Barista Partners with the KOKO App to “Let there be Coffee” Don’t Miss Out on Your Favorite Coffees… Just Pay in Installments… ‘LET THERE BE COFFEE’ is the latest initiative launched by Barista emphasizing on the magnitude of having a companion by your side to get through these difficult times. Barista is working on a series of new projects to ensure that the local community should not compromise on coffee at any cost as coffee could be the safest companion at such trying times. Partnering with the innovative KOKO App gives the opportunity to mutual customers of Barista and KOKO to pay for any purchase at Barista in 3 installments. This allows the customers to freely enjoy coffee, food and snacks without a hassle or any unwanted economical pressure, or to celebrate any occasion by splitting the cost in to 3 installements. Barista Coffee Lanka (Pvt) Ltd. signed a Memorandum of Understanding with the KOKO APP developers dInnovation (Private) Limited on the 25th of May 2022 at the Barista Outlet at World Trade Center. Chief Executive Officer of Barista Dilupa Pathirana speaking during the partnership signing ceremony said, “With the current volatile economic and other Macro environmental factors Barista wants our customers to not compromise on their daily coffee. We strongly believe that this option will encourage them to rally around the largest and the most preferred café chain in Sri Lanka, while not having to think twice about what it is costing them”. Barista has been brewing the finest Lavazza coffee since 2002 in Sri Lanka and even amidst the uncertain time have continued to only serve the finest Lavazza at all outlets. “Despite the challenges we have not opted for dropping the quality of our coffee or cutting costs. Our customers have been our greatest strength for many years and we do not want to damage the trust that customers has placed in us”, Pathirana added. Barista products will be available for purchase the KOKO app as well and KOKO will be a new payment option at all Barista stores and online platforms facilitating the 3 installment payment opportunity. The project will be launched on the 10th June 2022.

Perseverance is the key to success By Ivan Corea These days Sri Lanka cuisine in the UK is everywhere – you switch on the television, and you find expert Sri Lankan chefs coming up with fabulous dishes. More Sri Lankan shops and restaurants are being opened all the time. Tinesha Wijesuriya has set up a very successful online business called ‘Get Bake.’ Her orders doubled during the pandemic when people were at home because of the lockdown in the UK. I ordered love cake from her, and I must confess it was delicious. Her company delivers by post across the UK. I interviewed Tinesha for ‘London Calling,’ where she explains what made her go into the food business in the UK. Where were you born? I was born in Colombo, Sri Lanka. My hometown is Welisara, Ragama.I was brought up there. When did you leave Sri Lanka? I left Sri Lanka in 2010. I had just got married, and soon after, my husband got a scholarship in the U.K to do his Masters. So, I moved in with him to England during that time. What made you go into the food business? It was my family and close friends who encouraged me. Initially I was just cooking meals for my family and they enjoyed it a lot. Then they encouraged me to start a business. They believed that others also would enjoy my cooking. I must say that it was my family’s support and my passion for cooking and baking that made me start the food business. Who inspired you? My inspiration was undoubtedly from my grandmother and my mother. Ever since my childhood days, I have watched them cook and have tasted their appetizing food. My mother learnt it from my grandmother. I believe that I take after both of them in terms of culinary expertise. Did your school play a role in developing your interests in Cookery? Yes, to some extent, my school in Sri Lanka did play a role in inspiring and nurturing my cooking skills. I went to St. Nicholas International Colombo. I remember our French teacher there, used to organize food fetes, and we used to enjoy cooking various kinds of food items for those school fetes. I should say that it provided a scope for me to experiment my culinary skills. Full story on our Facebook page...

Colombo Club, Sri Lanka’s oldest private member club re-threads 150 years of journey mileposts There are a few institutions that can claim to have had Governors of our Country such as Rt. Hon. Sir William Henry Gregory, Sir James Robert Longden and Hon. Sir Arthur Hamilton Gordon as original members. The Colombo Club, in its 150 year journey, has been attracting prominent persons of the day, such as J. A Bell, President of Planters’ Association, T. Berwick, District Judge of Colombo, Sir Richard Cayley, Municipal Councillor, later Chief Justice of Ceylon, from its British roots, later attracting corporate luminaries such as Mallory Wijesinghe, who had the distinction of being the club’s first Sri Lankan chair. He was followed by others who have helmed many of the nation’s leading business houses and professional firms. The roll call of Chairmen of the Colombo Club reads like a veritable who’s who of Sri Lanka. R. Singleton-Salmon, Mallory Wijesinghe, Ranjan Canekeratne, Trevor Moy, Basil Jesudason, Deshabandu Reggie Candappa, Deshamanya Deva Rodrigo, Tissa K. Bandaranayake, Hemaka Amarasuriya, Richard (Dickie) Juriansz, Sega Nagendra, Manik Pereira, Nigel Austin to the current Kumar Jayasuriya, all captains of their industries, contributed immensely of their time and effort in maintaining the aura and prestige of the club. First as a gentlemen’s club and now an exclusive, private member institution, Colombo Club remains a luxurious and discreet oasis in the heart of Colombo. To mark its 150th anniversary, a coffee table edition that re-threads the club’s journey mileposts, reflecting how it fitted into the larger fabric of British Ceylon, as the Country transited from a crown colony to a democratic republic, will be inaugurated. The book captures the essence of a bygone era and brings to life the culture and current offering of the club, vividly capturing the fact that the Club is not just a relic of Sri Lanka's colonial past but a strong reminder of our heritage and a reassurance of the future. Full story on our Facebook page…

SAVE MY SEA’ – A PASSIONATE INIATIVE BY TEEN CONSERVATIONISTS By Uma Chandrasiri Early this year, a group of like-minded teenagers came together to save the world, starting with our oceans and beaches, one piece of trash at a time. ‘Save my sea’ is the brainchild of 16 year old Siddharth Jha, an advanced level student of Elizabeth Moir school in Colombo who joined a beach clean-up 3 years ago thinking that it was going to be just a fun day out with friends. Little did he know that the pleasure of seeing a clean beach and the knowledge that seeps in that says you’ve made a difference, would pull him time and time again to littered beaches along with his friends. While Siddharth and his friends continued with their efforts, one of the worst maritime disasters ever unfolded along Sri Lankas‘ West Coast between the 20th of May and the 2nd of June. The container ship X-Press pearl caught fire and sank in the Indian Ocean. The most significant environmental damage came from the sinking of 87 containers filled with plastic nurdles (approximately 1680 tons). “ I felt helpless watching this catastrophe unfold and I think out of a keen desire to help in whatever way I could, ‘ save my sea’ was born. Very soon I realised the extent of the impact us teenagers could make” said Siddharth. The first beach clean-up organised by ‘Save my sea’ was in July this year and volunteers worked on Mount Lavinia beach collecting not only the plastic nurdles that littered the beach but also, not at all surprisingly, loads of trash. These wonderful volunteers donned their rubber gloves once again last month and plowed through an extremely dirty Wellawatte beach collecting a staggering 370 kilos of plastic, out of which 15 kilos were toxic plastic pellets. 250 meters of beach gleamed pristine after a dozen exhausted, rain soaked yet content teenagers left the beach that evening. Read the full story on our Facebook page…

Ride with the Wind There’s nothing quite like taking in the sights and sounds of our beautiful island nation on a motorbike. For the guys at Bikerholics MC this is what they dream of. A passion for riding and anything to do with monster machines has brought a group of enthusiasts together for many reasons. Bikerholics MC was formed in 2017 as a brotherhood of bikers who enjoy pleasure riding. They conduct riding events around the country for leisure purposes while also creating awareness for various social projects. All members are bike enthusiasts with a passion for riding together. But don’t be fooled by the seemingly rough exteriors and personas of the riders. They are a disciplined group who always obey road rules. They ensure that safe and law abiding riding practices are constantly promoted while all riders have been made aware of the importance of safe riding. When out on a ride standard formations seen in bike groups around the world is regular protocol, to ensure that other vehicles on the road are not disturbed. Despite the ability to do so, the riders do not perform stunts while riding and always make sure to cooperate with the police. They also refrain from unnecessary flashing of lights or honking of horns, which would disturb the general public. For these guys, their bikes are their heart and soul and a lot of effort goes in to keeping them in good condition to ensure safe riding. In fact most of their day job hard earned money goes in to ensuring their “babies” are in mint condition. But it’s not all fun and games. The brotherhood of riders is peaceful and are always ready to help any other driver on the road who needs assistance of any sort while also promoting various social causes during the rides. For instance the group are heavily concerned about the environment and follow stringent practices like carrying their own garbage cans and proper disposal of garage during rides. As mentioned above despite the “tough”, leather-jacket wearing, beard-sporting, tattooed exteriors, bikers are really good human beings who enjoy what they do and strive to give back through their passion. Full story on our Facebook page…

Animal SOS Sri Lanka Animal SOS Sri Lanka has been caring for street animals in Sri Lanka for more than two decades and as the season approaches calls on everyone to extend a little joy to or four-legged friends. The vision behind Animal SOS Sri Lanka came from seeing the suffering and helplessness of street animals in the country. Its Founder Kim Cooling visited the island 20 something years ago as a tourist and was deeply affected and upset by the suffering of the animals that she witnessed. Kim knew then and there that she needed to do something. Twenty years down the line Animal SOS Sri Lanka is an UK Registered Charity and registered BOI non-profit making company in Sri Lanka. Its main functionalities include providing Emergency Veterinary Care and rehabilitation to animals in dire need, providing refuge and care to sick, injured, disabled, abused and other vulnerable animals that are unable to live safely on the streets, feeding around 3000 dogs and cats every day in the largest feeding program on the island, providing free neutering and rabies vaccinations within the communities, providing adoption/re-homing schemes, promoting loving kindness and compassion to our animal friends, and also providing employment opportunities to local communities. “Animal SOS Sri Lanka is pro-life and we fight desperately for every animal that is brought to us. However, over the years one of the hardest parts of running the organization has been funding”, says Kim. The Animal SOS Sri Lanka shelter currently houses 2000 rescues at the sanctuary including around 400 disabled dogs. The cost of their feeding and care programmes are mammoth to say the least. The organization has been funded by generous donations from animal lovers around the world but constantly finds itself needing more as cost of food and care continues to rise. As the season approaches why not consider making even the smallest contribution to make life better for these animals. To Donate; Commercial Bank Galle Fort Branch A/C 1050013061 A/C Animal SOS Lanka (Pvt) Ltd Contact- [email protected] Tel-0773 110879 Full story on our Facebook page…

The Victim and Witness Protection Authority: An important resource for victims of SGBV Scope for assistance from the authority The ‘Assistance to and Protection of Victims of Crime and Witnesses Act’ was passed in 2015, but since its passage, much of the discourse surrounding the law has been on the need for reform and so, little is known about the rights and entitlements the public has under this law and how to claim them. The primary purpose of this law is to provide assistance to victims and witnesses, and in doing so the law sets out a host of rights and entitlements that these groups can access, and the mechanism for enforcing them. The nature of these rights and entitlements make it an especially useful tool to be accessed by victims of sexual and gender-based violence (SGBV). Victims of SGBV feeling that they can safely report crimes without having to face retaliation is an essential part of tackling the problem of such violence, and the successful implementation of this law can set out the necessary conditions for this. The law provides for a ‘National Authority for the Protection of Victims of Crime and Witnesses’, which was established in 2016. This Authority has wide powers to give effect to the purposes of the law. Among other things, the law recognizes the right of the victim to be protected from any harm, and in doing so the Authority can provide victims security, temporary accommodation or permanent relocation, and employment, subject to the availability of resources. Victims can apply for this protection if they have reasonable grounds to anticipate that harm will be inflicted on them as a result of participating in an investigation or inquiry into an offence or an infringement of a fundamental right, and this protection can be sought even before court proceedings commence. The request for this protection can be made to the Authority, to the OIC of any police station, the police division dedicated to the protection of victims and witnesses, or to a court. By Attorney-at-Law Khyati Wickramanayake on behalf of the Centre for Equality & Justice Full story on our Facebook page...

Inside The Mind Of TammyZ By Michelle Therese Alles The name ‘TammyZ’ is no stranger to fashionistas of bling here in our sunny isle, so we figured it was time to sit down and ask her what it’s like running her own business, and how she’s grown her brand to where it is today. Full interview on our Facebook page…

Addressing the challenges faced by victims of Sexual & Gender Based Violence (SGBV) and Recommendations for Reform. Attorney-at-Law Khyati Wickramanayake interviewed Attorney-at-Law Jerusha Crosette Thambaiah as part of the broader advocacy initiative on Sexual and Gender-Based Violence by the Centre for Equality & Justice. Visit our FB page “Labyrinth” for further information. In your practice as a Lawyer, what are some of the trends you see taking place with the incidence of Sexual and Gender Based Violence (SGBV)? The rates of SGBV have always been high in Sri Lanka, but there have been some notable trends since the beginning of the Covid – 19 lockdowns. The numbers of domestic violence cases have risen; stemming from domestic partners being stuck in close proximity, frustrations arising from the loss of employment and due to drug addiction, etc. Online SGBV is also on the rise as couples are increasingly involved in relationships online and there was a sharp upward trend in intimate pictures and videos being shared publicly as revenge. Many SGBV Victim Survivors are reluctant to seek police assistance as they feel the system doesn’t work in their favour, what can be done about this? Police Officers need gender sensitivity training to understand and deal with SGBV. The police complaint is the backbone of a case so it has to be recorded accurately, and for this, the environment within the police must be welcoming. Some officers encourage victims to reconcile with the abuser and are hesitant to get law enforcement involved in private family matters, despite the harm it has on the victim and sometimes the children too. There are Women and Children’s desks with female officers at almost all stations, and some officers work tirelessly to protect victims of SGBV, but we do need more training for police officers so that people feel safe and welcomed to enter a police station and making complaints, without assistance. Read the full story on our Facebook page...

The Bitten Word With Ruzaina Hadgie By Michelle Therese Alles In her travels to many destinations, she has enjoyed various cuisines with exotic flavours, but the main reason for her blog is to give prominence to delicious dishes that are less talked about. We at Esteem Magazine are so happy to catch up with Ruzaina Hadgie of ‘The Minority Taste’, to talk about her refreshingly genuine enthusiasm for food, and how skillful she is at sourcing the best places for food in any city, anywhere in the world. Ruzaina, we would like to know more about you...what makes you tick, how you began this journey, and came to where you are now. Where do you want to go from here? My name is Ruzaina Michelle Hadgie...my family calls me ‘Mimi’ as a pet name, and ‘Ruzy’ is often used by close friends. I am an only child from a broken home, and was taken care of by my paternal grandmother since infancy. I was an ‘A’ grade Home Science student; I hold certifications from Harvard University for Cooking Science in Physics, and I am currently following more courses to further my knowledge. I am a Youtuber, Content Creator, recipe preserver and developer, and also the voice for minority cuisine and recipes. Furthermore, I have successfully given a global platform to underrated and undervalued Sri Lankan cuisine. What makes me tick are people who are passionately purposeful about contributing to society. I like to surround myself with good souls driven to help others, as it inspires me to do better. In fact, most of my family and friends are passionate philanthropists. My father was Head Chef at Holiday Inn Kuwait, and my grandmother is well-known in our family and community for cooking really delicious dishes. My earliest memories began with food; I think my grandmother really didn't know how else to show love to a kid without parents other than giving her loads of delicious food with corresponding stories. Read the full interview on our Facebook page...

VEGAYA – Growing by Reputation and Recommendations Equipped with the latest tracking technology, Vegaya Global Services currently covers the Western Province, Eastern Province comprehensively and has just started expanding to serve the Southern, and Uva Provinces. To step into a highly competitive business is no easy task. Vegaya Global Services was an initiative that was embarked on, in May 2020 by Shalomi Selvaraj Ranasinghe. Whilst COVID-19 has brought its paramount trials, it also created many opportunities for people with astute minds. Shalomi’s drive and experience along with her natural inquisitiveness led to conducting extensive research in the field where she identified a need for a timely and reliable delivery service that could meet, if not exceed, clients’ expectations. The rapidly growing demand for all types of products to be delivered safely and efficiently across the island is far exceeding the capacity for existing courier companies to cope with. This has resulted in customer dissatisfaction with not only the courier companies but also with the suppliers. Many people who were at a loss in terms of employment during the pandemic have started micro-enterprises from home to survive through tough times. These novel business owners in their dealings with courier companies are experiencing distraught and frustration. From poor communication to inordinate delays in delivery and mishandling and misappropriation, many suppliers and their clients had been left highly disappointed and desperate. For more information contact Vegaya on their hotline 0771 204311 or via email on [email protected] Full story on our Facebook page…

Italian Embassy in Colombo launches ‘Dolce Vita in Serendib’ Gaining inspiration from Italians who visited the exotic island of ‘Seyllan’ from centuries ago described as ‘Adam’s Garden’ where platters of nature’s rich bounties were a plenty, the Italian Embassy in Colombo launched the coffee table book ‘Dolce Vita in Serendib’ traveling through a gastronomic journey of authentic Italian cuisine in Sri Lanka. The book holds a repository of epicurean treasures with over sixty Italian recipes beautifully interwoven with tales and accounts of Italy’s culinary history. Eight restaurants in Sri Lanka have contributed recipes of their signature Italian dishes while both the Ambassador and Deputy Ambassador’s well-loved recipes have also been added into book. The featured restaurants – Aqua Forte, Capital Bar & Grill at the Shangri-La, Dolce Italia, Echo at the Cinnamon Grand, Lago Italian Bistro, Mount Lavinia Hotel, Park Street Trattoria and Tintagel - handpicked as serving the most authentic Italian fare. Complementing the flavours within the pages are an array of narratives chronicling legend, history, anecdotes and tales that have surround Italy’s romance with food. Quirky, factual, historic and fun, the articles start off with an introduction to fashionable food and feisty flavours, travelling through time with wine, cheese, pasta, ham, olive oil, coffee, gelato and pizza, go through the history of etiquette, slow cooking, the Mediterranean diet and kitchen culture, while also adding a reality check with the conservation of food. Read the full story on our Facebook page...