News Portal from Sri Lanka : Arts and Culture - SL

25.07.2010 - 02 (09:25 SLT)

Sat, 24 Jul 2010 22:51:40 +0000

Colorful 'Adi Vel' procession returned to the streets of Colombo, after lapse of 16 years
(24.07.2010 - Asiantribune.com)

Colombo : The colorful Adi Vel procession conducted by Hindus, returned to the streets of Colombo after 16 years. This procession of Lord Muruka proceeded from Pettah and traveled through York Street, Achilon Square and Galle Road, stopping to meet President Mahinda Rajapaksa in front of his residence at Temple Trees.

The procession was organized yesterday by the trustees of the Sammangod Sri Kathir Velautha Swami Temple and Manicavinayagak Temple.

On the last 18th, trustees and members of Sammangod Sri Kathir Velautha Swami Temple and Manicavinayagak Temple extended an invitation to President Rajapaksa at the Temple Trees to participate in the 2010 Adi Vel Festival.
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05.06.2010 - 01 (10:00 SLT)

Fri, 04 Jun 2010 23:36:50 +0000

Lanka banking on IIFA for image makeover
(05.06.2010 - asianage.com)

Recovering from the scars left by its long ethnic conflict, Sri Lanka is making the most of the three-day International Indian Film Academy awards-2010 that began in Colombo on Thursday.

The star-studded event began with a fashion show as models and stars walked the ramp at the Sirimavo Bandaranayake Arena in Colombo in the IIFA Foundation Extravaganza which kick-started the film carnival.

The fashion designers whose creations were shown included India’s Manish Malhotra and Vikram Phadnis and Sri Lankan designers Yoland and Kanchana. Actors Vivek Oberoi and Diya Mirza hosted the fashion night that had bureaucrats, politicians, industrialists and actors from both the countries in attendance.
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02.06.2010 - 03 (04:15 SLT)

Tue, 01 Jun 2010 17:46:21 +0000

Kollyhood to boycott all Bollywood stars who attend IIFA at Sri Lanka
- from Gopal Ethiraj, Chennai
(02.06.2010 - Asiantribune.com)

Chennai : The film industry of South India reiterated its decision to boycott the India International film Academy (IIFA) awards function to be held in Sri Lanka.

The South Indian Film Chamber of Commerce has threatened that Southern stars and filmmakers will boycott all the Bollywood stars who attend the IIFA 2010.

The film industry bodies -- South Indian Film Chamber of Commerce (SIFCC) and Film Employees Federation of South India (FEFSI) – after a meeting here on Tuesday have jointly urged the IIFA to suspend its plans to hold the event in Sri Lanka.
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31.05.2010 - 09 (18:00 SLT)

Mon, 31 May 2010 07:35:05 +0000

Skip IIFA : South Indian film industry to Bollywood
(31.05.2010 - indiatoday.intoday.in)

Chennai, May 31, 2010 : PTI : The South Indian film industry today joined the 'boycott-IIFA' chorus asking Bollywood not to participate in the entertainment gala to be held in Colombo early next month.

Pro-Tamil groups in Tamil Nadu have already asked actors from Bollywood to boycott the June 3-5 event.

In a joint statement here, various industry bodies including South Indian Film Chamber of Commerce said that they were not opposing the awards ceremony but were against the event being organised in Sri Lanka, in an apparent reference to the alleged killing of civilian Tamils at the height of the conflict between Sri Lankan army and LTTE last year.
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31.05.2010 - 02 (05:10 SLT)

Sun, 30 May 2010 18:39:23 +0000

Jaffna Vesak Zone attracts thousands
(31.05.2010 - news.lk)

A massive crowd of tens and thousands flocked to witness the Jaffna Vesak Zone on its first day on May 27.

People in Jaffna (Yalpanam) as well as visitors from various parts of the country to the peninsula irrespective of their ethnicity and religion walked along the illuminated roads in the Vesak Zone admiring hundreds of Vesak lanterns and other decorations showing up after and absence of nearly 30 years. All these decorations of magnificent designs were prepared by the members of the Army serving in Jaffna. Among a record crowd of about 150,000 on its first day, the majority were youngsters who have never seen a celebration of this nature.
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30.05.2010 - 04 (05:25 SLT)

Sat, 29 May 2010 19:07:52 +0000

In Protest of “Swarna Rathriyak Dazzling Night” in Los Angeles
- by Daya Henderson - Fullerton, California
(30.05.2010 - Asian Tribune)

Vesak, the day marking the birth, enlightenment, and passing away of the Buddha, is on the full moon day in the month of May. Obviously, it comes but once a year. This year it is celebrated on May 29th and 30th, the closest weekend to the actual full moon on the 28th.

Several years ago the Sri Lankan Foreign Minister, the Hon. Lakshman Kadiragaman, a Hindu, spearheaded a movement in the United Nations to have Vesak declared an official international holiday. A UN resolution was passed accordingly. It is a nationally-observed holiday in Sri Lanka, as well as in several other predominantly-Buddhist countries of Asia. Over the years, however, popularity of this holiday has grown far beyond the traditional Buddhist countries, and is now observed by Buddhists everywhere. Thousands of devotees in many Western nations, including the United States, now celebrate Vesak in the thousand or more Buddhist temples that have become an essential part of the Western cultural landscape.
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22.05.2010 - 03 (10:30 SLT)

Sat, 22 May 2010 00:00:16 +0000

පවස නිවන දිය පොදක් නොවී ඔබ ඇයි මහ සාගරයක් වූයේ ? - නාරද දිසාසේකරයන් ගැන සටහනකි
- ජයන්ත කළුපහන සූරීන් විසිනැ
(21-05-2010 - ලංකා ඊ නිව්ස්)

නාරද දිසාසේකරයන් සිංහල ගීත කලාවේ කිසියම් හැරවුම් ලක්ෂයක් නිර්මාණය කළ ගායකයෙක්. එහෙත් සුපුරුදු ලෙසම ශ්‍රී ලාංකීය සමාජය එම නිර්මාණයන්ට නිසි ස්ථානය හිමිකර දුන්නේ නැත.

නාරද දිසාසේකර නම්වූ ගායකයා සහ සංගීතවේදියා ඉකුත් 19 වෙනිදා අප සමාජය අතෑර යන්නට ගියේ මෙම සමාජ සංස්කෘතියේ ම දරිද්‍රතාවය අප අතර පවතිද්දීමය.

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12.05.2010 - 03 (08:25 SLT)

Tue, 11 May 2010 21:59:31 +0000

Sri Lanka Food Festival lures many Kuwaitis and Foreign Expats
(12.05.2010 - Asiantribune.com)

Kuwait City : The Sri Lanka Food Festival jointly organized by the Crowne Plaza Hotel and the Sri Lankan Embassy on the occasion of celebrating “Sri Lanka Culture Week” in Kuwait was inaugurated on 28th April at the Al-Ahmadi Restaurant of Crowne Plaza Hotel amidst a gathering of Kuwaiti dignitaries, members of the Diplomatic Corps, media, well-wishers etc.

The members of the Chandana Wickramasinghe Culture Troupe welcomed the guests and escorted them to the Restaurant in a dance parade.
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11.05.2010 - 04 (08:30 SLT)

Mon, 10 May 2010 21:59:15 +0000

Visit Lanka enables Sri Lanka to have the biggest entertainment
- by Quintus Perera – Asian Tribune
(10.05.2010 - Asiantribune.com)

Colombo : This June 2010 as Sri Lanka prepares to celebrate her first year of peace, Visit Lanka, an exceptional travel agent and tour operator, has a pleasant surprise to share with us all. After months of meticulous planning and endless negotiations.

The International Indian Film Academy awards (IIFA) 2010 is scheduled to be held in Colombo from 3rd to 5th June and perform the biggest entertainment event in Sri Lanka with the royalty of Indian Cinema arriving here for a weekend of entertainment.
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05.05.2010 - 03 (07:45 SLT)

Tue, 04 May 2010 21:36:14 +0000

Sri Lanka was in Kuwait, quite for a week
(05.05.2010 - Asiantribune.com)

Kuwait : Almost Sri Lanka was here in Kwait for a week. With the first ever “Sri Lanka Culture Week” held from April 26 – May 2, Sri Lanka cultural extravaganza enthralling the audience, Sri Lanka Food festival satiating the gourmets’ taste buds, and shopping spree of Lankan specialties at the exhibition of handicrafts, textiles and garments, masks, decorative items, ornaments, teas and spices etc. if not brought down Sri Lanka here, then what it was?

Jointly hosted by the Embassy of Sri Lanka and the National Council for Culture, Arts & Letters, the Culture Week was inaugurated on April 26 at the Keifan Auditorium by Sheikh Ahmad Al-Abdullah Al-Sabah, Minister of Information & Oil. Lighting the ceremonial oil lamp to the tune of “Mangul Bera” and playing the two National Anthems followed in the presence of the Secretary General of the Council Sheikh Bader Al-Rifai, Sri Lankan Ambassador to Kuwait Sarath Dissanayake, Manager Sri Lankan Airlines Mr. Lalith Peiris and Mr. Chandana Wickramasinghe, Director of the Chandana Wickramasinghe & the Dancers’ Guild.
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