THE SUNDAY TIMES PLUS Sunday, February 14, 2021 Books/Events 15 SRI LANKA – ISLAND OF ISLANDS, A NATIONAL TRUST PUBLICATION 100 100 100 A little known100 heritage 5 10 25 50 75 90 100 100 100 100 100 5 10 25 50 75 90 100 100 100 erary significance. huge threat to the fragile 100 100 By Renuka Sadanandan 5 10 Sri Lanka Island of 25 50 75 90 islands Contents 100 100 100 100 100 5 10 25 50 75 90 eco-systems 100 Heading south, 100 100 100 100 100 100 100 100 5 10 25 50 75 90 100 100 100 100 100 5 S R I L A N K A 10 25 50 75 Rasika “It lies all alone, far from the of these90 100 100 100 100 100 5 10 25 50 75 90 100 100 ISLAND OF ISLANDS 100 100 100 5 10 25 50 75 90 100 Muthucumarana 100 islands, mainland, where nobody would100 100 SRI L 100 think of finding a reef in the there is a ANKA ISL documents middle of the deep ocean. need for a bet- Parawi Duwa, AND OF Old Benedictines Throughout history, it has ter under- Galgediyana I brought grief to many people, standing of SLANDS and Seenigama. remember their gurus Other essays as well as to ships that sailed to their very dis- Cover: Count de Mauny’s island, Taprobane, Weligama. Nihal Fernando (Studio Times), in the 1970’s Paying homage to their teachers, the Old their final destiny.” tinct character- reflect the Boys’ Union of St. Benedict’s College have The reference is to the Basses istics, hence the coastal Catholics’ launched ‘Namadimu’ to honour and show grati- Ridge, a long, narrow, sub- book’s publica- devotion to St. Anthony, the Back Cover: Rocky islets off Dodanduwa, background, tude to those who have dedicated more than half merged reef running parallelinland islands on Koggala river. Luxshmanantion Nadaraja is timely. patron saint of fishermen. of their life to their students. to the southern coast of Sri Sarala in her previous books Sober Island – a name that The project includes a life insurance cover, a Lanka, which in two places drew on a panel of profession- resonates with the World War monthly monetary donation, an annual medical rises above sea level as rocky als and experts in different era is captured in a brief photo checkup and a counselling clinic amongst many islets. On these sit two legend- fields and this time too, it is a essay by Somasiri Devendra more special benefits, for 55 retired teachers who ary lighthouses – the Great varied selection of architects, and Stefan D’ Silva. There are served in both the primary and secondary divi- Basses and Little Basses about historians, Buddhist monks two Sober Islands, the Great sions of the college since 1960. which many tales have been and botanists who have con- and the Little that stand senti- The blessings received from the Director of the told. Rasika Muthucumarana tributed and given the calibre nel at the entrance to the Inner College, Rev. Bro. Dr. Pubudu Rajapakse, towards charts how they came by their of photographers chosen, the Harbour of Trincomalee. this project was an immense strength to the Old somewhat treacherous reputa- images too are arresting - “Strategically positioned.... it Boys Union, a press release from the OBU stated. tion and indeed the marvels of sheer pleasure to linger over. was a proper ‘stone frigate’ This project was accelerated, thanks to the gener- the lighthouses’ very construc- The contributors are used for defence, not attack. ous donations received from the Benedictine fra- tion in one of his contributions Shereen Amendra, Maneshka They last spoke in anger dur- ternity both here and abroad. to the new book released by the Borham, George Cooke, ing the Easter Sunday raid, The project was jointly coordinated by National Trust of Sri Lanka. Somasiri Devendra, Shravasti 1942”, Devendra notes, detail- Dharshaka Fernando and Marlon Perera under The Great Basses and Little Dhammika, Sarath Ekanayaka, ing that after the Second World the guidance of OBU Hon. General Secretary Basses cannot be seen from Sarala herself, Hema War ended, it was occupied by Priyal Perera. For more further information or land and it is such little Goonatilake, IUCN Sri Lanka, the Royal Navy until 1957 when to contribute towards this project, email benso- explored terrain that the coffee Thangamuthu Jayasingam, it was handed over to the [email protected], log onto www.bensobu. table book ‘Sri Lanka-Island of Sunela Jayewardene, T. Ceylon Navy, and is now over- lk or call Project Chairman Darshaka Fernando Islands’ ventures to tread. The Mathiventhan, Rasika taken by the wilderness. fame –candidates for monastic 0773-853322 or the OBU Office 2 444 461 book is another in the Trust’s Muthucumarana, Vasantha Marine biologist Nishan life came from Burma, publications to foster public Pahalawattarachi, Nishan Perera is in familiar seas writ- Thailand, Cambodia, and a awareness of the tangible and Perera and Christopher Silva. ing of Pigeon Island; located few from Japan and the US...”. intangible cultural heritage of The images were provided by off the Nilaveli coast its very Other chapters include an WNPS lecture on avifauna this country. The choice of sub- Stefan D’Silva, Luxshmanan beauty and popularity has extract from an IUCN report Dr. Sampath S. Seneviratne will deliver this ject is inspired - not many are Nadaraja, Sur. Rear Admiral, become its greatest threat. His on the conservation and biodi- month’s Wildlife and Nature Protection Society aware that there are as many as Lalith Ekanayake, Studio pictures capture both its coral versity of the islands and lecture on the subject ‘From Woodies to Plovers: 100 islands and islets off the Times and Sampath de A. sand beaches, turquoise waters lagoons of Northern Sri an untold story of our national identity’ on coastline of Sri Lanka and the Goonatilake. and underwater treasures. Lanka; Shireen Amendra’s February 18 at 6 p.m. via zoom and FB Live. hope is that the book will pro- Part 1 of the book looks at Going off the beaten track, nostalgic recollections of When it comes to avifauna, the exceptionally pel greater research into them. the Offshore Islands and this is Maneshka Borham explores Paradise island, Bentota, high number of endemics - the species found Compiled by former diplo- a fascinating mix for among the sparsely populated island Vasantha Pahalawattarachi’s nowhere else but in Sri Lanka – is a salient fea- mat Sarala Fernando whose those historically well known, of Baththalangunduwa, five account of Crow Island and T. ture of this island nation. abiding love for the country is are Kachchativu, for instance sq.km in extent, off the Dutch Jayasingam’s and T. In the light of recent discoveries of Hanuman clearly seen in her diligent which George Cooke records Bay in Kalpitiya. Reached via a Mathiventhan’s Islets of Plover and Red-backed Flameback, Sampath will research and labour that has both this small nation and three-hour ferry ride from believed it was King Batticaloa, all packed with illustrate the art and science of finding new produced many books on Sri giant neighbour India laid Kalpitiya, it has become a pop- Parakrama Bahu’s shipbuild- knowledge and local lore, birds and how that revolutionizes the under- Lanka over the years, she was claim to and the Adam’s Bridge ular destination for campers. ing yard and Bell that it was a which unfortunately space standing, valuation and protection of our own assisted in this effort by the edi- islands that figure in ancient Yet for all its lonely appeal, ris- monastic centre. Kalinga does not permit exploring national identity. torial team of Somasiri chronicles. ing sea levels and erosion Nuwara is now home to the here. If there is an uneven- Dr. Sampath Seneviratneis a research scientist Devendra and Stefan D’ Silva Sunela Jayewardene’s stand- threaten its existence as a fish- creatures of the jungle, Silva ness in the writing as happens specializing in the study of evolution, molecular with Dr Malik Fernando as the out essay on ‘Yonder Island’ ing village as villagers contin- writes and access is restricted with multiple contributions, ecology and ornithology. scientific consultant. Sarala Neduntivu (Delft) paints with ue to migrate to the mainland. by the Departments of Wildlife there is much to discover for The WNPS Public Lecture is presented in asso- states in her introduction that sensitivity the arid sandy Part 2 of the book moves to and Archaeology. the keen reader willing to ciation with Nations Trust Bank and open to all they pondered over which island off the Northern coast – the Inland Islands and no less Sarath Ekanayake looks at invest time on this book. As Please sign up here:https://forms.gle/ islands and islets to focus on evoking its people, their leg- intriguing are these accounts. the flora of the better known Sarala succinctly puts it “Sri HfNnf15KTUdUH9B1A over all of two years. It must ends, their lifestyle, their fierce Christopher Silva takes the Maduganga islands, home to Lanka never ceases to amaze have been a difficult exercise. independence ‘a people march- reader on a journey down the some 303 species of plants for its natural beauty and Included are many of the well ing to a different drum’, the Mahaweli to Kalinga Nuwara, belonging to 95 families while wealth of heritage assets….. known islands like Mannar archaeological ruins, abundant a beautiful conch-shaped Somasiri Devendra and Stefan our book is only the beginning and Kalpitiya, islets like wildlife, famed ponies and feral island, 12 km south of D’Silva in another photo essay of the search into a small area Seenigama and Werallaiya, cow population.