meaningful connections, show kindness, and lead with love every day.

And yes, I’m fully on theme this year with heart nail art and heart mehendi design!

Wishing everyone a very happy Valentine’s Day, but, remember, love yourself first, and don’t forget to treat yourself.

Sending my love to all of you.