The Aluwihare Heritage Centre recently presented  a series of events to mark the birth centenary of Ena De Silva. For decades, De Silva’s explorations of batik and embroidery established a new artistic paradigm for Sri Lankan textiles. These explorations focused not only on furthering the craft but greatly on the empowerment of rural and urban women through strengthening modes of self-reliance. Inspired by long-held traditional craft production intermingled with ideas from other disciplines and cultures, Ena De Silva and her workshop in Aluwihare-Matale furthered the making of a Sri Lankan imaginary that inspired and represented a changing modern society.