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Independence Commemoration Hall (Sri Lanka)
Independence Memorial Hall (also known as ''Independence Commemoration Hall'') is a Monument, national monument in Sri Lanka built for commemoration of the independence of Sri Lanka from the British rule with the restoration of full governing responsibility to a Ceylonese-elected legislature on 4 February 1948. It is located in Independence Square (formerly ''Torrington Square'') in the Cinnamon Gardens, Colombo. It also houses the Independence Memorial Museum. The monument was built at the location where the formal ceremony marking the start of self-rule, with the opening of the first parliament by Prince Henry, Duke of Gloucester occurred at a special podium on 4 February 1948. Located at the head of the monument is the statue of the first prime minister of the country Rt. Hon. Don Stephen Senanayake "The Father of the Nation". Most of the annual National Independence Day celebrations have been held here. Apart from a monument it served as the ceremonial assembly hall for th ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Cinnamon Gardens, Colombo
Cinnamon Gardens ( ''Kurundu Vaththa'', ) is an affluent neighbourhood in Colombo, Sri Lanka located 3 kilometers south-east of Colombo's centre. Cinnamon Gardens is named for the former cinnamon plantation in this area. In the year 1789, there were of cinnamon trees in the gardens. At present, Cinnamon Gardens is the location of the Prime Minister's Office (Sri Lanka), Prime Minister's Office, Independence Square, Colombo, Independence Hall, Colombo Town Hall and National Museum of Colombo, National Museum as well as numerous foreign embassies and Diplomatic mission, high commissions, located down streets lined with fine trees and mansions that are home to the country's elite. It is also the location of the Colombo Department of Meteorology and its observatory. Demographic Cinnamon Gardens is a multi-religious and multi-ethnic area. The major ethnic communities in Cinnamon Gardens are Sinhalese people, Sinhalese and Tamils. Ethnic minorities include Burgher People, Burghers an ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
The Amazing Race Asia 4
''The Amazing Race Asia 4'' is the fourth season of ''The Amazing Race Asia'', an Asian reality competition show based on the American series ''The Amazing Race (American TV series), The Amazing Race''. Hosted by Allan Wu, it featured ten teams of two, each with a pre-existing relationship, in a race around Asia and the Pacific Rim to win US$100,000. This season visited two continents and eight countries and travelled over during eleven legs. Starting in Kuala Lumpur, teams travelled through Malaysia, Sri Lanka, the Philippines, New Zealand, Australia, Indonesia and South Korea before finishing in Singapore. This season was the first time a season within the The Amazing Race, ''Amazing Race'' franchise was filmed and broadcast for high-definition television. The season premiered on AXN Asia on 23 September 2010 and the finale aired on 9 December 2010. Filipino friends Richard Hardin and Richard Herrera were the winners of this season, while Singaporean rebel pals Claire Goh and Mi ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Sri Lankan Independence Movement
The Sri Lankan independence movement was a peaceful political movement which was aimed at achieving independence and self-rule for the country of Sri Lanka, then British Ceylon, from the British Empire. The switch of powers was generally known as peaceful transfer of power from the British administration to Ceylon representatives, a phrase that implies considerable continuity with a colonial era that lasted 400 years. It was initiated around the turn of the 20th century and led mostly by the educated middle class. It succeeded when, on 4 February 1948, Ceylon was granted independence as the Dominion of Ceylon. Dominion status within the British Commonwealth was retained for the next 24 years until 22 May 1972 when it became a republic and was renamed the Democratic Socialist Republic of Sri Lanka. British colonial rule The British were dominant in Asia after the Battle of Assaye; following the Battle of Waterloo, the British Empire became more influential. Its prestige w ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Malini Fonseka
Wanniarachchige Malini Senehelatha Fonseka, (; ; 30 April 1947 – 24 May 2025) was a Sri Lankan actress, theatre artist, director and politician. Often dubbed the "Queen of Sri Lankan Cinema", her career spanned seven decades. Fonseka made her debut in Sri Lankan cinema with Tissa Liyansooriya's ''Punchi Baba'' in 1968, and later she was named by CNN as one of Asia's 25 greatest film actors of all time in 2010. Fonseka first became widely known when she won the Best Actress Award at the 1969 National State Drama Festival, followed by a Sarasaviya Best Actress Awards for ''Hingana Kolla'' in 1980, ''Aradhana'' in 1982 and ''Yasa Isuru'' in 1983. She also broke records by winning the Slim Nielsen Peoples' Award for the Most Popular Actress twelve times in a row. Biography Early life She was born as the third of eleven siblings to Bandu Arachchige Gilbert Fonseka, a Government Press worker and Seelwathie Fonseka at Peliyagoda, Kelaniya. After her birth, her family moved to Jamb ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Lester James Peries
Sri Lankabhimanya Lester James Peries (Sinhala language, Sinhala: ශ්රී ලංකාභිමාන්ය ලෙස්ටර් ජේම්ස් පීරිස්; 5 April 1919 – 29 April 2018) was a Sri Lankan film director, screenwriter, and film producer. Considered as the father of Sri Lankan cinema, Lester worked as a filmmaker from 1949 to 2006, and was involved in over 28 films, including Short subject, shorts and documentaries. He received critical acclaim for directing ''Rekava (film), Rekava'', ''Gamperaliya (film), Gamperaliya'', ''Nidhanaya'', ''Golu Hadawatha'', ''Kaliyugaya (film), Kaliyugaya'', ''Awaragira'' and ''Yuganthaya (film), Yuganthaya''. His movie ''Wekande Walauwa'', starring Ravindra Randeniya and Malini Fonseka, was Sri Lanka's first ever submission for the Academy Awards and the film ''Nidhanaya'' was included among the top 100 films of the century by the Cinémathèque Française. [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Vijaya Kumaratunga
Kovilage Anton Vijaya Kumaranatunga (; ; 9 October 1945 – 16 February 1988), popularly known as Vijaya Kumaratunga'','' was a Sri Lankan film actor, playback singer and politician regarded as one of the most popular icons in Sri Lankan cinema of all time. He was married to former Sri Lankan President Chandrika Kumaranatunga from 1978 until his assassination in 1988. He was the founder of Sri Lanka Mahajana Party. Early life Kovilage Anton Vijaya Kumaranatunga was born on 9 October 1945, at the government hospital in Ragama to Roman Catholic parents. His father was Kovilage Benjamin Kumaratunga, a village headmen and mother was Clara Beatrice Perera. The youngest of four siblings, Vijaya had two elder brothers: Sydney and Vivian and one elder sister: Rupa. He received his primary education at Seeduwa Davisamara Maha Vidyalaya, secondary education at St. Benedict's College, Kotahena and De Mazenod College, Kandana. During his school days, he excelled at singing, drama ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Lakshman Kadirgamar
Sri Lankabhimanya Lakshman Kadirgamar, President's Counsel, PC (; , 12 April 1932 – 12 August 2005) was a Sri Lankan lawyer. He served as Minister of Foreign Affairs of Sri Lanka from 1994 to 2001 and again from April 2004 until his assassination in August 2005. Lakshman Kadirgamar served as the President of Oxford Union in 1958–59. He achieved international prominence in this position due to his wide-ranging condemnation of the Liberation Tigers of Tamil Eelam and his efforts to have them banned internationally. He was assassinated by an LTTE sniper in August 2005. Accounts of his views on politics and international relations, with much information about his life and career, can be found in the 2012 book ''Democracy, Sovereignty and Terror: Lakshman Kadirgamar on the Foundations of International Order'', edited by Adam Roberts (scholar), Professor Adam Roberts. Early life Lakshman Kadirgamar was born in Manipay, Jaffna District. He hailed from a Tamil people, Tamil family; ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Gamini Dissanayake
Dissanayake Mudiyanse Ralahamilage Lionel Gamini Dissanayake, PC (known as Gamini Dissanayake; ,; 20 March 1942 – 24 October 1994) was a prominent Sri Lankan politician, a powerful minister of the United National Party, and Leader of the Opposition. He was designated as the UNP candidate in the 1994 presidential election, but was assassinated during election campaign by the Liberation Tigers of Tamil Eelam (LTTE). Early life and education He was born in Kandy as the second-born son of a family of seven children. His father was Andrew Dissanayake, who served as a Member of Parliament and the Parliamentary Secretary to the Minister of Nationalised Services and Shipping in the Sri Lanka Freedom Party government of S.W.R.D. Bandaranaike. His mother was Welegedara Samaratunga Kumarihamy from Kotmale. The wealthy Dissanayake family resided in both Kandy as well as Nuwara Eliya. Dissanayake had his schooling at the prestigious Trinity College, Kandy. He later completed an ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Ranasinghe Premadasa
Sri Lankabhimanya Ranasinghe Premadasa ( ''Raṇasiṃha Premadāsa''; ''Raṇaciṅka Pirēmatācā''; 23 June 1924 – 1 May 1993) was a Sri Lankan politician and statesman who served as the third President of Sri Lanka from 2 January 1989 until his Assassination of Ranasinghe Premadasa, assassination in 1993. He previously served as Prime Minister of Sri Lanka from 6 February 1978 to 2 January 1989. Premadasa's tenure as prime minister made him the longest-serving uninterrupted Prime Minister of Sri Lanka, having served in the post for nearly 11 years. He was the first person to be conferred with Sri Lanka's highest civilian award, the Sri Lankabhimanya in 1986 by President J. R. Jayewardene. Early life Ranasinghe Premadasa was born on 23 June 1924 at Dias Place, Colombo 11, to the family of Richard Ranasinghe (Ranasinghe Mudalali) of Kosgoda and Battuwita Jayasinghe Arachchige Ensina Hamine of Batuwita, Horana. Premadasa was the oldest of five children, three sisters, and ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Maithripala Sirisena
Maithripala Yapa Sirisena (; ; born 3 September 1951) is a Sri Lankan politician who served as the seventh president of Sri Lanka from 9 January 2015 to 18 November 2019. Sirisena is Sri Lanka's first president from the North Central Province, Sri Lanka, North Central Province of the country and does not belong to the traditional Sri Lankan political elite. He entered as a member of parliament from Polonnaruwa back in 2020 and ended his tenure in 2024. Sirisena joined mainstream politics in 1989 as a member of the Parliament of Sri Lanka and has held several ministries since 1994. He was the general-secretary of the Sri Lanka Freedom Party and was Minister of Health (Sri Lanka), Minister of Health until November 2014 when he announced his candidacy in the 2015 Sri Lankan presidential election, 2015 presidential election as the opposition coalition's "common candidate", thus leading to him running against party leader and incumbent president Mahinda Rajapaksa. His victory in the e ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
HaMerotz LaMillion
''HaMerotz LaMillion'' (, ''lit.'' The Race to the Million) is an Israeli reality competition entertainment show, drawing inspiration from the American series ''The Amazing Race''. Following the premise of other versions in the ''Amazing Race'' franchise, the show closely follows the competitive journeys of many couples overcoming challenges and making their way into the final stage of the race, as they often navigating their ways worldwide. Each season is split into legs, with teams tasked to deduce clues, navigate themselves in foreign areas, interact with locals, perform physical and mental challenges, and travel by air, boat, car, taxi, and other modes of transport. Teams are progressively eliminated at the end of most legs for being the last to arrive at designated Pit Stops. The first team to arrive at the Finish Line wins a grand prize of ₪1,000,000. On 8 April 2008, Israeli TV network Reshet announced plans to produce a local version of the show. It premiered on 5 Feb ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
HaMerotz LaMillion 2
''HaMerotz LaMillion 2'' is the second season of ''HaMerotz LaMillion'' (, ''lit.'' The Race to the Million), an Israeli reality competition show based on the American series ''The Amazing Race (American TV series), The Amazing Race''. Hosted by Ron Shahar, replacing Raz Meirman, it featured eleven teams of two, each with a pre-existing relationship, in a race around Eurasia to win New Shekel, ₪1,000,000. This season visited two continents and ten countries and traveled over during thirteen legs. Starting in Jerusalem, racers traveled through Israel, Hungary, Bosnia and Herzegovina, Croatia, Poland, the Czech Republic, China, Thailand, and Sri Lanka before finishing in Singapore. New twists introduced in this season include a mid-leg elimination, the U-Turn and Yield Vote, the Double Battle, where two teams competed against each other in a task, and the Speed Bump. The season premiered on Channel 2 (Israeli TV channel), Channel 2 on 25 October 2011 and ended on 11 February 2012. ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
