Titus Thotawatte: The Final Cut
Emmanuel Titus de Silva, better known as Titus Thotawatte, was the finest editor in the six decades long history of the Lankan cinema. He was also a great assimilator and remixer –…
Year: 2011
Bigots on a Righteous Mission
Photo by Natale Dankotuwage The end; is there an end in sight? The Sri Lankan Conflict has penetrated into my life-time like an unwelcomed genetic trait. I didn’t ask to be born…
Development or maldevelopment?
Image from Wikipedia In the current hype on ‘Development’ have any of us questioned its intent? Does it just mean ‘progress’ in the manner referred to by Anada Coomaraswamy when he published…
UNP victory in Colombo Municipal Council: A Political Economy of the Numerics
UNP’s victory is elusive and unimpressive. We are left with several interesting questions: why did UPFA lose despite its claim that Colombo is on the fast track to becoming a cleaner, greener,…
We the Sinhalese
Image courtesy Lankapura An oyster sucks in particles from its environment and creates a pearl. If instead, it filters out every particle, it is destined to be a lesser being. In untold…
The ghosts that continue to haunt us
The local government elections have been fought and won by the UPFA in 21 out of 23 Local Government bodies, an impressive result for an incumbent government in place since 2005. Contrary…
Militarisation of Sri Lanka and its infiltration into Higher Education
Evidence of militarisation is everywhere – most recently in the sphere of higher education. The armed forces are involved with development projects, in welfare, and in farming. They are even involved in…
Sri Lankan Tamil Destiny is Inextricably Grounded Within Sri Lanka: A Response to D.B.S Jeyaraj
This is a belated response to D.B.S. Jeyaraj’s article titled “Tamil Destiny is inextricably intertwined with that of the Sinhalese,” which I noticed only a few days ago. I not only…
Employing thugs as Presidential advisors
Sri Lankan hospital staff carry an injured person following a shootout on the outskirts of Colombo on Saturday – AP, via Deccan Chronicle An advisor to the President is dead and a…
Reading the results of the municipal elections in Sri Lanka
Is this a functioning democracy or what? The governing coalition’s sweep of the local authorities election, the UNP’s successful resistance in a tough campaign in Colombo, as well as the TNA’s impressive…
Goodbye, Steve Jobs; Long Live Mavericks!
Steve Jobs would have been bemused by the many epithets assigned to him in the wake of his death on 5 October 2011. He was described variously an inventor, digital entrepreneur and…
Thoughts on the play ‘Pusswedilla Part 3’
Photo by Ima Hassen Apparently, the local censor board unanimously voted to deny a public performance license for the play because it deals with Sri Lanka, Sri Lankan Politicians and institutions. Consequently,…
Developing the ‘Under served settlements’ in Colombo: An Open Letter
Photo courtesy Prevention Web October 8th 2011 Dear Mr. Milinda Moragoda and Mr. AJM Muzammil, I wrote this open letter before the elections, to be read after, to avoid political misapprehensions that would…
Local Government Elections: In sending the UNP and JVP to political oblivion the nation may find hope?
Photo courtesy Sunday Leader – Ralph Miliband Another humiliating defeat for the United National Party (UNP) and the Janatha Vimukthi Peramuna (JVP) in the forthcoming elections would certainly improve the country’s future…
Resource or Burden? A different perspective on the elderly in Sri Lanka
Image courtesy World Bank The elderly, usually grouped into those over 60 years, are often looked at as a vulnerable or dependent group in society, sometimes even as a burden. How reasonable…
