Tea Talks at Maniumpathy: Focus on ‘The Chitra Lane Way’

‘The Chitra Lane Way’, a recently launched book about bringing up children; especially those with special needs, was the centre of a fascinating discussion that took place as part of the ‘Tea Talks’ series held at Maniumpathy Boutique Hotel.  

Authored by well known and respected Clinical Psychologist Nishalie Fernandopulle, ‘The Chitra Lane Way’ documents the experiences and insights she has gained during her decade of work at the Chitra Lane School. “This book describes the various stages and milestone of a child’s development and lets parents know what they need to be aware of at every stage. In that sense it is a book that can serve as a valuable guide for any parent, not just those who have children with special needs. Of course, special needs children are the main focus, and we have called on our years of experience to document the methods, interventions and management techniques that we have found to be most helpful and holistic when it comes to caring for and educating children with special needs.”

Founder of the organisation, Delysia Gunewardene, who continues to devote her time to guiding and inspiring the Chitra Lane family, was also present and offered in depth insights into the book: “When Chitra Lane started over four decades ago, there was nowhere for parents of children with special needs to turn to for help and support. We started with a single room, and now, we reach out to over 2,000 students across the country annually. This book shares the experience we have had and the knowledge we have gained, and we hope that it will serve as a tool for the parents, educators and caregivers of these very special children, so that we ensure that we do everything we can to give them the gift of independence, and help them reach their full potential.”  

The talk was the third in a series of ‘Tea Talks’ held at Maniumpathy Boutique Hotel, a property of Manor House Concepts. As always, the talk was structured to allow a small group of individuals to come together and enjoy an insightful inspirational conversation. Harshi Hewage at Maniumpathy said, “We feel that we have the perfect setting for these intimate events that focus on things that are important, interesting and insightful. This particular Tea Talk featuring Delysia and Nishalie and their extremely relevant and invaluable book, is one that we were very proud to host and we intend to do many more such events in the future.” 

Maniumpathy is a stately heritage house ideally located, for business or pleasure. The hotel provides tranquillity, luxury, and style all within direct reach of what the city has to offer. For more information visit https://www.thecolombohouse.com/about/.