The Colombo Municipal Council (CMC) has spent Rs 75 million to give a complete facelift to the City for the awards ceremony which is to be held at the Sugathadasa Stadium.

IIFA 2010 in Colombo is expected to be attended by more than 600 Indian film industry guests and watched by over 600 million TV viewers in 110 nations. The Indian celebrities expected in the country include Shah Rukh Khan and several other leading stars.The city’s hotels are well prepared to host the celebrity guests attending the award ceremony and the other events associated with it that includes a business forum, a fashion show, and a celebrity cricket match between Bollywood stars and Sri Lankan cricketers.

According to the Colombo City Tourist Hotels Association (CCTHA) President, M. Shanthikumar, hotels in the city would have 650 rooms-nights per day available, on a bed and breakfast basis and 148 suites on a full-board basis, which would amount to a total of 2,600 room-nights, for the duration of the event.

The city officials and the Sri Lankan government expect the event to be a major boost to the country’s tourism industry by giving a huge exposure worldwide showcasing Sri Lanka as an attractive tourist destination.

ColomboPage News Desk, Sri Lanka.

The event was attended by over 400 Sri Lankans, including children, families, and others.  Guests were treated to the traditional sweetmeats of kiribath, kokkis, butter cake, and kesari.

The organizing committee did a fantastic job by involving the younger generation of Sri Lankans living in British Columbia.The New Year traditions were celebrated through song, dance and games, with children ages 2 -12 participating in a fancy dress parade.

The committee made sure that the adults had their turn to show off their talent by dancing to the popular Sri Lankan song, “Rambari.”

A Sri Lankan event can never come to a close without toe tapping music and the opportunity of being able to take home and enjoy mouth-watering spicy kotthu, short eats, biryani, string hoppers, and rice and curry.

The evening was a great success thanks to all the guests, participants, and the organizing committee.

Text courtesy of SLFABC.

To find more information about SLFABC, visit their website.

Photos courtesy of Rajiv Witharana.

Kuwait will hold a ‘Sri Lanka Culture Week,’ jointly hosted by the Embassy of Sri Lanka and Kuwait’s National Council for Culture, Arts, & Letters from today up to May 2nd.  The event, the first ever promotion of its kind, is co-sponsored by the Sri Lanka Tourism Promotion Bureau (SLTPB) and the Sri Lankan Airlines (SLA), with the support of a host of well-wishers.

A 28-member cultural troupe from Chandana Wickramasinghe and the Dancers Guild will perform “Sri Lak Rangana” – a cultural extravaganza throughout the week featuring Sri Lanka’s well-known historical and contemporary dance and fusion acts, while an orchestra entertains the guests with classical music.

Kuwait’s Sri Lankan Ambassador, Sarath Dissanayake, played a key role in organizing this event.

A Batik Designer/Artist, Sonali Dharmawardene, a member of the Sri Lankan Troupe is scheduled to make special presentations to audiences of high profile ladies in Kuwait on the theme “Batik, Lifestyles, & Role of Sri Lankan Women.”

Parallel to the main event, a handicraft exhibition will also be held throughout the week, which will feature Sri Lanka’s handicraft, cottage industries, handlooms, masks, bronze items, gems & jewellery, and other ornaments.

It is also significant that an “MoU on Tourism Cooperation” will be signed with Kuwait, which is the second such instrument to be signed by Sri Lanka with a Gulf country after Bahrain.

The celebrations will facilitate further promotion of Sri Lanka – Kuwait relations and will help create awareness of Sri Lanka’s rich culture, heritage, dance, music, and much more among the Kuwaitis and the larger expatriate community.

Commenting on the significance of this event, veteran dance choreographer Chandana Wickramasinghe said this was the first time that Kuwait was going to witness the wide variety of Sri Lanka’s dancing prowess.

“There are five concerts during the week.  We are performing with 28 members of our group and that is going to be a novel experimental move.  I have plans to take this event to other parts of the world too,” said Chandana.

Originally published on April 26, 2010 in the Daily Mirror News.

Photo courtesy of the Daily Mirror News.

Click here to access the original article.

The Sri Lankan and Hindu New Year – aluth avurudh and puththandu, respectively – were celebrated in full spirits at Woodley Park in Van Nuys, California on Saturday, April 17th.

The event commenced with blessings from Buddhist priests from the many temples across Southern California.

Emcees Buddhika Ekanayake and Piyal Mataraarachchi kept the crowd going, setting in motion all the performances that took place that day.  Attendees were entertained by the bands Heat, led by Ajwad Shariz, Vernon & The Strangers, and Leaving Colombo, led by Rohan Seresinhe.

Many young performers took to the stage, proudly performing American and cultural dance numbers, and as the afternoon went on, winners were chosen for the Avurudu Kumari and Avurudu Kumaraya pageants.  Throughout the afternoon, music and games ensued.

Sri Lankan sweets and other exciting eats were available to everyone.  Hoppers, biriyani, hot dogs, lamprais, and lovecake were just a few of the many delectable foods served that afternoon.  Saris and batik shirts, Vesak cards, and other novelty items were  available for purchase.

Guest of Honor, Ms. Doris Wiratunga, was gifted a plaque by the 2009 SLAASC committee.

Photos courtesy of Kindamandala.com.  Photos taken by Yoshana Jayakody and Kapila Wimalaratna.

To see more pictures from the event, visit the SLF Gallery.

For more information about SLAASC, visit their website.

It was a triumphant debut by the Old Trinitians in British Columbia when they presented the inaugural “Night of the Lions” dinner dance at the spacious and well laid out Surrey Convention Center and Banquet Hall.

The evening’s program commenced with the enthusiastic and  jubilant Trinitians singing their college anthem with innate pride, and heralding the debut of  their OBA and linking it to the international network on this epoch-making day.

The event was well patronized with a record number of 230 guests gathering in a spirit of fellowship and camaraderie.  Guests came from far and near – Toronto, Portland, Seattle, Los Angeles, and all over the Lower Mainland of Vancouver to get a taste of the “Trinity” experience.

The singing of the anthem was followed by a clarion call address by the Chief Guest, Sam Canagasabey, a Trinity Rugby Lion and former President of the Trinity College, Kandy, Old Boys’ Association (TCK OBA) Toronto Chapter who lauded the initiative of  fellow Trinitians in British Columbia, and wished them well in the traditions of their alma mater.

Following the sumptuous Indian buffet dinner and gifts to winners of the door prize draw, the stage was set for Misty, reputed to be the hottest dance band in Colombo to commence their much awaited extravaganza.  The group, comprising of Lead Vocalist Rajitha Rupasinghe and his team of talented instrumentalists, entertained the crowd with pulsating music from their wide repertoire.  The packed dance floor throughout the fleeting hours was a clear indication of the popularity of Misty who oft times graciously responded to the encores from the appreciative revelers.

The organizing committee, consisting of Dr. Yoga and Jayanthini Yogendran, Captain Lucky and Carol Hewavitharana, Dilhan and Marietta Perera, Kamal and Leoni Abeyewardene, and Vasee and Kumu Navaratnam deserve accolades for their excellent teamwork and commitment in  the successful presentation of  a “NITE TO REMEMBER” with memories that will linger.  Respice Finem!

In the subsequent time since the initial proposal of the facility, these dedicated members of our community have continued to meet on a monthly basis to discuss and implement plans to turn such an idea into a reality.

The initial meetings focused on developing a social and wellness center where expatriate Sri Lankan seniors could spend their time and engage in a number of social, educational, and recreational activities.  The center would serve subsidized Sri Lankan meals, show Sinhala films and teledramas, have a gaming room, library and computer facilities, a fitness arena, and many more items akin to what might be found in an ordinary senior day care center.

As the meetings carried on and ideas were explored for the development of such a facility, it soon became clear that the Sri Lankan community in Los Angeles would do well to have a facility, not only for the seniors, but for all Sri Lankans across the board.

A recreational facility that could serve every member of the local Sri Lankan community, regardless of age, is of paramount service to all.  With such a facility, social and alumni organizations can now have a place to host their annual events, the youth in our community will now have a place gather and fraternize, sporting teams will now have a locale to meet and practice, and indeed, all of the Sri Lankan community will finally have a permanent gathering place to get together with new and old friends.

Taprobane, the long-awaited community center, will open its doors to the public on March 27 for an open house and information session.

Membership in Taprobane has its benefits; members will be able to take advantage of the generous subsidized rice and curry meal options, have access to all amenities of the facility, and will also be able to partake in all center events free of charge.  Members are also able to rent the premises at an affordable rate for business meetings, luncheons, parties, weddings, and so on.  Catering for such social functions can conveniently be arranged through Taprobane.

Taprobane’s elected Board of Directors are comprised of Keshini Abeygoonerwardene, Ananda Markalanda, Dr. Walter Jayasinghe, Dr. Sonali Tucker, Senani Abeygoonewardene, Raja Edirisuriya, Nanda Nandakumaran, Roma de Zoysa, Dr. Demian Muhanthirage, and Vimala Vytilingam.

Taprobane’s Open House will be held on March 27 from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m., and will feature an introduction and orientation to the recreational center, as well as a showcasing of the benefits that Taprobane will have to offer to the community.

There will be food stalls operating first thing in the morning at 10:30 a.m. and they will be serving an authentic hopper and stringhopper breakfast, so be sure to get there in time to have a hot and steaming traditional meal for only a nominal fee.

Doesn’t it sound like home already?  Come and see what there is to experience at Taprobane, the first ever community center for Sri Lankans in the United States.

For more event details, click here.

The event was organized by the Permanent Mission of Sri Lanka to the United Nations in New York, and counted an attendance of nearly 500 guests.The Chief Guest was the Permanent Representative of Sri Lanka to the United Nations in New York, Dr. Palitha Kohona.

The event was also attended by all religious dignitaries of all the major religions of Sri Lanka.

There were many dance performances and folk songs performed by members of the community.  In addition, a telecast of President Mahinda Rajapaksa’s Independence Day Speech in Kandy, Sri Lanka was presented to the audience.

To see pictures from the event, visit the SLF Gallery.

Alston Koch will start touring at this prestigious group of hotels on February 4, 2010 in the exclusive Hard Rock Café in Pattaya,Thailand.

Currently negotiating for the release of his ‘IN RETRO’ album with two major record labels competing for international rights, and with a ‘confirmed’ major tour through the hotel circuit ending in Las Vegas in November 2010, Koch will also spend most of 2010 on the campaign trail for LIVE THE DEAL, promoting the campaign song for climate change backed by United Nations World Tourism Organization (UNWTO) and the Pacific Asia Tourism Association (PATA).

Recently introduced to the world at the MTV Music Awards as an Asian legend and superstar by triple Grammy Award winning artist, Alicia Keys, Alston Koch is also recognized as ‘the purveyor of disco & soul music’ in Australasia as mentioned in the book Disco Inferno by international rock historian Glenn A. Baker.

Music publisher and legend, Dave Most of the Micke Most Organization who introduced artists like The Animals and Hot Chocolate, and over 50 other world famous artists and more than 100 hits across the world said, “Alston is one of a kind, similar to Stevie Wonder, but blind to music as a musician, but comes up with amazing melodies and we signed him up to our publishing company immediately.”

Acclaimed as Asia’s ‘King of Pop’ by RCA Records in the 80s, he toured the world long before record companies were set up in most parts of Asia with hits topping the charts from Indonesia to India,Thailand to Malaysia, and the South Pacific to South Africa.  A huge hit in the late 70s, Koch appeared on almost every TV network worldwide, and is still one of the most popular live entertainers on stage.

Alston Koch was the composer and performer on the America’s Cup album launched by the Australian Task Force in 1986 for the KOOKABURRA syndicate, defending the cup and the song ‘KOOKABURRA,’ and had the first Australian music video to be programmed on the then-new MTV music channel in America at the time.

Koch is also the recipient of 3 A.R.I.A awards (one platinum, two gold) in the country of his adoption – Australia.  He was also recently honored by the country of his birth, Sri Lanka, and was appointed Ambassador for Tourism.

January 25, 2010 —

The Sri Lanka America Association of Southern California held it’s annual dinner dance at the elegant Anoush Glenoaks Ballroom in Glendale, California on December 11, 2009.

Raffles, dancing, food, good people, and entertainment filled the evening’s festivities.  Music was provided by Sri Lankan American band, Rhythm Company and Sri Lankan American performer, Sherwin Jayah.

Photos by Yoshana Jayakody.  See pictures from the event by visiting the SLF Gallery.

To find out more about SLAASC, visit their website.

January 16, 2010 —

The New Year was celebrated in fabulous style at the Knights of Columbus banquet hall in Canoga Park, California on December 31, 2009.

Musician Sherwin Jayah hosted the festive event which drew in a crowd of Sri Lankans from the greater Los Angeles area, and featured music, entertainment, friends, fun, and a traditional Sri Lankan New Year’s breakfast.

To see more pictures from the event, visit the SLF Gallery.