Life style
‘Manamala Hendewa’ at Nelum Pokuna
The Nelum Pokuna Performing Arts Theatre will once again play host to the solo music concert titled “Manamala Hendewa” by the popular vocalist and musician Keerthi Pasquel on occasion of his birthday on January @9
The concert titled “මනමාල හැන්දෑව” will likely be Keerthi’s most successful performance to date. The show’s music will be provided by a seasoned band led by Nalaka Saji Jayasinghe, with guest appearances from artists like Chandralekha Perera, Nirosha Virajini, Samitha Mudunkotuwa, and Dammika Bandara for duets. Each member of the audience should leave with a lasting impression of the performance. In 2019, the first performance of “මනමාල හැන්දෑව” took place at Nelum Pokuna, where it received acclaim and quickly sold out.
After almost three years since his last solo concert, Keerthi Pasquel is finally ready to perform his biggest ever one-man show, “මනමාල හැන්දෑව” once again at the request of his fans who have been without live entertainment for more than three years due to the Covid 19 Pandemic and the economic downfall in the country.
The money raised at the concert will go toward a trust fund that will be used to help patients in need as well as to upgrade the Bone Marrow Transplant Unit at Apeksha Hospital by purchasing equipment and cancer drugs.
Every time veteran performer Keerthi Pasquel sets out to put on a show, you can be sure that he’ll try something completely new, different, and outlandish. Numerous concerts featuring Keerthi, such as “Keerthi Acoustica,” “Keerthi Unplugged,” “Tribute to the Legends,” and “Evolution of Music with Keerthi,” were huge hits. As a result, the theater was full to capacity throughout the performance.
Keerthi’s passion for serving the needy led to the formation of Help Circles (Guarantee) Limited, a non profit charitable organization spearheaded by Mr. Pasquel himself. Individually and through Help Circles he has completed many chartable projects:
Keerthi Pasquel marked his birthday in 2021 on a commendable note when he took part in donating the much-needed enhanced Bono Marrow Transplant Unit to Maharagama Apeksha Hospital. On an invitation made by Dr. Prasad Abeysinghe, Help Circles ( Guarantee) Limited spearheaded by Keerthi together with a few other donors helped enhance the Bone Marrow Transplant Unit from 2 room facility to 8 rooms. This is the only stem cell transplant facility in the government sector so far and the largest in the country. The expansion of the unit will help minimize the long waiting list and start allogeneic transplants in the foreseeable future. Let this be another great step in this journey of helping the needy.
Pomegranates are recommended by doctors around the world for cancer patients. However, in Sri Lanka, organic Pomegranate is not freely available. Further, this is a luxury fruit in Sri Lanka that limits access for ordinary people. Hence, Keerthi conducted a donation drive where cancer patients were donated a kilo of organic pomegranates upon request.
Help circles led by Keerthi donated a much-needed HIPEC Machine to University Hospital, Kotalawala Defence University. Sri Lanka had only one such machine to treat various abdominal cancers and this is the only machine available in Colombo at present.
Since early 1990’s, Sri Lanka has seen a rapid increase in Chronic Kidney Diseases (CKD) in some part of the country due to lack of purified water. The leading cause of CKD is elevated levels of heavy metal, fluoride, and minerals (Lead) in ground water.
People in North Central and North Western provinces of Sri Lanka are the most vulnerable to be diagnosed with CKD. Majority of the patients are low-income farm workers in the age group of 30-60. Patients suffering from CKD face many challenges like decline productivity, reduction of quality of life, decline in earning potential and inability to sufficiently provide their families.
In an effort to provide clean water to innocent Sri Lankan’s who are susceptible to deadly kidney diseases, Mr. Pasquel’s charity Help Circles funded the Handapanagala Water purification project ‘පිවිතුරු පැන් පූජා’, a project organized by Sharda TV.
Coordinating with the Education Ministry and Zonal Directors of aesthetic studies, 1000 students had been selected representing all nine provinces and is being in the process of distributing violins to all provinces. At present he has distributed around 500 violins.Songs are in plenty on this small island. Yet only a handful of them stays in people’s minds for generations. Keerthi has in his kitty a gamut of such songs.
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
…….
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. .
US sports envoys to Lanka to champion youth development
Rahuman questions sudden cancellation of leave of CEB employees
