A Church procession, St. Mary's Church, Avissawella, Sri Lanka.

The house on the hill, Avissawella, Sri Lanka.

There are so many micro-wave antennas on hill tops surrounding Avissawella. The incidence of lightening strikes on the surrounding human settlements and civilian deaths in the surrounding areas is reported frequently.
Various factors have been attributed to the increased incidents of lightning strikes. One of the factors which has been cited is increased air pollution.
The second factor which has been cited is the installation of lightening ARRESTERS which actively repel lightening strikes on the antennae on the hills, protecting valuable electronic equipment. This would deflect the normal strike of lightening on the hills where these antennae are installed. The lightening charge would find an alternate path to the surrounding human settlements.
The older type of lightening CONDUCTORS would safeguard the settlements.
Correct me if I am wrong. Is there any answer to this problem?

Jak fruits, thrown down wantonly by the monkeys, Kosgama, Avissawella, Sri Lanka.

Monkeys are protected animals in present Sri Lanka. Crackers might frighten them but they return in large numbers to wreak vengeance. Coconut fruits, bananas, rambuttan etc. are their targets.

Colours, Avissawella, Sri Lanka.

Flowers, Avissawella, Sri Lanka.

'Crab claws', growing in the wild, Avissawella, Sri Lanka.

Garden Lizard on the prowl, Avissawella, Sri Lanka.

Watch video :-

http://youtu.be/LhBB52mS4qE

Plants, Home garden, Avissawella, Sri Lanka.

Lighting the flame, Sports meet, St Mary's Vidyalaya, Avissawella, Sri Lanka.

Sports meet, St. Mary's College, Avissawella, Sri Lanka.

Before the annual Sports Meet, St.Mary's Vidyalaya, Avissawella, Sri Lanka.

Scenes, post 'Ves mangalya', St. Mary's Vidyalaya, Avissawella, Sri Lanka.

Testing the 'Bera'.

Testing the 'Horanawa'.

Getting ready after the 'Ves Mangalya', St. Mary's Vidyalaya, Avissawella, Sri Lanka.

'Ves Mangalya', St Mary's Vidyalaya, Avissawella, Srii Lanka.

Waiting for the auspicious hour to place the cap on the head of each member of the band.

Getting a school oriental band ready for a performance, St. Mary's College, Avissawella, Sri Lanka.

Applying 'make-up'.

Lining up.

Oriental band ‘Ves Mangalya’.

Please click on the web-link below to see a video of the event :-

http://youtu.be/s6Ked11M5vU

Flowers, home garden, Avissawella, Sri Lanka.

Flowers, home garden, Avissawella, Sri Lanka.

A multi-colored Rose in bloom.

Mango-flowers in bloom.

Hartley College and Methodist Girls' High School, Point Pedro, Sri Lanka, more than 150 years after founding.

Entrance to the Methodist Girls' High School.

Entrance to Hartley College, Point-Pedro.

1.    Hartley celebrated 100 years of its founding in 1952 when I was a student there. It was claimed by our teachers that it was founded by the Rev. Peter Percival 125 years earlier, even though we celebrated 100 years of its founding.

2.    Prof. Eliezer, Professor of Mathematics at the University of Ceylon and Mr. K.B. Ratnayake from Anuradhapura, later a cabinet minister studied there. Mr. J. N. Arumugam another Alumnus became a member of the Ceylon Civil Service. Mr. Navaratnam who became a Superintendent of Police in the late 1960s and Mr. Anandaraja who became Inspector General of Police studied at Hartley. Dr. Jeganathan my batch mate at Hartley became the Director General of Health Services and I was Senior Surgeon at the National Hospital of Sri Lanka in the late 1990s. Mr. Chinniah a batch mate in the HSC joined the ‘Dufferin’ in India to train in the Merchant marine. He rose up in his field and became the harbour-master in Colombo and later took part in the education of youngsters in the Merchant Marine. There was Kirupaharan from Thunnalai my hostel mate at Hartley who immigrated to Germany. He became a Director of a large container firm in Bremen. He donated a school bus to Hartley and gave funds to rebuild the Hartley Hostel. There were numerous others in varied fields which I lose count of.

Philip G Veerasingam

Scenes at a wedding reception, Avissawella, Sri Lanka.

The wedding cake.

Salad

Main item of rice/noodles.

Dessert.

A wedding reception in Avissawella, Sri Lanka.

Welcoming lights.

Kandyan dancers escorting the newly-wed couple to the reception hall.

Fireworks display