Business

The 30th Year of Kala Pola, Sri Lanka’s open Air Art Fair, a resounding success

Published

3 years ago

2023/03/31

Visitors strolling through

The 30th year of Kala Pola, Sri Lanka’s Open Air Art Fair, was celebrated recently in a riot of colour along Ananda Coomaraswamy Mawatha, Colombo 7. A long-term collaboration of the George Keyt Foundation and John Keells Group, Kala Pola is Sri Lanka’s largest and longest-running platform for artists and sculptors to showcase their talent and connect with buyers, industry professionals and the local art community. As the first art fair held since the COVID pandemic, the event drew a tremendous response, attracting 312 adult artists and 358 child artists and an estimated 33,000 visitors.

Gayani Perera, a first-time artist participating at Kala Pola, said: “This event was a good opportunity for me to network and interact with other artists and visitors. Now I know the preferences of the visitors and can prepare better. I brought around 36 paintings and sold 22 of them. I want to thank the George Keyt Foundation as well as John Keells Foundation for this opportunity!”

The official ceremony was graced by His Excellency Paul Stephens, the Australian High Commissioner to Sri Lanka and Maldives, as the chief guest together with The George Keyt Foundation Chairman, Malaka Talwatte and other Trustees and the Chairperson of the John Keells Group, Krishan Balendra accompanied by the senior management of the John Keells Group.

Addressing the audience, H.E. Paul Stephens said, “Art and Culture are a critical component of any society and are important in aiding social development and inclusion. They are also important sectors that contribute to economic growth and development, which are of particular importance to Sri Lanka, right now.”

Krishan Balendra, the Chairperson of John Keells Holdings PLC, said “Kala Pola has evolved over the years to be the primary platform for artists from all over the country to showcase and promote their work and support their livelihoods. Art & Culture is one of the six CSR pillars of the John Keells Group under the vision of ‘Empowering the Nation for Tomorrow’. We’re very proud to partner with The George Keyt Foundation as the sponsor and organiser of Kala Pola.”

Thanuja Jayawardena, a visitor to Kala Pola, shared, “It’s not an easy feat to bring together artists from all over the country, and the people who come for this event get a chance to experience and enjoy a variety of different art and styles in one stretch! I’m someone who has come to Kala Pola almost every year and made sure to find time to attend this year as well”

The 30th year of Kala Pola was a resounding success for artists and visitors alike, generating sales estimated at Rs. 35 million excluding commissioned art. Meanwhile, 110 children were hosted at the Children’s Art Corner managed by Elephant House where budding artists could experiment with paints and clay under the guidance of Cora Abraham teachers. The event was supported by 150 John Keells Group volunteers. In addition to its focus on visual art, Kala Pola also showcased a kaleidoscope of Sri Lankan performing arts including dance, drumming and folk singing in a carnival-like atmosphere.

As a 30th year commemoration, Kala Pola 2023 featured a “Top Five Artists Award” adjudged by a panel of art experts. The winners, in no particular order, Aloka Bandara, Chaminda Bandara, Kasun Manoj, Ruwan Mahindapala and Sandeepa Vithanage were awarded trophies and certificates at the official ceremony under the sponsorship of Nations Trust Bank, Private Banking.

The street fair is complemented by https://www.srilankanartgallery.com, the digital platform hosted by John Keells Foundation to showcase Sri Lanka’s visual artists throughout the year.

Art and Culture are one of the six focus areas of John Keells Foundation – the CSR entity of John Keells Holdings PLC (JKH), Sri Lanka’s largest listed conglomerates in the Colombo Stock Exchange operating over 70 companies in 7 diverse industry sectors. With a history of over 150 years, John Keells Group provides employment to over 14,000 persons and has been ranked as Sri Lanka’s ‘Most Respected Entity’ for the last 17 Years by LMD magazine. JKH has placed first for the third consecutive year in the ‘Transparency in Corporate Reporting Assessment’ by Transparency International Sri Lanka. Whilst being a full member of the World Economic Forum and a participant of the UN Global Compact, JKH drives its CSR vision of “Empowering the Nation for Tomorrow” through John Keells Foundation and through the social entrepreneurship initiative, ‘Plasticcycle’, which is a catalyst in significantly reducing plastic pollution in Sri Lanka.

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Business

India-Sri Lanka Foundation’s 41st meeting signals a new era of integration

Published

17 hours ago

2026/09/2

Sahan Weerasooriya

High Commissioners Santosh Jha and Mahishini Colonne chaired the 41st India-Sri Lanka Foundation meeting in New Delhi, highlighting ongoing bilateral cooperation across cultural, economic, and infrastructure sectors.

By Sanath Nanayakkare

On the surface, the 41st Board Meeting of the India-Sri Lanka Foundation (ISLF) in New Delhi on August 28, 2026, was structured as a routine diplomatic engagement. Co-chaired by Indian High Commissioner Santosh Jha and Sri Lankan High Commissioner Mahishini Colonne, the session formally approved a standard slate of cultural and educational projects.

However, looking closer at the broader macroeconomic and geopolitical landscape, the meeting underscored a much deeper structural alignment between the two nations. Against a backdrop of ongoing economic recovery, bilateral discussions increasingly touch upon critical areas of regional integration, investment, and infrastructure.

Among the key areas attracting attention are post-civil war reconciliation efforts and administrative milestones in the Northern Province.

Discussions in diplomatic circles continue to focus on the progressive release of state-held lands back to civilian inhabitants, alongside the anticipated finalization of provincial council elections to support local governance frameworks.

In the economic sphere, commercial integration remains a central theme as Sri Lanka stabilizes its foreign exchange reserves.

Recent financial dialogues in Colombo were seen exploring mechanisms such as transacting in Indian Rupees (INR), aligning with wider regional efforts to facilitate bilateral trade settlements and mitigate foreign currency pressures. Financial institutions, including the State Bank of India, continue to support these bilateral trade facilitation mechanisms.

Cooperation in the energy sector is also progressing through key joint ventures aimed at harnessing renewable resources. Proposals such as the 200MW solar power project in Sampur, developed via a partnership between NTPC and the Ceylon Electricity Board, highlight ongoing efforts to diversify national power generation. Discussions concerning cross-border grid interconnections further reflect strategies to enhance regional energy security and optimize renewable capacity.

At the same time, ongoing reviews of project tariffs – such as those involving renewable initiatives by firms like Adani Green Energy – demonstrate the government’s focus on balancing capital investments with domestic economic interests.

As the ISLF marks decades of supporting bilateral cultural exchanges through hundreds of initiatives, the overarching partnership between New Delhi and Colombo continues to evolve. Navigating these complex frameworks of trade, energy, and development remains essential as Sri Lanka charts its economic future within the South Asian region.

Business

Sysco LABS named one of Sri Lanka’s Most Outstanding Women-Friendly Workplaces for 2026

Published

17 hours ago

2026/09/2

Sahan Weerasooriya

At the far left and far right, respectively: Ruchini Weerawardena, Senior Manager – Talent Management and Development, and Tashiya Jayatilaka, Team Lead – People Operations accepting the award on behalf of Sysco LABS.

Sysco LABS, the Global Innovation Center of Sysco, has been named one of Sri Lanka’s Most Outstanding Women-Friendly Workplaces at the Women-Friendly Workplace Awards 2026, marking its highest recognition at the awards to date.

The recognition represents an important milestone in Sysco LABS’ ongoing journey to build a workplace where women are supported not only to enter and participate in the technology industry, but to develop, progress and build meaningful long-term careers.

Held recently, the 2026 awards organized by Satynmag continued a six-year journey of recognizing and encouraging organizations to move beyond intention towards meaningful and measurable progress for women at work. This year’s awards placed particular emphasis on a defining question for women-friendly workplaces: beyond representation, how far are women able to go?

This win also reflects a progression in the company’s recognition journey at the Women Friendly Workplaces Awards. Following an “Honorable Mention” in the 2023 edition of the ceremony while winning a special award for “Best Women in STEM Project” in 2025, 2026 marks the first time Sysco LABS has been recognized as one of Sri Lanka’s Most Outstanding Women-Friendly Workplaces.

Business

CCPI-based headline inflation accelerates in August 2026

Published

17 hours ago

2026/09/2

Sahan Weerasooriya

The Colombo Consumer Price Index (CCPI, 2021=100) based headline inflation (year-on-year, Y-o-Y) increased to 8.0% in August 2026 from 7.3% in July 2026, primarily due to the statistical base effect in food inflation. Meanwhile, food inflation (Y-o-Y) increased to 8.5% in August 2026 from 6.3% in July 2026, contributing mainly to the increase in headline inflation, while non-food inflation (Y-o-Y) decelerated to 7.7% in August 2026 from 7.8% in July 2026.

On a month-on-month basis, the CCPI increased by 0.28% in August 2026. This increase was mainly driven by the food category, which contributed 0.20 percentage point, largely owing to the increase in prices of Milk Powder, while the non-food category contributed a marginal 0.07 percentage point.

Meanwhile, core inflation (Y-o-Y) accelerated to 5.1% in August 2026 from 4.4% in July 2026.

According to the inflation projections made at the monetary policy round in July 2026, headline inflation is expected to remain above the target of 5% in the near term, before easing and stabilising around the target over the medium term, supported by appropriate policy measures. These projections are conditional, among other assumptions, on the expectation that the effects of the tensions in the Middle East and their spillovers will be temporary and gradually dissipate.