News

The taste of the forest: The honeycomb you’ve never tried

Published

4 weeks ago

2026/01/11

Everyone has tasted honey. Sweet, golden, and familiar. But very few have ever had the chance to bite into a honeycomb—the pure, chewy treasure that bees craft from nature’s bounty. Such opportunities are rare today, reserved mostly for children, women, and young people in remote villages. In the past, village bees produced honeycombs in abundance, but now, spotting one on a tree is a rare delight.

In the Kudumiriya area, adjacent to the Sinharaja Forest, we met a man who is changing that—bringing honeycombs back to life and making it accessible to those who rarely get to taste it.

Duminda Kumara, 47, is a professional beekeeper who has turned the forest’s natural abundance into both a livelihood and a labor of love. Kudumiriya, a small village surrounded by lush greenery, sits at the edge of the Sinharaja forest, where flowers bloom year-round. For decades, Duminda has nurtured bees that collect nectar from this extraordinary ecosystem, producing honey known for its medicinal value and rich, unique flavor.

“What I had in mind was simple,” he explains. “I wanted to start a honey business using the forest honey from Sinharaja. I began on a small scale, gradually expanding my hives and creating a small bee community. I’ve been doing this for about 30 years. Because the bees collect nectar from so many different flowers, the honey is highly nutritious and flavourful. Officials have confirmed this.”

For the past decade, Duminda focused on selling honey. But recently, he decided to experiment with honeycombs. Rather than cutting and packing it the conventional way, he lets bees build honeycombs directly inside clean, jam-jar-shaped bottles. The result is a product that is completely natural, ready to eat, and even chewable like gum.

“I started this because children outside the village rarely get to taste honeycomb,” he says. “Some places cut it up and package it, but I prefer to let the bees do it naturally inside the bottles. Then I seal them and send them to market. Tourists can also buy them because the village is near Sinharaja. If there’s a way to sell this product abroad, I can supply it and bring foreign exchange into the country. With proper guidance, I can improve and expand this venture further.”

Duminda’s vision is simple yet ambitious: to give children, urban and rural alike, the rare opportunity to taste pure honeycomb, and to introduce tourists to a product that combines the richness of nature with sustainable village enterprise.

Sinharaja, often called the queen of flowers, provides the nectar that makes this honeycomb truly unique. With his dedication, Duminda Kumara is not only preserving a traditional craft but also creating a product that could delight taste buds far beyond his remote village.

Soon, even city children who have never seen a honeycomb may finally experience its chewy sweetness, directly from the forest to their hands. With support and guidance, there is no doubt that Duminda’s venture could grow into a model for rural innovation, sustainable livelihoods, and natural delicacies from Sri Lanka’s lush heartlands.

Text and Pix by Upendra Priyankara Jathungama ✍️

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News

Govt. to set up special police unit for cybercrime

Published

3 mins ago

2026/02/9

Thilina Walpola

Minister Ananda Wijepala delares open the newly constructed Polpitiya Police Station, in Hatton, in the presence of IGP Priyantha Weerasooriya last Firday.

Minister of Public Security and Parliamentary Affairs Ananda Wijepala on Friday (06) said the government had decided to establish a new police division, dedicated to combating cybercrime in Sri Lanka, amid a sharp rise in technology-related offences.

The Minister made these remarks at the opening ceremony of the Polpitiya Police Station.

He said that between 23 and 25 cybercrime complaints were reported daily, describing the figure as alarmingly high and underscoring the need for specialised law enforcement responses.

Wijepala said steps were being taken to equip the Police Department with modern technology, expertise and upgraded investigative capacity to effectively detect and resolve cyber-related crimes.

He added that the government’s broader objective was to transform the Sri Lanka Police into an efficient, professional and corruption-free institution, noting that sustained efforts were under way to achieve this goal.

The Minister further said measures had been introduced to create opportunities for capable officers to advance within the service, while mechanisms were in place to remove officers found guilty of misconduct.

News

Prisons overflowing: 40,000 in facilities meant for only 10,500

Published

3 mins ago

2026/02/9

Thilina Walpola

Former Prisons Department Spokesman, Lion Jagath Chandana Weerasinghe, has highlighted severe overcrowding in Sri Lanka’s prisons, noting that 40,000 inmates are being held in facilities designed for just 10,500.

He revealed this at a seminar held at Yatagala Mahavidyalaya, in Uragasmanhandiya, organised by the former Commissioner of Prisons and Leader of District 306 of the International Lions Club.

“Among the 40,000 prisoners and suspects, 66 are children. There are also 806 convicts on death row, including 18 women, held in condemned cells. Around 2,000 women, suspected of murder, robbery, and drug offences, are on remand. Most detainees are uneducated, and many are illiterate. Tragically, the victims of this situation are often young men and women. Even the son of a senior Education Administrative Service official is serving a term for a drug offence,” he said.

Weerasinghe warned that children were at risk of being drawn into anti-social activities by organised gangs. He urged parents to instil social values in their children during their formative years to help build a safer and better society.

The event was attended by religious and community leaders, including Ven. Galagama Sudira Thera, Chairman of Karandeniya Pradeshiya Sabha Saman Kumara Yatagala, Principal of Yatagala Mahavidyalaya Thushara Karunaratne, President of Uragasmanhandiya Lions Club Lion Dr. Hasitha Wijewardene, Commander of Ahungalle STF Camp A.R.T.A Amarasinghe, and local residents.

News

Krisantha Nissanka appointed President at OUSL Alumni inauguration

Published

3 mins ago

2026/02/9

Thilina Walpola

Krisantha Nissanka with the Executive Committee of the Open University of Sri Lanka (OUSL) Alumni Association

The Open University of Sri Lanka (OUSL) Alumni Association was formally inaugurated on 27 January, 2026, at the OUSL Auditorium in Nawala, Nugegoda, marking a new chapter in alumni engagement at the national university.

At the inaugural meeting, Krisantha Nissanka, Attorney-at-Law and prominent alumnus, was appointed President of the Association.

Nissanka’s engagement with education spans both school and university spheres. An alumnus of Wesley College, he later served as a teacher at the institution and was elected President of the Teachers’ Guild of Wesley College, representing educators on professional and welfare matters. He also contributed as Editor of the Past Teachers’ Newsletter, sustaining dialogue among former members of the teaching staff.

At the Open University of Sri Lanka, he served as President of the Students’ Union and was elected to the Faculty Board and the Senate Sub-Committee on Academic Matters for three consecutive years, where he actively advocated for academic standards, student rights, and institutional accountability.

During this period, he published the magazine Vivurtha and undertook the Sinhala translation and publication of the Lima Declaration on Academic Freedom and Institutional Autonomy, making global academic governance principles accessible to local audiences.

Following graduation, he was elected Secretary of the Law Graduates’ Association of OUSL on multiple occasions and organised alumni gatherings over many years. He is also a regular participant in televised legal education programmes, contributing to “Law, Land and Liberty” on Derana 24.