Life style
Mission to give and lives save lives
It was an evening of entertainment for a noble cause. It was an initiative for Sri Lankans by Sri Lankans, and so it was not a surprise when likeminded citizens came together one evening in support of the magnanimity of a registered charity dedicated solely to saving lives. Saturday 12 August 2023 marked yet another impressive project fronted by the Heart To Heart Trust Fund, a sing-along led by Rajiv Sebastian and his band to a house full of guests. The fundraiser marked many milestones for a charity that has given Sri Lankans a second chance in life.
The sing-along organised to raise money for the Heart To Heart Trust Fund brought together over 300 people, who spurred by a sense of duty supported the endeavour wholeheartedly. There was great camaraderie. Audience participation was remarkable, eager and animated, creating an evening of fond memories. Guests danced the night away to baila from Ginger, Saman de Silva, Priyankara Perera and Priyal Amarasinghe.
Great acts of kindness was evident that evening when people readily gathered to help the Trust Find raise money to reach out to more Sri Lankans in need of financial assistance for heart related surgeries and procedures. After all, as those present echoed, there is no greater joy than in giving to save another human being and that anyone of them could be the person in need of a second chance in life. The fragility of life as well as its beauty combined that day to bring people for one cause – to give to save lives.
Shanti Fernando handing over a cheque to one of the beneficiary
The evening made more meaning as mentor and mentee, the founders of the Heart To Heart Trust Fund, cardiologists Dr. Ruwan Ekanayake and Dr. Rajitha Silva graced the occasion as members of the audience mingled with them, expressing their appreciation of a great initiative that has grown stronger with the support of a Board of Trustees and volunteers who work tirelessly to grow the initiative to help every Sri Lankan languishing in agony unable to fund critical treatment to lead normal lives again. The role played by these two doctors got much spotlight including the untiring efforts of a dedicated group of volunteers who have made it their life’s mission to help carry out the tasks of the Trust Fund.
The sing-Along also marked many firsts. The organisers launched the “Hadata Hadak” song sung by Deepika Priyadharshini, and written by Buddhadasa Galappatty to the music of Mahinda P W Bandara. The commercial and intellectual property rights to the sound track was handed over to the Heart To Heart Trust Fund that evening. The official website of the Trust Fund was also launched, an important step in enabling the public to make donations online. For the first time anyone seeking information about the Trust Fund could easily navigate the website to obtain a comprehensive understanding into its work.
The sing-along evening came to fruition thanks to the commitment of many volunteers whose behind-the-scenes work unveiled a great evening of fellowship over food and entertainment, and fund raising. Programmes of this nature are vital to generate visibility to the important work being carried out by the Trust Fund and hence, it was a great opportunity to create awareness among Sri Lankans and donors everywhere and thereby encourage people to support the Fund financially.
The objectives of organising the musical evening were fulfilled as it generated generous contributions and pledges of support by individuals and businesses. The Trust Fund collected 2.5 million rupees from ticket and raffle sales and sponsorships. In addition, several donations were received. The Lion Lady Nilanthi Fernando, a member of Lions Club of Colombo Strafford 306 C1 donated one million rupees, Lion Samith from Lions Club of Colombo Centennial project donated fifty thousand rupees while there were individual donations as well.
Organising the sing-Along cum fundraiser had its challenges. When the organisers were grappling with finding money to begin preparing for the much anticipated event, Harshini Wickramaratne from the USA sponsored the band with a donation of two hundred thousand rupees while Kalhari Perera and her friends from Canada gave hundred and seventy-five thousand rupees, gracious acts that helped lay the foundation to the big day. Thereafter, corporate and individual donors joined the Trust Fund’s journey through donations and overwhelming participation.
One of the greatest achievements of the sing-along was in securing the commitment of the Managing Director of Enchanteur, who pledged to carry the Trust Fund sticker on his products and donate 100,000 rupees per month on a rruquarterly basis starting from September 2023. This initiative is a great victory for the Trust Fund as Nissanka’s pledge to carry the sticker on the products will be a great opportunity at creating awareness and securing more public support for the initiative in the future.
The Board of Trustees and volunteers of the Heart To Heart Trust Fund are grateful to Dr. Ruwan Ekanayake and Dr. Rajitha Silva for supporting their work and thank the public for uniting for a worthy cause. The Trust Fund’s slogan in Sinhala is “Abhaydanaya”, which means to give life and towards that end, everyone involved in its work pulled together to make the sing-along a memorable and fruitful evening of fellowship.
Institute of Hospitality Sri Lanka
The 32nd Annual General Meeting (AGM) of the UK-based Institute of Hospitality’s Sri Lanka Chapter was held recently at the Ramada Hotel Colombo,.The event provided an evening of camaraderie , reflection of the past and present achievements,setting new benchmarks for the future
The AGM had the presence of two distinguished guests, the Chief Guest Opposition Leader Sajith Premadasa, and the Guest of Honour British High Commissioner to Sri Lanka, Andrew Patrick. Their inspiring speeches were lauded by all hoteliers who were present at the occasion
A special thanks was extended to Robert Richardson, CEO of the Institute of Hospitality UK, along with his team, sponsors, committee members, and all attendees for making the event memorable.
Dr. Harsha Jayasingh, Past President of the Institute of Hospitality (UK) Sri Lanka Chapter, emphasised the Institute’s longstanding history and the strength of its Sri Lankan branch. “The Institute of Hospitality (IH) UK has a history of 86 years, and we are proud to be the Sri Lanka Branch. IH Sri Lanka is much stronger now with many members from all areas of the hospitality industry,” he stated.
Dr. Jayasingh highlighted the significant role of tourism in Sri Lanka’s economy,. He said tourism it is the third-largest source of revenue for the country. “Tourism accounts for about 13.3% of total foreign exchange earnings and employs 450,000 people directly and indirectly. The hospitality industry in this island of pearl holds tremendous potential for economic growth, job creations, and cultural exchange,” he added.
He also pointed out more women should be attracted to the industry and advocated for the use of technology in hospitality sector to attract the younger generation.
The newly appointed Chairman Ramesh Dassanayake spoke about the challenges faced by the industry, including the reluctance of youth to join the sector. . Dassanayake expressed concerns over the migration of staff between hotels and the overall ‘brain drain’ in the sector. ” We must maintain high standards in the hotel We must try to attract tourists to Sri Lanka, we must have with many facilities Hence, hotel schools and other professional institutions involved in skills development mustincrease their intakes,” he pointed out.
Chief Guest Sajith Premadasa emphasised the importance of eco tourism and said “We need to have an environmental policy related to tourism in place,” . .
The 32nd AGM of the Institute of Hospitality UK, Sri Lanka Chapter, was a testament to the strength and potential of Sri Lanka’s hospitality industry. The insights and commitments shared during the event set a new benchmark for the future.(ZC)
Pix by Thushara Attapathu
Life style
He recognizes human identity beyond boundaries of gender, race, nationality and religion.
Visit of Sri Gurudev to Sri Lanka
Humanitarian, spiritual leader and Global Ambassador of Peace Gurudev Sri Sri Ravi Shankar (Sri Gurudev) was in Sri Lanka on a three day tour on the invitation of the Prime Minister of Sri Lanka Dinesh Gunewardene. Gurudev who inspired a wave of volunteerism and service to moot one of the largest volunteer-based organisations in the world – The Art of Living – visited the various projects under the aegis of the foundation and launched twelve vocational and technical centers around the island. He was accompanied by thousands of followers from Sri Lanka and around the world.
Gurudev who visited Sri Lanka for the sixth time also had a first day cover launched in honour of his visit. He is a strong proponent of spreading happiness, using the unique Sudarshan Kriya, yoga, meditation and practical wisdom to unite people, empower individuals and transform communities. His programmes provide techniques and tools to live a deeper, more joyous life, while his non-profit organisations recognize the human identity beyond the boundaries of gender, race, nationality and religion.
The Art of Living which has more than 30,000 teachers and over one million volunteers across 180 countries has touched in excess of five hundred million people around the world. CNN called it “Life Changing” and The Washington Post headlined it, “Fresh air to millions”.
In Trincomalee, Gurudev met with war victims and had a heartwarming engagement with the children from the children’s homes run by the Foundation. He also visited the Koneswara Temple in Trincomalee and graced the Kumbhabhishekam at Seetha ecogPnize the human identity beyond the boundaries of gender, race, nationality and religion. Amman temple at Nuwara Eliya. He held discussions with the trustees on the progress of the foundation’s social service projects, while also holding a special event – Ekamuthuwa – attended by a large number of dignitaries and his devotees from around the world.
His time with the Prime Minister was spent discussing the prospects of unity in diversity and uniting Sri Lanka by adding happiness into the formula of living. In addition he had discussions with the Speaker of the Parliament of Sri Lanka Mahinda Yapa Abeywardena, prominent business stewards and civil society leaders.
by Zanita Careem
Envison your dream wedding day come to life at the Epitome Hotel, a prestigious city hotel in Kurunegala offering an unrivalled luxury rendors experience for weddings.
The venue is designed to embody opulence and luxury from all quarters for a spectacular wedding in kurunegala,Thier ballroom is the largest banquet facility in Sri Lanka It can be divided into six luxurious pillarless wedding halls on the ground floor and 25pax smaller banquet halls.
It can be easily named as a five star heaven in the heart of the city contributing to a myriad of immense experiences tailored to inspire and delight wedding experiences.
From opulent décor set up to exquisite table decor, lavish food, every detail is meticulously curated to spark your imagination and ignite creativity for a perfect wedding. The previous prestigious wedding shows season one and season two attracted large crowds
were unique events which gave the wedding vendors and potential clients had an opportunity to connect and interact with each other. Beyond being a showcase it was a chance for the wedding vendors to unite and contribute to the vibrancy of the wedding industry. The wedding show covered all area of the bridal industry providing a comprehensive variety of bridal supplies from Sri lanka and became the most popular bridal exhibitions in Kurunegala.This bridal exhibitions allowed brides and grooms to experience first hand the products and services available from suppliers in Sri Lanka
These wedding shows held at The Epitome created a benchmark and gave an opportunity for vendors to create connections to the utmost satisfaction said Harshan Lakshita Executive Director. of the magnificent Hotel
Our wedding shows featured experts and professionals in every field‘ It covered all areas of the bridal industry provided a comprehensive variety of bridal supplies from Sri lanka and became most popular bridal exhibition in this region.We are always open to everyone to join us at our wedding shows in the future. It is an opportunity to discover the incredible talent within our local wedding and bridal vendors to make meaningful relationships and plan thier special day at our breathtaking hotel The Epitome said General Manager Kavinda Caldera
The Epitome Hotel’s bridal show which will be held end of June will buzz with great ideas,advice and inspiration for all those who plan thier dream wedding
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The Hotel Epitome’s Wedding Season 3 will marked excellence, celebration and inspiration for those in the wedding industry. The exhibition halls will resonate with ideas on exquisite bridal wear to decor, florists , photography etc and showshowcase the rich tapestry of talent within the local wedding industry. .
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