National Trust monthly lecture series focusing on heritage-related topics

The next lecture organised by the National Trust of Sri Lanka will be delivered by Dr. Prithviraj Fernando on March 30 on the topic “History and Future of Sri Lanka’s Elephants’.

The National Trust of Sri Lanka, a not-for-profit association formed for the purpose of protecting and safeguarding the tangible and intangible heritage of Sri Lanka, conducts a series of monthly lectures to generate interest among Sri Lankans on topics related to national heritage.

This series of monthly lectures covers a range of themes such as monuments and sites in Sri Lanka, archaeology, history and prehistory, religious monuments and heritage, crafts and skills, paintings and art, architecture, music, dance, landscapes and water, social heritage, forest and wildlife, customs and practices.

One of the key highlights about the monthly lecture series is that it has been held continuously since 2008 using physical and virtual platforms. Many recent lectures and the information about upcoming lectures are available on the National Trust of Sri Lanka official website.

The latest in the series was a lecture delivered by Prof. Nuwan Abeywardena who presented an analytical and interpretative study in the fields of archaeology and heritage utilising state-of-art technology in digital applications.

The National Trust focuses on protecting and raising public awareness of the tangible and intangible heritage of the island, which is not protected by any institution of the Government.

The Trust was founded on the 27th of May 2005, and is a member of The International National Trust Organisation, which is an association of similar National Trusts in over 40 countries across the world.

Currently the work of the National Trust Sri Lanka includes publication, conservation and public awareness activities, each of which is spearheaded by a Trustee, and operated by volunteers from among its membership.