Society

Rotating Like a Cartwheel The Bicycle Friends

Admin May 8, 2020

SARATH MANULAWICKRAMA Two friends – one Muslim, the other Sinhala – and a working partnership that spans decades According to Buddhist philosophy, sorrow and happiness rotate like a cartwheel. Mohideen and Raja are two mechanics who work together sharing everything in life, including meals.

Society

Learning from Corona: When it comes to life: religion, race & caste don’t matter

Admin April 16, 2020

AHSAN AFTHAR “When we are told that so many have contracted the disease, we don’t feel like asking their religious identity” The world is currently taking precautions to protect itself from COVID-19. With Sri Lanka currently trapped in the corridor of the virus, Hindu, Buddhist, Islamic and Christian places of worship have been closed as […]

Society

A United Front Religious Leaders Speak on Unity to Fight COVID-19

Admin April 16, 2020

MELANI MANEL PERERA Comments from Religious Leaders in Sri Lanka during the Coronavirus Pandemic Religious leaders of the Catholic, Christian, Hindu and Islam faiths have emphasized that the cohesive support rendered to the regulations issued by the government and the health authorities on quarantining will help to defeat Covid-19. The controversial virus COVID-19 was

Society

Railroading Classism in Post-Colonial Sri Lanka A Class Above

Admin March 24, 2020

JEEVANI SINNIAH Comparing classism and railway classes We sat nervously huddled on the wooden bench of the Haputale Railway Station late one chilly August night, clutching our precious collections from the trip to the Hill Country – Kithul Jaggery, jars of Orange Marmalade, Guava Jelly and Nelli Syrup from the famous Adhisham Bungalow in Haputale. […]

Society

Mixed Marriages in Sri Lanka “Religion was never an obstacle…”

Admin March 24, 2020

TUSANTHAN VAYIRAMUTHTHU -K.M.RAZOOL Two stories of mixed marriages from different corners of the country “Religion is a way of life, but many problems occur when we consider that man was created only for religion” says Muthukuruppan Sambanthar (71), a retired school principal and former Hindu Religious Affairs Director of the Kandy Department of Education. He […]

Society

How do we treat our seniors? Orphaned Mothers

Admin March 19, 2020

AHSAN AFTHAR A photographic investigation of our treatment of Sri Lanka’s senior citizens What you see pictured here are mothers who have been left behind at St. Anne’s Home for the Elders in Wadduwa. They have no blood relatives, but they are together; helping each other in their day-to-day activities. There are no ethnic or […]

Society

Reconciliation & Childhood Lives Beneath the Labels

Admin March 19, 2020

VIMUKTHI KARUNARATNE AND K. M. RAZOOL A visual exploration of childhood and reconciliation that begins at a young age Still a nascent community, the Thalpitiya locality in Wadduwa has been in existence only since the mid 90s. Built on land grants by the government, the locale mainly comprises fisherman families of Buddhist and Catholic faiths, […]

Society

Singing the National Anthem Where is the Tamil Identity?

Admin March 11, 2020

MELANI MANEL PERERA KARTHIKESU KAMALARANI A dialogue on the new policy to sing the National Anthem in Sinhala only On February 4th is Sri Lanka’s Independence Day. Parallel to the official ceremony in which only the Sinhala language version of the national anthem was sung, a diverse group of activists belonging to many ethnic and […]

Society

Reporting from Wadduwa Pollution & the Peaceful Sea

Admin March 11, 2020

LASANTHA DE SILVA Fishing industry in Wadduwa in crisis due to pollution in the sea The sea is calm in Wadduwa at the beginning of each year. Fishing vessels of all sizes easily set sail to catch fish. However, the fishermen seem more silent than the sea. Southern Thalpitiya is a coastal village situated between […]

Society

From Malay Pickle to Mulligatawny The Taste of Harmony

Admin March 11, 2020

MISHKA FERNANDO AND SHAKYA MEDAGEDARA Food as the unifying ingredient in the multicultural, multilingual and multi religious island of Sri Lanka From Malay Pickle to Mulligatawny, food has been the one unifying ingredient in the multicultural, multilingual and multi religious island of Sri Lanka. It boasts and burps of dishes that blurred its divisive lines […]