Society

When the Community Comes Together In Remembrance of Those Lost

Admin December 10, 2019

SARATH MANULAWICKRAMA The bugle echoes over the hills of Mihintale. A sound of melancholy for everyone, irrespective of ethnic differences. The mothers, wives, sisters and family members of unsung heroes who died a decade ago, moan for their kith and kin. The bugle echoes over the hills of

Society

Looking to Mannar for Reconciliation An Oasis that Connects Hearts

Admin December 10, 2019

SARATH MANULAWICKRAMA In Mathota, the coastal line yields pure white pearls, the harbor is connected to the beginning of Buddhist civilization of Sri Lanka, the port is written in history as the place from where the sacred sapling of Sri Maha Bodhiya tree was brought to the island. In Mathota, the coastal line yields pure […]

Society

Looking Back on the Path of Rafik Hajiyar Understanding the Uncertainty of Life

Admin December 10, 2019

UPEKSHA UDUWARALLA By the time of his death, the name Rafik Hajiyar was known by the entire world. He was the philanthropist who gifted a highly valuable one acre and 43 perches piece of land in Kandy to the public hospital of the city worth hundreds of millions of rupees. Rafik Hajiyar saw how those […]

Society

In Conversation with Imtiaz Bakeer Markar Religion Shouldn’t be Manipulated to Further One’s Gain

Admin December 10, 2019

SRILAL SENEVIRATHNA Imtiaz Bakeer Markar is a former Minister and Chairman of the Foundation for National Unity. . This is The Catamaran’s dialogue with him on ethnic reconciliation. Imtiaz Bakeer Markar is a former Minister and Chairman of the Foundation for National Unity. He is a symbol of Sinhala and Muslim friendship and brotherhood. He […]

Society

Ethnic and Religious Differences: The seriousness of the problem can be reduced by the public!

Admin November 29, 2019

KURINCHPPAARTHTHAN “We focus our attention on preventing conflict where it occurs. Our aim is to bring about harmony between races,” says Renuka Maliyagoda of the Kandy Inter Religious Committee The Kandy District Inter Religious Committee, which has been working in this regard since 2016, has been specially engaged in field work in Digana incident. In […]

Society

Honest Plans: Winning the Hearts of Minority Communities

Admin November 29, 2019

UPEKSHA UDUWARALLA Chairman of the All Ceylon Hindu Congress, Narah T. Arulkanth on the need for national development with the entire country on board.    The result of the presidential indicated ethnic polarization of the Sri Lankan polity. The new president has the challenge of uniting an ideologically scattered people. The Chairman of the All Ceylon […]

Society

In Conversation with Dr Mohammed Buhari Mohammed Ajvad. Reconciliation happens when we understand each other.

Admin November 28, 2019

KARUNARATHNA GAMAGE “We build up social relationships by understanding each other. I think then we do not need building reconciliation anew,” says Dr Mohammed Buhari Mohammed Ajvad. Dr. Ajvad was born in the Ottamavadi village in Valachchenai and is married to Konara Mudiyanselage Rukma Maithri Kumari Pamunuwa.  Dr. Ajvad met Rukma when he was serving […]

Society

Finding Peace in Divinity Looking Beyond the Issues of Man

Admin November 25, 2019

RANJITH RUPASINGHE The Catamaran looked to leaders and followers from various walks of faith to gather their views on reconciling as a nation, following the ethnic unrest post Easter Sunday attacks. A Hindu priest, Kurukkal Ajantha Kumar, of Sri Muttumari Amman Kovil of Mahaiyawa in Kandy states that people of all religions have been visiting […]

Society

In Conversation with Sathyawel People can Survive on Humanity Alone

Admin November 25, 2019

CHANDINI DISSANAYAKE Lassegama Wimalarathana Thero’s ambition is to add value to the monkhood he obtained with difficulty and to spread the message of Lord Buddha to the world. This is his interview with The Catamaran. Sathyawel, also known as Shiva Kumar, was born in 1981 as the son of a Indian Brahmin mother and a […]

Society

Looking to Heaven for Deliverance Prayers of the Sisters of the North

Admin November 25, 2019

MELANI MANEL PERERA “A group of Tamil women from the North visited the Katuwapitiya church and paid homage to the victims of the Easter tragedy, asking for peace, healing of the wounds and strength to live the rest of their lives, A group already shouldering memories from three decades of war, chose to visit the […]