King Sasanka – Sri Lankan Writer & Retired Aviation Professional.

The Voice: Who Recorded It? The person who spoke the words "Ayubowan" ( ආයුබෝවන්) into deep space is Dr. Kamal de Abrew (K. Kamal de Abrew). He is a highly respected Sri Lankan scholar, linguist, and academic. Rather than a voice actor or a political figure, he was an intellectual dedicated to the study of languages, particularly English and colloquial Sinhala. 2. The Backstory: How Did He Get This Rare Opportunity? The opportunity came entirely by chance in early 1977. The Cornell Connection: NASA had tasked the famous astronomer Dr. Carl Sagan to head a committee to create the Voyager Golden Record. Carl Sagan was a professor at Cornell University in Ithaca, New York. The Search for 55 Languages: Sagan's team wanted to record brief greetings in 55 different global languages. Instead of dealing with the bureaucratic red tape of contacting global embassies and foreign ministries, Sagan and his team walked around the Corn...

Master the Dead Bug: The Ultimate Exercise for a Bulletproof Core If you’ve ever stepped into a physical therapy clinic or a high-performance training facility, you’ve likely seen people lying on their backs, limbs in the air, moving in slow, deliberate opposition. They are practising the dead bug —an oddly named but profoundly effective exercise that has become the gold standard for core stabilisation. While the name evokes the image of an overturned, struggling insect, the benefits are entirely serious. Unlike high-impact core variations, the dead bug safely challenges your abdominal wall without placing unnecessary strain on your lower back. How to Perform the Dead Bug with Flawless Form Success with the dead bug relies entirely on precision and control. Moving too quickly or losing your setup eliminates its benefits. Follow these steps to master the movement: 1. The Starting Position Lie flat on your back on a comfortable mat. Raise your arms straight up toward the ...

Laika was launched into space aboard the Soviet spacecraft Sputnik 2 on November 3, 1957. Because the technology to safely return a spacecraft from orbit had not yet been developed, her mission was, from the outset, a one-way trip. The Soviet space programme never intended her to survive. What Actually Happened For decades, the Soviet government maintained a cover-up about her end, officially claiming that she survived for several days in orbit and was eventually humanely euthanised via poisoned food before her oxygen supply ran out. However, in 2002, the true details of her final hours were declassified and made public by scientists involved in the mission: • The Launch: During liftoff, telemetry data showed that Laika was terrified. Her heart rate rocketed to more than three times its normal resting rate, and her breathing quadrupled. • The Malfunction: After reaching orbit, the capsule’s thermal control system malfunctioned, partly because the R-7 rocket core failed to separate prop...

An Appeal to the Hearts of Makumbura: Let’s Protect MMC Kottawa's Friendliest Resident! If you have passed through the Makumbura Multimodal Centre (MMC) in Kottawa, you have likely crossed paths with the gentle soul. He is a remarkably friendly, calm dog who quietly minds his own business while navigating the bustling terminal. But behind his peaceful demeanour lies a heartbreaking story of abandonment—and a pressing need for our collective help to secure his future.   The Story of a Forgotten Friend This dog wasn't always a stray. He originally belonged to a professional who sold him to another professional before migrating to Canada. Unfortunately, his second owner eventually found the responsibility too overwhelming. Instead of finding him a safe, permanent home, he was let loose in a public area and ultimately found refuge at the MMC.   A Guardian Angel: Mr. Dharmasena While some humans let him down, others restored his faith. Mr. Dharmasena, a dedicated member...

Before exploring its history, we must understand what a true Lamprais is. The word originates from the Dutch lomprijst, which loosely translates to "a packet of rice." However, a genuine Lamprais is heavily standardized by the Dutch Burgher Union of Ceylon to preserve its heritage. An authentic, traditional Lamprais contains a collection of highly specific components, layered carefully, wrapped in a double layer of wilted banana leaves, and baked: The Rice: Short-grain rice (traditionally Samba or Suwandel ) cooked in a rich, spiced meat stock. The Mixed Meat Curry: A non-thickened, dry curry traditionally combining three to four meats—beef, pork, mutton, and chicken—slow-cooked with traditional spices. Frikkadels: Dutch-style minced beef meatballs, lightly spiced and shallow-fried. Brinjal Pahi (or Pahe): A sweet, sour, and deeply savory cooked eggplant pickle. Ash Plantain Curry: Slices of starchy green banana cooked down into a dry curry. Blachan: A pungent, savory ...

Owning premium real estate is a universal dream. Landing a piece of property in a bustling commercial hub feels like the ultimate milestone. But when that dream is anchored in a capital city’s most sought-after, iconic locations, sky-rocketing prices can make it feel like a pipedream for most everyday earners.   If you look at the traditional property market, it is easy to get discouraged. However, there is a completely accessible, strategic, and remarkably inexpensive backdoor to becoming a part-owner of the city's crown jewels.   Look Closely at the City Skyline Think about the landmarks that define Colombo’s landscape: Majestic City, Unity Plaza, and Havelock City Mall. These massive, high-traffic commercial hubs generate immense value daily. But here is the piece of the puzzle that many miss: these properties are owned and managed by public companies listed on the Colombo Stock Exchange (CSE) .   The Micro-Ownership Advantage You do not need billions of ru...

For decades, the "Four-Minute Mile" was not just a running standard; it was a biological brick wall. Medical experts published papers warning that the human heart would literally rupture under the pressure. Scientists claimed the human body lacked the lung capacity and muscular endurance to sustain such a brutal pace over 1,760 yards. The world accepted this limitation as an absolute law of nature. Then came May 6, 1954. On a wet, windy afternoon at Oxford's Iffley Road track, a 25-year-old British medical student named Roger Bannister crossed the finish line in 3 minutes and 59.4 seconds . As you can see in the iconic photograph above, Bannister gave absolutely everything to that final stretch, collapsing into the arms of bystanders the moment he crossed the tape. He hadn't just won a race; he had disproven a global scientific consensus.   The Illusion of the Physical Barrier While the physical grit required to run at that pace is undeniable, the true battle ...

Sri Lanka continues to amaze me. Despite endless inefficiencies, frustrations, and systemic failures, the country somehow manages to survive without descending into complete chaos, unlike some nations that have struggled under institutional collapse. The other day, I wrote about my experience with the Consumer Affairs Authority. Ironically, the word “Authority” appears to exist in name only. Today, I had another reminder of how deeply dysfunction has seeped into everyday life. I called two of the country’s largest supermarket chains. The first greeted me with a recorded message: “Press one for Sinhala, press two for Tamil, and press three for English.” Naturally, I pressed one. The recording continued without taking me anywhere. I then pressed two, despite not understanding a word of Tamil, hoping perhaps that something might work differently. It did not. Finally, I pressed three for English, still optimistic that a human being might eventually appear on the other end. Un...

The Baggage Carousel Wait: How to Make Sure a Lost Bag Finds Its Way Back to You.   There is no worse feeling for an air traveller than watching the baggage belt stop spinning, only to realise your bag didn't make the trip with you. While airlines handle the physical search, your recovery strategy starts before you check in. If the ground crew has to track down your luggage, these 5 steps make your bag impossible to overlook: 🔹 1. Label Inside & Out Don’t just put a tag on the outside—they can get torn off on conveyor belts. Place a sheet of paper inside your bag right on top of your clothes with your full legal name (matching your passport), phone number, and destination address. 🔹 2. Ditch the Luxury Ribbons (Use a Unique Rag) Tie a distinct, brightly colored piece of cloth or rag to the handles. Avoid expensive-looking ribbons or designer luggage tags—they are targets for theft. A simple, vibrant cloth strip makes it easily identifiable to you and search ...

2009 මැයි 19 වැනිදා , දශක තුනක් පුරා ඇදී ගිය ඛේදවාචකයක නිමාව නිල වශයෙන් ප්‍රකාශයට පත් කරන විට , මුළු මහත් ජාතියක්ම සහනදායී සුසුම් හෙළුවෝය. එදා මගේ සිතට නැඟුණු ‘පුතුනේ මේ අහගන්න’ ගීතයේ සංවේදී පද වැල් අදටත් මගේ මතකයේ රැව්දෙයි . වර්ග සැතපුම් 25,000 කට වඩා මඳක් වැඩි භූමි ප්‍රමාණයකින් යුත් , ලෝක ජනගහනයෙන් සියයට තුනකටත් වඩා අඩු ජනතාවක් වෙසෙන මේ කුඩා දිවයින , මුළු ලෝකයම කළ නොහැක්කක් යැයි සිතූ දෙයක් ජයගත් බව එදා අපි ආඩම්බරයෙන් ප්‍රකාශ කළෙමු .   එම අසීරු ජයග්‍රහණය හුදෙක් සටන් බිමේ සිටි රණවිරුවන්ට පමණක් සීමා වූවක් නොවේ. ජීවිත පරිත්‍යාග කළ සහ දිවි පරදුවට තබා කටයුතු කළ ත්‍රිවිධ හමුදාවට අපගේ අසීමිත කෘතවේදීත්වය හිමි විය යුතුමය . එහෙත් , මෙම යුද ප්‍රයත්නයට උර දුන් තවත් නිහඬ වීරයන් පිරිසක් සිටියහ. තමන්ගේ මව්බිමේ ආර්ථිකය පවත්වාගෙන යාම සඳහා වෙහෙස වී විදේශ විනිමය එවූ විදෙස්ගත ශ්‍රමිකයෝ ද , හදිසි අවස්ථාවලදී රෝහල්වල පෝලිම් ගැසී සිය රුධිරය පරිත්‍යාග කළ සාමාන්‍ය ජනතාව මෙන්ම වෘත්තිකයෝ ද ඒ අතර වූහ. එබැවින් , මේ ජයග්‍රහණයේ අයිතිය සහ කෘතවේදීත්වය සමාජයේ එක් කොටසකට පමණක් නොව , සමස්ත ශ්‍රී ලාංකික සමාජයටම...

  Beyond Ancient Origins: A Shared Future for a United Sri Lanka The overwhelming scientific consensus confirms that Homo sapiens originated in Africa.  From that singular cradle, humanity branched out to populate every corner of the globe.  This profound genetic and archaeological truth renders bitter geopolitical debates over "who arrived first" on any shore fundamentally obsolete. Instead of looking backwards to score historical points, the defining question of our era must be: How do we live, work, and prosper together while fiercely respecting one another’s languages, cultures, beliefs, and traditions? Today, Sri Lanka faces challenges far too severe to waste collective energy on ancient grievances.  Our nation is navigating an unprecedented economic crisis, burdened by a total public debt that sits near US$97 billion, with over US$37 billion in external liabilities alone.  The resulting economic hardships, systemic instability, and deep anxiety abou...