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[By Lakmini Wijemanne]

Marilyn and Rohith Dissanayaka built their home in Mirihana in the close vicinity of the busy town of Nugegoda. Chartered Architect Hiranthi Velendaawa of H.W. Architects, designed their home making the maximum use of the limited land space available to them. Although the home is built on a land extent of six perches, the outward appearance of the structure belies that fact.

Nestled in a side lane of the Mirihana Junction, the house is quite protected from dust and traffic sounds due to its own design. Except the roof top terrace, the rest of the house remains exclusively private. The main entrance from the road front opens on to the living room. The house is built on five levels with the servants’ quarters at the top level from the left of the foyer, the staircase leads on to the upstairs while two steps down, is the sitting room.

In a very European style, the sitting and dining areas are appointed in one long hall, with the clever arrangement of the furniture separating the two areas. Marilyn has used basic white, black and silver with a touch of blue to decorate her home elegantly. A few, but elegantly tasteful selection of furniture and artifacts adorn her home, since she doesn’t believe in cluttering her space. The white leather sofa chairs beautifully sets off the stark black of the other sofas while the black, blue and the striped throw cushions adds a touch of comfort and elegance.

The curtains are also done in the same material as some of the cushions, to match the theme. Most of her ornaments are also in blue, silver and white to match her overall theme colours. The wine red/crimson back wall sets off the black and silver theme perfectly, while adding vibrancy to the room.
In the dining area, pantry cupboards and worktops are done in the same wood hue as the dining table and the chairs.

Here too, Marilyn has repeated the blue/silver/black theme with her table centre and the chair-back covers, to match all this, her floor is of gray/black granite with specks of white thrown in the kitchen is off the dining area separated by a closed-door. Under the staircase is built the visitor’s washroom.
The stairway leads on to the upper floors which houses the five bedrooms. The house has a mezzanine floor just twelve steps up, where a room and an attached toilet is built on to, which is used by her parents.

Further up, on the next level is the master bedroom, TV lounge and two other bedrooms, while on the next level houses another room and the laundry room. Each bedroom has its own attached toilet. The door off the laundry room opens on to the rooftop terrace, where visitors are most comfortably entertained with the cool breeze flowing through, for a barbeque night! Though earlier it was meant to be a rooftop garden, with the limited space availability, Rohith and Marilyn had later decided to have the roof above and make the maximum use, when they have visitors over. All upper level floors are done in black/green files with vibrant colours for the wall.

A lady of many talents, Marilyn has designed and done her own interior decorations creating an ambience in her home which is comfortable, functional as well as elegant, where any visitor feels welcomed and pampered.

[By Lakmini Wijemanne]

Long years ago, in 1867, a man from Scotland introduced a beverage to the locals, which soon took root here and became a national beverage Tea. James Taylor, best known in the tea circles as the “father of Ceylon Tea” was a Scot and must have had an adventurous streak in him, to come to this far east island and start growing an alien plant in our local soil and be successful at it. The tea he introduced at that early years, managed to put Sri Lanka on the world map as the country which produces the world’s best tea.

“Mlesna” trade name has become synonymous with good tea world over, with their novel idea of presenting tea in very innovating exquisite packages, many of which are now collectors items.

As a forerunner in promoting the “tea-house” concept in Sri Lanka, Mlesna operates a few specialty tea houses in the country, providing an invigorating cup of properly brewed tea in many flavours to the weary traveler on many of our favourite travel trails. The first of its kind was in Kandy on Dalada Veediya with it’s second coming up in front of St. Clair falls on the Colombo-Hatton- Nuwara Eliya route. A third followed at Bandarawela with the fourth coming up in Kandy (Tea Fortress) in Kiribathkumbura.

Two months ago, Mlesna opened it’s new Tea house at St. Clair with a different look. At the 82nd km post on the Hatton-Nuwara Eliya Road, before the St. Clair water falls, now stands a majestic Scottish Castle coniple with four turrets, and a very impressive entranceway. In memory of the Scotsman James Taylor, Mlesna built their newest tea house in the shape of a Scottish tea castle, which houses a tea-centre, restaurant, tea museum and a vantage viewing point.

At the tea centre, all Mlesna tea products are available if you are interested in purchasing. At the tea museum, quite a few ancient pieces of machinery used in the processing of tea leaves, are there to see. The walls are covered with many of the old posters, photographs and drawings depicting various aspects of the tea trade. One of the turrets have been converted to a viewing point with a spiral staircase running to the top. The view from the top was breathtaking, overlooking the valley of Devon and St. Clair.

The restaurant is well-appointed with separate menus for tea, breakfast, lunch and evening snacks. Breakfast and lunch are served on order, while the “Tea Bar” has quite an extensive tea menu. There were eight different varieties of Traditional Tea, four varieties of Green Tea, seven flavour specials, three varieties of Iced Tea and four different tea shakes on offer.

Each tea is made to perfection with specially filtered water, by specially trained stewards in the craft of proper tea making. The courteous well-trained staff, pristinely dressed in their uniforms are attentive to every need of the visitor. The castle also offers their well appointed clean restrooms for the traveler. The whole building including the restrooms are disabled-friendly… thereby offering it’s cool comforts to everybody.

So, next time when you drive up to Nuwara Eliya, choose the Hatton -Nuwara Eliya A7 road, and stop at the Mlesna Tea Castle and give yourself a treat and a rest and take the time to partake of their excellently brewed tea, a tasty meal, their very special cheese cake, a bowl of fresh strawberry, or a piece of their melt-in-the-mouth cakes. Look out at the beautiful valley below, and forget the busy life of Colombo and give yourself a peaceful moment. Bask in their good food, tasty and invigorating teas and their attentiveness. You will cherish the memory!

The Laird of His Castle Anselm B. Perera

Twenty five years ago, in 1983, Mlesna brand of fine tea in exquisite gift packages were created by Euro Scan Exports (Pvt) Ltd. The brains behind this innovative venture was its Managing Director Anselm B. Perera. He started his career in tea with Brooke Bond Company in 1969, straight after-school. After working ten years at Brooke Bond, he changed jobs and joined Shaw Wallace & Hedges as Tea Manager.

After some time there, he felt the need to do something different with tea, and the idea of offering a finished tea product to the total market was formed. Initially, he started his venture in his own garage. Two weeks after he started, ethnic violence in the country erupted with force. Nothing daunted the driving force, and he forged forward though cautiously. In the absence of own land for a factory, he hired premises at various locations and continued his work.

Today, as opposed to the initial 16 workers he started with, Mlesna employs 400 workers majority being women. As time went on Mlesna started to introduce flavoured tea to the market and started exporting too. Today, Mlesna produces over 150 different flavoured tea and has a product list exceeding 3500 items, and has a growing clientele of more than 54 countries time and time again, over the last 25 years, Mlesna had done Sri Lanka proud. Locally as well as internationally, proving its worth by winning 76 National and International awards.

Mlesna had been the proud recipient of many Presidential Export Awards, National Exporters Award, Natural Packaging Awards and World Star International Awards. For the tea connoisseur, Mlesna is a name to remember forever.

Today, having achieved many accolades, Anselm B. Perera, the brains behind Mlesna’s massive operation is not ready to sit on his laurels and enjoy his success. He has many more visions and dreams regarding Mlesna – to make the tea-drinking habit more popular locally as well as internationally among all age groups and to expand markets. Our wish is that may Mlesna prosper for years more to come!!

[By Shabnam Farook]

Chatting with Dinushka Chandrasena was enriching in more ways than one for not only is she a wonderful person to be around she taught me the value of family while I learnt to appreciate my mother’s presence in my life which I tend to take for granted.

Dinushka is the Director- Publishing for DoubleDee Publications (Pvt) Ltd, a company she co- founded with her mum the late Delerine Munzeer in 2003 while she has also assumed the role of Editor for the magazine Top Property.

How it all began …

Upon completing her Advanced Level examination and CIM simultaneously, Dinushka left for the US and began a career in the airline industry, specializing in marketing and subsequently in flight operation which involves the mathematical and technical aspect of the weight and balance of an aircraft.

After the birth of her beautiful daughter Tehani, Dinushka decided to move to Sri Lanka and start a new chapter.

“I moved to Sri Lanka when Tehani was a baby and that’s when my mother and I founded DoubleDee Publications which stands for Delerine and Dinushka. My mother started her career as a freelance journalist at the Lake House group and continued writing and represented the Sri Lanka Tourist Board in their official magazine “Discover Sri Lanka”.

She also wrote for several other publications throughout her career. Together we started the trade magazine Trav Talk in mid 2003 and then the magazine Mum and me in 2006, which was my mother’s ultimate dream. In 2007, we began the Crescat Boulevard news; a bi- monthly publication. I handled the marketing and publishing while she took on the role of editor.”

Delerine Munzeer was no stranger to the field of communication and has always been associated with feature writing, public relations and advertising. She was a gifted poetess and had the knack to create magic with her pen. Subsequent to her mothers’ death it is Dinushka who is carrying forward her mother’s legacy with a sense of humble satisfaction.

Her elder brother Dinesh Chandrasena by the way is a brilliant designer whose creations have on numerous occasions graced the red carpet in Hollywood.

A mother’s love would never fade away …

“Life after my mother’s death has been an uphill task every single day. I have a lot of faith in god but when I lost her I couldn’t even sight a church, it was too difficult for me , but it was my faith in god that gave me strength to hang on tight and carry on with courage,” she said emotionally.
Dinushka also added nostalgically “My mother is a more colorful and vibrant person while I’m more subdued and sedate in my ways.

My mother always told me that she knows how to have fun but I don’t. As a close knit family my dad, Dinesh and I were dependent on her strength. The most important thing I remember about her was her positive attitude towards life. No situation could faze her. The last few years I’ve been through a lot of changes health wise, family wise, personally and as a parent, she was my strength. It was her strength and positive attitude that saw me through these challenges.

Her famous lines were when one door closes another one opens, every cloud has a silver lining and if god brings you to it, he will see you through it. My mother always assured us that no situation is bad as it seems.”

Dinesh says that their mother inculcated in them the importance of respecting people, regardless of their social or financial status and added that she would be the first to help somebody in need and would not expect anything in return.

Firoze Munzeer, Delerine’s husband reminisced “She gave me a home instead of a house.”

Dinushka who never forgets to count her blessings and appreciate the little mercies god has bestowed upon her, says that having a supportive family has been the biggest blessing for that has given her the strength to keep aloft during trying times.

My daughter my inspiration…

Tehani her six year old daughter who studies at Asian International is an intelligent, friendly and vibrant child who much to my amusement, is hardly the one you would describe as camera shy.
This is what Tehani had to say about her mommy “I love my mother because she has done a lot of things for me and she loves me.”

To Dinushka, Tehani is her biggest motivator, her biggest challenge and her biggest blessing.
She adds “Lot of my mother’s qualities have rubbed off on Tehani. She is a toughie, the complete opposite of what I am. She is a very loving and understanding child. Tehani is also independent and resilient like my mother which I think is a good thing considering the fact that society is not so kind to sensitive people anymore.”

Happiness money can’t buy…Dinushka, a single mother says that family is of utmost importance to her and elaborates “What’s the point in having loads of money if there is no loved one to share it with. Having your loved ones company is priceless and that’s something that a bank account cannot do. Money cannot replace a human being. My mothers’ philosophy was that we never know how long we will be here and that’s why whenever the opportunity presents itself she advised us to take time to spend it with the ones we love. Family was priority for her which is why she chose to take up writing as a way to be around us and now whenever there is an opportunity my brother and I try to spend quality time with each other even though we live in two different continents.”

Underneath that sweet face is a beautiful soul…

Dinushka laughingly adds that’s she is always mistaken as the eldest sibling as she is known to be the more serious one, while Dinesh as a more vibrant soul and has a good sense of humour to go with it.
She says that her biggest weakness is the inability to say no and went on to add “I am a very transparent person. What you see is what you get. I’m also a real softie who is sensitive to others feelings and because of this I forget to think of my own. I think I need to brush up on learning to say no which is important especially when you’re running a business,” She concluded with a smile.