Quick Look

Royal College Union 2008 AGM

The Royal College Union (RCU) will hold its 177th Annual General Meeting at the Navarangahala today. The RCU is the oldest alumni group in Sri Lanka.

The Union concentrates on developing and improving the College academic facilities, infrastructure, sports and, soft skills and employability of the student population.

There has been 36 Secretaries of the Union before and among the earlier 36 is former President J.R. Jayewardene.

One primary objective of the newly appointed committee at the AGM today will be to organise the 175th anniversary of the Royal College in 2110.

Mallika Nivasa Samithiya AGM

The 87th Annual General Meeting of the Mallika Nivasa Samithiya (Society) Ltd. will be held on July 25, at 3.30 p.m. at the Society's premises at 45, Visakha Road, Colombo 4.

The Chief Guest will be Indrani Sugathadasa Weeratunga, Secretary, Ministry of Plantation Industries. The guest speaker will be Professor Samudra Kathriarachchi, Professor and Head - Department of Psychiatry, Faculty of Medical Sciences, University of Sri Jayawardenepura.

K. H. I. Jayasinghe, Director of Social Services will be a special guest at this meeting.

Lecture

Prof. Osmund Bopearachchi, Director of Research of the French National Centre for Scientific Research (Paris) and Professor of Central and South Asian Archaeology of the Paris IV-Sorbonne University will deliver a lecture on "Sinhalese Merchants in Tamil Nadu and Tamil Traders in Sri Lanka: Cultural, Commercial, Religious and Political Interactions between Ancient Sri Lanka and Tamil Nadu," at ICES, 2, Kynsey Terrace, Colombo 8 on July 22, at 5.30 p.m.

Prof. Bopearachchi is one of the most distinguished numismatists/archaeologists in the field of the Greek and native dynasties of Bacteria and northern India. Author of nine books and written more than 100 articles in reputed international journals, Dr. Bopearachchi was recently awarded the "Gustave Mendel Award" from the French Academy of Inscriptions and Belles-Letters for the best Corpus of the year.

Drought threat to paddy crop

Stanley Seneviratne Kurunegala North group corr.

The severe drought in the North Western Province bordering the North Central Province has dried up paddy fields and more than 200 acres of paddy land in the Karuwalagaswewa and Ihala Puliyankulama villages are affected.

According to officials, if the drought continues about 70 per cent of the paddy harvest will be affected. Other villages affected by the ongoing drought are Kadawelawewa, Lunuwewa, Bogahawewa, Gorakahawewa and Millagahawewa .
 

Funeral of Prema Mallimarachchi

The funeral of Prema Mallimarachchi, wife of late Minister Weerasinghe Mallimarachchi and mother of Janaka and Kumara Mallimarachchi and late Jayantha Mallimarachchi will take place at the Borella General Cemetery on Saturday July 19 at 3.30 p.m.

Born on July 29, 1930 she married late Weerasinghe Mallimarachchi in 1954. Ever since she had been a driving force behind late Weerasinghe Mallimarachchi's political career spanning 34 years from being a MMC attached to the Colombo Municipal Council to the position of Food, Co-operatives and Janasaviya during the Premadasa regime and thereafter. Many a time she intervened to provide redress to the people of Kolonnawa and other constituents who brought their problems to her Minister husband.

A pleasing personality she had cultivated close bonds of friendship with a wide range of spouses of local and foreign leaders and statesmen. A well known religious and social worker she had helped many temples and social organisations in the country including Kolonnawa.

May she attain the Supreme bliss of Nibbana.

- S. Chandrasiri Dias, Chairman Kolonnawa U.C.

Boost for estate school libraries

A special project to improve the facilities in estate schools in Southern region have been launched by the Southern Provincial Ministry of Education.

Steps have already been taken under the project to upgrade the library facilities in the estate schools in Thalgaswala Divithura, Thalagaha, and Ihalakanda areas in the district of Galle.

The main objective of the project was to promote the reading habit of the pupils in the estate schools in the region, the Secretary to the Southern Provincial Education Ministry M.W. Vijethilaka said.