Training College Days – By George Braine In memory of Colonel Nizam Dane, Died in Action on June 24, 1997 The entrance to the Maharagama Teachers Training College wasn’t particularly impressive. It was a narrow, tree lined, pot-holed path leading off High Level Road, some distance from the Maharagama junction. About a hundred yards beyond the entrance, the path opened up to the training college premises. The sight, in the early 1970s, was more akin to an internment camp than the premier teachers’ college in the country. World War II vintage Army barracks, made of carelessly white washed rough-hewn stones, rusty wire mesh, and grimy asbestos roofs, were scattered among overgrown lawns and gravel pathways. To me and the others who had gathered there on a January morning in 1970, our first day as teacher trainees, the environment was indeed forbidding. Senior trainees, rumored to be merciless raggers, hovered menacingly. ...

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Kumar unsung hero in Saxophone by Sunil Thenabadu An uninterrupted sixty-two years as a  self thought saxophonist is a colossal triumph for any musician. KUMAR MOLLIGODA the unsung hero had commenced  his music career on a Chromatic Harmonica but currently excels as an overwhelming Saxophonist having fans locally and overseas. Kumar has a wide repertoire cum resourcefulness sans any boundaries. As one band spearhead playing alto sax, tenor sax, baritone sax and soprano. Kumar instantly spot on when a request for any song is made. Kumar’s solo interpretations could be heard on you tube. A native of Kotte ,student at Christian College though the second oldest school in the Island  had to compete with several veteran musicians with decades of experience who lived in Colombo .But had hurdled over these restraints  via sheer perseverance ,not before long to be on par. Kumar had commenced his career on a chromatic harmonica, with ...

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A tribute to Peter Randolph Peiris – by Lawrence Machado Randy Peiris, one of Sri Lanka’s best loved and flambuoyant musicians, was given an emotional and fitting farewell in Sydney on Friday, September 25. Born Peter Randolf Peiris on January 24, 1948, Randy was known as a larrikin in every sense of the world, from his childhood and adult antics to his wonderful sense of humour and remarkable musical ability. Randy, well known for his time with many top Sri Lankan bands, including the Fireflies, -abo and The Breakaways, The Jetliners in Sri Lanka before performng in Sydney with Rapture (his own group), Nightshift (started by fellow Peterite Guinn Ragel) and The Impressions (led by Desmond de Silva), leaves behind a colossal legacy in terms of his music and talent. Randy Peiris. Best of all, he will be remembered as a genuine family person and friend, able to make the most of life, even as he spent the last 20 ...

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