When the pandemic was at its peak in Sri Lanka, our national parks were closed for a few months. Listen to a local expert in wildlife and find out whether the long closures gave the animals a much-needed break from overcrowded parks and how the impact of the pandemic has affected the conservation efforts in Sri Lanka. 

"Wildlife expert Nuwan Amarasuriya from Authenticities in conversation with wilderness guide & sustainable tourism consultant, Arran Sivarajah from Ceylon Wild Safaris."

Our guest today is Malik Fernando, Founder and Managing Director of Resplendent Ceylon, a collection of luxury boutique hotels in Sri Lanka.

It’s hard to even call Malik’s properties hotels. They’re more like beautiful places to rest your head wrapped into a full on experience of living life and diving into Sri Lankan culture. From the palm fringed shores of Cape Weligama, to relaxing on a working tea plantation in the mountains, to being on safari at Wild Coast Tented Lodge - you can’t get more immersed than this.

Malik’s father is a famous figure in Sri Lanka, having founded Dilmah Tea which is exported to over 100 countries around the world. When Sri Lanka opened up to tourism, Malik noticed an increasing number of tea drinkers reaching out to ask to come visit… so he renovated some bungalows and invited them to come along.

Today his 3, and soon to be 4 hotels are the top luxury options in the country.

Malik and I discuss why Sri Lanka is such an underrated destination. He also tells insider stories about the building of the lodges, their passion for community development, and why true luxury is about feeling pampered AND being immersed in the local culture.

Fatevi accompagnare alla scoperta di questa bellissima isola da Rita, una giovane donna  italiana che qui  si è trasferita circa cinque anni fa: le sue parole danno voce al fascino, alla grazia, alla bellezza che avvolgono ogni cosa in Sri Lanka!

Breve introduzione al Buddismo: non una religione, ma una  vera e propria filosofia di vita.

Nata in India e diffusasi poi in vaste zone dell'Asia orientale, questa dottrina filosofica ha segnato profondamente la sua epoca e tutte quelle successive, mantenendo intatti  il suo fascino e la sua forza fino ai giorni nostri... scopriamo insieme perchè!

Meet Professor Sarath Kotagama, a dedicated environmentalist and an ornithologist who’s here with us to shed some light on local birdlife and highlight the importance of birding and birds in Sri Lanka.

Hailing from a rural area in Bandarawela, Sri Lanka, Professor Kotagama's education extends from a reputed school till he entered the university in 1969. After completing a BSc degree in Zoology Special with a second class (Upper Division) in Marine Ecology in 1974, he continued completing his post-graduate PhD in Ornithology, studying the “Feeding and Behavioural Ecology of the Rose-Ringed Parakeet” in 1982.

With an impressive set of educational qualifications and practical experience, Professor Kotagama continued his field of work by devoting time for academic contributions at Brandeis University in the USA, Konan university in Japan and Bharathiya Agricultural university in India, appearing as a guest lecturer.

Recognised as the first professional Ornithologist in Sri Lanka in 1982, today Professor Kotagama is the chairman of the Asia Council of the Birdlife International Asia Partnership and a Global Council Member in the Birdlife International Global Council.

Asia’s most beautiful railway line? The “Main Line” cuts through tea plantations and jungle, then passes Buddhist temples and relicts of the British Empire.   In the 19th century the British built a railway in what was then their colony of Ceylon. Their idea was to transport goods such as tea from the highlands to the port of Colombo. Today it’s mainly only locals and tourists who use the so-called "Main Line." The route is considered one of the most picturesque in the whole of Asia.  Our trip takes us from the capital, Colombo, to Ella in the highlands. Our first stop is one of the country’s largest elephant orphanages. And then on to Kandy, the former capital of the Singhalese kingdom. The city is home to the famous Temple of the Tooth, which is said to house the Buddha’s top left canine. The train then winds its way further up into the highlands. We watch tea pickers at work and go to a tea factory to discover where the aroma comes from. Nuwara Eliya is Sri Lanka’s highest town at an altitude of almost 1900 meters, where a racecourse still brings the colonial era back to life. The stations have also retained their own colonial charm: in 1901, a signaling system was set up to make the long journey safer. And those suffering from the altitude can catch their breath at the final stop, the spa in Ella.

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The Tara Statue

Masterpieces of the East (A Documentary series by BBC FOUR)

Series revealing the stories behind iconic artefacts from the Indian subcontinent. This edition takes a look at the near life-size bronze statue of the Buddhist goddess Tara, which has long been one of the most striking and memorable exhibits in the Asia gallery of the British Museum. Discovered in Sri Lanka, the statue made an extraordinary journey back to Britain via the country home Sir Robert Brownrigg.

Credits - Masterpieces of the East (A Documentary series by © 2021 BBC).

Uno scorcio dei principali siti culturali e archeologici dello Sri Lanka , molti dei quali sotto la protezione dell'Unesco per la loro unicità e importanza. Scoprirete una storia antica di millenni nel visitare virtualmente questi meravigliosi luoghi.

Terrà questa sessione: SUNIL KARUNANAYAKE

Una delle storiche guide parlanti Italiano dello Sri Lanka, ha iniziato la sua esperienza con uno dei più grandi ricettivi nel 1980 e da allora ha sempre accompagnato gli Italiani alla scoperta di questo meraviglioso paese. Vanta una lunghissima conoscenza dei siti archeologici e culturali dello Sri Lanka.

Quando non fa la guida , è appassionato di sport (e di cricket come tutti i singalesi) e legge libri di avventura.

Dans la longue et complexe histoire de ce pays, autrefois Ceylan, aujourd’hui Sri Lanka, ce podcast met en lumière deux périodes particulièrement marquantes qui l’une et l’autre se déroulent dans la région du Centre : au 14e siècle, celle de l’éphémère Royaume de Gampola et son épanouissement culturel essentiellement en architecture et littérature, et aux 16e,17e et 18e siècles, celle de l’assiégé mais résistant Royaume de Kandy et ses admirables peintures murales.

Les influences et les empreintes laissaient par des portugaises, des néerlandaise et des anglaises reste encore après des siècles de la fin de la colonisation. La colonisation du Sri Lanka a commencé avec les Portugais en 1505, ensuite par les néerlandaise en 1658 .et finalement par les Britanniques 1796. Elle s'est terminée en 1948, après que les Britanniques eurent accordé l'indépendance au Sri Lanka.