The Island feature

The last days of Ehelapola in Mauritius
Ehelapola Maha Nileme was arrested on the 2nd of March 1818, and was moved forthwith under escort to Colombo. Geo Lusignan, the Secretary to the Kandyan Provinces, minuted on behalf of Governor Brownrigg that "he is removed for a time because the government considers his presence here (in Kandy) detrimental to the public good, but it is not at all meant to charge him as traitor" (Co 54/70). Unfortunately for Ehelapola, all his protestations of innocence of any part in the Kandyan rebellion of 1817/18 and petitions for an investigation took him nowhere. He remained a prisoner in Colombo till 1825. (full text)
From the book 'The Palm of his hand' by E. C. T. Candappa
God and Mammon kept severely apart
He turned round and saw the pasty-faced, portly Jayawardene roll up the freshly swept driveway.
Light from the bright, sunny morning glistened on the newly trimmed shrubbery and luxuriant trees and shrubs.

To Amerasinghe everything seemed to become overcast instantly.
A verandah on Horseshoe Street
We were intrigued that Kandy's oldest residents yet called it ''Ladan Veediya'' -Horseshoe Street-although its official name was Cross Street. Only the name was left, no memories remained of sturdy blacksmiths forging horseshoes for spirited steeds of yore. We moved into No. 22 Cross Street sixty years ago. It was quite a change for our family of four children. An upstair house gave us plenty of room for romping around, and the new pastime of stair-jumping. It was also our first house without any garden at all. We stepped out of our verandah right on to a wide concrete pavement and found ourselves located in a long unbroken line of adjoining houses-each interestingly individual in size, style, decor and occupants. Mother was highly relieved that Cross Street was a quiet, very, by water. Hardly any cars drove down it and our pavement was the street playground. (full text)
People & Events
A mistress's memorabilia
Oft times lives on theperiphery are more inte-resting than that of the central figure. the central figure is spot-lighted and made known in all its facets and dimensions while the peripheral figures remain shadowy and not clearly delineated; consequently more interesting to the searcher of the unobvious, the person like Robert Frost who takes the other road. (full text)

The challenges for science in the new century: A Sri Lankan perspective
The thrust and developments of science which will dominate the early part of the next century will no doubt include the use and dissemination of knowledge by a rapidly advancing and expanding information technology, the pervasive use of bio-technology inclusive of tissue culture or cloning in agriculture and medicine, the wide-spread use of science to conserve and improve our environment by reversing the ill-effects of the preceding century of science and technology such as atmospheric ozone depletion, global warming and sea-level rise, air and water pollution, with the greater use of environment friendly sources of energy such as solar and wind power and the revolutionising of the concept of goods and passenger transport. (full text)

The Veddha Sanctuary
On my next trip to Bin Baliya to see Kombi - daughter of jungle outlaw Tissahamy of 'Savage Sanctuary', I was accompanied by Mr. Martinesz, an Agricultural Officer attached to the R. V. D. B. in Gal Oya, my land overseer J. A. C. Gune-sekera, and two other old villagers from Namal Oya who knew the jungle tracks well. The Gal Oya region after the damming of the river, Gal Oya, had been geographically changed. (full text)
Why do we forget?
Can you recall the powerless feeling of not being able to remember something at say, an examination or interview? And yet, are you aware of the vast amount of information you are able to recall simply on demand? Psychologists have attempted to research this very phenomenon of why we are able to successfully remember some things on certain occasions and fail to do so at other times. (full text)
Fit as a fiddle after urine therapy
To quote him as to the outcome "At the end of this treatment I felt and was 'an entirely new man'. I weighed 140 pounds, was full of vim, looked about eleven years younger than I actually was and had a skin like a young girl's. I was thirty-six at that time and now am sixty. Yet by dint of drinking every drop of water I pass, living on a well balanced diet and never eating more food per diem than what the body requires, I look and feel much younger than my age and keep free from those major and minor ailments to which the body is said to be heir." (full text)
Letters