The Hambantota port

By Afra Naufel
Pix by: Abdul Rahman

The Hambantota port was filled with water to a level of one meter on the 15th of August, as another massive step in developing Sri Lanka. The port which is geographically located between the Strait of Malacca and the Suez Canal, a major sea rout for nearly 50,000 ships a year, is expected to attract many commercial opportunities.

The first phase of the project which began in the year 2007 was funded by the Exim Bank of China which provided 85% ($360 million) of the total project while the rest was financed by the Sri Lankan government. China’s state owned companies- China Harbor Engineering Company and the Sino Hydro Corporation gave hand to many of the Sri Lankan engineers in constructing the deep-sea port, which is situated 260 km South of Colombo.

“One of the Mega development projects in Sri Lanka. We can see great opportunities for our nation in the future. This port is going to make Sri Lanka the second Singapore in another 10 years. Though we are late yet it’s great that it has been started at least now” said a sightseer, Mr. S.H.M Naufel, a principal by profession.

These pictures were taken on the 9th of August 2010. Six days before the port was filled with water.

(Information for this article was collected though online surfing)












- construction -




- Under heavy work -



- A far view of the bund -





- A sight seer under the scorching sun -




- A part of the port -




- A complete map of the port -

Local balladeer

Who took Lankan music to the world - Calypso singer of yesteryear promotes Sri Lanka the way he knows best

Published On The Sunday Timesm(SL)August 08, 2010


By Afra Naufel and Azra Ameen, Pix by J. Weerasekara.




Music fans will remember him as part of the La Ceylonians singing those lilting calypso tunes with his trademark straw hat and guitar. Many years have passed since those memorable tunes and times but Anura Pathmasiri Jayasingha’s musical journey continued, taking him across the world carrying his brand of music to people.

He has met world renowned singers of the calibre of Harry Belafonte and Lionel Ritchie and his Sinhala songs done with his own group The Balladeers were aired on French radio and television in 1990.

He is philosophical as he looks back: the path to this successful release was not one of roses but he adds that, “It was worth all the trouble I had to go through, because today I am recognized in many countries for my music.”

Anura has presented radio programmes about the beauty of Sri Lanka to a French audience through stations such as the Tropic FM, Radio Asia and Radio France.

Anura was one of the first musicians to compose and sing jingles against drug abuse in Sri Lanka and even presented his song against drug abuse to the French Red Cross society. He is now working on a new instrumental to tell the world that the war has ended in Sri Lanka and that people should visit this land of peace.

Having studied at the Royal Primary and Thurstan College Colombo, Anura with the little music training that he had gained from being a part of the school choir, joined the “La Ceylonians” in 1967. “I would not be here today if it was not for my master Noel Ranasinghe who gave me a place in his band, and Lylie Godridge who trained my voice,” he says with gratitude.

Anura travelled around the world, singing Sinhala songs with the “La Ceylonians”. They represented Sri Lanka at the Yamaha World Popular Song Festival in Tokyo in 1967 where they received a certificate of merit for their performance. He has performed at numerous Sri Lankan food festivals in many leading hotels abroad including Hotel Maurya Sheraton in New Delhi, the Taj chain across India, Lai Lai Shangri- La hotel in Taiwan, Beverly Hills Wiltshire Hotel, USA, Hotel Hilton in Amsterdam and the Hilton in Germany.

“The Balladeers” was formed shortly after Anura left the “La Ceylonians” in 1986. His close friend Stanley Welgampola named this band and wrote the lyrics for most of his songs. The original members of “The Balladeers” were Rohan Silva who played the mandolin, harmonica, pedal steel, and guitar and also sang together with Nilantha Ariyaratne who played bass guitars and vocals. The late Asoka Ratnapala was among those who played the guitar and did the vocals for the first album of “The Balladeers”-‘Welcome to Sri Lanka’.

‘Welcome to Sri Lanka’ was released in 1990, with 13 original compositions of the Balladeers. This incidentally was the first Sri Lankan Sinhala lyrical music CD launched in France. The CD was sold in 22 countries and three of his videos were telecast in 57 countries.

Anura is currently creating a new style in music around the flamenco, the music of the gypsies in Spain and has even got down a flamenco guitar. “I am not a flamenco guitarist and I have never learnt it under a professional but I love this music because I have many friends who play it and I’ve decided to create a new style using Sri Lanka as my inspiration.”

Today, Anura is back in Sri Lanka, after more than 20 years in France, to enjoy the peace that has returned to the island. His second album, “Sitting Pretty in the Ocean” released in 2006 is a call to those out there to visit this “heaven on earth”. He is positive that talented Sri Lankan musicians could be a great source of attraction to tourism with a little more exposure to the industry.

As the first Sri Lankan member of SACEM, the French authors, composers and editors union, Anura hopes for such a body here too and is disappointed by the lack of interest shown by those involved in the industry. Yet, he seems to have not given up on his aim -- to boost the tourist industry with the magical Sri Lankan beat.

Dogs and dont's

Published On The Sunday Timesm(SL) August 01, 2010


Handling dogs in a humane manner while giving priority to the handler’s safety

By Azra Ameen and Afra Naufel, Pix by Nilan Maligaspe

Freeze….no it’s not a game. Stand still and don’t move, the moment you see an angry dog charging you. For if you run, the dog will sense your fear, chase you and take a nip. If you are still, it will hesitate before pouncing.


Municipality workers catch a dog for vaccination

These are the valuable tips that the Community Liaison Officer of the Blue Paw Trust Renuka Malkanthi gives on prevention in a country where the National Hospital reports 1,600 dog-bites on average every month.

Dogs are extra alert if their food is around or they have puppies. So, don’t go near their food or their puppies, she advises, stressing that one must refrain from annoying a caged or tied dog because that animal is already angry about being restricted.

Such a dog could lunge at you and may very well be able to break free, she says. Keep a distance of about 10m from a tied dog to avoid its jaws, while being conscious of the fact that if the dog is infected with rabies, the virus will transmit easily to the brain of a human if bitten in the upper part of the body. In an unfortunate situation where you are attacked by a dog, cover your ears and face.


Teaching the handling of dogs at the workshop.


These important points were discussed by Malkanthi at a four-day workshop organized by the Colombo Municipal Council (CMC), the World Society for the Protection of Animals (WSPA) and the Blue Paw Trust for Animal Control Operatives in July at the CMC’s Veterinary Department auditorium at Dematagoda.

Veterinary surgeons and dog catchers from the Colombo, Dehiwala-Mount Lavinia, Kandy, Kotte and Negombo Municipal Councils along with Health Ministry veterinary surgeons participated.
The workshop aimed to train the participants on handling dogs in a humane manner while also giving priority to the handler’s safety.

Many dog-catchers who handle stray dogs to vaccinate or sterilize them are not concerned about their own safety, said the Blue Paw Trust’s Project Manager for Colombo humane dog population and rabies management, Shevanthi Jayasuriya.

Incidentally, the workshop also introduced the name ‘animal control operative’ to take away the stigma attached to the name dog-catchers.

Earlier the CMC caught and killed stray dogs as a measure of preventing rabies, said Chief Municipal Veterinary Surgeon Dr. S.D. Eleperuma, adding that since 2006, however, there is a “no-kill” policy. Strays are vaccinated and also sterilized.

Working with the Blue Paw Trust and the WSPA, we have managed to vaccinate and sterilize 4,300 of the 5,000 stray dogs in Colombo city, he added.