Features

Understanding nature and knowing the land

Published

3 years ago

2023/04/30

Excerpted from the authorized biography of Thilo W Hoffmann
by Douglas B. Ranasinghe

In his field work for Baurs Thilo had to travel the length and breadth of Sri Lanka. On a map he marked each route he had taken. He then made sure that where possible he did not use the same one twice until all were covered.

His first journeys away from the city rekindled his interest in nature and wildlife, which was in his heart from the time he was a boy in Switzerland. It would impel him to explore the island for more than six decades, whenever he could, traveling everywhere in it, including its least visited and most remote areas.

He often walked long distances in these explorations. Most such expeditions were in the dry lowlands. He climbed mountains, including the six or seven highest peaks in the island, and numerous rocky outcrops in the low country, such as Ritigala, Yapahuwa, Maligatenna, Patanangala, Mayagala, Baron’s Cap, Kuragala, and many smaller and less well known ones. Adam’s Peak he climbed four times, last when he was 78 years old; Mae did so three times. He explored in the hill country the old bridle paths from Haputale to Nuwara Eliya, and from the top of Ramboda Pass to Hewaheta, now overgrown and almost impassable.

He kept up these activities throughout his time in Sri Lanka. Always he has traveled with open eyes and an open mind. This has helped him to get a better understanding of the land, the forests and the flora and fauna of each area and – importantly – to record the changes over the years.

Soon he was able quickly and accurately to visualize many parts of Sri Lanka, and to write about their condition. In a few years Thilo knew the island well, from Jaffna to Dondra and from Colombo right across to Batticaloa. In this manner, and with his inborn curiosity and sense of exploration, he became intimately acquainted with the country. His knowledge of its physical aspects is probably without equal.

Thilo recalls an incident in the 1960s on a flight from Singapore to Katunayaka. The aircraft had crossed the shoreline at Pottuvil and was flying towards Nuwara Eliya. He heard three young Sri Lankans in the seats just in front trying in vain to identify the landscape beneath. After a while he stepped forward, to enlighten them on the names of towns and villages, estates, of mountains and rivers, passing below.

They were greatly surprised that a foreigner was able to explain to them so well the geography of their country. They introduced themselves as UNP MPs returning from Taiwan: Nanda Mathew, Chandra Karunaratne and a third whose name Thilo cannot recall; they were in the news for visiting that country against party orders.

In his treks and travels Thilo had made intensive use of the old one-inch-to-one-mile map sheets. Correct and reliable, he says, in nearly every detail, they have been indispensable in his quest for knowledge. It was a disappointment when they were replaced, towards the end of the last century, by the new 1: 25,000 and 1: 50,000 maps, whose quality, he thinks, leaves much to be desired.

The older maps were based on careful and painstaking ground surveys, while these depend excessively on the technologies of aerial survey and satellite imagery. The former he finds often more reliable and useful even today. An article by Thilo comparing the two sets has appeared in Loris 2, the journal of the Wildlife and Nature Protection Society.

Observing nature

Thilo has always been concerned with all the aspects of wildlife in Sri Lanka, not only the birds and beasts in the jungles, but entire ecosystems.He was and is particularly interested in plants and trees. In his field notebooks he made hundreds of sketches of these. Some of the watercolour paintings he did from his drawings are reproduced in this book.

Memorizing their Sinhala names was a priority for him. At one time he had done so for over 200 species. He knew the names of most of the trees, shrubs and creepers found in Wilpattu, as well as of many flowering plants growing in the villus and pittanis.

His very competent teacher was Game – this was later changed to Wildlife – Guard Hendrick Appuhamy, who was a vedamahattaya by family tradition. He was the Hoffmanns’ preferred tracker at Wilpattu. Another friend from whom he learnt much was Guard, later Range Assistant, H. H. Bandara of Helambawewa. Thilo remarks:

“They were fine men. Both were superb trackers, born and bred in the area, devoted to their work, and of a type no longer found today.”

There was no popular botanical literature at that time. It took Thilo many years before he managed to memorize that many names. Again and again he asked Hendrick Appuhamy, and often also others, for the same name, in identifying a plant or tree. Much patience and perseverance were needed. Of help were MacMillan’s Tropical Planting and Gardening, although tedious, and later Worthington’s Ceylon Trees. Thilo recognised trees mainly by their shape and size, general colour and structure, and size of leaves, which could be observed when passing in a vehicle.

He walked extensively in wild areas, which, of course, provided the most lasting impressions. He remarks:

“In the jungle I found it important to be properly dressed: good shoes, long trousers, long-sleeved shirt and hat to protect the body against scratching, insects and scorching sun. Dull colours such as khaki are preferable. An example not to be followed is often seen in popular nature films where experts move through purportedly wild jungles in sandals, shorts and tee-shirts!”

For many years Thilo corresponded regularlywith the expert on Ceylon trees, T. B. Worthington. He sent him botanical specimens, most of them from Wilpattu, for identification and comment. Later, Father Dr L. G. Cramer of Peradeniya University was occasionally consulted. There was also friendly contact with Dr F. R. Fosberg of the Smithsonian Institution, whose dedication resulted in the Revised Handbook to the Flora of Ceylon (Trimen).

Thilo comments on two related matters:

“In Sri Lanka there is a tendency to pick and consume fruit when it is quite unripe and before it has developed its characteristic taste and flavour. ‘This is chiefly so with mango and guava (pera) which are often eaten green, hard and sour. The reason is that fruit without special protective skin (such as found on orange or mangosteen) are taken by tree rats, squirrels, bats and birds, chiefly parakeets, long before they attain a reasonable standard of ripeness, and humans must beat them to it!

“But to get at the fruits trees are often mutilated by chopping off entire branches; this is done for instance to rambutan, and especially wild fruit trees such as palu and wira. Sri Lankans have a strange attitude to trees. They do appreciate their great value as providers of shade, fruit and timber, but often treat them rather ruthlessly.”

Thilo Hoffmann made prolific notes during his many sojourns in the wilds of Sri Lanka. These fill 50 ruled exercise books, and concern not only the identity of animals and birds seen or heard, but their behaviour, botanical matters, landscapes, the weather, and whatever appeared to be of special interest. There are, for instance, lists of trees and shrubs preferred by elephants as food. Names are noted of plants in the jungle with edible parts such as madu (Cycas circinalis) or kara (Canthium coromandelicum), and of edible wild fruits such as mora, wira and dang (madang).

It is a great pity that this unique literature has not been analysed or otherwise used.

The Hoffmanns made good use of the movie camera presented to them by Thilo’s parents in 1951. In the following decades thousands of feet of eight mm, then ‘Super 8’ and soon also 16 mm films were exposed, mainly by Mae. She later used the famous Swiss Paillard-Bolex camera with the full range of lenses and other equipment. Almost all were recordings of wild animals and scenes in National Parks. Most of these have now been preserved on CDs.

Thilo took still photographs, increasingly more in later years. He has thousands of slides and prints all taken in Sri Lanka. These mainly record landscapes, natural systems and similar subjects, often showing changes over a time –which are usually deterioration and loss of quality – and also wild animals, birds and plants.

The binoculars gifted by Mae to Thilo in 1967 were a Hensoldt (now Zeiss) Dialyt 8×56. No other article has been, and is still, so intensively used by him. Earlier he had a number of army wartime and Japanese binoculars, none of which gave satisfaction, especially in tropical conditions. Thilo’s advice to students of wildlife and nature: “Buy only the best; it will last a lifetime and thus be cheaper in the long run than a number of low-priced alternatives.”

During the height of the drought, mainly in August and September, hides were constructed at dry-zone waterholes. These small water bodies are ecologically important for the survival of many wild animals and must not be disturbed (by human visitors) during droughts. Thilo and Mae would sit quiet and unseen in a hide from early morning to dusk, observing and recording what went on at or near the water in front of them.

Thilo’s unpublished notes also include hundreds of such observations, concerning anything from frog to elephant, flycatcher to adjutant stork.Twice there were close encounters with leopards. The Hoffmanns were in a hide at Kina Uttu in Wilpattu. Nothing much happened. Then around 11 o’clock a giant-squirrel appeared overhead in a timbiri tree. Thilo stealthily moved into the trees behind the hide intending to photograph the squirrel which was now hanging at the end of a branch grappling with one of the large, purple fruits.

It lost its hold, and dropped with the fruit to the ground, a few metres from where Thilo stood. Instantly a full-grown leopard shot out of the shrubbery at the rear of the hide, past Thilo, like a flash, to catch it. The squirrel fled back into and up the trees, with the leopard in hot pursuit. At one time the big cat was hanging on a branch, swinging from its front paws like a gymnast at a horizontal bar. The squirrel escaped.

The leopard slowly retraced the path of the chase by following the scent. Then it stretched out on the near-horizontal trunk of a leaning madang tree, called dang in Wilpattu. It remained there for over an hour. Throughout all this it was aware of Thilo and Mae.

Another one at Wilpattu reacted to them quite differently. At Kattawewa, about 12 km north of Maradanmaduwa, the hide was on the inside of the bund over a small pond. Thilo recounts:

“Wind conditions were not good and we waited patiently for something to happen. When it did, it was not what we had expected. A leopard came to the water over the small bund from behind us and nearly walked into the hide. With a long, hoarse cry of shock it fled, startled as we were.”

To Thilo, with all his varied experience across Sri Lanka, the most typical sound of the island is that of a common bird, the brown-headed barber. Its rattling song, loud but pleasant, is heard in most parts of the country, and in all seasons, from early morning till nightfall.

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Features

Proactive peacemaking becomes a paramount need

Published

7 hours ago

2026/06/4

Sahan Weerasooriya

Wasting wars: Some war-displaced people in Lebanon. BBC

It may be some time before the full impact of food inflation is felt in the West. Until such time the world would continue to keep itself in suspense over whether the Trump administration is in earnest when it seeks to convey the impression that it is backing a negotiated solution in West Asia.

As is usually the case, consumer stress would be one of the final determinants of political change. To the degree to which the average US consumer somehow ‘muddles through’ and puts the food on the table, to the same extent would the Republican sections of the US public in particular be tolerant of the Trump administration’s inconsistent handling of the West Asian war and the main issues stemming from it. That is, there would be no grave popular disaffection and a demand for political change in the short term.

However, the indications are that the Trump administration’s support base is suffering some erosion in the wake of the current economic crisis. While reports indicate that Democratic sections are firming-up their opposition to the political centre, Republican support for Trump is also showing signs of waning, we are given to understand.

The above developments are probably why Trump is on record as having given Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu a ‘dressing down’ recently on his seeming intransigence on the question of giving negotiations a chance in West Asia. The show of displeasure could be really aimed by Trump at containing the impatience of the American public.

However, the current ground situation in the Middle East, particularly the uncontained bloodshed, is likely to impress on the thinking sections of the world that more than temporary political change is needed in West Asia and the US.

A well thought out political solution that addresses all the contentious issues at the heart of the Middle East conflict is what enlightened opinion would demand, and very rightly. Right now, the ‘peace efforts’ initiated by the Trump administration give the impression of being piecemeal solutions at best.

There have been, of course, numerous initiatives in the past aimed at bringing permanent peace to the Middle East. These failed mainly because they did not address in full the root causes of the conflict.

At bottom the Middle East conflict is mainly about race and religious hate bred by socio-economic and material inequalities. For instance, if the Palestinian people were not displaced and deprived of land occupied by them at the time of the founding of the Israeli state, ethnic enmities would not have grown to the current unmanageable proportions.

When addressing the above questions, though, it must be remembered that the Israelis too were a displaced people who were entitled to land and a state of their own in the Middle East. Basically, out of these seemingly irreconcilable and conflicting demands have grown the Middle East imbroglio.

Middle East peace is considerably about reconciling these demands and arriving at a solution that would ensure the creation of two states that would opt for peaceful co-existence thereafter.

As long as the US does not see the need for a non-partisan solution that addresses the needs of both ethnicities and religions and goes all-out, as it were, to have it implemented, the Middle East would continue to bleed.

However, staunching the blood flow through the creation of two states would be only half the job done, though a very important part of it. More pernicious, pervasive and difficult to remedy are the inter-ethnic and inter-religious hatreds that have been unleashed over the decades.

However, if substantial, long-lasting peace is to be fostered in the region the latter ‘demons’ would need to be exorcised from the hearts and minds of the communities concerned. No doubt an uphill task but one that must be undertaken by those who wish the region well.

The UN would need to put its ‘best foot forward’ in such undertakings but it is time that it dawned on the international community and other caring quarters that Middle East peace, and all other such uphill challenges, require proactive peacemaking on the part of all civilized sections for their effective management. That is, public involvement in peacemaking too is a must.

Since hatreds are harboured in the human consciousness the enmities embedded in the latter need to be managed and defused judiciously alongside other undertakings in a peace process. In the case of West Asia, such enmities could be even spread globe-wide besides being multi-dimensional. For instance, it ought to be thought-provoking that Iran is insistent on a peace initiative that would also include Lebanon.

Besides security considerations it is also ethnic and religious affiliations that account for Iran making this demand. For instance, the Shias are a numerically important religious community in Lebanon and they provide a significant number of Hizbollah fighters, who are in a vital sense carrying out a ‘proxy war’ for Iran. It also needs to be factored in that Iran is a Shia-majority country.

Thus trans-border religious affiliations could add to the complexities and enormity of ethno-religious conflicts. However, the task of managing centuries-long enmities needs to be launched and prodded on with by peacemakers since a downing of arms alone would not guarantee substantive peace.

It is not realized sufficiently that the process of ending hatreds begins with mutual apologies by antagonists to a conflict for the harm inflicted on each other. This would be anathema in some ears but there is no getting away from the requirement. It is the vital first step to permanent peace anywhere.

In fact there could be no reconciliation worth speaking of without such mutual apologies. It is a point worth re-iterating in these times when even the government of Sri Lanka is voicing the need for national reconciliation. Well, without the words, ‘I am sorry’, there could be no permanent end to enmities – they would do well to remember.

The above requirements may not go down very well with governments, but they resonate in the hearts and minds of most people, since they are inheritors of religious traditions of some kind.

This is a principal reason why peacemaking works well when publics too are involved in them. The effectiveness of such campaigns increases several fold when they have a Mahatma Gandhi or a Jawaharlal Nehru at their helm. A strong proactive involvement by the public in peace could lead to the emergence of such leaders at some point in these campaigns.

Features

Dialog Brings Sri Lanka’s Largest Digital Vesak Experience to Matara

Published

7 hours ago

2026/06/4

Sahan Weerasooriya

From left to right: Hon. Saroja Savithri Paulraj, Hon. Sunil Handunnetti, and Lasantha Theverapperuma experience the Dialog 5G Ultra-powered VR tours.

Official Digital Partner of the 2026 ‘Dakshina Prabha’ National Vesak Zone

Dialog Axiata PLC, Sri Lanka’s #1 connectivity provider, collaborated with the Ministry of Buddha Sasana, Religious and Cultural Affairs to bring one of Sri Lanka’s largest and most technologically advanced Vesak experiences to the ‘Dakshina Prabha’ National Vesak Zone. The three-day celebration, in Matara attracted more than hundred thousand visitors, who engaged with a series of innovative digital activities powered by Dialog 5G Ultra, including Artificial Intelligence (AI) and Virtual Reality (VR) experiences, digital pandols and a Data Dansala. The opening ceremony was attended by Hon. Sunil Handunnetti, Minister of Industry and Entrepreneurship Development and Hon. Saroja Savithri Paulraj, Minister of Women and Child Affairs, along with distinguished guests and Dialog’s senior management.

One of the key attractions at the venue was the Dialog 5G Ultra-powered Virtual Reality (VR) experience, which attracted more than 35,000 participants. The activation enabled devotees to virtually visit and pay homage to sacred Buddhist sites, including the Jaya Sri Maha Bodhi in India and the Atamasthana in Anuradhapura, directly from the Vesak zone in Matara.

Visitors receive complimentary mobile data through Dialog’s QR-powered Data Dansala.

Dialog also conducted an AI Digital Vesak Greeting Card Competition from 21 May to 01 June 2026, attracting numerous entries from across the country. The shortlisted designs were showcased across 20 large LED screens throughout the venue and across Matara City, and were also made available for download via mobile devices. Further, through the use of AI, traditional Jathaka Katha were reimagined in a digital format, demonstrating how technology can be used to preserve and enhance cultural and religious heritage. Together, these initiatives blended traditional Vesak celebrations with emerging technologies, offering visitors a unique and immersive way to engage with Vesak traditions.

Extending the spirit of Vesak through connectivity, Dialog conducted a special Data Dansala powered by its QR Reload platform, enabling visitors to receive complimentary mobile data by scanning QR codes placed across the venue. In addition to the Matara National Vesak Zone, similar Data Dansala activations were also conducted at the Gangaramaya and Bauddhaloka Vesak zones in Colombo.Visitors also had the opportunity to create personalised Vesak-themed digital photos through an AI Photo Booth, generating AI-enhanced portraits using their own photographs and adding a contemporary digital element to the Vesak celebrations.

Visitors watch AI-generated Jathaka Katha

Commenting on the initiative, Hon. Sunil Handunnetti, Minister of Industry and Entrepreneurship Development, said, “The 2026 Dakshina Prabha Vesak Festival marked the first time AI-powered digital innovations were incorporated into a National Vesak Festival in Sri Lanka. Presenting Buddhist stories and teachings through technology created a new and engaging way for visitors to connect with these traditions. We thank Dialog for supporting this initiative and for working closely with us to bring our vision to life. Their contribution played an important role in making this first-of-its-kind event a reality.”

Lasantha Theverapperuma, Group Chief Marketing Officer of Dialog Axiata PLC said, “We thank the Government of Sri Lanka for the opportunity to support the 2026 Dakshina Prabha National Vesak Festival and for embracing technology as part of this year’s celebrations. As the Official Digital Partner, we were privileged to contribute through our Dialog 5G Ultra and AI capabilities, creating new ways for visitors to engage with Vesak traditions while preserving their cultural significance for future generations.”

Beyond supporting the National Vesak Zone in Matara, Dialog also enhanced the Gangaramaya and Bauddhaloka Vesak zones through a range of digital activations during the Vesak season. The company additionally continued its sustainability initiatives, including the Thirasara Aloka Poojawa, which illuminated rural places of worship through solar-powered lighting solutions.

Features

Beauty, elegance and talent…for women

Published

7 hours ago

2026/06/4

Sahan Weerasooriya

Universal Woman is an international pageant focused on “beauty, elegance, and talent” for women, positioning itself as a platform to shape global ambassadors. The 2026 edition will be held in Cambodia, and Sri Lanka will be there, as well.

According to reports coming my way, contestants, at the international event, will work with industry trailblazers, under international standards.

Sri Lankan supermodel, runway and pageant trainer Chulpadmendra Kumarapathirana, is the National Director for Universal Woman Sri Lanka 2026.

With over two decades in the industry, Chula was crowned Miss Sri Lanka 2006, and has since shaped the next generation of titleholders through her Colombo-based Chulpadmendra Catwalk Studio, widely regarded as one of the country’s leading modelling academies.

The team behind Universal Woman Sri Lanka 2026

A former host of Derana Miss Sri Lanka for Miss World 2008 and a judge for Miss Universe Sri Lanka 2025, Chula now serves as National Director for Universal Woman Sri Lanka 2026, leading the franchise’s search for Sri Lanka’s delegate to the international final in Cambodia.

Applications for Universal Woman Sri Lanka 2026 are being taken, via WhatsApp: 077 659 4994, says Chula.

The judging panel for Universal Woman Sri Lanka 2026 includes Senaka De Silva, Pageant Aesthetic Advisor & Chairperson of the Judging Panel, Angela Seneviratne, Caroline Jurie, Rozelle Plunkett, and Suraj Mapa.

Universal Woman Sri Lanka 2026 officially began its journey with a first round of auditions, held in Colombo, marking the start of an exciting new chapter in Sri Lanka’s pageant industry.

Launching the first round of auditions

The platform aims to empower women while selecting an intelligent, confident, and inspiring representative to compete at the Universal Woman International Pageant 2026 in Cambodia, this September.

Universal Woman Sri Lanka now moves forward with the vision of creating one of the country’s most prestigious and empowering pageants while preparing to crown a queen who will proudly represent Sri Lanka on the international stage.