Life style
Chandi works for the unheard voice of innocent children
Chandi Aluwihare has come a long way since coming into the top ten at the Mrs. International pageant in 2016. She was recognized with the ‘Silpathom’ medal in Bangkok. for her war against child prostitution. A beauty queen with beauty and brains, she is highly involved working for the unheard voice of innocent children. Recognised as the global goodwill ambassador, she has a vociferous voice to make a positive impact in society ensuring social justice, social equity and human dignity. For those who have no parents, street children, war victims, and abused kids. “My focus is to protect the love and care of underprivilged chidren. A woman with courage, strength and commitment, Chandi Aluwihare believes in the axiom ‘Beauty is not skin deep’
by Zanita Careem
An introduction to your career
To say the least, at my younger days, I was floating between what I want and what I have. Like many college students I was utterly confused on what I want in life. This made me experiment in many different fields. Fashion, management, customer relation, travel and tourism, hospitality and service, publication were few. I don’t think I will ever be satisfied with what I do, as challengers excites me and if what I do is not challenging enough I am unable to remain interested. This put me in the threshold of the next paradigm of my career, to explore and execute new ideas that are ‘business disrupters’ to find that space to leverage my diverse yet interlocked experiences.
Your emowering single mothers is a very touching concept when did yous tart and why?
We all know that extreme poverty and lack of opportunities or of serious underlining problems, women are driven to the very edge of humane existence. The QUESTION is what is the future of their children?
I was passionate about empowering children, and spent many years with less privileged children, abused children, young mothers’ etc. one thing I learnt through my involvement with children was, that most of them came from broken families and the sole breadwinner is either the mother or it is a family with a single mother. On top of that the impact of financial hardship has a strong impact on psychological wellbeing of them as well as the children.
Being a mother myself, I can very well relate to the difficulties of being a single mother. This in fact was the reason I decided to find ways to strengthen their income sources, their abilities, their mindset, and last but not least their personality to stand on their own.
At this tragic moment where women are thrown out of employment sometimes they are the sole the bread winners. They juggle betweenhome and work. How can we overcome these problems?
This has being a social distress throughout that has no permanent solution. Unemployment with dependents can lead to isolation, anxiety, depression, paranoia, and even suicidal thoughts. When a woman become the primary financial provider, they feel the financial pressure in an undermining husband’s masculinity and in deepening conflicts between employment and mothering.
Having said that, the COVID-19 pandemic has a major threat to the working women. Social distancing, lockdowns sent unemployment rates skyrocketing and millions of jobs disappearing, economy is especially hard on working mothers. COVID-19 massive disruption to employment, childcare, and school routine has crippled the economy and pushed millions of women and families to the financial brink.
This moment provides an important opening to rethink how policy supports women’s roles as financial providers and parents.
Solutions should do more than provide temporary support to working mothers. While the role of women in our economy has shifted over the last 100 years, our systems have not similarly support them. The solutions should not exclusively focus on short term recovery, but long-lasting changes aim to close the wage gap, improve working conditions and family level options, better childcare system to the needs of the working mothers.
However, temporary fixes such as make work more accessible to woman, fund predictable work scheduling, guaranteed number of work hours, extended school-day or after school programs etc.
Your mode of success and your own moment
‘Success’ is a very powerful word, many of us. run behind it, most of us want to conquer it. While this is true, success includes all kinds of wealth.
For me, success is much more than the richer, power or fame, success is simply the satisfaction and happiness I get from leading a particular way of life.
I have always define my own concept of success rather than following someone else’s footsteps. Passion is where my heart and soul follows. The path to success is always challenging. We should build confidence and the last most important factor is discipline.
Success is a journey which continues even after the goal is achieved.
Do you think your mission of empowering women and children will goa long way? Will it be a challenge or a success?
Parenting is too important responsibility to bear alone, yet all too often single mothers are forced to do just that, but those living in poverty face plenty more. I believe that effective parenting leads to successful, well-adjusted children, we scaffolds families facing income loss, emotional trauma, and social deterioration as the result of divorce, abandonment, or widowhood. With a mission to “empower single mothers and their children by providing hope, support, and resources so families can become self-sustaining and thrive.”
“Financial independence is what single mothers struggle to achieve,” these women have virtually no savings and carry a heavy burden on their shoulder. We were working on a project to provide overall holistic development to these single mothers. The aim is to help achieve the concerns such as reduction of malnutrition and sicknesses, improvement of the living conditions, improvement in dressing, reduction of early marriages, improvement of school enrolment, skills development, and reduction of violence and strengthen their personalities.
This is indeed a challenge as we faced many obstacles down the road. We need the community to dedicate a few minutes, flex a few muscles and shed a few hundreds to be a part of the change. The change that these mothers and children stand next with pride and dignity as they too will hold financial independence.
What are your greatest strength and weaknesses?
I like to believe myself as a blessed and empowered woman thanks to my parents, my son and my partner. That has being my primary source of inspiration and confidence to look at this world with empathy and force of purpose.
My greatest strength is my desire and natural ability to create connections, to build strong relationships and bring together people to make a piercing impact for the betterment of the causes that I mentioned above.
My biggest weakness is also my greatest strength. I embrace my every dimple and curve with two scoops of ice cream and be the cherry on top. I will never call myself a survivor…. I am a warrior.
What are the challenges the single mothers face in our society and comparethem with women around the world
Compared to many other countries that has developed systematic support systems from social services for single parents and their children, countries like ours has minimum to none existing.
We required a National Action Plan so the single mothers in Sri Lanka will be better empowered to face their many challenges. The single mothers will definitely benefit from policies to fit their requirements in areas such as provision of adequate child care facilities, should they choose to work, and skills training to make them employable, just to name a few. The corporate and business establishments as well as the government organizations has a major leap of faith to come together.
Give a list of your achievements or titles you hold
Received the Women’s Excellence Award for the Women’s Day 2017
Presented the ‘Goodwill Ambassador for Child Rights’ 2016
Presented with the ‘Global Goodwill Ambassador’ 2018
100 Successful Women in Business Honorees – Global Trade Chamber
Top 10 at the Mrs. International Pageant 2011. She was a member of the Sri Lanka National Basket Ball team winning National Colors for Basketball
The mantra you live by
Work hard, play hard and love hard.
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Sri Lanka is a land renown for stunning natural beauty. Yet, LUXASIA still managed to usher in a different kind of beautiful to the market through its expertise in luxury beauty retail and omni-distribution.
In November 2019, LUXASIA unveiled its inaugural classy beauty counters at Odel, One Galle Face. Since then, it has brought enchanting fragrances from luxury brands such as Burberry, Calvin Klein, Gucci, and Marc Jacobs, as well as trendy skincare from KORA Organics to beauty-lovers in an exquisite and captivating retail format.
Now, having successfully overcome the challenges in 2020 imposed by COVID-19 and related lockdowns, LUXASIA is ready and excited to thrill Sri Lankan consumers again. This time, it is with the launch of both skincare and make-up collections from the prestigious Japanese beauty brand, Shiseido. Arriving with a glamorously magnificent pop-up at One Galle Face from 8 to 14 February 2020, LUXASIA promises to bring memorable consumer experiences and a feast for the eyes that showcases the best in Japanese beauty.
Leading up to this pop-up, LUXASIA partnered the Key Opinion Leaders (KOLs) and top influencers of Sri Lanka to excite the beauty community with a sneak peek of what Shiseido have to offer. This campaign garnered more than 100,000 social interactions, with over 1.2 million social media impressions, piquing consumers’ fascination in Shiseido’s award-winning and best-selling serum, The Ultimune Power Infusing Concentrate.
Looking ahead into 2021, LUXASIA aims to continue delighting consumers with even more fresh retail innovations to spice up the luxury beauty scene in Sri Lanka. Soon, fragrance enthusiasts can expect a unique pop-up of all the scents that Luxasia carry, featuring new launches from Davidoff and Calvin Klein, as well as other interesting novelties. Beauty-lovers can also expect more limited edition products and gifts-with-purchases, interesting workshops, as well as seasonal offerings in the coming months. Concurrently, LUXASIA also aspires to continue grooming the Sri Lankan beauty community through more entertaining collaborations with KOLs throughout 2021.
LUXASIA sees immense potential in Sri Lanka’s fast-growing beauty market and has been its voice in the international beauty industry. For some time now, LUXASIA has been relentlessly reaching out to numerous luxury beauty brands across to world to interest them in Sri Lanka. While it is encouraging to see the first-fruits, LUXASIA is aiming much higher. Forging ahead, LUXASIA strives to champion and lead the growth of luxury beauty in Sri Lanka, through even more partnerships with great brands, and by continuously delighting consumers.
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by Ifham Nizam
Shipping lanes to the south of Dondra pose the threat of ships colliding with whales as the area has very rich marine life which also attracts whale watching boats, says prolific wildlife writer and photographer Gehan de Silva Wijeyeratne, author of the recently published ‘A Naturalist’s Guide to the Mammals of Sri Lanka’.
He says international shipping industry organizations have written to the government to push back the existing shipping lanes and if no action is initiated, there is the danger of whale watching boats colliding with vessels.
Dr. Susannah Calderon and her colleagues at the University of Ruhuna have recommended the shipping lanes be moved 15 nautical miles south. The cost impact to all concerned will be negligible, but it significantly improves safety at sea, especially at night when the sea is dotted with the lamps from hundreds of small fishing crafts in the path of giant container carriers.
“It is primarily a safety issue though an important secondary impact will be that it reduces fatal collisions with whales, while generating favourable publicity for the government of Sri Lanka. It boils down to moving the shipping lanes further south and saving lives, Wijeyeratne stressed in an interview with The Sunday Island.
Asked what’s special about his latest publication, he said: “This is the first photographic field guide which covers nearly all of the mammals found in Sri Lanka. It covers 96 per cent of the land and marine mammals. The book, which is portable and affordable, also contains a large number of images from 40 photographers which are practically useful in the field to identify 
a mammal to species level. It also covers a number of small, discrete, nocturnal mammals whose existence that even many local wildlife enthusiasts will not be aware of.”
On the book’s coverage of the marine mammals, Wijeyeratne said there are two noteworthy aspects. Firstly, it covers all the species recorded in Sri Lankan waters expect for one, the Omura’s Whale. This will be included in a second edition. Secondly, it uses images of the whales and dolphins (cetaceans) which will show the animals the way a whale watcher will see them on the surface.
Artwork that shows the whole animal is important, but in field conditions, they are often of limited value to identify cetaceans which only show a little of their upper body in sections at a time they surface.
Q: You were the first to publicize that Sri Lanka was the best location for Blue Whale sightings and offered the best chance to see a superpod of Sperm Whales. Can you explain briefly how you set about branding Sri Lanka as a top international destination for whale watching?
A:
I started with field work to ascertain the facts and launched a media campaign initially with Jetwing Eco Holidays and Jetwing Hotels which was supported over many years by the Sri Lanka Tourism Promotion Bureau (SLTPB) and others in the media and tourism business. I have published 37 articles on whale watching in Sri Lanka. The first, in May 2008, was pivotal as it boldly stated that Sri Lanka was best for Blue Whales. This set everything in motion. My articles give due credit to many people who were a part of this amazing story. This includes Dr. Charles Anderson who first told me it would be feasible to see Blue Whales from the South.
A Belgian millionaire philanthropist who prefers to remain anonymous and helped create the infrastructure for whale watching by 13 tsunami affected fishing youth who set up Mirissa Water Sports and Sue Evans who was important for connecting all of us and Anoma Alagiyawadu (the Jetwing Lighthouse Naturalist) whom I tasked with collecting the initial data for the Encounter Rates I publicized in the media.
Remarkably, no Sri Lankan marine biologist played any role in publicizing whale watching in the early years. However, soon after, they benefited by being thrust into the media spotlight by film crew researchers who had read the publicity which began with my various widely disseminated articles. Having read them, and sometimes after conversations with me, the film crews and the press came to Sri Lanka and incorporated local marine biologists into their story.
At the time I broke the first story, I do not think any of the local marine biologists had even one image of a Blue Whale of a publishable standard or had any idea that Sri Lanka was the best place in the world to see Blue Whales. Hopefully, the increased profile of local marine biologists has made it easier for them to raise the funds needed for their important research.
Q: Did the Sri Lanka Tourism Promotion Bureau help your efforts with publicity and branding?
A:
Yes indeed. At the start of the publicity campaign, we produced a series of informative and attractive publications designed by Chandrika Maelge. These were printed and distributed at key consumer and travel trade fairs such as the Bird Fair, WTM and Destinations where a number of important press and tour operators were informed about Sri Lanka being a good place for whales. At some of the press drinks events in London hosted by Jetwing Eco Holidays, around 35-45 press people would attend. These events were held in collaboration with the London Office of the SLTPB.
In some years, As many as three of these press events were held allowing personal interaction with a wide pool of media people. Another important and later development is the role played by Nalin Perera who ran the SLTPB office in London for several years and attended many consumer and travel trade fairs. I had developed media briefs for him which he would print and distribute. In one conversation, he estimated that he had printed and distributed over 10,000 copies of this material.
There were others who also disseminated my stories to the international press; a notable example being Chitral Jayatilake who shared my publicity pdfs with various wildlife documentary makers he invited to Sri Lanka.
Q: Did everyone readily embrace your ideas?
It took a couple of years. I remember even into the second year of the publicity campaign there were doubts from the big companies in tourism.
I remember Srilal Miththapala who was then President of The Hotels Association of Sri Lanka speaking to me and joining a celebrity whale watching event I was leading with Shyamalee Tudawe. This was organized by Olivia Richli of the Amangalla in Galle.
Srilal wanted to report back to the association if there was any truth to the claims being made by me about how easy it was to see Blue Whales. On the coastline, the people running small guesthouses readily embraced the story as tourists who were reading my stories turned up with copies of my articles and asked for boats to take them whale watching. The international press also readily took it on as I provided credible data.
Q: What do you say to criticisms that whale watching needs better regulation?
I agree on the need for better regulation and higher standards. The tourism industry has played its part in publicizing whale watching. Other state agencies also need to step up their efforts to regulate the industry in a way that is good for the welfare of the animals and provide a good visitor experience.
Q: What do you expect ‘A Naturalist’s Guide to the Mammals of Sri Lanka’ to achieve?
I would like people to understand that there is still a lot to be discovered about Sri Lanka’s mammals and I hope this portable and affordable guide will find its way into the hands of local naturalists and inspire more research and more practical steps to conserve habitats and species.
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Brides and Grooms of Sri Lanka – Reimagined
“Together we’re creating moments of happiness and cherished memories for the new couple and their families” said Founder and CEO of LOVI Ceylon, Asanka de Mel, as he introduced LOVI Ceylon’s Groom collection. Each groom’s look was paired with extraordinary creations from Sri Lanka’s top bridal designers, jewelers, florists, hair and make-up artiste and was captured by story-telling photographers.
The presentation graciously hosted by the Taj Samudra and Shangri-La hotels saw 30 leading designers working hand in hand to infuse fresh ideas, celebrate cultural diversity and show-off Sri Lankan couture—the island’s hand craft heritage.
The stunning bridal costumes were painstakingly made by renowned designers Messrs. Dhananjaya Bandara, Rishard Raheem, and Michael Wijesuriya as well as Mses. Indi Yapa Abeywardena of Brides by INDI, Sonali Dharmawardena, Darshi Keerthisena of Buddhi Batiks, Ramona Oshini, Sandani Perera of IKIGAI Bridal, and Jaish Parathalingam of Aashkii. The newcomer, Ms. Anusha David also presented her couture creations under the label Gabriel.
“We want our Groom and all of the men in the wedding including the groomsmen, dads, young boys and friends, to be themselves–to feel rooted in culture, well dressed and at ease on the wedding day,” says Asanka. Celebrating the religious and cultural traditions including Buddhist, Christian, Hindu, Kandyan, Malay, Muslim, Sinhala, Tamil and western traditions of the island LOVI Ceylon’s Grooms’ range presented modern sarongs paired with formal shirts, jackets, kurtas and more. They were paired with sarees, dresses, lehengas, pant suits and an array of breathtaking outfits. There were many looks offered for the Sri Lankan diaspora, as well as couples seeking inspiration for destination weddings.
As the designs progressed from sketch to stitching, our jewelry partners Careems, Lalitha, Mallika Hemachandra, Tiesh and Vogue jewelers added their brilliant sparkles with handcrafted fine jewelry made of precious metals encrusted with diamonds, sapphires and rubies. And what wedding would be complete without flowers? Bringing the latest floral creations were florists Designer Flowers, Flowers by Joan and Karen Forbes, Lassana Flora, and Supreme Flora who made the spectacular bridal outfits blossom with their creations.
Breathing life into these wonderful creations with superb hair and make-up was anchor of the shoot, Ms. Nadiya Fernando and her collaborator Omesh, while Ramani Fernando Salons, Shane Perera, Viran Peter, Brides by Leena and Talia designs, also worked magic on the models.
The father son duo Dinuka and Dineth Fonseka of Studio3000 took on the herculean task of capturing all the creations as the anchor photography partner. The works of Ashene Bernard, Amarante Studio, Geeshan Bandara, and Portrait Culture were also presented in imaginative and artistic captures.
De Mel expressed his thanks to the wonderful models who brought the visions and fancies of the designers to life, as well as poet and author Ashok Ferrey for being the MC of the shoot and providing an eloquent commentary, delivered with his inimitable panache!
“We have world class craftsmanship here, it’s fun to work with so many experts, who just happen to be friends, to present a beautiful collection that could nudge the course of Sri Lankan clothing identity” said Asanka when asked about the work that went into this.
As he rightly reminded the gentlemen to choose wisely, “on that special wedding day, when all eyes are on her–her eyes are on you!”
