Kalukanda House

Fashion: The modern Sari. It’s about how you wear it, your style, your vision. Back in the days of yore, Sari was worn by all women in Sri Lanka. From teachers, to house servants (as they were known back then) and their well heeled and affluent employers in private homes and Kings’s courts. From fishermen to priests and monks, a single piece of cloth was worn by everyone. Despite changing times, colonial era manipulation and global trends, modern Sr Lankan modistas are keeping the sari alive. Tune into our interview with Mehala Ford, Sri Lankan fashion PR and Curator, and founder of Friday Sari Project who talks about Sri Lankan sari. She shares how a single length of fabric, over 5m long, can be draped in a hundred different ways for everyday life (Podcast Series 1, Ep2 link in first comment).

For readers, our website blog pages have brilliant articles, and the tale of Sari in Sri Lanka is in there - links in bio.

The podcast recommences in September bringing modern Sri Lankan sass to your ears. We’ll be shining spotlights and sharing everything from more sartorial style news to the burgeoning wellness scene, travel trends to religion and new politics and creatives from our platform HERA Project X Sri Lanka (beware of poorly disguised imitations 😉).

Image 1 : Selyn Textiles (interview with founder Selyna and her sustainable textile brand in podcast)

Kalukanda House history. Dad was a handsome young man, and the oldest of 7 siblings all living in Jaffna. They weren’t born with a silver spoon, far from it, but he dreamt of being a Doctor, put his nose to the grindstone and worked damned hard to make his dreams come true. When his own father was lost during WW2 for a while, dad became the father figure to his siblings - that’s tough for a young kid. Managing household duties while studying late into the night, Aceing his exams, always top of the class. Taking the boat to Britain who was clamouring for help in it’s hospitals, dad had a long and eminent career covering Edinburgh, London and then finally Bletchley (home of the code breakers).

Looking back, I reckon dad was a feminist. He knew that prejudices he had faced could only be overcome by education. He probably knew that gender bias is a fat problem to overcome too. Dedicated to educating his 3 daughters, and a strict disciplinarian, maybe his eldest might have given him a tough time because she couldn’t see what he could 😅

I returned to Sri Lanka in 2016, we had no direct family left. Mostly scattered around the world by war, I’m the first to return and drop those roots back deep into the ground. My parents were the first visitors to Kalukanda House before we officially opened our doors in 2018, before he became too ill.

There is something in lineage. The story of Kalukanda House reaches back long before 2017 when I built her from the ground up. This isn’t a renovation. This isn’t a refurbishment. This is a brand new build. Brick by brick, tile by tile….built by a daughter reconnecting with a past she’d never known.

History is a funny thing. It catches up with you eventually.

RIP dad. Thank you for passing on your grit and determination. We’re proud of everything you did for yourself, us and all the people around you. Kalukanda House is your legacy as much as mine.
Love, your eldest, Dini x

Dr. Ratnam Jeyaratnam, 13.8.35 - 24.6.26

Sunsets with meaning ❤️ bookings via website, link in bio

Enjoy suspended animation…(scroll 👉🏽)





accompanied by hovering Dragonflies and electric blue Kingfisher, Langur monkeys and Peacocks…





at the Floating House…



where water and land merge in a magical tropical grotto…





…. 👀 But blink and you’ll miss the chance👇🏽Summer 2026 offers are here. Bookings via website, link in bio.

📢 ORIGAMI WORKSHOP ~ Join us on Saturday 27 June at 10am for an Origami workshop with Shazad Synon Shazad Synon. Get folding + take up space to slow down and reset. 5000 LKR per person (all material included). Details below to reserve your spot 👇🏽

Date: 27th June 2026
📍 Kalukanda House
🕰️ 10am - 12pm
Cost : 5000 LKR
Contact Shazad Synon or shen__naia

Kalukanda House, all this just moments from the beach; a garden oasis, artist’s escape, another dimension. A special space where the jungle meets the sea 🩵💚

Review by author & artist .freischlad
Photo .photography_
Guest
Location

Link in bio for bookings 👆🏽