Life style

The ‘living canvas’ – that is Galle Fort

Published

2 years ago

2024/01/28

The Galle Literary Festival is promoting Sri Lanka’s varied arts scene. Its Art Trail includes exhibitions, artist walks and open houses and turns Galle Fort into a “living canvas”. an antique shop inside the fort.

By Zinara Rathnayake

Galle Literary Festival’s Art Trail features
exhibitions, open houses and artists’ tours and turns Sri Lanka’s Galle Fort into ‘living canvas’

Staged alongside the Galle Literary Festival in Sri Lanka, the Art Trail has art shows, open houses and artists’ tours and makes a ‘living canvas’ of Galle FortGalle is a gateway to explore the island’s south coast, with its lavishly decorated homes, resorts and hotels designed by eminent Sri Lankan architects

“No other place in the whole island represents the trouser-wearing, cricket-watching modern Sri Lankan like Galle Fort,” says tour guide Shanjei Perumal, founder of Galle Fort Walks.

Perumal leads his guests along the ramparts of the 17th-century UNESCO Heritage site, which overlooks the Indian Ocean in southern Sri Lanka, and through its narrow, cobblestone streets, past sun-dappled, bougainvillea-draped walls and serendipitously placed bicycles that make for irresistible photo opportunities.

Perumal says that the fort, with its art deco spaces and mix of European and Moorish architecture, continues to inspire the art and design of contemporary Sri Lanka.

That influence will be in focus this month along the Art Trail, which is being hosted alongside the Galle Literary Festival (January 25 to 28) and turns Galle Fort into a “living canvas”.

The trail will take in hotels, Dutch-era mansions and residential homes hosting exhibitions by local and international artists, workshops and meet-and-greet events.

The ceiling tapestry inside Cinnamon Bentota Beach hotel was designed by batik artist Ena de Silva

The trail shows how art creates an “alternative experience for tourists to explore the country in a more exciting manner”, says Azara Jaleel, editor-in-chief of Sri Lanka’s Artra Magazine, which is a co-host of the event.

Jaleel says the Art Trail aims to capture the resilience of Sri Lankans, who have had a lot to contend with, including deadly Easter 2019 bombings and a devastating economic collapse.

“We want to show how within the place of pain and paranoia, you can see emerging artists who are resilient, capturing the beauty of the country,” Jaleel says.

And there are few better venues in Sri Lanka in which to display art that not only survives, but also thrives, than Galle Fort.

The Galle peninsula was an important trading hub, ruled by the Portuguese in the 16th century and in the 17th century by the Dutch, who built a fortified city, housing 500 families and administrative buildings.

The British took over the island’s coastal belt in the late 18th century.

Brief Garden, home and estate of the late landscape architect Bevis Bawa, in Sri Lanka.

Much of the fortified city remains, within which are hotels and restaurants with charming courtyards sandwiched between residential buildings, schools, banks, jeweller’s shops and century-old family-run breakfast restaurants.

“I find Galle Fort very significant because of how it’s taken meaning over the years,” says Jaleel, explaining the influences bestowed by colonial powers and Arab traders, and how the district shelters a small but harmonious community, with churches, Buddha images, Hindu temples and mosques standing side by side within its walls.

“And today, it’s also home to antique shops and jewellers, and the expat community conducting interesting art galleries,” she says.

One of the latter is Stick No Bills, a producer of stylized poster art representing various cities and countries. The company’s flagship store has been housed in the Fort since 2011.

Co-founder Meg Gage Williams explains that Stick No Bills was born during the years of recovery that followed the devastating Indian Ocean tsunami in 2004 and a nearly three-decade-long civil conflict on the island.

Lunuganga, on the banks of Sri Lanka’s Dedduwa Lake, was the country residence of architect Geoffrey Bawa.

“Our image library speaks of natural beauty, hope, playfulness, and of overcoming adversity, which are a part of every Sri Lankan,” says Williams.

One of the boutique’s bestselling posters is called Enfield Ride, Island Wide and features a motorcycle rider racing down a winding road with an Indiana Jones-style map in one corner charting his route from “Ceylon’s” tea plantations to the paddy fields and on to the coast.

As integral as Galle Fort is, where art and design are concerned the island’s southern coastal region – the “multicultural powerhouse of Sri Lanka”, as Williams describes it – has a lot more to offer.

A stay here is as close as one gets to Sri Lanka’s architectural soul.

About 60km up the west coast from Galle is the town of Bentota, which was home to the late Geoffrey Bawa, Sri Lanka’s most celebrated architect.

Here Bawa (1919-2003) turned a dilapidated six-hectare (15-acre) rubber estate on the banks of Dedduwa Lake into his country residence, Lunuganga, with intimate nooks, frangipani gardens, muraled walls and decorative antiques.

Today Lunuganga, where Bawa lived for four decades, is a boutique hotel. Guided tours of the estate pass through Bawa’s original suite, with its private courtyard and a plunge pool.

“Every corner here unveils an insight into [Bawa’s] design philosophies and mastery,” says Johanna Jameel, group operations manager at Teardrop Hotels, which operates the hotel.

“Lunuganga was his passion, but most important, a place where his work continued, and in many ways continues to this day. A stay here is as close as one gets to Sri Lanka’s architectural soul.”

Villa No 5 was the former home of late artist Ena de Silva, which was dismantled in Colombo and re-assembled in the grounds of Lunuganga.

Further north, visitors can tour Brief Garden. Designed by the late landscape architect Bevis Bawa, Geoffrey’s brother, the estate includes the artist’s former residence and garden, with bathing spaces enclosed in ivy-covered walls, ponds and culs-de-sac.

A 20-minute ride away, past paddy fields and country gardens, is Cinnamon Bentota Beach, another Geoffrey Bawa-designed hotel that makes an eye-catching first impression; in this case with a large, vivid ceiling tapestry of Ena de Silva’s batik art, completed with wax-resist dyeing.

Elsewhere, spaces are dedicated to the works of home-grown artists such as the late Barbara Sansoni, who designed a handloom ceiling for the hotel’s bar, and Ismeth Raheem, a writer and architect who also paints panels.

Early 2023 saw the opening of Kayaam House, a boutique beachside resort to the east of Galle. The work of local architect Sudesh Nanayakkara, the house mimics a sanctuary with the concept of “space” as the core design philosophy, with many nooks and crannies offering guests immersion into the surroundings.

With Dutch and Portuguese architectural influences, the house blends modern Sri Lankan aesthetics with open arches, cane lights and Persian blue-painted window panes.

While coconut palms frame the hotel’s large pool against the backdrop of the Indian Ocean, open spaces are adorned with antiques from all over the island; the spa entrance, for example, is flanked by a vibrant antique temple door from Jaffna.

With its nuanced history, legacy buildings and contemporary-design-led art galleries, the south coast of Sri Lanka makes for a perfect art and design getaway.

(South China Morning Post)

Pics by Zinara Rathnayake

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Life style

Grace, grooming and confidence

Published

6 days ago

2026/03/29

Thilina Walpola

The leadership team behind the academy at the head table

Ramani Fenando’s new Image and Etiquette Academy

In a world where first impressions speak before words, Sri Lanka’s beauty icon Ramani Fernando has taken a bold step beyond the salon chair to shape confidence from within. Her newly launched Etiquette and Image Academy is designed to refine not only appearance, but presence, poise and personal power.

Step into a space where confidence meets sophistication, Ramani Fernando Academy is redefining how Sri Lankans approach personal branding ,offering a unique blend of ettiquette, style and communication mastery.

Her newly launched personal branding and EtiquetteAcademy was unveiled in a simple ceremony at the Galle Face hotel. This marks a bold and timely step into the realm of confidence leadership, presence and modern social grace.

Colombo’s social elite, corporate leaders, fashion insiders and longtime clients gathered in celebration of a vision that seeks to shape not just appearance but cofidence building.

Ramani, in her opening speech, said “our courses are carefully designed to meet with international standards, ensuring participants recieve training that meets both local and global expectations.

Ramani Fernando – shaping confidence

Professional face of etiquette training

Faith Launders who is the Director of Etiquette and Protocol in the Academy pointed out this personal branding and etiquette programmes will help participants cultivate grace, confidence and refined personal style through expert guidance. A former Miss Sri Lanka beauty queen, with experience in aviation, will contribute a creative and professional lens to the Academy’s curriculam.

Invitees from the world of fashion gathered to celebrate the occasion

Carolyn Jurie

Chalana at the helm of beauty

She brings professionalism, poise and a strong commitment to cultivate confidence and promote refined social skills among students. Known for her approachable style and inspiring presence, she strives to create an inclusive learning space where students can transform into confident individuals to navigate life with dignity and elegance.

For decades, Ramani has been a transformative force in Sri Lanka’s beauty industry.

and now this venture signals a natural evolution from external refinement to the art of personal distinction.

The programme blends traditional etiquette with contemporary relevance, offering personal branding and professional image building both in social and corporate etiquette. These are some of the programmes:

= Communication skills and body language, grooming, style and wardrobe alignment.

= Digital image and social media conduct.

= Platforms or in social events the ability to command attention with confidence has to become an important tool.

In today’s hyper connected world, impressions are formed in seconds often long before a handshake, whether in boardrooms, diplomatic circles or in the media.

The teaching staff consists of industry experts trainers amd adminitrators led by othe senior professionals

The Managing Director, Lakmini Lenagala, Training and Administrative Manager, Ramono, Navaratnarajah, Personal Assistant, Merisha Aserappa and Chalana Munasinghe are all industry professionals who have experience, theoretical knowledge and practical skills.

They are experienced instructors with hands on expertise in grooming, etiquette, image building and communication.

While the vision of the Personal Branding and Etiquette Academy belongs to Ramani Fernando, its strength lies in the collective expertise of the professionals who bring the programmes to life.

By bringing together specialists from diverse fields, the Academy offers participants a rare opportunity to refine every dimension of their public and private persona under one roof.

Sessions cover skin care, hair, make up, wardrobe planning and colour coordination.

Communication and public speaking recognising that presence is also conveyed though voice and expression, the Academy offers training in articulation tones, posture and body language.

The training also includes table manners, event conduct, professional courtesy and cross cultural awareness. This Etiquette Academy us designed for both women and men offering guidance on grooming, communication, professional conduct and social confidence.

The Academy acts as a transformative space – one that equips individuals not merely to succeed but to stand out with authencity and grace. The institution reflects Ramani Fernando’s belief that true elegance is a way of being not simply a way of dressing!.

By Zanita Careem

Pix by Thushara Athapatu

Life style

From rescue to rewilding, Kalo’s journey continues

Published

6 days ago

2026/03/29

Thilina Walpola

World Wildlife Day 2026:

He arrived at the Elephant Transit Home in Udawalawe on March 23, 2024, barely eight months old. Kalo had spent an unknown number of days trapped at the bottom of an abandoned well near Galenbidunuwewa in Sri Lanka’s Anuradhapura District, separated from the herd he had lost. When wildlife officers from the Department of Wildlife Conservation pulled him out, they found a frightened calf, but also something else: resilience.

Today, nearly two years after his rescue, Kalo is no longer the fragile elephant calf who arrived at the Transit Home alone. He is growing steadily, eating well, and has fully integrated into a group of calves preparing for eventual release. His progress is measured not only in size, but in behaviour like social bonding, herd interaction, and independent foraging skills that will determine his readiness for life beyond human protection. Since his arrival, Kalo has grown from 125 kilograms to over 300 kilograms. The wounds he sustained before rescue have fully healed, and he is no longer on any specific medical treatment instead routine management only. He is, by every measure, active, playful, and thriving.

The Elephant Transit Home, also known as Ath Athuru Sevana, has operated within Udawalawe National Park since 1995. It is not an orphanage in the traditional sense. There are no rides, no performances, no human dependency. Human contact is limited strictly to feeding and veterinary care. The rest of the time, the calves are left to bond with one another.

That philosophy is intentional. Elephants are deeply social animals, and calves that grow too attached to humans struggle to survive in the wild. The daily play, the hierarchy, and the formation of peer bonds are all part of a structured rehabilitation process designed to prepare them for rewilding.

Since its establishment, more than 200 orphaned elephants have passed through the Elephant Transit Home. Over 100 have been successfully released back into the wild. In July 2025 alone, six young elephants were returned to Udawalawe National Park during the facility’s 26th release. If all continues as planned, Kalo will follow that path in 2029.

On May 8, 2024, less than two months after Kalo’s rescue, Sun Siyam Pasikudah formalised its long-term commitment to his care through the CarePhant initiative under Sun Siyam Care. The resort pledged ongoing monthly contributions to support Kalo’s nutrition, veterinary care, and daily rehabilitation needs through to his planned release.

Sun Siyam Care is the group’s overarching sustainability programme that integrates environmental stewardship, biodiversity conservation, community engagement, and long-term socio-economic value creation across all Sun Siyam Resorts in the Maldives and Sri Lanka. Through Sun Siyam Care, we invest in initiatives that protect marine and terrestrial ecosystems, reduce waste and single-use plastics, improve resource efficiency, support renewable energy and local sourcing, and promote awareness and participation among guests and communities alike. Kalo’s journey from rescue to rewilding is one example of how Sun Siyam Care extends beyond hospitality, connecting responsible tourism with meaningful environmental and wildlife conservation impact.

“We are delighted to embark on the CarePhant project and become stewards of Kalo’s well-being. Sri Lanka’s elephants are not just a conservation issue; they are part of the living identity of this island, and we feel a genuine responsibility to play our part in protecting them,” said Arshed Refai, General Manager, Sun Siyam Pasikudah.

For Chaminda Upul Kumara, Sustainability Project Manager at Sun Siyam Resorts, the commitment reflects the deeper purpose of Sun Siyam Care. “Conservation is not a single moment. It is a process that requires patience and consistency. With Kalo, we committed to being part of that journey from rescue to release. Every month of support is an investment in his return to the wild,” said Upul.

In the month that marks World Wildlife Day, observed on 03rd March, Kalo’s story serves as a reminder that conservation is not abstract. It is individual. It is long term. And it depends on partnerships between public institutions and responsible private sector actors. In a landscape where habitat loss and human–elephant conflict continue to threaten Sri Lanka’s wild elephant population, sustained commitments like CarePhant demonstrate how responsible tourism can contribute to tangible, measurable conservation outcomes.

Sun Siyam Pasikudah, which holds Travelife Gold Certification and operates under the broader Sun Siyam Care sustainability framework, integrates conservation, local sourcing, and community engagement into its daily operations. The CarePhant project builds on that foundation by linking responsible hospitality directly to wildlife protection.

Three years from now, in 2029, Kalo is expected to walk beyond the protective boundaries of the Elephant Transit Home and into Udawalawe National Park as a young wild elephant. Every veterinary check, every month of nutritional support, and every bond formed within his herd brings him closer to that moment.

“When Kalo walks back into the forest in 2029, it will mark the completion of a journey that began in crisis but was sustained through commitment,” added Arshed Refai. “We are proud that Sun Siyam Care is part of that long-term promise.”

Until then, Kalo continues doing what young elephants at Ath Athuru Sevana are meant to do: growing, learning, and preparing quietly for a life in the wild.

Life style

Pakistan’s 86th National Day celebrated in Sri Lanka

Published

6 days ago

2026/03/29

Thilina Walpola

The High Commission of the Islamic Republic of Pakistan and the Pakistani community based in Sri Lanka celebrated the 86th National Day of Pakistan with traditional flavour and resolve to make Pakistan a strong, vibrant and progressive democratic welfare state.

The day commemorates a defining moment that led the foundation for the creation of Pakistan.

The ceremony commenced with the raising of their national flag, fluttering proudly against the morning sky, symbolising faith, unity and discipline, the ideals upon which the nation was built. Dignitaries, members of the diplomatic corps, community leaders and guests gathered in silence as the national anthem resonated creating an atmosphere charged with emotion and national pride .

Cultural elegance added a distinctive charm to the occasion, with traditional attire and warm exchanges reflecting the rich heritage of Pakistan. Guests were later invited to partake in light refreshments, providing an opportunity for cordial interacton and celebration.

Acting High Commissioner of Pakistan, Zunaira Latif unfurled the Pakistani flag to the tune of Pakistan’s national anthem in a ceremony held at the Pakistan High Commission

The National Day of Pakistan is celebrated on 23rd March every year in remembrance of the historic 1940 resolution passed in Lahore, calling for a separate homeland for Muslims of the subcontinent that ultimately led to the creation of Pakistan on August 14, 1947.

Special messages by the President and the Prime Minister of Pakistan were readout, in which both the leaders highlighted the importance of the day and paid tributes to Quaid-e-Azam Muhammad Ali Jinnah.

The Acting High Commissioner of Pakistan in her message on the occasion said that Pakistan and Sri Lanka continue to maintain their traditionally close and mutually beneficial relations, based on mutual respect and trust. She said that the strength of the Pakistan – Sri Lanka relationship lies in diversified engagement in many fields such as trade, defence, science, culture, and education. She also extended sincere greetings and best wishes on behalf of the government and people of Pakistan to the government and people of Sri Lanka.