Wishing You Blessed Eid

No shadows to depress you,
Only joys to surround you,
God himself to bless you,
These are our wishes for our Muslim friends and families at Victoria Range
Today, tomorrow, and everyday.

Eid al-Adha or "Festival of Sacrifice" or "Greater Eid" is an important religious holiday celebrated by Muslims worldwide to commemorate the willingness of Abraham (Ibrahim) to sacrifice his son Ishmael (Isma'il) as an act of obedience to God, before God intervened to provide him with a ram to sacrifice instead.The meat is divided into three parts to be distributed to others. The family retains one third of the share, another third is given to relatives, friends and neighbours, and the other third is given to the poor & needy.

Eid al-Adha is the latter of two Eid festivals celebrated by Muslims, whose basis comes from Sura 2 (Al-Baqara) Ayah 196 in the Qur'an. It is celebrated annually on the 10th day of the 12th and the last Islamic month of Dhu al-Hijjah of the lunar Islamic calendar. Eid al-Adha celebrations start after the Hajj, the annual pilgrimage to Mecca in Saudi Arabia by Muslims worldwide, descend from Mount Arafat. The date is approximately 70 days (2 Months & 10 days) after the end of the month of Ramadan, i.e. Eid-ul-Fitr. Ritual observance of the holiday lasts until sunset of the 13th day of Dhu al-Hijjah.

Victoria Range Residents participate in Katina Pinkama at Village Temple

The Buddhist residents at Victoria Range participated in the "Katina Cheevara Pooja Pinkama" (Offering of new robes to the Maha Sangha) together with Nivasie employees and nearby villagers.

The Katina Puja or offering of new robes to Buddhist priests is a long standing religious custom prevailing in all the countries where Theravadha Buddhism prevails. In the words of the Buddha, this is the noblest religious activity for Buddhists from which limitless merit is accumulated.

This year, Mr and Mrs (Ranjith) Rathnayake, Mr and Mrs Kulathunghe, Mr and Mrs Badhuge, Mr and Mrs (Kusal) Rathnayake and Nivasie staff had the rare opportunity of keeping the robe at their homes / offices within Victoria Range during the second week of October while performing a series of special religious activities together with many other residents. Mr. Kularathne Pathirage, the site manager of Nivasie and Mrs. Lumbini Rathnayake took the initiative and guided other residents in participating in this noblest activity.

The Buddhist priests at the temple, the officers at the Police Post at Ambakotte and nearby villagers welcomed the residents of Victoria Range and the representatives of Nivasie, and appreciated becoming part of them.

May your home light up... with the joy of Deepavali

The clear blue sky,
The scent of flowers,
The colours of Rangoli,
And the sound of crackers.

The gifts and sweets from dear ones,
And the getting of their love,
The light of the candles below,
And the dazzling fireworks up above.

Lighting lamps at our homes,
Making the less fortunate smile,
Putting on new apparels,
Show our friends some style.

Paying respects to the gods,
And decorating for them the thali,
This is what the occasion is all about,
This is the spirit of Deepavali.

On the auspicious day of Deepavali, wishing all our Hindu friends and families at Victoria Range Success, Happiness and Prosperity...

Pre-requisite for Gate Pass for Domestic Workers and Gardeners

It has been noticed that several domestic workers and gardeners (hired by the residents/home owners) are not carrying identification cards, which means violation of the rules set by the Police Department.

As per the new security procedures at Victoria Range, the gate-pass given to domestic workers / gardeners should show the ID card number on it. Therefore please take necessary steps to provide your worker with any form of acceptable identification (through the police station or the Gramasevaka of the area) to fulfil this pre-requisite to obtain the gate pass.

I am certain that we all agree with the clause, "The level of security at the complex hinges on the extent to which the laid-down security procedures are implemented."