Appreciating Sri Lanka Natural Heritage

Appreciating Sri Lanka Natural Heritage

From the cascading torrents, the burbling springs, the gentle rivulets to the quiet pools and giant lakes the waters of Sri Lanka are home to a myriad of creatures of great diversity. Among them are the fresh water fish found only in this habitat and endemic to our country.

The Sri Lanka Telecom alender for 2007 portrays a journey into the little known world of fresh water fish showcasing a preview that illustrates in detail their exquisite beauty as well as the importance of helping to protect them and their habitat of future generations. Dr. Lester Jamen Pieris, Sri Lanka's veteran film director, commenting on the 2007 calender of SLT said, ' The calender is pictorially effective. The colours and the attention to detail are very pleasing, while serving as a source of knowledge.

Further elaborating on the artists appeal of the calender renowned film director Sumithra Pieris also commented, saying, Visually fish are very restful to the eye and to the mind. It is very artistic and appealing to nature lovers who could frame the picture later on as well as to children as means of learning about Sri Lanka's natural heritage. It brings out the message of conservation as well as creating awareness in a subtle manner. This heightens its aesthetic value.

Veteran actress Iranganie Serasingha who is also a renowned environmental conservationist said, ' my immediate reaction at having seen this calender is that this is a marvelous effort by SLT. It helps to create awareness. People will realise the importance of preserving what is unique to us, because once these creatures become extinct, we cannot get them back. The public fails to realise that everything is interconnected and if one pert of this chain is destroyed, then the whole cycle is affected. Artistically also the calender appeals to a cross section giving a sense of good feeling even after the calender life.'

Tea

Tea
Tea was firstly introduced in Ceylon (Sri Lanka known as Ceylon then) in 1824 at the botanical gardens at Peradeniya in Kandy.they were brought from China and later more were introduced from Assam in 1839.A Scottish planter call James Taylor planted tea seedlings on eight hectares of forest land which had been actually cleared for coffee plantation. Two years later blight destroyed the whole coffee corp. and the all planters had to turn to tea as a result of James Taylor’s encouragement.

The first sale of Looll kandara tea was held in Kandy in 1872, and exporting of Tea started with 23 pounds (approximately 10 kg) being shipped to London in 1873.

The first public Tea auction was held in Ceylon in 1880 and The Ceylon Tea Traders Association was formed in 1884.To extend the facility of research work and to improve the industry The Tea Research Institute was established at Talawakelle in 1925.
Growing of tea is classified by elevation in to three main Groups,

1) Low grown teas those grown bellow 550m
2) Medium grown teas those grown from 550 to 1220m
3) The high grown teas those grown from 1220m up to about 2500m

Quality tea should meet all the criteria a tea drinker would look for: such as Flavor, an attractive bright coppery or orange color, good liquoring properties, which give body or strength to the tea, and fragrance. All the type of Tea produced in Sri Lanka is flavored by different drinkers of worldwide.
The high grown verities, with their light taste, weak color and strong aroma are proffered by German and Japan.Medium grown teas with their good mix of liquor, color are popular in Australia, Europe and North America.Low grown teas with their thick taste and strong color are popular in Middle East.
Present day marketers have introduced verity of flavored teas in to the domestic and export markets.

Simple, Comfortable & unpretentious

Three words that summed up my experience dining at Insideout. Invited to indulge my senses in something different, little did I realize that I found the perfect place to unwind. One immediately feels at ease, closely followed by sense of elation at discovering a place where relaxation and homeliness is second nature. Tranquility is occasionally interrupted by the sound of world going on outside, but you know that you have found a place where you can take a brief reprieve, sink into the comfortable chairs and savour the breathtaking array of cuisine, be it Italian or Indian or just take in a warm cup of coffee. And if you are looking for something special then head straight for the wide variety of authentic, custom made ans electric mix of items - scented candles, tapestries, wooden picture frames, cups, plates and stationary - holding a little surprise that appeals to the connoisseur in all us. Insideout is about indulging your senses, rekindling old memories and shutting the world away for just a little while. One is almost tempted to keep its a secret, for such a place is a rarity. In fact it's hard to believe that the coffee lounge and restaurant is located in the outskirts of the city of Colombo. making it worth dropping by Insideout.