Features
Rajarata University warmly welcomes its Chancellor Ven. Ethalawetunawewa Gnanatilake Thero

By Sarath Manula Wickrama
The first Chancellor appointed from Rajarata area was warmly welcomed on July 24.
The highest position one can attain in university field is the post of chancellor. There are four Vice Chancellors since the inception of the universities in this country” from Anuradhapura district to date. But no chancellor has emerged from Anuradhapura. Although it was simply an honorary post this is the first Chancellor’s post in Rajarata. That is the chief incumbent of the Mirisawetiya Temple Ven. Ethalawetunawewa Gnanatilake Thero.
Prince Gnanathikala, the eldest son of the lucky parents K. B. Sita and N. Gunawardena was born on April 18, 1969 at Pirappanmaduwa village in Vavuniya.
Gnanatilake received his primary education from Gamini Maha Vidyalaya, Vavuniya, Pihimbiyagollewa Maha Vidyalaya, and Maha-Kumbukwewa Vidyalaya” Anuradhapura was ordained on May 13, 1981 in the terrace of historical Ruwanmeli Seya.
He was named as Ethalawetunuwewa Gnanatilake. Eathalweunuwewa is the village where he grew up as a child. Gnanatilake Samanera Thero received his primary education at the Anuradhapura Maha Vihara Pirivena and the Shastrodaya Maha Pirivina” Sandalankawa. He studied higher education at the Paali and Buddhist University of Sri Lanka. He studied other postgraduate degrees at the University of Kelaniya.
Gnanatilake Thero who assumed the post of Chief Incumbent of the Mirisawetiya Rajamaha Viharaya in Anuradhapura in 1993. He was able to fulfill many responsibilities including the conservation work of the Mirisawetiya Maha Seya and the monument complex which were being renovated at that time. The reconstruction work which had been started by Dr. Pallegama Sirinivasa Thero, the present Chief Incumbent of the Atamasthana in the 90’s, as the Chief Incumbent of the Mirisawetiya Vihara carried out successfully by Gnanatilake Thero. Gnanatilake Thero made an immense sacrifice to bequeath to the world the Mirisawetiya pagoda which now shines in white.
He was also able to make a huge physical development and provide facilities as well as perform a religious service for the current needs of the place. Especially many social service activities are being carried out under the leadership of Ven. Gnanatilake Thera, at the Mirisawetiya Vihara.
Supporting thousands of farming families every year, providing scholarships to thousands of school children, providing ample material aid to thousands of pregnant mothers for a number of years, offering educational equipment and offerings to thousands of novice monks, as well as all kinds of furniture and utensils needed for difficult temples are the foremost social service programs of Ven. Gnanatilake Thera.
The national, religious and social services rendered by Ven. Gnanatilake Thera are not insignificant. Providing relief to the people in a timely manner in times of crisis as well as disasters faced by the people, conducting welfare medical camps throughout the district in a manner that provides relief to all, maintaining several high quality orphanages with high facilities and organizing religious programs for the national interest have being done By Ven. Gnanatilake Thero.
He was able to create a great Buddhist revival in the era by organizing opportunities for a large number of devotees from all over the country and the world to perform meritorious deeds. Ven. Gnanatilake Thera also holds the post of Secretary of the Atamasthana Sangha Sabha and is engaged in religious propaganda both locally and abroad.
He has authored a number of books on the Mirisawetiya Temple and the Atamasthana, as well as guiding the academic work of other writers in addition to his academic creations.
President Gotabhaya Rajapaksa has appointed Ven. Gnanatilake Thero as the chancellor of the university appreciating his service for three decades of the area and the sacrifices made for the betterment of the Sasana and the education of students.
A special ceremony was organized at the University to welcome him under the patronage of the present Vice Chancellor Dr. Ananda Karunaratne. The meeting was conducted by Dr. Olagamwatte Chandrasiri Thero of the Faculty of Sociology and Humanities, Rajarata University.
Vice Chancellor Dr. Ananda Karunaratne Granted the ‘Sannas Pathra’ after the introduction by Senior Professor Ariya Lagamuwa. The Secretary to the Prime Minister Mr.Gamini Senarath also officially presented the ‘Vichini Patra’ to him. The IGP and the Commanders of the three Armed Forces then paid homage to him. After that Prof. Sampath Amaratunga, Chairman of the University Grants Commission, Mr. Anura Dissanayake, Secretary to the Ministry of Education, Technology and Innovation and the Vice Chancellor made welcome speeches.
The Chancellor who addressed the gathering stated “Our aim is to make Rajarata University an institution that produces 21st century scholars. According to a survey conducted by the World Economic Forum, the 21st century has four types of intellectual skills. The first is technical skill. The second is intellectual skill. Third is management skills. Fourth; Business Skills.
In this way, Harvard University also revealed something. That’s more than fifty percent of the jobs that humans do in the next 10 years will be snatched away by artificial intelligence, that is, robots. Then all that is left for man to do is analytical thinking, creative abilities and activities that are guided by conscience. So what we need to do is develop these skills in students that are needed for the future. For that, we have to work with the scientific knowledge of the West, using the universal realities and practical strategies of Buddhism. So our university must take the lead in introducing the necessary exploration and research to the world in the near future. Its forerunners are already visible. It is a matter of pleasure that this university is of a high standard though it is still young today. However We must think of producing a humane doctor. And to produce an engineer with a man. ‘‘
Sanga Nayaka Theras from various parts of the country including Atamasthanadhipathi Ven. Dr. Pallegama Sirinivasa, Ven. Pallegama Hemarathana Ruwanmali Chaityaramadhikari” Ven.Bellanwila Dhammaratana, Bellanwila Rajamaha Viharadhipathi” Prof. Ven. Kollupitiye Mahinda Sangharakkitha, Kelaniya Rajamaha Viharadhipathi” Ven. Bengamuwe Dhammadinna, chef incumbent of Sri Padasthana and Ven. Murutthettuwe Ananda ” Chancellor of the University of Uva; and Prof. Ven.Medagoda Abhayatissa also represented the occasion.
A large group of lay and clergy Joined the occasion including Anura Dissanayake, Secretary to the Ministry of Education, Retired Maj. Gen. Kamal Gunaratne, Secretary to the Ministry of Defense, Acting Chief of Defense Staff Lieutenant General Shavendra Silva and a number of Chiefs of Defense Forces.
Features
Babies made using three people’s DNA are born free of hereditary disease

Eight babies have been born in the UK using genetic material from three people to prevent devastating and often fatal conditions, doctors say.
The method, pioneered by UK scientists, combines the egg and sperm from a mum and dad with a second egg from a donor woman.
The technique has been legal here for a decade but we now have the first proof it is leading to children born free of incurable mitochondrial disease.
These conditions are normally passed from mother to child, starving the body of energy.
This can cause severe disability and some babies die within days of being born. Couples know they are at risk if previous children, family members or the mother has been affected.
Children born through the three-person technique inherit most of their DNA, their genetic blueprint, from their parents, but also get a tiny amount, about 0.1%, from the second woman. This is a change that is passed down the generations.
None of the families who have been through the process are speaking publicly to protect their privacy, but have issued anonymous statements through the Newcastle Fertility Centre where the procedures took place.
“After years of uncertainty this treatment gave us hope – and then it gave us our baby,” said the mother of a baby girl. “We look at them now, full of life and possibility, and we’re overwhelmed with gratitude.”
The mother of a baby boy added: “Thanks to this incredible advancement and the support we received, our little family is complete. “The emotional burden of mitochondrial disease has been lifted, and in its place is hope, joy, and deep gratitude.”
Mitochondria are tiny structures inside nearly every one of our cells. They are the reason we breathe as they use oxygen to convert food into the form of energy our bodies use as fuel.
Defective mitochondria can leave the body with insufficient energy to keep the heart beating as well as causing brain damage, seizures, blindness, muscle weakness and organ failure.
About one in 5,000 babies are born with mitochondrial disease. The team in Newcastle anticipate there is demand for 20 to 30 babies born through the three-person method each year.
Some parents have faced the agony of having multiple children die from these diseases.
Mitochondria are passed down only from mother to child. So this pioneering fertility technique uses both parents and a woman who donates her healthy mitochondria.
The science was developed more than a decade ago at Newcastle University and the Newcastle upon Tyne Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust and a specialist service opened within the NHS in 2017.

There was a case of epilepsy, which cleared up by itself and one child has an abnormal heart rhythm which is being successfully treated.
These are not thought to be connected to defective mitochondria. It is not known whether this is part of the known risks of IVF, something specific to the three-person method or something that has been detected only because the health of all babies born through this technique is monitored intensely.
Another key question hanging over the approach has been whether defective mitochondria would be transferred into the healthy embryo and what the consequences could be.
The results show that in five cases the diseased mitochondria were undetectable. In the other three, between 5% and 20% of mitochondria were defective in blood and urine samples.
This is below the 80% level thought to cause disease. It will take further work to understand why this occurred and if it can be prevented.

Prof Mary Herbert, from Newcastle University and Monash University, said: “The findings give grounds for optimism. However, research to better understand the limitations of mitochondrial donation technologies, will be essential to further improve treatment outcomes.”
The breakthrough gives hope to the Kitto family.
Kat’s youngest daughter Poppy, 14, has the disease. Her eldest Lily, 16, may pass it onto her children.
Poppy is in a wheelchair, is non-verbal and is fed through a tube.
“It’s impacted a huge part of her life,” says Kat, “we have a lovely time as she is, but there are the moments where you realize how devastating mitochondrial disease is”.

Despite decades of work there is still no cure for mitochondrial disease, but the chance to prevent it being passed on gives hope to Lily.
“It’s the future generations like myself, or my children, or my cousins, who can have that outlook of a normal life,” she says.
The UK not only developed the science of three-person babies, but it also became the first country in the world to introduce laws to allow their creation after a vote in Parliament in 2015.
There was controversy as mitochondria have DNA of their own, which controls how they function.
It means the children have inherited DNA from their parents and around 0.1% from the donor woman.
Any girls born through this technique would pass this onto their own children, so it is a permanent alteration of human genetic inheritance.
This was a step too far for some when the technology was debated, raising fears it would open the doors to genetically-modified “designer” babies.
Prof Sir Doug Turnbull, from Newcastle University, told me: “I think this is the only place in the world this could have happened, there’s been first class science to get us to where we are, there been legislation to allow it to move into clinical treatment, the NHS to help support it and now we’ve got eight children that seem to free of mitochondrial disease, what a wonderful result.”
Liz Curtis, the founder of the Lily Foundation charity said: “After years of waiting, we now know that eight babies have been born using this technique, all showing no signs of mito.
“For many affected families, it’s the first real hope of breaking the cycle of this inherited condition.”
[BBC]
Features
Western proxy war in Ukraine could be approaching dangerous tipping point

Fast-breaking developments in US-Russia relations and US-Ukraine ties could very well be pointing to the wasting war in the Ukraine theatre currently approaching a dangerous tipping point. The US has reached the crucial decision to equip Ukraine with the necessary lethal arms to counter Russia’s ongoing missile and drone strikes on it and if implemented could mark a qualitatively new phase in the conflict between the West and Russia in Ukraine, which could have serious implications for regional and even world peace.
‘We want to make sure Ukraine can do what it wants to do, US President Donald Trump is quoted as saying following a recent meeting he had with NATO chief Mark Rutte in Washington, subsequent to indicating that the US will be sending ‘top of the line weapons’ to Ukraine through NATO countries. Such weaponry could include Patriot air defence systems which are generally seen as an effective answer in particular to Russia’s air strikes on Ukraine.
Meanwhile, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky is on record that he had thanked the US President for his ‘willingness to support Ukraine and to continue working together to stop the killings and establish a lasting and just peace.’
Going ahead, the West would need to bear in mind that the supplying of exceptionally lethal arms to the Ukraine through its mediation could be seen by the Putin regime as hostile acts directed at the Russian state. That is, the West would be considered as involving itself physically in the ongoing hostilities between Russia and the Ukraine, necessitating the West, and more specifically NATO countries, to brace for Russian military strikes on them. Needless to say, such an eventuality would bode ill for international stability and peace.
Accordingly the West would need to assess very finely the consequences of its decisions on the Ukraine front. While the US President’s recent statements on these questions could be seen by some as mere rhetoric Trump is also on record as having indicated that his patience is wearing thin with Putin over the central issue of bringing peace to the Ukraine.
Inasmuch as Trump needs to trod gingerly going ahead so must Putin. In the event of full scale hostilities breaking out between the East and West in the Eastern European theatre no camp would stand to gain; this ought to be plain to the main antagonists, since they are evenly matched in terms of military capability. Even if the conflict in the Ukraine stagnates at a proxy stage, the costs for both sides would be staggering in human and material terms. Russia would need to recollect Afghanistan and the US would need to take itself back to the numerous proxy wars it fought in the then Third World.
However, although there are great uncertainties and perils for the world in the event of the current proxy war in the Ukraine degenerating into a more frontal East-West military confrontation in Europe, President Trump could be considered as holding the ‘Trump card’ to force a negotiated end to the present crisis.
This ‘Trump card’ takes the form of the economic strife which may descend upon the world in the event of the Trump administration going fully ahead with its ‘reciprocal tariff’ based trade wars with the majority of countries.
The US under President Trump may not be the most popular major power but it continues to be critical to the world’s current economic health. However much unpalatable it may be, the truth is that the economic vibrancy and prosperity of the US are key to many a country’s material survival. This is on account of the multiple economic linkages between the US and the rest of the world. The weaker the economy the greater is its dependence on the US and its largesse. For example, Sri Lanka knows this only too well.
The Trump administration is on record that it would be imposing what are described as ‘secondary tariffs’ on those countries whose economic operations are even indirectly benefiting Russia and if implemented could bring about crippling economic hardships for quite a few countries.
Major economic powers, China and India, are fully aware of these consequences. This is the reason why they would prefer not to undermine current economic arrangements between them and the US and between the latter and the rest of the world.
The above positions should not be misunderstood to mean that the rest of the world should be in a subservient relationship with the US. There is no question of the US exercising some sort of suzerainty over the rest of the world. This is not the case but in international relations the primacy of economics over politics may need to be recognized; economic realism needs be a cornerstone of foreign policy.
It would be quite some time before the BRICS grouping reaches the commanding heights of the world economy. Right now, it would be self-defeating, given the US’ continued economic power, for the South in particular to gloss over the might of the West and depend lopsidedly on the BRICS powers for its entire economic sustenance and survival. Indeed, a Non-aligned foreign policy remains best for the South.
It does not follow from the above considerations that the West could continue to turn a blind eye to the dangers posed to it and the world from the Ukraine conflict. Immense caution and foresight would need to go into its moves to arm Ukraine with its more sophisticated and exceptionally lethal weaponry. A cornered enemy in the battlefield, suffering overwhelming losses, cannot be expected to be continually discreet. With its patience relentlessly wearing thin it could unleash its Weapons of Mass Destruction, thus driving the world to the brink of destruction.
Accordingly, it is hoped that better counsel would prevail over all concerned and that differences would be resolved at the negotiating table. May be harsh economic realities would come to dictate terms and propel the quarters concerned to give cool rationality rather than the avarice born of self-aggrandizement a chance in their dealings with each other.
Features
Shah Rukh Khan – secret to looking young

I’m sure the whole of Sri Lanka is eagerly looking forward to the arrival of Bollywood heartthrob Shah Rukh Khan, due in Colombo, next month, for the grand opening of the City of Dreams.
What makes Shah Rukh Khan standout is not only his acting prowess but also his looks.
At 59-plus, he looks absolutely great … or, let’s say, simply awesome.
Generally, people in their late fifties, or even in their mid-fifties, look frail, and some can’t even walk steadily.
So, what is Shah Rukh Khan’s secret to looking young, and, remember, he will be hitting 60 on 2nd November, 2025!
Yes, diet, is given top priority where Shah Rukh Khan is concerned.
While many of us need around four meals a day, Shah Rukh focuses on two main meals a day – lunch and dinner – and avoids snacking or elaborate dishes.
His meals often include sprouts, grilled chicken, broccoli, and sometimes dhal. And don’t we all love dhal!
While he enjoys sharing meals with others when he’s with family or travelling, even if it means indulging in richer dishes, like biryani or parathas, his core diet remains consistent, he says.
Wonder what would be his menu during his very short stay in Sri Lanka! Perhaps traditional Indian foods like tandoori chicken and mutton biriyani, roti, parathas, food cooked with ghee! He also likes the drink lassi, I’m told.
Perhaps, we should also ask him to check out some of our dishes, as well … a good rice and curry menu, with dhal!
It isn’t diet alone that has given Shah Rukh his young look but, he says, exercise, too, has played an important part, especially where his physique is concerned.

Young Shah Rukh Khan in the early ‘90s
Shah Rukh refers to his fitness journey during the pandemic, saying during the pandemic he decided to work hard on his body.
He focused on building a strong physique, and, by exercising consistently, he achieved a body he is proud of today.
Another factor responsible for his leaner, healthier body, and a sharper appearance, is that he has completely quit smoking
This major lifestyle change has also helped him maintain a leaner, healthier body, and a sharper appearance, he says.
Strangely, his sleep routine is totally different to what experts say. We are told that we need between seven and nine hours of sleep per night for optimal health.
Shah Rukh admits he has an unusual sleep schedule and this generally happens when he has a busy shooting schedule.
He usually goes to bed around 5.00 am and sleeps for about four–five hours. Even though it’s not ideal, he manages it around his busy shooting schedule.
In fact, Shah Rukh is a night person and usually loves working in the night. He also loves night shoots. He had said, “I usually head to bed around 5.00 am. On shooting days, I wake up by 9 or 10 in the morning. After coming back home late at night — sometimes around 2.00 am — I take a shower and get a workout in before I finally sleep.”
On the work front, he will be seen next in the movie ‘King’, due for a grand release in 2026.
Shah Rukh Khan continues to inspire millions with his commitment to fitness and I hope Sri Lankans will take a cue from this Bollywood heartthrob and maintain a leaner, healthier body.
-
News6 days ago
Dates for A/L and O/L exams announced
-
Business5 days ago
SLIC Life among Asia’s Best: Finalist in 3 key categories at 10th Trusted Life Awards
-
Features5 days ago
Afghanistan:Broken promises, burning nation
-
News5 days ago
Utilize capital allocated by the government effectively to reach targeted economic development goals – President
-
Editorial5 days ago
Navigating tariff shocks
-
Business6 days ago
Technomedics adds three new members to the Board of Directors
-
Business7 days ago
Putting SL’s culinary talent together for the ‘Oympics of Gastronomy’
-
News5 days ago
Cardinal honoured for national contributions