Sudha Krishnan delivering news in the new set for Omni.

OMNI News: South Asian Edition at 8 p.m. on OMNI.2  recently unveiled a new look of its newscast, with anchor Sudha Krishnan delivering the latest local, national and international news from the OMNI Television newsroom in the heart of Toronto at Yonge and Dundas Square. As part of OMNITelevision’s mandate to inform and entertain viewers, while reflecting Canada’s regions and multicultural and multiracial nature, the new broadcast from the OMNI Television newsroom will now give audiences across the country a glimpse of the energetic and vibrant journalists working for their communities.

Former Sri Lankan cricketer Sanath Jayasuriya (left) and his South African counterpart Mark Boucher sit inside the Toronto Blue Jays dugout on Friday May 11, 2012. (Pictures by Mahesh Abeyewardene)

Former Sri Lankan cricket all-rounder Sanath Jayasuriya will lead an Asian team following the withdrawal of all Pakistani players from T20 cricket match at the Rogers Center in Toronto later today.

The Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB) refused to release the players which included Shahid Afridi who was the initial candidate for Asian skipper. Former West Indian great Brian Lara will lead the World team.

Organizers say they spent the last few days trying to convince the PCB to release the players for the match, and even requested government-level intervention through the Pakistan High Commission at the eleventh hour.

Meanwhile, Pakistani players are preparing for a bi-lateral series against Sri Lanka which starts on May 29.

Asian team captain Sanath Jayasuriya (left) and Canadian skipper Rizwan Cheema (right) during a press conference at the Rogers Center.

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Sivanandan with his wife Rohini in Toronto, Canada. (Picture by Mahesh Abeyewardene)

For over five decades S. Sivanandan has been associated with the Sri Lankan Cinema. This veteran of Sinhala film industry has dedicated his entire career to the industry from his early days.

Lester James Peiris autographs one of his books at his Dickmen’s Road residence, Bambalapitiya, to remember 50 years of association with Sivanandan.

No other person in the industry with the wealth of talent Sivanandan possesses has worked in various capacities in the Sinhala Cinema. He directed movies and held senior administrative positions in the government and private sector of the Sri Lankan film industry.

His final assignment was as Assistant General Manager of State Film Corporation under the chairmanship of veteran Sri Lankan industrialist Anton Wickremasinghe.

Wickremasinghe produced the record breaking movie ‘Gamperaliya’ which won the Golden Peacock award at the International Film Festival held in New Delhi. While in the private sector Sivanandan held various positions at Cinemas under its chairman K. Gunaratnam. It was  late  S.  M.  Nayagam who produced   the   first   Sinhala   movie

‘Kadawunu Poronduwa’ (Broken Promise) with a cast of B. A. W. Jayamanne, Rukmani Devi and her hus- band Eddie Jayamanne.

Sivanandan, a true lover of the Sinhala Cinema, is a native of Jaffna and received his early education in Hatton where his father was a government servant working for Public Works Depart- ment (PWD) in the up-country.

Sivanandan with actress Anula Karunatilleke at the Sumathi awards held at the Sugathadasa indoor Stadium. Anula received lifetime achievement award.

His grandfather was a wealthy busi- nessman from Nuwara Eliya. There was no question that Sivanandans were a wealthy family in the up-country and as any rich man’s son Sivanandan also got his final brush up in his early education at the Aquinas Colombo. Before moving to Colombo he was a student at Jaffna College, Vaddukoddai.

The movie ‘Oba Dutu Da’ directed by Sivanandan was a box office hit and received Sarasavi Award for one of the best five films produced in 1966. Thirty films were produced that year. The cast of his film included Gamini Fonseka, Jeevarani Kulukulasooriya, Sandya Kumari, Iranganie Serasinghe, Hugo Fernando and Bandu Gunasekera.

The film was edited by Titus Thotawatte while dialogues were by K. A. W. Perera. R. Muthusamy produced music. Irangani Serasinghe received the best actress award for her role in ‘Oba Dutu Da’ which was produced by K. Gunaratnam, Chairman of Cinemas Ltd. By the time he made this film, Sivanandan was a top executive at Cinemas designated as their publicity Manager. Later he was appointed Import Supplies and Sales Manager of the State Film Corporation which came under D. B. Nihalsinghe, CEO and General Manager.

Sivanandan, Lester and Sumithra Peiris.

Shortly afterwards in 1960 Gunaratnam embarked on  a  box  office  hit ‘Sandeshaya’ directed by Lester James Peiris with Ananda Jayaratne, Gamini Fonseka and that beautiful actress Kanthie Gunatunga as its leading stars.

After the inauguration of Vijaya Studios, Wattala, Siavanandan functioned as the first Assistant Director of the movie ‘Adata Wediya Heta Hondai’, the maiden production of the new facility. He was also Assistant Director for ‘Deevarayo’ and ‘Uda Rata Menike’.

He was involved in the productions of several foreign movies. He was a close associate of late Gamini Fonseka and veteran film maker Dr. Lester James Peiris for over 50 years.

Broken Dance's act on Canada's Got Talent comprised of 10 dancers ranging in age 19 to 25. (Citytv)

Mississauga-based South Asian dance group “Broken Dance” reached the finals of Canada’s Got Talent on Citytv last night.

Broken Dance has a purpose, to showcase South Asian Dance to Canada. This not only includes Bollywood, which is a big aspect of their group, but also other unique styles of dance native to India. They would like Canada to see their talent as South Asians, but also as Canadians. Broken Dance represents what Canada is all about, which is diversity and multiculturalism, and of course ambition and talent.

Broken Dance started when Chase Constantino wanted to form a group to showcase the talents in South Asian dance. He contacted some of the best South Asian dancers he knew, which were also some of his best friends, to join him and help him carry this vision. Their entry into Canada’s Got Talent started with the dream to showcase their choreography and vision with Canada.

The 12 finalists will perform a final time for viewer votes Sunday at 8 p.m. on Citytv. The winner of Canada’s Got Talent will be announced next Monday night.

TSC 2012 Poster

The world’s largest annual Tamil Studies Conference will draw hundreds of leading international scholars, activists and students to the University of Toronto from May 11 to 12, to discuss questions of Tamil history, politics, arts, identity and gender.

In its seventh year, the Conference will focus on “Traces of the Past.” Specifically, scholars will examine how people understand and reflect upon the past, and how this in turn shapes the contemporary world.

According to a news release today,  over 30 presenting academics from different disciplines, attendees will have access to a wide range of perspectives and topics, such as:

• Magazines and the Poetics of Literary Criticism;
• Second World War and plantation Tamils in Malaysia;
• The Transnational Government of Tamil Eelam and the Routinization of Charisma: Problems and Projections;
• Tracing a Literary History for Postcolonial Tamil Poetry from Sri Lanka; and
• Absence of Nostalgia in the Writings of Immigrant Tamil Women

“Since the virtual demise of the International Association for Tamil Research (IATR), the annual Tamil Studies Conference of Toronto has become the academic forum for Tamil studies in a globalizing world,” stated A.R.Venkatachalapathy, ICCR Chair Professor of Indian Studies at the National University of Singapore.

The Conference is turning Toronto into a hub for Tamil Studies in North America, allowing Tamil diaspora and the broader community to engage with scholars from academic institutions around the world. This year’s conference includes academics from Canada, Sri Lanka, India, United States, United Kingdom, Japan and many more. Organized by the Universities of Toronto and Windsor, the conference also encourages students to develop a deeper interest in Tamil Studies.

Koom Kankesan, Mary Anne Mohanraj and Shyam Selvadurai. (Pictures by Oviyan Photography)

The first evening of the Samadhana 2012 Benefit Reading Series presented by Sri Lankans Without Borders kicked off last month at the ING Direct Downtown Café in Toronto with Shyam Selvadurai, Mary Anne Mohanraj and Koom Kankesan reading to a packed audience.  The accompanying panel discussion saw questions from novice writers trying to break into publishing to those interested in the idea of diaspora writers as public intellectuals.

The first installment of this year-long series also included PEN Canada’s Brendan de Caires, who discussed cases of violations of freedom of expression in Sri Lanka, as well as the acknowledgement of the Empty Chair Campaign honourary member Nasrin Sotoudeh, a human rights lawyer imprisoned in Iran.

The first reader was Koom Kankesan, who read from his hilarious, heartfelt, coming of age story, The Panic Button.  Listeners were rapt by Kankesan’s booming voice, which he used without a microphone for much of the reading.  His story was peppered with the awkward humor of the cultural clash between a young Tamil immigrant man and the burgeoning love his character finds with a white woman.

Shyam Selvadurai began with his introduction from Story-Wallah!

Mary Anne Mohanraj spoke on a sweeping range of subjects including her relationship to Sri Lanka after her recent visit for the first time since childhood.  She also discussed her obligation to engage political themes in her work, whether in the context of the personal, sexual or social.  Mohanraj then read from her upcoming work about her return to Sri Lanka and her feelings of trepidation and excitement in returning.  She spoke with personal asides that lent a seriousness to the evening at points, and more lighthearted moments at others.  When she spoke of being blocked from visiting Sri Lanka at the age of twelve, there was a moment of strong emotions both from author and from the audience.  It was a familiar moment voiced eloquently, even where words briefly failed.

Shyam Selvadurai began with his introduction from Story-Wallah! the essay collection he edited in which he discusses ‘writing from the hyphen’ of his Sri Lankan-Canadian identity.  He next read from the beloved Funny Boy and the familiar passage of the game of bride-bride.  The challenge of the passage still rings true today: where through the eyes of children we see the futility of name-calling and its success only in alienating others.

Moderator Sultan Ameerali then led a discussion amongst the authors, who contextualized the new experience of speaking to a multi-cultural Sri Lankan audience in Toronto in light of their previous experiences in Sri Lanka and elsewhere around the world.  The authors agreed that the night’s gathering may be the beginning of a new, constructive discussion.

The Samadhana 2012 Benefit Reading Series will run bi-monthly throughout the rest of the year.  In addition to showcasing diaspora Sri Lankan writing from Canada and USA, the series is raising funds for children’s literacy programs in Aboriginal communities in Canada and rural communities in Sri Lanka.

The next evening of readings will take place on May 9, 2012 and will feature V.V. Ganeshananthan (Love Marriage), Isankya Kodithuwakku (The Banana Tree Crisis) and spoken word poetry by Meena Serendib (An Open Love Letter to the Tamil Man and Sinhala Spring);

More information and tickets are available online at http://slwb.ca/samadhana2012.

Sri Lankans Without Borders (SLWB) is a growing not-for-profit network based in Toronto, Canada that provides young Canadians of Sri Lankan origin with opportunities to connect, build and lead initiatives that promote dialogue, reconciliation and peace in the diaspora community in Canada and for all communities in Sri Lanka. For more information, please visit www.slwb.ca.

Courtesy SLWB

Kumar Sangakkara named as Leading International Cricketer in the World and one of Wisden’s Five Cricketers of the Year. (File Picture Mahesh Abeyewardene)

Kumar Sangakkara named as Leading International Cricketer in the World and one of Wisden’s Five Cricketers of the Year

Sri Lanka batsman Kumar Sangakkara has achieved the unprecedented feat of being selected as both Wisden’s Leading International Cricketer in the World and one of its Five Cricketers of the Year, in the 2012 edition of Wisden Cricketers’ Almanack, due to be published in the UK tomorrow.

In naming him Leading International Cricketer in the World for 2011, Wisden says: “In 2011, no one came close to matching the 2,267 runs Kumar Sangakkara scored in all international cricket. Overall, no one made more than Sangakkara’s five hundreds or his 13 fifties and he now stands alone in topping 1,000 runs in both Tests and one-day internationals in a single year on three occasions.

Wisden Cricketer's Almanack 2012.

“But Sangakkara had other virtues too. He had adaptability, scoring Test centuries in the damp of Southampton and the humidity of South Africa, and compiling a double-hundred in the stifling heat of Abu Dhabi. He showed leadership, captaining Sri Lanka to the World Cup final and taking over again for the Rose Bowl Test in England.  And, in earning a standing ovation for his MCC Cowdrey Lecture – he showed that a cricketer’s talents need not be limited to the field of play.”

Sangakkara is profiled in the 149th edition of the Almanack by David Hopps, who writes: “Two days after his {Cowdrey} Lecture, Sangakkara made 75 out of 174 in a one-dayer at Trent Bridge. It was a reminder that he had every right to comment on the iniquities of Sri Lankan cricket – a right conferred by 11 years as an international player, more than 18,000 runs, two years of captaincy, an intellectual’s grasp of his subject and a leader’s passion for the cause. Sangakkara had become a rare example of a sportsman who provided revelations on and off the field.”

The Five Cricketers of the Year are chosen by the editor of Wisden, and represent a tradition that dates back to 1889, making this the oldest individual award in cricket. Excellence in, or influence on, the previous English summer are the major criteria for inclusion as a Cricketer of the Year. No one can be chosen more than once.

Also named alongside Sangakkara as Wisden Cricketers of the Year are England players Alastair Cook and Tim Bresnan, Lancashire’s Championship-winning captain Glen Chapple and Worcestershire bowler Alan Richardson.

Douglas Orane, Chairman and Chief Executive Officer, GraceKennedy holds a can Coconut Water during his visit to Toronto. (Pictures by Mahesh Abeyewardene)

Sri Lankans living in Canada will enjoy a special treat to quench their thirst this summer. “We will launch a coconut drink made with Sri Lankan coconuts in the Tetra Pak format this May. It will have a distinct taste of Sri Lankan coconut water,” said Lucky Lankage, Chief Executive Office GraceKennedy (Ontario) Inc.

Lucky Lankage, Chief Executive Officer GraceKennedy (Ontario) Inc.

His comments came during the Toronto visit of Douglas Orane, Chairman and Chief Executive Officer, GraceKennedy to celebrate the company’s 90^th anniversary.

Currently, coconut water drinks are sold by GraceKennedy in the canned format. The popular drink is made with Thai coconuts available in the mainstream market at most major supermarkets. GraceKennedy has made several inroads in the market across the country with big supermarket chains lining up to sell their products.

Five years ago we experienced difficulty selling a single case of coconut water in Halifax, Nova Scotia. Today, the landscape has changed and the product is flying off shelves in that city, says Lankage.

On February 14th 2012, GraceKennedy marked its 90th year of operations in Jamaica.

Today GraceKennedy is one of the Caribbean’s largest and most dynamic corporate entities. The GraceKennedy group comprises a varied network of some 60 subsidiaries and associated companies located across the Caribbean and in North and Central America and the United Kingdom. Operations span the food distribution, financial insurance remittance hardware retailing and food processing industries.