Recognising Vinod Wickremeratne’s Scholarship

Prasad Fonseka, in web-memo entitled Vinod Wickremeratne: A Life of Scholarship, Service, and Courage”

Vinod Wickremeratne is widely recognised for his remarkable contributions to scholarship, public service, and community upliftment in Sri Lanka. His work reflects not only intellectual depth but also a rare commitment to guiding others, particularly those who are underprivileged or disadvantaged.
Renowned for his expertise in the history of the Roman Catholic establishment in Ceylon, Vinod is regarded as a specialist in this field. His scholarly pursuits extend beyond personal research; he has consistently shared his knowledge by guiding and mentoring students and independent learners. Among those he has supported is Shiran de Mel, whom he guided in obtaining a Diploma in Theology. His mentorship often goes beyond formal academic boundaries, offering counsel and encouragement even to elderly learners and individuals facing physical challenges, including those confined to wheelchairs.

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Vanni Hope: Potable Water for A Mannar Village

DEAR FRIENDS,  RELATIVES AND WELL WISHERS, …. “The Reason Someone Smiles Today” ………….. Water for Life Appeal for Drinking Water   for 15 Families in Keeri Village Mannar District.

Please find attached the project proposal titled “Providing Potable Water Supply Connections to the Targeted Households (15 Families)” for your kind review and consideration.

 

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Cedric Martenstyn: Dauntless, Innovative War Hero

Admiral Ravindra C Wijegunaratne, in The Island, 22 Jan 2026, where the title runs thus:  “Remembering Cedric, who helped neutralise LTTE terrorism”

Salute to a brave father-son:

Cedric Martenstyn was a very affluent man. He owned a house in Colombo 7, valuable properties throughout the country, vehicles/speed boats and ran the lucrative business of importing Johnson and Evinrude Outboard Motors (OBM) and sold them to local fishermen and businessmen.

Cedric was the local agent for the OBMs, which were known for reliability and after-sales service, and among his customers were humble fishermen. He was fondly known as Sudu Mahattaya “(white Gentleman) by humble fishermen and he would often travel in his double cab across the country to meet his customers and solve their problems.

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England Slam-Dunk Sri Lanka in Third ODI

Andrew  Fidel Fernando  in ESPNcricinfo, 27 January 2026, where  the headlines run thus “Harry Brook blasts England to 2-1 series victory …..Joe Root ton bolsters team-mate’s quickfire effort as Pavan Rathnayake’s century goes in vain

England 357 for 3 (Brook 136*, Root 111*, Bethell 65) beat Sri Lanka 304 (Rathnayake 121, Nissanka 50, Jacks 2-43) by 53 runs
England’s batting might arrived in scrintillating style for the third ODI against Sri Lanka as Harry Brook smoked 136 not out off 65 balls, Joe Root struck 111, and England mounted a mammoth score of 357 for 3.
On a track that has historically been unkind to chasing teams, Sri Lanka made a valiant charge at the target, led by Pavan Rathnayake, who hit a maiden international hundred in his fourth ODI. Although Sri Lanka threatened at times, staying within range of the required rate, England’s bowlers struck too frequently, and were too economical through the middle overs. Sri Lanka were ultimately all out for 304 in the 47th over. Aside from Rathnayake’s 121 off 115, Pathum Nissanka‘s 50 off 25 was the only other substantial score.

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USA: Now a NAZI State

Observer in a Black Sea Resort, whose preferred title is  “Malignant Narcissism and the Mental Illness of Power”

Donald Trump has turned the United States into a Nazi state. He is a dictator, the Supreme Leader, who has established his own personal Gestapo, who are authorised to shoot any American at will. It started as his deportation and border security campaign but is now out of control as White people are people killed for no reason—and not White people in the White House—but ordinary White people.

  Alex Jeffrey Pretti, a gentle soul, slaughtered by US Government Ice-Gestapo officers.

 

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Ernest MacIntryre: Profound Theatrical Memories

Laleen Jayamanne: “Humour and the Creation of Community: Remembering Ernest MacIntyre’s Contribution to Modern Lankan Theatre & Drama”

“As melancholy is sadness that has taken on lightness, so humour is comedy that has lost its bodily weight”. Italo Calvino on ‘Lightness’ (Six Memos for the New Millennium (Harvard UP, 1988).

MAC…. Pix by Dominic Sansoni

With the death of Ernest Thalayasingham MacIntyre or Mac, as he was affectionately known to us, an entire theatrical milieu and the folk who created and nourished Modern Lankan Theatre appear to have almost passed away. I have drawn from Shelagh Goonewardene’s excellent and moving book, This Total Art: Perceptions of Sri Lankan Theatre (Lantana Publishing; Victoria, Australia, 1994), to write this. Also, the rare B&W photographs in it capture the intensity of distant theatrical moments of a long-ago and far-away Ceylon’s multi-ethnic theatrical experiments. But I don’t know if there is a scholarly history, drawing on oral history, critical reviews, of this seminal era (50s and 60s) written by Lankan or other theatre scholars in any of our languages. It is worth remembering that Shelagh was a Burgher who edited her Lankan journalistic reviews and criticism to form part of this book, with new essays on the contribution of Mac to Lankan theatre, written while living here in Australia. It is a labour of love for the country of her birth.  

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To Nanjing with Speed –Bullet Trains From Hong Kong

Observer at a Black Sea Resort

News from Hong Kong

Today marked the midday launch of the direct high-speed rail connection between Hong Kong West Kowloon and Nanjing South. Utilizing Fuxing CR400AF-AE trainsets—distinguished by their sleek white and red-orange livery—the service offers a quiet, smooth ride. The 1,200-kilometer journey clocks in at roughly 7.5 hours, arriving in Nanjing by evening. Passengers benefit from a streamlined immigration process, with AI-powered gates utilizing facial recognition to clear immigration in as little as seven seconds.

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Sri Lankan Gardens … In Senake’s Memory

 

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Mey Kavudha? A Cricketing Puzzle

APOYI !!  ….. 

NOW …. NAME THEM …. without removing ….

their footwear!!

 

From Left to  Right: Amir Sohail, Russel Arnold, David Gower, Roshan Abesysinhe and Tim Bresnan

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Protecting Lanka’s Coral Reefs & Marine Resources

Ifham Nizam

Sri Lanka has moved to strengthen the financial backbone of its marine conservation efforts with the establishment of the country’s first CORALL Conservation Trust Fund, a landmark initiative that positions coral reef protection firmly within the framework of sustainable finance and long-term economic value creation.

The Trust Deed establishing the CORALL (Conservation of Reefs for All Lives and Livelihoods) Conservation Trust Fund was signed on December 31, 2025, by Environment Foundation (Guarantee) Limited (EFL) as Settlor together with the inaugural Board of Trustees. The Fund is designed to support the conservation of Pigeon Island National Park, Bar Reef Marine Sanctuary and Kayankerni Marine Sanctuary, along with their associated seascapes—areas that are central not only to marine biodiversity but also to fisheries, tourism and coastal protection.

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