Category: Daily Financial Times

Java Lounge has announced that its trailblazing Managing Director, Anuradha Malimage Herath, has been honoured with multiple awards at the Sri Lankan Entrepreneur of the Year 2025 presented by the Federation of Chambers of Commerce and Industry of Sri Lanka (FCCISL). Herath, the visionary force behind Java Lounge’s success, received the following accolades: Women Entrepreneur of the Year – National Winner, Women Entrepreneur of the Year – Western Province Winner, National Silver Award – Large Category and Provincial Gold Award – Large Category (Western Province). These awards recognise Herath’s exceptional leadership in building Java Lounge into one of Sri Lanka’s largest and most beloved coffee chains, with over a dozen locations nationwide. They also underscore the collective efforts of the entire Java Lounge team, from baristas crafting the perfect brew to the dedicated staff in kitchens, bakeries, chocolate production, operations, and support roles.

‘We are thrilled to announce that our Managing Director, Anuradha Malimage Herath, together with the entire Java Lounge family, has been recognised at the Sri Lankan Entrepreneur of the Year 2025,’ said a spokesperson for Java Lounge. ‘These awards are not just a recognition of leadership, but also a true reflection of the hard work, dedication, and passion of our entire team. From the baristas serving the perfect cup of coffee, to the kitchen, bakery, chocolate, operations, and support teams – this achievement belongs to all of us. Well done, team. Here’s to teamwork, passion, and excellence – the real ingredients behind Java Lounge’s journey!’ Under Herath’s guidance, Java Lounge has grown from its humble beginnings to a symbol of quality coffee and inviting ambiance in Sri Lanka. Her strategic vision, combined with a commitment to excellence, has positioned the chain as a leader in the industry, inspiring entrepreneurs across the nation.

American science fiction action film Tron: Ares (stylised as TRON: Ares) is now being shown in nine cinemas in Sri Lanka.

They are Kandy City Centre, SCOPE Cinema – Colombo City Centre, SCOPE Cinema – Havelock City Mall, PVR Cinema, Milano Diamond, JP Cineplex, Ram Cinema, Lite Cinemas and Regal Cinemas.

Directed by Joachim Rønning from a screenplay by Jesse Wigutow, Trons Ares is based on a story by David Digilio and Wigutow. It is the third film in the Tron series and a sequel to Tron: Legacy (2010). The film features an ensemble cast including Jared Leto, Greta Lee, Evan Peters, Jodie Turner-Smith, Hasan Minhaj, Arturo Castro, and Gillian Anderson, with Jeff Bridges reprising his role as Kevin Flynn from the previous films.

In the movie, mankind encounters AI beings for the first time when a highly sophisticated programme, Ares, leaves the digital world for a dangerous mission in the real world.

The Manchester Soccer Academy (MSA) will launch the Federation Cup 2025 for the Under-12 segment which will be played today and tomorrow at the Race Course Stadium commencing 9.00 a.m. onwards.

With the participation of 16 leading academies in the country, MSA – one of the prominent youth football academies in the country – has inducted teams from various cities, including a team from the North.

One of the unique features of this year’s event will be that some of the games will carry on until 9.00 p.m. under lights, and played under the slogan of ‘United by football and driven by Passion’. This flood light facility was granted by FSL incumbent President Jaswar Umar, who has been quite magnanimous to extend his support to play under lights.

Jaswar, who graced the occasion by launching the Cup, said that he is happy to see a prominent active academy in the game come forward to kick-off a tournament of this nature focusing on the under-12 segment, which is very rare.

‘We are delighted to see an academy like MSA has come forward to host a tournament of this nature. This will enable us to attract more young kids to take up the game. The grassroots level football is a must if we want to develop the game to unearth talent to play for the country one day. We will extend our support to other academies who are well organised like MSA and capable to conduct their own tournaments in their region,’ said Jaswar.

The 16 teams are slotted in 4 groups with the top two teams of each group qualifying for the quarterfinals. The four winners will lock horns in the semi-finals, which will produce the finalists and culminate in the grand finale under lights on Sunday.

Tournament groupings:

Group A: Kelaniya FA, Colombo FC, Barcelona, Manchester (Purple)

Group B: Colombo Kickerz, BFAA, Colombo Youth, Manchester (Pink)

Group C: Juventus, Henry Pedris, The Travellers, Java Lane

Group D: Thihariya United, Qyarts, Balangoda, Chesta, Star Eagles

Cinnamon Grand Colombo marked the official start of the holiday season with its much-anticipated annual cake mixing ceremony, held in the grandeur of the hotel lobby. This year’s celebration embraced a traditional Christmas theme, evoking the charm and nostalgia of old-world holiday festivities.

The event was attended by dignitaries, industry partners, and special invitees, who joined the hotel’s culinary team in the ceremonial blending of fruits, nuts, and spices – the key ingredients of Cinnamon Grand’s renowned festive cakes.

Cinnamon Grand Colombo General Manager Nazoomi Azhar highlighted the significance of the tradition saying, ‘The cake mixing ceremony is more than a festive ritual; it is a celebration of heritage, community, and the joy of the season. With this year’s theme, we sought to capture the warmth and nostalgia that make Christmas truly special. At Cinnamon Grand, we take pride in blending tradition with innovation to create memorable experiences for our guests.’

The ceremony showcased the artistry of the hotel’s award winning culinary brigade, led by Executive Chef Kapila Jayasinghe. Guests witnessed the meticulous preparation process, from the careful selection of premium ingredients to the ceremonial mixing ritual. The experience was set against a backdrop of classic Christmas décor, reinforcing the spirit of celebration and craftsmanship.

Now an eagerly awaited annual highlight, the cake mixing ceremony underscores Cinnamon Grand Colombo’s role as a curator of unique culinary traditions and festive celebrations. Beyond the ritual, it reaffirms the hotel’s reputation for culinary excellence and hospitality that resonates with both local and international guests.

The 2025 ceremony also signals the beginning of Cinnamon Grand’s festive offerings, with an array of signature Christmas cakes, hampers, and gourmet delights available across the hotel’s outlets throughout the holiday season.

This is a proposal to include biodiversity education in schools and universities. This list of recommendations is based on our current coverage/s of Sinharaja rainforest. We will be focusing in our future writings on the interlink between sustainability, tourism and national revenue making through the significance of this rainforest. This current set of recommendations is for the education sector in Sri Lanka to include nature/bio diversity/ecosystem education by including actual visits to rainforests/forests. The options of linking with the private sector to enable this can be explored.

Rainforests are the gifts of nature to man. They are crafted entirely by the hands of sky and earth without any help from humans. They are therefore marvels in how this earth can teach us to live – and let live. We have today some attempts at educating adults on sustainability especially in sectors such as tourism. However there is little focus on sustainability education for children and youth through observing biodiversity. Our education sector is far removed from the natural world. We teach about nature, as part of science or social science, from classrooms. What is direly needed is for students to get to the natural world and learn not bits and pieces of nature but the whole realm. The best course is that nature teaches it herself.

Below are the recommendations:

1.For all schools of Sri Lanka, from primary classes onwards to commence forest visits at least thrice a year and for the Presidential Secretariat to support these visits if possible from its funds while exploring a national drive where the private sector involves itself in this endeavour.

There are many companies out there who can well afford to sponsor half if not all schools to engage in an initiative as this.

2.For the education system to be changed to facilitate children spending more time on their own in nature and for their homework to be nature oriented and to include visual education such as through painting and photography. The students can be encouraged to draw nature and to write corelating analysis on the sustainability aspects of trees, forests and water and the consequences as observed in real life, as to what occurs when these resources are vandalised and abused. It could be worked out that the children write their essays while in the forests itself engaging in discussions from those well versed in the vicissitudes of nature (to discourage resorting to copying from the internet).

3.For students to be encouraged the practice of mindfulness meditation in locations such as rainforests and draw from differing spiritual traditions that teach about the sacredness of the natural world. This will encourage the Dharma to be woven into actual real life practice where after such meditation practice the children and youth can be encouraged to write analysis on the link between the Dharma, natural resources and their safeguarding. contd. on page 09

Relevance…

Aspects of sustainability in Buddhism as taught by the Buddha where forest dwelling monks were taught the sustainability of a Buddhist robe. Without allowing the attire of monks to go to waste after they wear it for a long time, they were advised to use the torn material as covering from the cold at night, as doormats and as material that can clean up spaces and finally when that too is used up to wedge it between brick or clay when constructing a premises for meditation.

4.Children and youth can be made to make lists of trees that are currently in areas such as Sinharaja and research about their uses. They could then be instructed to research on the trees that existed in Sinharaja 50 years ago and make a list of any extinct trees. They can then analyse the value of those trees and what the loss means to the ecosystem.

5.Today’s children and youth grow up without learning to appreciate biodiversity that is around us. Through this initiative – by closing the gap between students and rainforests they can learn how nature evolves. Using art as a learning therapy every student can be asked to draw and paint an insect or bird they see in the wild. They can then be asked to write analytical essays on sustainability in real life and what it means to supporting the long life of these creatures.

6.In today’s education system what is noticed is the lack of innovative thinking being encouraged with the pressure merely being towards passing exams by memorisation. As a bid to change this and thereby transform the future of the country children can be asked – after they visit the rainforests to start their own unique initiative towards sustainability and the protection of biodiversity and forests.

7.As above they can be encouraged to meet forest guides and others who have close affinity to the wild who can advise on many inventions that could be created that will replace non bio degradable products. Each child can write an essay on their own choice and how they hope it would change their lives and that of others. This could be one way that we lay the foundation of innovation in young minds.

8.As linked to above school children and youth could join in a systematic and purposeful manner the goal of cleaning Sri Lanka of trash and themselves adopt sustainable ways or recycling and disposing of trash.

The Samagi Jana Balawegaya (SJB) has decided to politically collaborate with the United National Party (UNP) under a joint political program, led and guided by the SJB.

Making a special statement SLB Leader and Opposition Leader Sajith Premadasa said the decision was reached unanimously during the SJB Working Committee meeting held last Thursday, following discussions at two Management Committee meetings held earlier.

Outlining the new direction, Premadasa emphasised that the SJB and UNP would work together on practical, people-centred policy initiatives to tackle pressing issues faced by the country and people.

‘But we will retain our own political identities,’ he said.

Premadasa added that the new collaboration aims to continue to work together to find a unified approach to national challenges through shared policy goals and constructive political dialogue.

Doerscircle COO and Sarvodaya Fusion Board Member Yasas Vishuddhi Abeywickrama

– Pic by Ruwan Walpola

Sri Lanka’s digital economy will not achieve its full potential unless the country rethinks its export strategy and global positioning, Doerscircle COO and Sarvodaya Fusion Board Member Yasas Vishuddhi Abeywickrama told the CA Sri Lanka National Conference this week.

Speaking on the theme ‘Harmonising Global Business: From Local Strengths to Global Markets,’ Abeywickrama said Sri Lanka’s digital exports have grown from $ 300 million in 2010 to nearly $ 2 billion in 2025, but the country continues to miss its targets.

‘We set a goal of $ 5 billion by 2022 in 2016, then $ 3 billion by 2025, and now again $ 5 billion by 2030. The question is not to criticise that we didn’t achieve it, but to ask why,’ he said.

He said the Government’s current digital policy aims to achieve $ 5 billion in digital exports, digitise public services, build a $ 15 billion digital economy, and create 200,000 digital professionals by 2030.

‘The professionals will come automatically if we grow exports, services and the digital economy. The real question is how to get there,’ he said.

Abeywickrama noted that Sri Lanka remains largely unknown as a global destination for digital services.

‘If companies in the US, UK or Australia want a cost-effective outsourcing destination, Sri Lanka doesn’t even come into the top 20. They think of India, Thailand, or the UAE. We are known for tourism, not for digital,’ he said.

He said Sri Lanka’s main problems are limited market access, skills shortages, and weak branding.

‘Companies that want to hire 2,000 accounting or IT professionals in a year can’t find that volume here. We have quality, but not the numbers,’ he said.

He said Sri Lanka must also shift from being a services-based outsourcing destination to creating its own digital products and platforms.

‘When you create a good product, it has its own momentum. It travels globally. You don’t have to market the destination as much,’ he said, pointing to India’s Zoho and Ireland’s tax-friendly model as examples of countries that built digital success through policy and innovation.

Abeywickrama said the Government also missed opportunities such as introducing a digital nomad visa to attract freelancers and global tech entrepreneurs.

‘It was discussed in 2019, but five years later, we still don’t have it. These are small policy changes that make a big difference,’ he said.

He also criticised the country’s outdated tech branding.

‘The ‘Island of Ingenuity’ brand was launched in 2016. It hasn’t evolved and doesn’t stand for the high-end tech services we now offer. It’s time to revisit branding and reposition Sri Lanka as a tech hub for this region,’ he said.

Abeywickrama said policymakers and business leaders must connect education to industry needs, engage Sri Lankan expats to bring work into the country, and build partnerships with global hubs such as India, the UAE, and Singapore.

‘This is a 22-million population market. To grow, we must connect with others. We have quality. What we need now is visibility, strategy and access,’ he said.

A Cabinet reshuffle took place yesterday with President Anura Kumara Disanayake appointing three new Ministers and 10 new Deputy Ministers in a move aimed at improving coordination and accelerating national development priorities aligned with the 2026 Budget.

According to the Presidential Media Division, the changes are intended to strengthen performance across key sectors, including infrastructure, housing, finance, and urban development, as part of the Government’s medium-term reform agenda.

Bimal Rathnayake, previously Minister of Transport, Highways, Ports and Civil Aviation, now holds the Transport, Highways, and Urban Development portfolio.

Anura Karunathilake, who earlier oversaw Urban Development, Construction and Housing, has been appointed Minister of Ports and Civil Aviation.

H.M. Susil Ranasinghe, formerly Deputy Minister of Lands and Irrigation, has been elevated to Minister of Housing, Construction, and Water Supply.

Ten new Deputy Ministers were also sworn in.

Anil Jayantha Fernando was appointed Deputy Minister of Finance and Planning, while T.B. Sarath continues as Deputy Minister of Housing, Construction and Water Supply.

Mohamed Muneer, previously Deputy Minister of National Integration, now serves as Deputy Minister of Religious and Cultural Affairs.

Other appointments include Eranga Gunasekara as Deputy Minister of Urban Development, Hansaka Wijayamuni as Deputy Minister of Health, Aravinda Senarath Witharana as Deputy Minister of Lands and Irrigation, Saman Kumara as Deputy Minister of Youth Affairs, Nishantha Jayaweera as Deputy Minister of Economic Development, Kaushalya Ariyaratne as Deputy Minister of Mass Media, and M.I.M. Arkam as Deputy Minister of Power.

Several key Cabinet members continue in their existing roles.

President Anura Kumara Disanayake remains Minister of Defence, Finance, Planning and Economic Development, and Digital Economy. Prime Minister Dr. Harini Amarasuriya continues to oversee Education, Higher Education, and Vocational Education.

Other unchanged positions include Vijitha Herath (Foreign Affairs, Foreign Employment and Tourism), K.D. Lal Kantha (Agriculture, Livestock, Land and Irrigation), and Sunil Handunneththi (Industry and Entrepreneurship Development).

Ramalingam Chandrasekar (Fisheries, Aquatic and Ocean Resources), Samantha Viddyarathna (Plantation and Community Infrastructure), Dr. Nalinda Jayatissa (Health and Mass Media), and A.H.M.H. Abayarathna (Public Administration, Provincial Councils and Local Government).

Wasantha Samarasinghe (Trade, Commerce, Food Security and Cooperative Development), Harshana Nanayakkara (Justice and National Integration), Saroja Savithri Paulraj (Women and Child Affairs), and Dr. Upali Pannilage (Rural Development Social Security and Community Empowerment) retain their portfolios.

K.M. Ananda Wijepala (Public Security and Parliamentary Affairs), Dr. Hiniduma Sunil Senevi (Buddhasasana, Religious and Cultural Affairs), Sunil Kumara Gamage (Youth Affairs and Sports), Dr. Chrishantha Abeysena (Science and Technology), Eng. Kumara Jayakody (Energy), and Dr. Dammika Patabendi (Environment), also retain their portfolios.

Raj Creations was born at night. In fact over many nights in 2019. Raj was in Colombo working during the day for the Ministry of Education in its IT department, and at night he was working on projects for his own private clients. This continued for a few months until the private clients were coming fast enough for Raj to quit the day job and move home to Jaffna.

When COVID lockdowns struck in 2021 Raj Creations was getting many freelance jobs from the diaspora. COVID lockdowns seem to have given the diaspora, stuck at home with nothing else to spend their money on, time to develop their own ideas some of which they passed to offshore teams to implement. Many companies benefited from this.

In October 2022 Loncey Tech opened its first office. Raj found a place with one of the best views in Jaffna, looking directly at one of the Nallur Temple. I asked Raj why he had never moved, like many growing software companies, to a fancier office. Raj said the inspiration of seeing Nallur from his office held him there.

Raj started in the IT industry building WordPress sites. Over time he moved up to more sophisticated technologies. His networks particularly in London and Switzerland continue to feed him with projects. He has also developed a strong relationship with elements of the Northern Provincial Council. He has developed an Office Management System (OMS) for the Mullaitivu Divisional Secretariat, for which he won the SLASSCOM Sri Lanka 2025 Ingenuity Award. He is developing a Beneficiaries Management System (BMS) which will be used by Divisional Secretariat offices across the Northern Province. The BMS was funded by The Asia Foundation, an international NGO.

Loncey is the technology partner for a training centre in Urumpirai, a suburb 11 km from Jaffna Town, funded by the @Vithu Trust Fund a charity registered in the UK.

An impressive little company, bootstrapped by its CEO starting with him working overnights while doing a regular day job. Loncey will be celebrating its ninth year this month, October 2025.

Venerable Professor Rahula, a Buddhist scholar, in his provocative best, cuts through centuries of mistranslation. Bhavana is not ‘meditation’ in the sense of escaping the world, sitting in a corner, or pursuing mystical powers. It means something much more vivid: cultivation.

Why ‘cultivation’? Because the Buddha did not speak in abstractions. There are a plethora of suttas, where he spoke in the language of the soil, of seeds, of fields that could be tilled, nourished, and renewed. ‘Development’ feels dreary, bureaucratic, and lifeless. In my view, ‘cultivation’ carries with it the earthy vitality of growth, patience, and continuous tending.

Etymology of Bhavana

Root: vbhu – ‘to be, to become.’

bhavayati – ‘to cause to be, to bring into being, to cultivate.’

bhavana – ‘the act of cultivation, mental culture, bringing into being.’

The Genius of the Buddha was to take this everyday farming word and apply it to the mind.

The Buddha with Farmer: Kasibharadvaja Sutta (Linked Discourses Sanyutta Nikaya 7.11)

In this discourse, while seeking for dana (almsfood), the Buddha encountered the brahmin farmer Kasibharadvaja, who mocked him for not working the land:

‘I plough and sow, ascetic, and then I eat.

‘aham kho, samana, kasami ca vapami ca, kasitva ca vapitva ca bhuñjami.

You too should plough and sow, then you may eat.’

Tvampi, samana, kasassu ca vapassu ca, kasitva ca vapitva ca bhuñjassu’ti.

Then the Buddha gave this remarkable, immediate riposte:

‘I too plough and sow, brahmin, and then I eat.”

‘ahampi kho, brahmana, kasami ca vapami ca, kasitva ca vapitva ca bhuñjami”ti.

The Buddha continued:

‘Trust is my seed, austerity the rain,

Wisdom is my yoke and plough,

Shame is the pole, mind the rein,

Mindfulness my ploughshare and goad.’

Saddha bijam, tapa o khettam,

pañña me yuganangalam,

hiri isa mano yottam,

sati me phalapacanam.

This is not ‘development’ in the dry sense. It is the living, breathing cultivation of the mind – earthy, demanding, transformative.

The fourfold Bhavana

The Buddha used bhavana in many contexts – not limited to seated meditation, but as a comprehensive art of cultivating life:

Cittabhavana – cultivation of the mind (Long Discourses 33

Digha Nikaya 33)

Mettabhavana – cultivation of loving-kindness (So It Was Said 27

Itivuttaka 27)

Kayabhavana – cultivation of the body (Long Discourses 33

Digha Nikaya 33)

Paññabhavana – cultivation of wisdom (Long Discourses 33

Digha Nikaya 33)

Comments

Bhavana is not retreat or ritual. It is not drab ‘development.’ Or meditation. It is the art of active cultivation – tending the soil of the mind so that calmness, clarity, insight, and equanimity may grow.

Just as even the most barren field can, with care, yield a nourishing harvest, the Buddha showed that our minds too can be endlessly enriched, restored, and cultivated – until they shine with wisdom and freedom.