The Sri Lanka Law College held its annual carol ser-

vice on December 18 organized by the Chris-tian Students Fellowship (SCF) under the patron-age of Principal Dr. W D Rodrigo PC. The special invitees for the evening were the Attorney Gener-al Palitha Fernando PC and Supreme Court Judge Justice Priyasath Dep PC. The carol ser-vice was held at the Law College’s main hall with the attendance of stu-dents, lectures and staff as well as parents and well wishers.

The carols included Sinhala and Tamil songs as well in keeping with the trilingual composite in the country and brought out the spirit of togetherness and unity. The Attorney General in his speech spoke of his own fond memories of the traditional Law Col-lege carols held every year which he had wit-

nessed first as a student and later as a lecturer of the college. He gave a brief history about the tradition of caroling and its history in Britain. The tradition of Christmas carols shows the amity and goodwill that pre-vails amongst communi-ties of different faiths noted the AG and that it is very much part of our country’s culture.

The evening included a nativity play and a spe-cial performance seg-ment by the children of the Hulsdorp parish who were invited to be part of the occasion. Christmas gifts were handed to the kids by the AG Fernando, Justice Dep and Dr. Rod-rigo in keeping with the spirit of Christmas and its message of the joys of giving. The evening concluded with the carol-ers chorusing ‘Feliz Navi-da’ to wish everyone a merry Christmas from the bottom of their hearts.

Marco Facchetti, Designer for ‘Thomas Mason’

and Dante Cortinovis, Head of Sales, both of Ita-ly's Albini Group were in Sri Lanka over the Christ-mas season to establish and introduce the Thomas Mason brand to its Sri Lankan clientele.

The brand goes back to 1750 England when Sir Thomas Mason, one of the leading entrepreneurs

of the English textile industry, started working right in the middle of the Industrial Revolution.

He was a man ahead of his time and one who was capable of taking the opportunity in a sector that, up until then, had only counted on a large manual component.

Nearly half a century later in 1796, Sir Thomas Mason foresaw the cur-rent potential and found-

ed one of the first cotton fabric factories in Leeds for shirts.

The fabrics, which were top quality even then, were used by West End London tailors for he aris-tocracy and rich upper class and were later exported all over the Brit-ish Empire and every-where else in the world.

With the expansion of the British Empire during the Victorian era, the industry founded by Sir Thomas Mason grew and consolidated itself, becom-ing a benchmark for Brit-ish male elegance.

“We're happy to bring the Thomas Mason brand to Sri Lanka and thereby join hands with the Envoy Mansion.

The Sri Lankan clien-tele is one that is con-stantly exposed to world sartorial trends. It is very discerning and knows exactly what it wants.

The Thomas Mason brand which has become a universal standard for

men's elegance fulfills just that requirement. I'm con-fident more and more Sri Lankans will migrate to Thomas Mason and thus be at their sartorial best,” Albini Group Head of Sales Dante Cortinovis stated.

Two decades ago in 1992, Thomas Mason was acquired by the Albini family of Italy, together with its two-century long history of excellence. Thomas Mason fabrics, inspired by the collections inside the historical archives, then created the Silverline and Goldline collections, besides the seasonal collections, which all still represent the benchmark for lovers of the fine British taste.

“With such an impres-sive array of shirt fabrics, Albini has become a major player for shirting fabrics in all three major markets: high-end bespoke, made-to-measure and ready to wear”, Corti-novis added.

TexT and PicTure by ruzaik Farook

Memons association of Sri Lanka organ-ized ‘Memons Get together’ which was held at the Taj Samudra Hotel, colombo

recently under the patronage of indian High commissioner ashok k kantha.

Charming, serene and peaceful The Firs at Nuwara Eliya offers the

weary traveler connoisseur luxu-ry, repose and indulgence for a relaxing holiday. This latest lux-ury boutique hotel was launched recently with the intention of providing holiday makers an exclusive holiday experience.

The Firs sits pretty aloft a lit-tle hillock overlooking Lake Gregory in Nuwara Eliya, the loftiest region of the Sri Lankan Hill country. The old bungalow has undergone a metamorphosis and renovations that have trans-formed the place in to the mod-ern era. This boutique bungalow was originally built over one and half centuries ago by Philip Freudenberg, Ceylon’s first Imperial German Counsel. Years later, the sons of Philip Freuden-berg sold the property as they left Ceylon in early 1900s.

The bungalow was then acquired by late Prime Minister D S Senenayake and became his holiday home. Ownership of the bungalow then passed on to his two son’s Dudley and Robert, with the bungalow remaining with the family for over 100 years to date. It is said that D S Denanayake, Dudly and Robert visited their holiday home quite often in that day in pursuance of golf, bridge-playing and photog-raphy. It was also the place Dud-ley Senanayake was first offered the role of Prime Minister fol-

lowing his father D S Senanay-ake’s demise in 1952.

The Firs is considered to be a true Sri Lankan up market ‘Her-itage Boutique Bungalow’ that beckons historical value and has been conceptualized according to the British Colonial era with the intention of providing the same experience that was availa-ble during the British Monar-chy. Today, after undergoing upgrades, The Firs now follows the very same concept, ensuring that every aspect of the property is about luxury and is designed to reflect the unique spirit and

soul of its location, providing guests a one-of-a-kind luxury experience.

Rooms consist of two super luxury suites with old world charm and elegance and three other beautifully furnished deluxe rooms. Stephen’s Suite, named after the first Prime Min-ister of Sri Lanka is the room owned by him when he came on holiday to the bungalow.

Its luxuries include private dining, a huge four poster bed, fireplace and a signature almirah made out of five types of wood and a jacuzzi. Molly’s Suite is named after Emily Maud Dunu-wila, the wife of D S Senanay-ake.

The suite is specially designed to keep her tastes alive with the room’s signature piece being a beautiful writing table used by her which has been re-constructed and is now in use as a wash stand. With luxurious soft furnishings and styling, as well as top-line amenities – visi-tors are privy to a personalized unique butler service for every room.

The game rooms include chess, billiards, darts and other games with comfortable lounges and spacious dining rooms to make this holiday accommoda-tion on the edge of the hills absolutely irresistible.

At the end of an adventurous day, one can de-stress with a glass of their favourite drink

enjoying the sunset at the upper level Phillip’s Attic bar, or per-haps settle for a continental style exquisite dining experi-ence made to ones individual preference.

The Firs offers many excur-sions and tours which cover the natural beauty of Nuwara Eliya including adventurous hikes to World’s End or a casual game of golf at the Famous Victoria Golf Club, St. Andrew’s Chruch and the spectacular botanical gar-dens are also excursion friendly. In addition, the Sita Eliya which is situated in close proximity tells the historical story of how King Ravana hid princess Sita from Hanuman.

Today, there is a Hindu tem-ple on the rock

The Firs is managed by A Lankathilaka, an industry pro-fessional counting over 30 years in the hospitality industry including working at the Palace of the Sultan of Oman, Carnival Cruise Lines in Miami, Florida, a short stint at the Syhyha National Corporation for Tour-ism in Saudi Arabia as well as several hotels and clubs in Sri Lanka.

The Firs, like its Kandy flag-ship - ‘Randholee Luxury Resort’, is managed by Freuden-berg Leisure (Pvt) Ltd and is designed to reflect the unique spirit and soul of its location, providing guests a one-of-a-kind luxury experience.

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Molly's Suite

Front view

Portray of Senanayake family pictures

Selladurai (Butler who's been with the family for over 35 years) & Mrs. Senanayake

Front Entrance

The Firs opens its doors in the hill country

Anis Sattar and his wife

Mr. & Mrs. Hashim Omar Sulaiman and his wife

Mr. & Mrs. Arshad

Organizing Committee

Hussain Bhaila

Memons get together

Sri Lanka Law College carol service

thomas mason join hands with envoy mansion

Dante Cortinovis handing over a material as a token of appreciation to Fouzul Hameed. Picture by Lalith C Gamage