Dr. Jehan Perera CONTRIBUTORS TO SOCIAL HARMONY Dr. Jehan Perera Dr. Perera is the Executive Director and a founding member of the National Peace Council of Sri Lanka. He is also a visiting academic in the Conflict and Peace Studies Programme of the Faculty of Graduate Studies,
Nimalka Fernando CONTRIBUTORS TO SOCIAL HARMONY Nimalka Fernando, lawyer, veteran rights activist and presently Co-Chairperson of the International Movement Against all Forms of Discrimination and Racism (IMADR) reflects on how she grew up and got involved in the work for which she has now won international recognition. An appropriate start in recollecting my
Nimal Abeysinghe Power-hungry politicians often create polarizations by dividing a country’s people based on race, religion and caste. Trapped in the narrow mentality inspired by racism people become either oblivious to the subtleties of power play, or knowingly forego the fact. Regardless of race, religion, or caste, a reasonable proportion of Sri Lanka’s population
Nimal Abeysinghe The development of agriculture in Sri Lanka has traditionally been associated with the growth of farmer settlements. When such settlements were established in the dry zone in the 1940s, the British colonial government attempted to allocate lands to Tamils of Indian origin. However, D.S. Senanayake, who was a minister at the time, opposed […]
Gayan Yaddehige Although there are various theories about the origin of language, humans have used it since times immemorial. Humans have used language as a medium of communication and also to pass on knowledge from generation to generation. Language, which was initially sign language, evolved into verbal and written communication through words and letters with […]
Sampath Deshapriya Society has started to discuss the crisis the younger generation is facing today due to Covid-19. The problems faced by the children include limited mobility, closure of schools, and stress caused by online education. Latest reports indicate that child abuse has increased by 40% during the pandemic. 20% of the boys and 10% […]
Gayan Yaddehige “Sri Lanka is a multinational country where people of all religions live. They all have their own unique cultures. That makes a unique diversity in the country. How happy could we be if we all can accept that diversity without racial and religious divisions? But unfortunately, our impatience with diversity overwhelms us occasionally. […]
Nimal Abeysinghe Mr. Somaratne of Mirigama was famously known as “Mirigama Mahaththaya” in Mummana village. “Mirigama Mahaththaya” came to live in Mummana after buying several acres of coconut-lands in the village. He was a man who stood up to the troubles of the villagers and generously sacrificed his wealth as well as his labour. The […]
Nimal Abeysinghe Humane people band together in the face of natural disasters. Born out of compassion, such unity heeds no race or colour difference. An incident from as recent as 2015 illustrates the community-minded sacrifice by a group who were brought together by a natural disaster and their tireless efforts over three days born out […]