Royal Taprobanian

 

Royal Taprobanian.....Are u a Taprobanian?

We Live In an era where we can”t be ourselves in our own homes at times,So a place where you can be your self is more than just a place of cement, in my opinion, a venue that transforms itself accordingly, it has full of life in it, its an art gallery, its a book shop, its a library, its an institution for students, its a concert or drama hall and the list goes on and on, by the sound of it you may think it's a huge venue, not really, the way it transforms itself for each occasion is quite magical, one thing for sure is that there aren't many places like this ambiance and with this much of flexibility and adaptability (certainly not in Colombo)

it's Royal Taprobanian, situated in wijerama junction, just a stone's throw away from the high-level road.

The word thaprobane was the name by which the Indian Ocean island of Sri Lanka was known to the ancient Greeks, That's what I was taught in the history lessons back in school, that's the first time I heard the word thaprobane in my life, So Royal Taprobanian, (Even though there is a difference in the spellings) what does that mean?, I'm not too sure my self either, but I feel it's safe to say royal Sri Lankan, maybe! (It's just my definition)

Founded in 2018 by a popular figure in Sinhala tuition industry back in the day, author, songwriter one-time politician and a well-respected media personality, he is none other than upul sannasgala who is the founder of this gallery, (so it's aptly named Royal Taprbanian as he is a royal Sri Lankan himself in more ways than one ), a quite a character himself with all the extraordinary ideas and concepts that he puts out from time to time and also the chaos that he gets in to on social.media is a common sight for anyone who knows him, now In his early retirement he has chosen to spend his days at Royal Taprobanian, making it his home,

I can not forget the presence of adorable Zimba, (the pet dog) which really helps to bring that homely feel to the gallery, so expect very friendly Zimba to come and greet you. (and give you a quick sniff and a lick when you are there).

I would like to tell you how I came across Royal Taprobanian for the first time. One fine day I was just scrolling my FB profile and I saw a bool launch by ahasa (අහස) publishers, and I saw the venue was mentioned as Royal Taprobanian, that's the very first time I saw its page on FB, to my joy and surprise Its even closer to my home just a few hundreds of meters away from where I live. Finally, I found the place where it was and I walked in, It was really packed to its fullest, in the end, I picked up two books that I always wanted to buy for some time. Guilt by Chinthana Dharmadasa and Amma (අම්මා)by Upul Sannasagala,( I was happy to buy the books from himself and that was my first encounter with him)

Since then I have been frequenting the place very often, its a place for the like-minded, it truly is, from weekly movie nights to open mics, from dramas to discussions, its a place that is full of activities. An occasional casual chat with the man himself over a hot cup of tea doesn’t make you want to go home at times, there is so much of knowledge in the midst of all the sarcasm and gossips (I would say they are constructive gossip)

Don't be too surprised to see few popular figures from different fields that visit Royal Taprobanian while you are there, no matter how popular they are you will be amazed at how humble and modest they are, as long as you are there you belong to just one community, its a family( I guess u got to feel like a Royal Taprobanian while you are there)

Even though doors are closed now due to corona pandemic soon it will be opened and soon it will be back to its glory, so loads of good times are ahead so please make it a point to be a part of the royal ventures. (I'm just praying and counting the days to go back to check out the movie nights there)

You too can check it out once it's opened after all this corona drama is put to rest, go and check out the vast number of books in the library, you can sip on a hot cup of tea, light your cigarette, sit on that big couch on the side and read your favorite book in your own space.

 Do check out the fast-growing Youtube channel on    https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCpMHVRNc1vNITixHVVv-GMw

Do check out the official fan page from below Link 

https://www.facebook.com/royaltaprobanian/