Sharmila Niriella

A rare unique novel written by a retired Administrative services officer, worth making a handbook for all Government servants…………Nimal Sedera Wadanambbi Jayasinghe’s novel “Kammale Donkaraya”(Echo of the smithery) is based on the period 1970 t0 1974. The author Jayasinghe takes up duties  as the Divisional Revenue officer (DRO) of Kothmale in 1970 .Mr. Jayasinghe relates his story under a created name Tilak Wijesinghe. The author explained to me that every sentence in this novel is true and that they are his experiences. He has replaced original names with others.  The novel begins with the DRO getting in to the jeep at Nuwara-Eliya, Government Agent’s office to proceed to Kothmale. Being a new appointee to the Administrative Service as a graduate from Peradeniya, the youthful DRO arrives in Kothmale with his young wife, a schoolteacher and two children and occupy the government quarters allocated to the DRO. He outlines the present ...

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Sri Lankan Duo Supporting a Worthy Venture When grieving mother Daniela Weber wrote a poem and used it as a tool to help her six-year-old son understand and deal with the pain of loosing a sibling, it was her dream to write a book based on this poem in order to help grieving children navigate the long road to recovery from grief and personal loss. Daniela’s dream became a reality when the Sri Lankan born mother daughter duo, award winning young artist Dilara Niriella and publisher  Sharmila J Niriella came on board to support her. The idea for the book came about when Daniela lost  her only daughter in 2017 at 20 weeks gestation to Dandy Walker Syndrome which results in malformation and poor development of the main parts of the brain. The book which is both Daniela’s contribution to grieving families and a legacy to her baby daughter Aura-Rose, ...

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An Evening For An Author To Shine – By Sharmila Jayasinghe Niriella   The book of poems, “Above The Ocean  Wide  And Deep” was the centre of attention again when the author of the book Eva P Wickramage was introduced to the Sri Lankan community in Brisbane recently.  Eva ,  a well known educationist and media person in Sri Lanka who has written over eleven books spoke fondly of how her deep love for her grandchildren prompted her to create heart-warming poems  dedicated to each one of her six grandchildren and then continue on to write poems on various subjects.  “Pitter Patter Little Feet was my first poem” speaking at the event Eva said, “That poem was written when my grandkids migrated to Australia and speaks of Dilara, my eldest granddaughter who was just a toddler then. The loneliness I felt when she and her little sister Reshmi left the shores of Sri Lanka could not be washed away with anything I did or ...

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Dr Aruna Wijewardana, A Lifesaver to Burn Victims – By Sharmila Jayasinghe Niriella   It was such a shock to receive a phone call from a close friend bearing devastating news of a work place accident in which her father had received severe and life threatening burns to his body. My friend as expected, was crying hysterically worried about the safety of her father which made me drop everything and rush to her side.  Her father, as I got to know then, had sustained severe full thickness burns to most of his body when a mixture of paint and thinner ignited  while he was working at a building site. After a stressful few hours sitting in the waiting room of the burns unit of the Royal North Shore Hospital, my friend was prompted to speak to the doctor in charge. The doctor had instantly put her mind at ease. Her ...

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Eva P Wickramage Launches Her Latest Book In Sydney – By Sharmila Niriella Click here or on the photos below to view the full set of photos on eLanka Facebook page        Australia based Sri Lankan educationist, writer and media personality Eva P Wickramage launched her latest book “Above The Ocean Wide and Deep “ in Sydney recently. The event, which was well attended by a distinguished crowd, was held at the Hills Lodge in Castle Hill. The Consul General of Sri Lanka Lal Wickrematunga, Music legend Kalasoori Shelton Premaratne and Deputy Associate Dean, Teaching and Learning, UTS Dr Lynn Sinclair were among the invitees who graced the occasion. Writer and book critique Hiran Kulatilake speaking about the poet and the book, introduced “Above the Ocean Wide and Deep” as an assortment of poems capable of entertaining the reader with musicality and linguistic indulgence. The author Eva started her professional ...

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Another Win for a Young Sri Lankan Born Artist – Dilara Niriella Dilara Niriella, a Sri Lankan born artist residing in Sydney, grabbed the first prize – tertiary at the Mosman Youth Art Competition 2018 held on the 17th of March at the Mosman Art gallery, Sydney. The Mosman Youth Art Award is a popular competition with over 500 entries received annually. Young artists aged between 12 – 21 submit artworks in a variety of media. The internationally renowned artist Ken Done AM initiated this prestigious art prize in 1988. Ken returned as a judge for the competition which celebrates its 30th anniversary this year. Presenting Dilara with the winning prize, Ken stated he was absolutely mesmerized by how she had captured a true likeliness of her subject who incidentally is her father, Anupa Niriella. The work named “Sorry to interrupt…” depicts Dilara’s father at work at a surgeon’s table. The ...

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