From Small Beginnings to Great Heights- Professor Punchi Bandara Sannasgala and his contribution to Sinhala Literature". Manouri Senaratne

At Manouri and Jayantha  Senaratne's residence in Wakefiled, Yorkshire.

December 2nd 2017

"'Lyrics is the soul of the song".The Panel of Experts, Vasantha De Silva, Susantha Udagedera and Ruwan De Soysa provided a well-researched glimpse of some popular Sinhalese songs discussing anecdotes about the origin and explaining the hidden meanings of the lyrics. Wherever possble, the audience joined in singing the song with the presenters.

This was held at Ruwan and Lalani De Soysa's residence in Chester.

March 17th 2018

"Kaffrinha, Baila and Manha- the African influence on Asian Music" 

Held at Ruwan and Lalani's.

Shihan De Silva.Shihan screened her ethnographic film which has already been shown in many countries The film included her recordings of authentic Kaffrinha,  Baila and Manha. She led a discussion on this fascinating topic. Shihan had a clear message about  Baila - (1) Baila is not an import from Portugal (2) Baila is a new genre of music composed in Sri Lanka, (3) Baila conveys a new postcolonial identity.After the buffet dinner, the traditional sing-song followed led by Shihan and Hemal, with Niro Nirmalan on the keyboard and Shihan on the Piano

There was active participation from the audience both with questions for the speaker and with singing songs which connected them to the homeland.

April 21st 2018

Niro and Mahesh Nirmalan's residence in Eccles. "Individual Paranormal experiences revealed, followed by an Expert overview by Paranormal expert, Owen Elias" who  who holds basic and advanced level qualifications in Paranormal Investigation. He has published in the international magazine "The Paranormal", as well as contributed information to other paranormal publications and websites.He laid the foundation for a series of fascinating experiences, both personal and recorded. He used the Oxford dictionary definition "of or relating to the claimed occurrence of an event o 2021r perception without scientific explanation, as psychokinesis, extrasensory perception, or other purportedly supernatural.He described clearly the rational and methodical approach used by Paranormal experts like himself. While such painstaking investigation of cases narrowed down the field by eliminating fraud, misconceptions, environmental causes and other plausible explanations for many experiences, there remained a core group which defied explanation through inquiry.  Several SLLS members spoke of their own personal paranormal experiences,

May 19th, 2018.

Took place at Supul and Dayamalie's residence in Sale, Manchester. 

The theme was “Integrating Creativity, Healing and Art”. Presentations were made by Dr Shanali Perera. (a very personal presentation and sharing her reflections on Art, healing & Chronic illnesses and how digital applications for artwork helped her to cope with pain, illness experience), and by  Mahendra Gonsalkorale on " Music Mankind and Medicine", who spoke on the effects of music on Man and the use of Music as a therapeutic tool. This was followed by a discussion on Art and Music therapy., and the traditional Sri Lankan buffet and sing-song.

Meeting No: 26. October 20th, 2018

At Samitha and Akalanka's residence in Bowden, Manchester.

'The universe, as well as life, is not a random occurrence'  by Dr Uditha Jayatunga

followed by the religious viewpoint of the Four main religions on Life and the Universe.

Christian: Dr Kumar Abayasekera

Hindu: Prof: Mahesh Nirmalan

Buddhist: Dr Wilson Ranawickrema

Islam: Dr Imran Verdak.

Meeting No: 27 June 29th , 2019

Special 10th Anniversary Meeting at Supul & Dayamalie's residence in Sale. Two presentations.

‘Sinhala music: 1940s to 60s. Evolution and Revolution’ Dr Suraj Ranasinghe

 Main Presentation by Chief Guest Prof Chandra Wickremasinghe ‘Our cosmic ancestry in the stars: the second Copernican Revolution’

Meeting No 28 January 25th 2020

A Tribute to Prof Carlo Fonseka.

The theme of the meeting was to pay a tribute to the late Prof Carlo Fonseka (1933-2019).

 Mahendra very briefly summarised some aspects of Carlo Fonseka's illustrious life, Two of his former pupils, Dr Manouri Senaratne and Dr Rasieka Jayatunga addressed the meeting with very personal experiences which gave a more intimate glimpse of the great man. These were illustrated with photo and video clips.

This was followed by a very moving presentation by Dr Udara Kularatne, a close friend of the Fonseka family. Carlo was Udara's hero and mentor.

Ruwan conducted a Q & A session with Udara on his connections with Carlo and also Udara's personal achievements which were considerable and greatly influenced by his deep affection for Carlo as a teacher, a friend, a mentor and indeed a personal hero.

The first zoom  zoom meeting was held on Meeting No 29  Saturday 4th April 2020.

Topic: Screen Mr Dharmasiri Bandaranayke's film, " Thunweni Yamaya" was shown on Zoom  followed by a short discussion . 

Meeting No 30  Sunday the 19th of April. The Moderator was Dr Ruwan De Soysa. Chief Guest: Prof Rajiva Wijesinha. 

He is an academic, writer in English and a founder member of the SL Liberal Party. He served as the Secretary General for the Peace Process in 2007, Secretary to the ministry of Disaster Management and Human Rights and a National List MP for the UPFA in 2010. Prof Wijesinha was questioned about his academic and political career. An excellent meeting and some interesting opinions and fascinating insights

Meeting No 31 Sunday the 3rd of May

Moderator: Dr Ruwan De Soysa. Chief Guest: Mr Dharmasiri Bandaranayake.

Topic. Mr Bandaranayake was requested to outline his plans for continuing his work through the TriKoneE foundation and answered questions on problems he is facing in continuing to finance his work

Meeting No 32 Sunday 10th May 2020.

Chief guest: Sri Lankan Physician and  author Dr Ajith Amerasinghe.

Moderators: Niroshini Nirmalan & Ruwan De Soysa

He wrote a fascinating article in the Sunday Times (SL), “The deadly epidemic of 1587 which changed the history of Sri Lanka”.

The meeting lasted over 2 hours and many aspects of the Portugese occupation of Sri Lanka and reigning Kings of Sri Lanka were discussed

Meeting No 33: A discussion with Author Ashok Ferrey.

Date: Sunday the 17th of May at 1.30pm.

Ashok started with a short reading from his book, The Ceaseless Chatter of Demons followed by brief introductions of the various books he has written with short readings.  He was always open to questions from the audience, and there were many. He covered many aspects of his works and life, some of which are briefly: How he became an accidental writer at the tender age of 42!, Aspects of his works such as how he structures his novels, what inspired him to write, how much of what a writer writes is based on his own life. How he writes his books, often  initially in long hand for long ones. How his past experience and memory store influences his novels.How he structures his novels.  The differences between writing a short story and a novel. Why humour and satire are so important to him, 

Meeting No 34: Magic and Mentalism with Terry Fernando from Sydney via Zoom.

Date :Saturday 23rd May at 11.00 am UK time

Terry Fernando, a professional magician based in Sydney,  did  a show via Zoom.   It posed a lot of challenges from a technical point of view but he entertained us for 45 mins with a series of tricks and for good measure, taught us a simple card trick too.  There were a lot f card tricks and one in which the randomly chosen card by a zoom audience member was correctly predicted by Terry in a letter he posted to me from Sydney a week before and opened only during the show to reveal his prediction which was absolutely correct!  

No 35: Prof. Ravindra Fernando: Recollections of a Forensic Pathologist.

Sunday, June 14th at 1.00 pm via Zoom

Ravindra Fernando is a forensic pathologist, toxicologist, physician, author and academic. He is the current chairman of the National Dangerous Drugs Control Board of Sri Lanka

Rasieka introduced him with a brief account of his career as a   forensic pathologist. Two of his best known books, the Sathasivam murder and the Vicarage murders were discussed. Rasieka gave a synopsis of the Sathasivam case which caused such a sensation in October 1951. Ravindra described the key findings which led to the not guilty verdict on Mr S with a power point presentation. He was then rigorously questioned on facts as well as opinion and he responded very thoughtfully and patiently. He was convinced of Mr Sathasivam’s innocence aqnd of William's guilt based on the evidence produced. Mr Sathasivam’s stature as one of Ceylon’s finest cricketers was alluded to.  He was next asked about the Mathew Pieris vicarage murders and responded to a whole series of questions. There were 38 participants  and he spent about 2 hrs 30 mts.

No: 36 Prof. Arjun Guneratne. Coffee Planters and the origins of conservation in colonial Ceylon

Sunday 21nd June at 4.00 pm.

Arjun Gunertane is  Professor of Anthropology & Director of Asian Studies, Department of Anthropology, Macalester College, Minnesota . After being welcomed and introduced,   he entertained us with a well-presented and well-articulated talk on the historical aspects of coffee plantations, the economic and social factors that influenced the changes that resulted.  Beginning in the 1840s, the establishment of coffee plantations led to the decimation of the forests of the mountainous interior of the island, transforming both the island’s ecosystem and its economy. These planters as a class, in addition to being agents of environmental change, also played an important role both in developing our knowledge of the island’s fauna and flora and in early conservation movements. Many of them were major naturalists in their own right; others were members of networks that funneled specimens and observational data to students of natural history.  . Rules and regulations were brought about not in the spirit of conservation but as means to thwart local hunters..  They lobbied (successfully) for the first game law in 1909 not through remorse for their own role in the destruction of the island's wildlife  but to keep rural Sri Lankans from competing for the same species that British hunters sought and which had been drastically reduced by the depredations of both groups.  Wildlife preservation and the establishment of protected areas in Sri Lanka were indirect benefits. He argued that their particular way of engaging with nature, through hunting and the pursuit of natural history motivated their desire to preserve what was left of the island’s natural environment. The Wildlife and Nature protection society and the Game protection ordinance were direct outcomes.

A long and wide ranging discussion took place. He was quite open to declare that he wasn't an expert on areas which although related to Anthropology, were not in his domain.  The meeting ended with a round of applause in appreciation. There were 32 participants.

No 37  :  Dr Shihan De Silva: Portuguese Burghers:  Language, Music and Dance.

Saturday, June 27th at 2:30 pm 

Mahendra welcomed and thanked Shihan and Ruwan introduced her to  the audience, including a short Q&A about herself. She was then requested to make her presentation passing shared screen between her and Ruwan. It worked well as we had a dummy run before. We have found that the "mute all " setting is essential for clear audio transmission. After a wonderful presentation, we had a Q&A session.

The key messages in her presentation can be summed up as:-

• Languages can isolate communities.

• Music and Dance are powerful communicators of identity.  The Portuguese Burghers have a comparative advantage in music and dance which could be exploited through tourism .

• Shared cultural elements reveal entangled  histories of communities.

No 38  :  Author Vimukthi Weeratunga: “Fascinating Wildlife”

Sunday July 5th at 2:00 pm.

 It is really not possible to capture the mood and summarise the wealth of information provided by this passionate speaker. In essence, Vimukthi emphasised the interdependence of humans with nature as indeed we are an integral part of Nature. He illustrated the complex interrelationships that exist among animals and the unbelievable mechanisms developed  by them to adapt and survive over centuries. Among some of the “miracles” he brought to our attention  were the behaviour of sea turtles who migrate hundreds of miles from its feeding ground to its nesting beach, (the adult females return faithfully to nest on the very beach where they were born),  the homing behaviour of migratory birds, the vivid colour changes in adapting to environmental changes by birds and reptiles.

 His talk was illustrated with stunning photographs. It was impossible not to be moved by the sheer beauty of the various animals he had captured through his camera. He covered birds, bees, butterflies, amphibians, insects and reptiles.  

I am sure all those who were present today will be energised to re-establish our connections with Nature and our habitats  and appreciate even more the wonders of nature which we so often take for granted.

No 39  :  Prof Raveen Hanwella: Life lessons from Photography

Sunday July 12th at 2:00 pm

This was an entertaining and educative presentation expertly combining the power of imagery (some beautiful photographs and videos) with beneficial psychological approaches to many real life situations. Raveen posed  thirteen what he called “lessons”. They were: looking at yourself, simplicity,  the wider perspective, beauty in common things, balance, reframing,,Viewpoint/unusual perspective, emotions, colours, fantasy, a picture tells a story, black and white:good and evil;meaning of life, leading lines/ values.

Raveen succeeded in his attempt to draw from the principles of photography some psychological lessons for facing more effectively the daily challenges of life.

No: 40.: Interview of Musician Deshamanya Rohan de Saram by Ruwan De Soysa and brief demonstration of Kandyan drumming basics.

Sunday July 19th at 2:00 pm

After welcoming Rohan and his wife Rosie, and thanking them for appearing on Zoom, Mahendra handed over to Ruwan to proceed with the interview. Ruwan questioned him about his early childhood and development of his musical career.  He spoke about his early life in Sri Lanka, Oxford and Italy and his musical development. During a musical career of almost sixty years as a soloist, chamber musician and member of the Arditti Quartet, he has not only encountered, but also been in direct working contact with almost all of the significant composers during this period.

he gave a brief live demonstration of the various complex beats on the Kandyan drums.

No 41: Author Romesh Gunesekera. : Discussion on a selection of his books.

Sunday 26th July at at 2:00 pm.

Mahendra detailed the most impressive record of his literary achievements.

 His former schoolmate Ajantha, set the ball rolling by taking him through his early life and beginnings as an Author.  He spoke of his early life in Sri Lanka including some recollections of his teachers and schoolmates at Royal, his move to the Philippines with his parents and finally to England in 1971. He stated that he was 40 years old when he published his first book. He never thought of becoming an Author till quite late in his adulthood.

 He spoke of his successes and motivation to write books. He was very keen on how he built his characters and spoke of his passion for philosophical concepts such as memory, time and change, identity and culture which pervade his narratives.

Among the book he discussed in response to questions were: Reef, Sandglass, Noon tide toll, Heaven’s Edge, The Prisoner of Paradise and his latest book, the Suncatcher

There was a long and interesting discussion on aspects of his writing and how he chose the time periods on which to base his novels. He was an easy and relaxed conversationalist  and his passion was evident.

No:42. Dr Chandima Amarasena: Leonardo da Vinci. Art, Science and Anatomy

Sunday, August 2nd  at 2.00 pm

Dr Amarasena , Consultant Cardio Thoracic surgeon, gave a fascinating and absorbing account of the Italian polymath Leonardo da Vinci illustrated  well with a series of beautiful slides including photos of his most famous paintings,  the “Mona Lisa” and “The Last Supper”.   His skill extended from art to mechanical devices. He made working models of hydraulic pumps and various mechanical contraptions. He 'invented' the bicycle, airplane, helicopter, and parachute some 500 years ahead of their time.

Chandima answered all questions posed to him with the skill that comes from someone who has studied his subject in depth and gained a true understanding.

No 43: Ranjan: Health, healing and lifestyle

Sunday, August 9th 2.00 pm

Ranjan delivered a lecture outlining the  basis on which he works as  a healer and health trainer. A composite slide shows just a brief glimpse of wide range of concepts he presented.

A lively discussion followed.

This was one of the best attended Zoom sessions so far with 55 screens and over 70 participants.

Mahendra  thanked Ranjan for his presentation, Devinda for introducing Ranjan and Ruwan for hosting on Zoom.

No 44: Sunday August 16th,at 2:00 pm :Prof. Sudarshan Seneviratne. Ph.D., FSLCA., FNASSL " "Protection and Conservation of  Traditional knowledge Script and Writing systems".

Mevan Wijetunge acted as host and introduced the speaker. Mahendra thanked Mevan for suggesting Prof Seneviratne  as a good as a presenter. There were 30 screens and about 50 participants.

A  scholarly presentation illustrated with informative slides using  PowerPoint.

No 45: Sunday August 23rd- at 2:00 pm. Dr Leel Gunasekera - "My experience in cultural activity and Sinhala literature, as an author and senior public servant . 

The meeting commenced with Dr Gunasekera describing his family history, schooling and his university education. The moderators then moved on to his career as a Government Agent ( GA) in various parts of Sri Lanka. Dr Leel Gunasekera described his main role as a GA was to alleviate the problems faced by the ordinary citizen which were very similar wherever he served 

Dr Gunasekera’s literary contributions were discussed starting with his award winning first fiction “Pethsama” , which is  being translated to English by Dr Gunasekera 

There were 59 participant screens with over 100 online participants from UK, Sri Lanka, Canada, USA & Australia who engaged in a Q&A session at the end. The audience was left in no doubt that Dr Leel Gunasekera’s abiding ability and enthusiasm to work will continue to inspire many others to lead similar rewarding lives.

No 46: Sunday August 30th -at 2.00 pm UK "Mahendra in conversation with Prof Sir Sabaratnam Arulkumaran - Philosophy behind my actions'". 

 Mahendra  took him through key life events starting from his birth in 1948, his memories of his childhood, schooling and right up to his current status. Sir Arul expressed his gratitude to his parents, his wife Gayanthri and his children.   He summarised the philosophy of his actions as  Respect for Parents, Teachers,  Religion, and the Right way of Life for Profession & Country. He expressed this in another way as The Philosophy of Three essentials (Money, Time and Energy) and Three phases of Life (Young, Middle and Old age) the  guiding principles which chartered his life journey.    

He spoke of the many ways he has contributed and is continuing to contribute to his land of birth, Sri Lanka. He  endorsed the view expressed by Mahendra that Sri Lankans who chose to live abroad for various reasons can still make a meaningful contribution to their land of birth by "giving back to the society my money, time and energy".

 He then proceeded to answer searching questions from  the audience. Many were his colleagues and compatriots who spoke very highly of his humanity, fellowship and humility; all features which shone through during the interview. There were 49 screens and about 80 participants.

No 47: Sunday 6th September-at 2:00 pm   Dr. Lalanath De Silva, Sri Lankan composer   'Orchestral music of Sri Lanka' 

Dr Lalanath joined us from Washington DC and kept the audience spellbound using a YouTube presentation he had prepared for the occasion. His skill , talent and dedication as well as his humility was apparent. An YouTube summary will be produced shorty. He engaged with us in a Q& A and it was especially gratifying to note the spread of classical music from Colombo to other major cities. In his role as an environmentalist. he  also dealt with some environmental issues  and  expressed  his concern for our future unless major steps are taken by governments throughout  the world. We expressed our appreciation in the usual manner.  There were 34 screens and about 50 participants.

No 48: Sunday 13th September - at 1:00 pm Mr Indran Hensman. Surgeon in Australia.  "Robotic surgery, AI, Digital surgery-Fiction or reality" -

  A most educational and thoughtful presentation enjoyed by all. Indran covered a lot of ground. Apart from the technical aspects and applications, he displayed deep insights into the role of the doctor and his/her duties to the patient. He was optimistic  that the "new approach" of the greater recognition of the individuality of each patient in tailoring treatment would become widespread.  He illustrated his presentation which dealt with advances in surgical management through the use of the enormous computing power now available through robotics, imaging techniques and AI, with short video clips.

There were 33 screens and about 50 partipants.

About the Speaker:

Laparoscopic and Robotic specialist Surgeon, CEO at LapSurgery Australia, senior lecturer Monash, University of Adelaide. He is a surgeon based in Melbourne with 20 year’s experience. 

No: 49.: Sunday 20th September- at 2:00 pm  

Dr Prithiviraj Fernando-  "The Human Elephant Conflict in Sri Lanka".  Prithiviraj is Chairman, Trustee and Scientist CCR, Sri Lanka. (Centre for Conservation and Research) and Research Associate, Smithsonian Conservation Biology Institute. 

No: 50.: Sunday 27th Sept- Time: 12:00 noon

Prof Sanjiva Wijesinha    "My journey on the Camino and the book it created"

  His presentation was made using  PowerPoint with  screen  share. The following description is from a review of his book Strangers on the Camino: Father, Son - and Holy Trail  and is very applicable to his presentation. "He gave a fascinating and entertaining account of a trek along Spain's ancient pilgrim trail - the five hundred mile long Camino de Santiago.  He provided  a meticulous insight and perspective of a challenging journey with his son Shivantha along the Camino. The descriptions of The Way - and of the refugios and other accommodation which Sanjiva and his son Shivantha used - gave a real sense of what it is like to make a six week journey by foot over a five hundred mile trail that traverses the mountains, mesetas and mists of Spain.  He spoke of some lessons he learnt including  -there are times when we have to gracefully accept help offered by others, - the benefits of venturing outside your comfort zone. He and Shivantha dealt with a wide range of questions from the participants and there were 60 screen and probably about 85 people.

No: 51  Sunday 4th October at 7.00 pm.

Prof Wimal Dissanayake  LIVING BETWEEN TWO LANGUAGES: PROBLEMS AND PROSPECTS .

He discussed his experiences in writing in two languages and located them in a wider context of bilingual writing with reference to some great writers in the world.

Wimal was introduced by Mevan who was responsible for getting him to appear on Zoom SLLS. He gave a masterly presentation covering a wide range of connections featuring language as a central theme and cross language as a more particular theme. His deep knowledge on this was apparent and he enthused the audience and challenged them to think more deeply on the subject. The Q & A that followed showed audience participation of a very high order. The messages that followed on how much it was enjoyed was a tribute to the presenter. There were 46 screens and over 70 participants.

Some memorable phrases. "A Poet swoops into a pond of metaphors and picks what he wants". "The limits of my World are the limits of my language".

No: 52: Sunday 18th October at 2:00 pm

Prof B.D. Nandadeva  "Cultural Heritage of Sri Lanka: an Exclusive Prerogative or an Inclusive Identity"

Prof Nandadeva was introduced by Shihan de Silva who was responsible for getting him on Zoom.   There were 45 screens with about 60 participants.  The feedback has been tremendous. His powerful message to take heed of our multicultural heritage and to divest ourselves of parochial and myopic views was given with passion and honesty. The pressing need to ensure that the younger generation is educated with proper historical facts was emphasised. History, he said is a cultural construct and he  stressed the need for the application of  proper scientific  methods in deriving conclusions. Audience participation was tremendous and the meeting concluded after 3 hour with a round of applause for the speaker.

No: 53; Sunday 1st of November at 2:00 pm UK

Swarna Mallawarachchi., Sri Lankan film actress, also known as the "Golden star of Sinhalese cinema".

Topic: ස්වර්ණ සැඳෑවක් (Golden evening)

She was introduced by Ruwan and Thushara who also managed a very long Q&A session which was much appreciated by all. This was preceded by a PowerPoint slide show about her made by Chanuri Rodrigo. She wilingly answered a varied range of questions relating to her own career, her views on acting and producing, going through some of the many highlights in her illustrious career. She stated that she will always be thankful for the love, respect, recognition , regard and appreciation that has been shown to her wherever she goes in Sri Lanka. Some memorable phrases- in responding to how difficult it really was so to portray a character apparently so easily, she said " It is very hard to make it look very easy". She spoke of her own personal life and said that the greatest gift she ever had was her daughter Narendra.

She began her acting career whilst still a schoolgirl - starring in the 1966 released Sinhalese film Sath Samudura directed by Siri Gunasinghe. During a career that spans over 40 years, Swarna has won the 'Best Actress Award' 26 times

No: 54: Sunday Nov 8th - Roshan Mahanama at 2:00 pm. UK. "Mahendra in conversation with Roshan Mahanama, famous Sri Lankan cricketer and International Match referee"

Mahendra introduced him and took him through his career highlights and  the principles which influenced him throughout his life. He was passionate about principles above status and money and refused to compromise. He paid a tribute to his late father, Upali Mahanama for his guidance and advice throughout his life. A long Q&A followed where he was interrogated on his views on cricket n Sri Lanka, the World stage and the future of the game.  He stood out to everyone as a man of principles and a genuine compassionate human being.

About Roshan: Famous Sri Lankan Cricketer and International Cricket Referee  in conversation with Mahendra- "My career and reflections on Sri Lanka and World cricket

Meeting No:55: Nov 15th  Prof Athula Sumathipala. "The rise and fall of the JVP".  2.00 pm. UK time.

This was a very popular presentation with 48 screens and over 70 participant including couples. Prof Sumathipala was joined by Dr  Lionel Bopage, another well known past JVP member who is now resident in Australia. Many questions were jointly dealt with by both. It has been suggested that a follow up meeting would be useful.

Meeting No: 56: Nov 29th: at 1.00 pm

Dr Himantha Atukorala -    "The history of coconuts and its contribution to humankind"

He is a graduate of Colombo Medical Faculty and Consultant in Rheumatology and Rehabilitation at Teaching Hospital Anuradhapura.

He covered  the following..

• -        The origin of coconut,-        The design of a coconut tree

• -        History of coconut cultivation in Sri Lanka

• -        The religious aspect and folklore surrounding coconuts - On Lord Ganesha etc

• -        A short introduction to the game of Porapol - පොර පොල් ක්‍රීඩාව and the connection to goddess Paththini

• -        On Ran Thembili and its uses in traditional medicine

• -        How ancient trade routes promoted the spread of coconut tree

• -        An example of coconuts being used for demonism and witchcraft - යන්ත්‍ර මන්ත්‍ර ගුරුකම්

• -        Toddy tapping

• -        Ancient recipes made from coconut and a brief introduction to the famous Abhayagiri Dana Shalawa kitchen

• -        The nutritional aspects of coconut and coconut oil (and harms of palm oil)

• -        Virgin coconut oil

-        Coconut is not just food but a culture- conclusion

This is the first time we exceeded the 100 limit of participants and speaks for volumes of how eagerly anticipated this event was.

Meeting No: 57: Dec 13th:at earlier time of 1.00 pm UK. Prof Chandima Wickramasinghe, "Alexander the Great and Greco-Indian cultural fusion ". 

Professor in Western Classics , University of Peradeniya Department of Classical Languages, Faculty of Arts, University of Peradeniya

She covered how Alexander's Indian invasions contributed to blend Greek and Indian cultures in ancient India. and how Greek and Indian cultural elements fused and its socio-cultural effect with  the use of an attractive PowerPoint presentation. There was great audience participation and the 50 participant screens were not disappointed. 

Meeting No: 58: Dec 27th. Musician Dinesh Subasinghe. Cancelled as he was unwell.

--------------------- 2021------------------------

Meeting No: 59: January 3rd 2021

Jackson Anthony. Famous Sri Lankan Actor, Composer, Director and Producer, Life story and other topics related to his career. This session was managed by Ruwan.  

Jackson said he had recently published a historical novel, 'කන්ද උඩ ගින්දර' which is available on ebook format. This is his version of Daskon-Pramila story

Jackson Anthony Website: http://www.jacksonanthony.com/

Meeting No: 60: January 10 at 1.00 pm. Deshamanaya Vidya Jyothi Ashley de Vos ."The Great Library Tradition as a Repository of Knowledge".

He is an Architect, a Senior Vice President of the National Trust and also the current President of the Royal Asiatic Society, Sri Lanka.

This meeting was chaired by Dr Shihan de Silva Jayasuriya (Regional Advisor) who introduced the Speaker to the SLLS.

Meeting No: 61: January 17th at 10.30 am

Sunil Perera of Gypsies fame. About his life story,  his non musical work in politics, charity, business etc.

This meeting was highly acclaimed for the strong and sincere message so well articulated by him that the most pressing need in Sri Lanka (and the world as a whole) is for universal unconditional love without artificial manmade barriers such as ethnicity, religion, the colour of skin, and sexual orientation. He despaired at Politicians who create such divisions and who are hyopcritical in their thinking  and action. It was moving to  hear how he respects and shows tolerance and understanding. He spoke about his own family and the influnce of his parents, especially his father. Some of his music is satrical and digs at insincere politicians.  " Mine is better than yours implies that yours is worse than mine". When he said about Sri Lanka  that "we are One Nation, we are all brothers and sisters", he meant it.

Meeting No:62: January 31st at 11.00 am  Dr Enoka Kudavidanage  "The Sri Lanka Leopard".

The meeting was chaired by Devinda Karunaratne who thanked Neetha for introducing the speaker to the SLLS. There were 65 screens.

She covered a multitude of aspects including the biology of the species and the distribution of leopards in Sri Lanka. She pointed out that although Yala had more, the density was higher in Horton Planes. She spoke about the team she is working with and the methods they use to track leopards. The total leopard population in Sri Lanka is estimated to be around 700- 1000 but she feels that it is probably an underestimate. Sadly they are endangered species thanks to human-leopard conflict. Unless we understand the interactions between animal species and humans, support projects with clear work plans, with strict monitoring and specified outputs, educate the public and have a proper land management policy, things will get worse. She gave an example on how the need for agricultural land is met by deforestation which is short term and dangerous and increases  human-animal conflict. A more sensible solution would be to provide measures to improve the paltry 30% yield from current agricultural land. She showed some fascinating videos giving insight to leopard behaviour. The question was asked about the correct sinhala name of leoparr and she said it is "kotiya" rather than "diviya".

It was a wonderful presentation by a passionate lover of wildlife and leopards in particular.

Meeting No: 63:February 7th 2021 : Niranjan Selvadurai: "Second innings: Bringing free thought and poetry into focus”

Niranjan gave a presentation which was received with much appreciation by the audience of 72 screens. He gave a short summary of his career and explained how he came to translate Rev Walpola Rahula's book, Sathyodaya into English ( "Truth Awakening"). He went on to discuss the visionary thoughts of Rahula Thero and his interpretation of Buddhism. Niranjan stressed the importance of "free thinking" and promoted an attitude of humanity and tolerance, so relevant these days. He quoted the following from the book, "“The Buddhist name tag will not help you to reach Nirvana, but the ‘Buddhist conduct’ will assist you to get there. A person will not become a Buddhist by merely taking refuge in the triple gem through a verbal utterance.  Nor will the person be a Buddhist by simply wearing a robe. There are many with false views who are parading as Buddhists.”   There was a discussion about the place of ritual and Niranjan was at pains to point out that Walpola Rahula did not look down on those he did so but pointed out that the motive was paramount and some may be in danger of being misled and then deviate form the true path.

He went on to discuss some poetry he has written in English and translated to Sinhalese.

We had a very active discussion half way and at the end. The Rev Galkande Dhammananda thero from the Walpola Rahula Institute also joined as and answered many questions related to the proper practice of Buddhism.

Meeting No 64: February 14th. 1:00 pmLond. Prof Kamani Tennekoon . History meets genetics: A glimpse into our ancestry.

 A lucid and informative presentation with the full complement of 100 screens of the origins of humans and transcontinental migration with DNA evidence and brief reference to anthropology. She paid particular attention to the origin of South Easterm population including India and Sri Lanka. The Q&A in two parts was packed with interesting questions and comments.

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Kamani H Tennekoon MBBS (Colombo), PhD (Sheffield)

Senior Professor of Molecular Life Sciences, Institute of Biochemistry Molecular Biology and Biotechnology

University of Colombo

Meeting No:65: February 21st 1:00 pm Anoja Weerasinghe. Actress: "Breathing into life"Anoja did not want to talk at length about her film career. Ruwan interviewed her with clips shown by PP. He took her through her career and impressive achievements including several special awards. She was extremely frank when answering questions about her career and her views. She went on to conduct a Yoga session. She did a short practical session on yogic breathing techniques. She said that these breathing exercises can be done sitting down on a chair or on a yoga mat. There were 65 screen 

Meeting No: 66: Sunday February 28th. 1:00 pm Lond time.

“An Appreciation of Ediriweera Sarachchandra” in 2 parts.

Part I . "Ediriweera Sarachchandra and the Sinhala drama", Prof K N O Dharmadasa. Former Professor of Sinhala, University of Peradeniya) followed by Q&A.

Part II. Reminiscence and singing songs from Maname and Sinhabahu led by Thushara Rodrigo with friends Yasodara, Malini and Diddeniya. (Yasodara is Sarachchandra's daughter who was the Maname queen, Malini Ranasinghe was Suppa Devi and Nissanka Diddeniya was the Rajaguru.

Meeting No: 67 March 7th. 2021  Sunday 2.00 pm UK time. Dayasisira  Hewa Gamage.  Author and Anthropology Researcher . "Cultural trails from Jaffna to Kandy"

He has written 2 books.  One of which is Nirupa Raja. "Breaking Myths- Revealing Asian exorcism "

About the Speaker

He was a lecturer at the  Dept of Archaeology, Uni of Peradeniya. Anthropology researcher (Working with Prof Gananath Obeysekara since 20 yrs, Free Thinker. Translator, Writer, Lot of newspaper articles, He has published two books. Exposed more than 32 black magic tricks while doing Social Awareness Programmes. Debunks superstitious beliefs. He likes to be regarded as a Free-thinker rather than a rationalist as the latter term is often misunderstood in Sri Lanka.

Meeting No: 69. March 28th at 1:00 pm UK time. Dr Arosha Dissanayake. “A tale of two joys: Inspiration and happiness from music” Southern Symphonia.group of music enthusiast doctors and families in Galle.

Arosha - Music could give answers to vexing queries in life. Together we will take a closer look at a song which has inspired us to seek our social responsibility.

Harshini - ”Kandayam gee” starts its journey in the late 50s, flourishes in the 60s, has its golden age in the 70s and evolves beyond its western musical confines to how it is in the 21st century. A walk through the decades, with performances by southern symphonia interspersed with interactive discussions.

Meeting No: 70. April 4th Sunday at 2.00 pm UK, Ajita Kadirgamar.  Title: “The Cake that was Baked at Home”: Reminiscence of the life of Hon. Lakshman Kadirgamar by his daughter.

The book depicts the biography of LK, written by her. The title was based on LK's citation when he revisited Oxford.

About the Speaker: Ajita is the daughter of the late Hon: Lakshman Kadirgamar and describes hersell as a writer, editor, and a social media manager based in Colombo

Meeting No: 71: April 11th Sunday at 2:00 pm UK. Dr Bernardine Dias. PhD. Roboticist. Title: "Global adventures in Field Robotics"

"In this talk I will take you on a few of my adventures across the globe in a quest to design, develop, and test robotics and related technology innovations to serve a variety of needs. We will start in the Canadian Arctic, hop over the to the USA, work our way through Tanzania, Ghana, and Zambia, make a quick stop in Qatar, and end our adventure in India. Throughout the talk I will share stories about what we did, what we experienced, and what we learned. Together we will share laughs, lessons, and learnings about robots, people, and places. Please join the fun!"

April 18th. Sunday 1:00 pm UK time. Ravibandu Vidyapathy "Traditional Music of Sri Lanka".

He gave a talk-demonstration on traditional Sri Lankan music and how it has evolved and adapted to modern theatre and ballet. He gave a demonstration of Sri Lankan drums assisted by his son Jithendra. Master Class on drumming from basics to advance aspects from an expert in the field - Everybody learnt a lot on its different applications on culture, performance and psychotherapy. A stunning performance by father and son. Fantastic lesson on Sri Lankan cultural drums.

Meeting No: 73. April 25th. At 1.00 pm,  UK Time: Sunday. Rohan Pethiyagoda . Biodiversity scientist,, Naturalist. and Author. "Biogeography: How Sri Lanka got its Plants and Animals" . He has also worked on tea plantations, and was the Chairman of the Ceylon Tea Board

Biogeography: How Sri Lanka got its Plants and Animals,

Meeting No: 74: May 16th :2:00 pm Musician Rukshan Perera. "Music and Social Responsibility"

"A national project that I am leading at Rotary to inculcate ethics & values in children through video animated songs. It's my brainchild and would very much like to present it to you. I have presented this to several organisations in the US and Dubai and I have their full support to spread awareness"

Join Zoom Meeting

https://us02web.zoom.us/j/87845687488?pwd=b2l1dkQ0cUhoMzBtbnh0SkxmQTBOQT09

Meeting ID: 878 4568 7488

Passcode: rukshan

About the speaker

He is a Sri Lankan-born singer-songwriter, record producer, international recording, television star, and a multi-instrumentalist He was born in Colombo, to a musical family. Rukshan got his first piano lesson at age five from his mother, a well known music teacher/church organist for fifty years in Moratuwa. Rukshan became a self-taught guitarist and formed his first family band at the age of ten and performed over Radio Ceylon. He was educated at the Royal College, Colombo. As a young teenage musician, Rukshan Perera joined a group as a keyboardist whilst still a school boy at Royal College, fronted by Sri Lanka's 'King of Pop' Clarence Wijewardena and his partner Annesley Malewana. The group known as the 'Super Golden Chimes' went on to reach the heights of success in Sri Lanka. He has recorded two CD albums and performed 'live' concerts in Sri Lanka and around the world including the United States of America.

 Meeting No: 75: May 30th . 2.00 pm UK Prof K.D. Paranavithana. "Galle - the Heritage City"

He was introduced by Shihan De Silva who asked him on how he came to be interested in the topic. Prof's presentation to 41 participants lasted about 40 mins . He gave us a clear picture of the colonial city of Galle, the origin of the name and its transition to date. He covered the layout of the Galle Fort - its ramparts, 14 bastions such as the Sun, Moon, Star and Akersloot, administrative buildings, hospital, warehouses, law courts, manufacturing areas, residential quarters, church This was followed by a Q&A conducted by Shihan  

Meeting No: 76: June 6th. 2021 at 2.00 pm. Ameena Hussein. writer, editor, and publisher based in Sri Lanka.

Ibn Batuta in Sri Lanka. Non-fiction work on the 14th-century Moroccan traveller Ibn Battuta.

She was welcomed by Mahendra and introduced by Shihan. Ameena spoke on her background in Sociology and interest in publishing and went on to speak about Ibn Batuta, his travels going as far east as China and about the time he spent in Ceylon. She then spoke about her own journey in Sri Lanka when she retraced his journey. There followed a lively Q&A for about one hour, There were 48 participant screens.  

Meeting No: 77: June 13th 2:00 pm UK Time. Prof Saroj Jayasinghe.  "Music and the Brain" 

He was introduced by his batchmate Ajantha Jayatunga. Prof Jayasinghe's presentation dealt with the role of the brain in the origin of music, a brief introduction to the anatomy and physiology of the brain directed to the non-medical members of the audience, effects of music on the brain and music therapy. He emphasised the beneficial effects of music therapy which made use of the property of neuroplasticity. He presented evidence from MR and FMR imaging studies. A lively discussion followed. The meeting was well attended  with 96 Participants screens at one stage.

Meeting No: 78: June 27th- 2021 at 2:00 pm UK Time. Prof Rohini Paranavitana BA Hon (Cey), PhD (Sri Lanka).

The topic of the lecture was "The Hatan Kavya or the War Poems in Sri Lanka". 

“According to Sri Lankan chronicles the history of warfare goes back to the time of  King Vijaya (ca. 5th century B.C.) followed by a number of invasions and battles throughout history. The Classical Sinhalese poetic tradition, influenced by both  Buddhism and the Indian poetic tradition, did not encourage composing poems entirely based on battles and wars. Hence, the poets who adopted other literary genres when describing the kings extolled their martial capacity. War Poems became a popular literary genre in Sinhalese literature since circa 16th century AD with the advent of the Portuguese in Sri Lanka”

There were 47 participant screens

Meeting No: 79: July 4th 2021 at 2:00 pm UK. Professor Ravi Silva CBE. "Solar energy and the energy revolution"

Professor Ravi Silva CBE MA, PhD (Cambridge), CEng, CPhys, FIET, FInstP, FREng, FRSA

Director, Advanced Technology Institute, Head of Nano-Electronics Centre, University of Surrey.

He spoke on the importnace of recognition of climate change and its effect on the planet. He spoke on the COVID pandemic and how we can learn from it in meeting challenges facing us.  Solar energy is plentiful and far in excess of what we need and if harnessed properly, can provide us with allour energy needs. But he stressed on the need for using other sources of energy in our efforts to reduce dependency on fossil fuels. A lively Q&A managed by Shihan followed, There were 65 screens.

Meeting No: 80. SEPTEMBER  12th Sunday at 2:00 pm UK time. Dr Jaika Witana.   "Appreciation of Visual Arts and everything else" - Art appreciation in the widest sense, biology-evolution physiology and a whistle-stop tour of yours truly's tastes and techniques both as an Artist and the co-curator of the "proposed" Medical Museum and Art Gallery of the Faculty of Medicine Colombo. His talk was illustrated throughout with paintings from past masters as well as his own. Many examples of ancient art in Sri Lanka were also discussed.

There were a lot of questions and the overall discussion was of very high quality. There were 34 screen participants

Meeting No: 81 Sunday 26th September at 1400 UK/1830 SL  

Astroarchaeological evidence on Buddha’s "visit" to Lanka

Speaker; Dr Kavan Ratnatunga.BSc, MS, PhD

Hosted by Ruwan

October 10th Sunday at 2.00 on Uk. Meeting No. 82

"Where Batik craft meets Contemporary Fashion" 

Speaker: Darshi Keerthisena

Fashion.Design Director and CEO Buddhi Batiks, a legacy enterprise handed down to her by her parents. She is an astute businesswoman and the head of her own company on one hand and on the other a master designer with an enviable body of work where batik craft meets contemporary fashion.

There were 34 screens

October   24th  Sunday at 2.00 pm UK time. Meeting No. 83

"The Cultural history and traditions of Sri Lankan Tamils"

Hosted and Chaired by Mahendra

Speaker: Dr V.Nerminathan, Retired Consultant Paediatrician, Southend, 

There were 79 screens.

Sunday November 14th UK time 12.00 pm Sri Lanka 5.30 pm Meeting No 84.

Resurrecting Sri Lankan Cricket to its former glory”  Arjuna Ranatunga

Chair; Rasieka and Ajantha Jayatunga

Rasieka introduced the Speaker and her family connections with Arjuna. Ajantha took over and took us through his career. He posed questions to Arjuna during his introduction in the manner of a "chat show". At the end, Arjuna gave his frank and forthright views on what is wrong with Cricket in Sri Lanka at the moment and his thoughts on remedial measures He spoke on Leadership qualities, the need for mentoring and guiding young cricketers, the need to have pride in representing your Nation, the need to be honest and not be tempted by money and fame and the absolute need for discipline both in and out of the cricket field. He thinks that Sri Lankan Cricket has the potential for a bright future if it is handled properly and is saddened by the current state of management of Cricket in Sri Lanka. It was quite apparent that he had the greatest admiration, love and respect for his parents to whom he owes a lot and also to Mr Mendis who was not just his Cricket coach, but his life coach as welll  This was followed by a Q&A. There were 57 participant screens. 

Meeting no:85. Sunday November 28th at 1.00 pm UK time (6.30 pm SL)

"The Beverley Allitt Saga"

Dr Charith Nanayakkara, Retired Consultant Paediatrician. FRCP, FRCPCH, DCH, MBBS

2022

SLLS Meeting 86: Time: Jan 9, 2022 13:00 London

"Exploring the non-thermal universe: the Cherenkov Telescope Array"

 Prof Tim Greenshaw. Professor of Physics, Liverpool University 

Meeting No 87 Sunday 30th January at 1.00 pm UK time.

"Art and Architecture of Religious Confluence in SL"

Hasini Haputhantri

Hasini is a Sociologist, Museologist, writer, researcher and an exclusive tour guide.

The presentation drew on the author's research on the archaeological site and the museum of Polonnaruwa, presented in her two books 'Museums, Memory and Identity Politics in Sri Lanka' and 'Shared Sanctity: Art and Architecture of Religious Confluence.'

Hasini  re-visited colonial re-discovery of Polonnaruwa, formulation of narratives in pre and post-independent Ceylon, and the re-interpretation of heritage needed in a modern context 

SLLS 88:  Sinhala Buddhist & Christian Immigrants in an around London

Rt Rev Bishop Keerthisiri Fernando, Bishop of Kurunegala

About the Speaker:

He is a literary person and a researcher in sociology. He has a Masters degree from Kent University. His latest research will be published in a book 'Identity Model of Religion'.

Meeting No 89: February 27th at 1.00 pm UK time

Do we live upside down? How maps shape our worldview

by Rochana Jayasinghe. Lecturer (Temporary) Department of English, Faculty of Arts, University of Peradeniya

About the Speaker. Rochana is a graduate of English from the University of Peradeniya and currently teaches literature at the university’s Department of English as a temporary lecturer. She is also the co-founder of Plain Tea Talk Space, a web discussion platform for youth to voice their opinions on a variety of topics and engage in stimulating intellectual discussion on contemporary issues. An avid reader and pursuer of knowledge, she is passionate about the democratization of thought, expression, and awareness. Her academic interests lie in world literature(s), femininities and masculinities, cultural theory and studies, and she is particularly interested in postcolonial and decolonial readings of various narratives.

Meeting No: 90, Sunday March 13th at 1.00 pm UK Time.

Dr Prasanna Cooray- " Politics of a Rainforest: Sinharaja Story"

This book is a timely reminder of how the environmental movement led by some eminent personalities like Cooray and a number of organisations in this country has struggled against the threats against our natural treasures and the bio-piracy attempts, instigated by myopic politically and officially covered-up mafia with business interest for decades.

About the speaker: Prasanna is a doctor, environmentalist, award-winning journalist, social activist and politician. He was the inaugural secretary of the SL Green Party. At the 2020 Presidential elections, Prasanna contested from National Development Front for Colombo District.

He recently launched the book 'Politics of a Rainforest'. He wants to talk on the same subject and about the book.

Meeting No: 91.March 27th. Anagarika Dharmapala,Vision for a Global Buddhism.Porf Asanga Tillekeratne.

Meeting No:92 Sunday April 10th at 2.00 pmc UK. Time. Wally Bastianz and Chorus Baila: Poetry, Music and Song Performed by Past and Present Artists . Professor Shihan de Silva Jayasuriya,

Meeting No: 93: Dr Eshantha Peiris

Uncovering Musical Histories in South Asia: Case Studies from Sri Lanka and Beyond

How can we study the histories of musical styles that have no written documentation? In this talk, I suggest that it is important not only to explore the oral histories of musical sounds, but also to re-examine the stories and motivations behind particular historical narratives that we have received. Observing deep-rooted similarities between musics in Sri Lanka and the Indian subcontinent, and uncovering more recent interventions, I argue that identifying shared characteristics among musical vocabularies can point toward shared cultural histories among communities that are today commonly defined by their differences.

Here is a shorter description.

This talk identifies some musical characteristics that are shared around the broader region of South Asia, and examines their implications for conventional narratives of history.

A short Video of Manouri's presentation.

The poetry reciting ladies

Bill Forbes speaking