Life style
Princess visit to Sri Lanka
On the first two days of her tour to the South Asian nation, the princess Anne and her husband, Sir Tim Laurence, traversed the nation to visit a temple, a factory, a hospital, and more. Princess Anne arrived recently for a three-day trip in Sri Lanka to celebrate its close relationship with the UK over the nearly 76 years since the country declared independence. She flew a commercial airway and carted her own bags off the plane, but she did still get a royal welcome at the airport in Katunayake. A throng of dancers in traditional costume greeted the princess, who was wearing her trademark Adidas sunglasses, as she arrived with her husband, Sir Tim Laurence.
In her trademark sunglasses and a no-nonsense tan suit, Anne started her day with a visit to a Colombo garment factory owned by MAS Holdings, one of Sri Lanka’s largest employers. During the tour, where she was accompanied by British High Commissioner to Sri Lanka Andrew Patrick, she viewed some of the products, including bras and underwear, that the company has made for British department store Marks and Spencer.
Anne is a longtime patron of the charity Save The Children, and 2024 also marks the organization’s 50th year operating in Sri Lanka. After the factory tour, Anne visited the Save the Children country office in the Wellawatte neighborhood of Colombo and spoke with staff. Later, she travelled to a nearby hospital to see one of the charity’s social and emotional learning programs for children in action.
Later on, Anne and Laurence visited President Ranil Wickremesinghe and his wife, Professor Maithree Wickramasinghe, at the President’s House in Colombo, where they were also joined by the nation’s minister of foreign affairs, Ali Sabry. Anne wore a formal outfit complete with elbow-length white gloves, a shawl, and a three-strand pearl necklace, presumably one that used to belong to the late Queen Elizabeth II.
The trip continued with an outing to Kandy, to visit the Temple of the Sacred Tooth Relic, which is the country’s primary Buddhist temple. It was followed by a visit to a public library in Jaffna. The day continued in nearby Muhamalai with a Halo Trust event, where she met with residents who had resettled in the area after landmines were cleared with the assistance of the charity and its benefactors in the UK. Anne wore her sunglasses and a customary garland of jasmine flowers around her neck as she chatted with the community.
The first two days of the three-day tour saw its royal visitors traverse the large country. Patrick told the visiting press that the High Commission of Sri Lanka hoped to show Anne as much of the country as possible. “That’s the aim, to show her as much of the country, as much of the diversity as we can,” he said. He added that her visit to the city of Jaffna marked the first time a British royal had visited the area in “many, many years.”
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- At the temple with husband Vice Admiral Sir Tim Laurence
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- Sri Lanka welcome Princess Anne on first Royal tour
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- Princess Anne goes barefoot on last day of Royal trip to the temple
Visit to the British Council
The Princess Royal and Vice Admiral Sir Timothy Laurence visited the British Council office in Colombo for a series of engagements as part of their visit to Sri Lanka.
They were welcomed at the British Council with a traditional dance performance by school children from the Dikhena school. They then viewed the ‘Arches of Awe’ exhibition at the British Council library which has been curated by diplomatic historian and curator George Cooke.
The panel exhibition comprised of photographs of the 21 arches that were erected across Colombo to welcome Their Royal Highnesses Queen Elizabeth II and the Duke of Edinburgh during their visit to Sri Lanka in 1954. Dating back centuries, such archways, also known as ‘thoranas’ were found across Asia, including in India, China, Japan, Korea, Thailand, and Vietnam. Often connected to traditional religious rituals, these arches have symbolised good fortune, victories and conveyed greetings to visitors.
This was followed by a meeting with leading Sri Lankan arts organisations who have worked with the British Council to celebrate 75 years of UK-Sri Lanka diplomatic relations in 2023-24. Representatives were present from the Museum of Modern Art (MMCA), The National Trust Sri Lanka, Design Development Corporation, Ceylon Theatres, Scope Cinemas, Agenda14 and The Gratiaen Trust.
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
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