Sachitra Mahendra

Mahasupina, no ordinary dream

Then, with their extraordinary feat, the performers bathed the audience with a kind of a theatrical thrill. That concentration, simply unimaginable in a usual context of a theatre cast, made sure the...

Beyond the beaches...

Francina van Reede could not bear to see her unfaithful husband desert her by sea. She decided to throw herself off the rock. With that attempt fallen flat, the Dutch...
Paintings that speak

A core element of SAARC philosophy is to recognize literacy as a fundamental human right. The SAARC pioneers recognized literacy as the pathway to wlifelong learning, which...
Song of the string

At first, it rings as mere instrumental music. Then gradually it shifts into recitation. It is a journey through conversation, chanting and singing. These melodious notes...
Innocence hollowed out

As you walk along these buildings, their emptiness will make you exhausted. Your inner voice may urge you to be silent. And you will maintain silence with a natural...

Will 2019 be better for literati?

Inauspicious is the euphemistic word to describe 2018 owing to its literary stramash. The reasons are aplenty. No Nobel Prize was awarded to the Literature category.The Booker Prize came in for huge...
To kill a mocking zombie

The three judges of the Fairway National Literary Award given to the best English work of fiction has come to a unanimous decision: 2018 has produced no ultimate winner in the Sri Lankan English...
never Old enough

It was a day in 1930. An eight-year boy was rummaging through the paper bales wrapped in used foreign newspapers. He developed a deep fascination with the printed matter – excerpts from the New York...
No strings attached

Hand puppets are fun. It is a natural and fun extension of the pretend play that young children engage in so readily. With a little encouragement from the elders, the hand puppets will help children...
Something to crow about...

Pasenadi, the king of Kosala, had 16 bad dreams one night. His Brahmin consultants warned harm either to his kingdom, his life or his wealth. They recommended all kinds of sacrifices to avoid danger...
Last debt paid

Arahant Sariputta is a famous name in Buddhist literature among a few others: Moggallana, his colleague and Ananda, the Buddha’s chief assistant. Sariputta’s story starts in a village of brahmins,...
Dreamer’s domain

In my second dream, thus addressed King Kosol to his sole holy audience, the Buddha, to puzzle out some mysterious visions he had in sleep. Small trees and shrubs burst through the soil and grown...
Never unprepared

The breakfast is brief. Immediately following breakfast, the cadets were straight back into training. Straight-bodied, these cadets showed the prowess of discipline and agility. That was the...
Enter rain retreat

The rain retreat, having commenced in Esala, comes to an end in Vap. It is time for Buddhists to celebrate with much grandeur – spiritual grandeur. In Pali Katina means ‘unbreakable’.Modern days do...
First Man Giant step in Retrospect

Karen Armstrong dies, leaving her father in an ineffable agony. Her death following fast-declining health brought some kind of halt to the smooth-sailing lifestyle of her father. Stunned by his...
Stories, yet untold

First, there was nothing. She had hardly anything to write down. But she never gave up doodling and squiggling. Perched on the ground, the little girl would watch over her author-parents. In a little...
Empty entry

Denis Mukwege and Nadia Murad are now known as 2018’s Nobel Laureates for their efforts to end the use of sexual violence as a weapon of war and armed conflict. Plus, George Smith, Frances Arnold and...