Thirty years of civil war may have resulted in an awkward reconciliation process on racial fronts, but one thing it hasn’t diminished is our overlapping plethora of religious practices. We are born into, and primarily practice one particular religion or philosophy but one cannot discount the number of Buddhists at the Kali kovil in Modara or the numerous Hindus at St. Anthony’s Church in Kochchikade. The point is that maybe at the root of it, we are all practicing one religion although with express it differently, because ultimately, what we assume to be different faiths, lead us to similar places in life. If Sri Lanka is more than a little behind in genuine racial harmony, maybe we’ve managed to make up for it and have a head start on the rest of the universe on a spiritual front instead. Once they travel along each river of faith and discover it only leads to one ocean of truth, Sri Lankans may already be there.
This montage comprises photographs I have taken at the many houses of worship I have visited, prayed in or merely passed by. Looking at them collectively, they began to tell me story.
I hope they do the same for you.
Video Credits
Photography: Natalie Soysa
Editor: Maleen Jayasuriya
Music: Prashasthi by Thriloka