Coffee Table

L.T.P. Manjusri was born in 1902 in Aluthgama, a small fishing village near Galle in Southern Sri Lanka, and died a national hero in 1982, having had an extraordinary life. His story is a commentary on the cultural history of 20th Century Sri Lanka. His contribution to art and the history of art spans the previous century to the birth and development of modern art in the country. 

Manjusri's works are found in many galleries, including the Sapumal Foundation and the National Art Gallery in Colombo, Horniman Museum in London, Kunst Historiches Museum in Vienna, New York Public Library, Columbia University Library, Metropolitan Museum in New York and in numerous private collections.

After giving up robes in 1949, he worked as a journalist at Lake House Newspapers until his retirement in 1968. He wrote more than 200 articles pertaining to temple paintings, Asian art and culture. Recognised both in Sri Lanka and internationally, his many accolades include the Ramon Magsasay Award. He died a national hero.

The life and times of Jeronis Pieris, as seen through his letters

Sri Lanka marked 70 years of independence on February 4th 2018. While there is much to celebrate in our overthrowing a 500-year yoke of colonial rule and embracing democratic politics, it is undeniable that Sri Lanka's post-independence trajectory has also been rather turbulent and bloody. Communal riots, youth insurrections, natural disasters and a protracted civil war have cast a long, brooding shadow across recent decades. Any reflection on our past must therefore acknowledge the positive advances we have made as a nation as well as question and learn from our less positive experiences.

The Archive of Memory is a collection of 70 narrative fragments that offer compelling, personalized perspectives on these past 70 years. They recall significant moments in our post-independence history through mundane, everday objects as well as unique artefacts and souvenirs. 

Sri Lanka marked 70 years of independence on February 4th 2018. While there is much to celebrate in our overthrowing a 500-year yoke of colonial rule and embracing democratic politics, it is undeniable that Sri Lanka's post-independence trajectory has also been rather turbulent and bloody. Communal riots, youth insurrections, natural disasters and a protracted civil war have cast a long, brooding shadow across recent decades. Any reflection on our past must therefore acknowledge the positive advances we have made as a nation as well as question and learn from our less positive experiences.

The Archive of Memory is a collection of 70 narrative fragments that offer compelling, personalized perspectives on these past 70 years. They recall significant moments in our post-independence history through mundane, everday objects as well as unique artefacts and souvenirs. 

Inspiring Sri Lanka's current and future generations of youth through the stories of successful and innovative leaders, entrepreneurs and drivers of change.

Driven by their passion for social entrepreneurship, unbridled love for Sri Lanka, and aspiration for a thriving future for their country, Indira and Hashendra have collaborated to write I Am Inspired, a consolidation of anecdotes, insights and reflections of inspirational leader with Sri Lankan roots based in the country and around the world. The book is a ground-breaking literary creation produced to inspire and encourage youth to shed their inhibitions and take a leap of faith in pursuing their passions. Spanning across eight chapters, the consolidated biographical portraits envelop areas most critical to Sri Lanka's development. 

100% of book proceeds will be donated to the Sparklers Foundation, for the purpose of:

1) Designing a textbook version of I Am Inspired in Sinhala and Tamil for distribution in high schools. The sale of one copy of I Am Inspired will fund the production and distribution of 10 textbooks.

2) Running capacity-building programs for young Sri Lankans exhibiting exceptional entrepreneurial and leadership skills.

For more information, please visit www.sparklers-foundation.org

The mysteries of the world are all but gone. For thousands of years, Sri Lanka was the abode of the martial art Angampora, a sophisticated ancient discipline that was fortified with military philosophy, a deep spiritual connection with nature, and a deadly array of combat techniques. The dramatic saga of this exotic art begins with legends that date back to the dim recesses of time and unfolds to the present day, where it has survived after enduring the onslaughts of three centuries of colonialism and political unrest in Sri Lanka's recent past.

Angampora: A Nation's Legacy in Pictures is a stunning pictorial narrative of this ageless martial art. For the first time in the world, the art will be showcased in breathtaking pictures that captures the vast span of its influence on Sri Lanka's history and culture. From artefacts never seen before to combat techniques that have remained in supreme secrecy for centuries; and illustrating the art's vibrant esoteric rituals as well as its secretive and deadly node science, Angampora: A Nation's Legacy in Pictures brings to the world an unparalleled work of Sri Lankan research and photography. Written by Deshamanya Ajantha Mahanthaarachchi, the heir of the Korathota Aracchis, one of Sri Lanka's oldest surviving Angam lineages, and photographed by Reza Akram, this book is a seminal work on an undiscovered cultural legacy of Sri Lanka.

Exorcism and healing rites

Entrenched in a culturally prestigious past from where the religious and cultural traditions of Buddhism and Hinduism have entwined, the healing rites of Sri Lanka find their most brilliant expression in the exorcisms known as Yak Tovil, which are practiced on the south and south west coast of the island. This book of which the photos were taken at a time which now considered the golden age of modern Tovil, was born from a meeting between an Australian anthropologist and a French photographer-journalist.