Gramasevakata Pissu: Political censorship and popular culture
– J.M. Coetzee , seated at the foot of my father’s easy-chair, not understanding (as a nine, ten, eleven-year-old) the incisive commentary the show was making. Soon enough as a teen, I…
Year: 2019
The Subaltern in Search of Speech
Professor Gayatri Spivak Chakravarti, I would like to thank you, Mr. Mawng Zarni and his enthusiasm for bringing me here today to discuss one of the most important issues of our lifetime….
A Day in Saraswathi’s Life (VIDEO)
38-year-old Saraswathi wakes at 5.30 am to send her children to school before she heads to work. In this video, produced by Selvaraja Rajasegar of , she readies her children for school, in…
A Pardon, and a Penalty: A Prelude to a Populist?
As we reflect on Sri Lanka’s 71st Independence Day, many things that have political currency come to mind. Free education and healthcare, a reduced cost of living, and anti-corruption are usually among…
The Days We Screamed
Yes, we screamed. Mostly out of fear. At times, in joy when the opposing side faced more loss than us. Lives were taken for granted, numbers of the fallen mattered much more…
Searching for Answers: 9 Years After Prageeth Eknaligoda’s Disappearance
On the the wall of Sandya Eknaligoda’s home is a black and white cartoon of a snake devouring the egg it has hatched from. The cartoon is familiar – it is the…
Visvasam: Fantasy, Melodrama, Stereotypes and Violence
With two of my colleagues, I was on a rollercoaster last week at Sarasvathi cinema hall in Trincomalee, watching the new South Indian blockbuster film by Siva, “Visvasam” (Loyalty). No escape whatsoever…
Brexit Demands a New British Politics
BRUSSELS – The populist revolts in the United States and the United Kingdom have each reached a critical juncture. At the start of his third year in office, US President Donald Trump…
Keppapulavu: Land Struggle Reaches Boiling Point after 700 days of protest
700 days is a long time for a day and night protest outside an Army camp. Since March 1, 2017, the people of Keppapulavu, located in the Mullaitheevu district in Northern Sri…
Reporting on identity in the Sri Lankan media: Ethics and errors
It is not uncommon to read headlines of this nature in Sri Lankan print media, with perpetrators of a crime or their suspects being identified by race. In Sinhala, Tamil and English…
Standing for unpopular causes: Ten years on
The first thing to catch my eye in Sandya Eknaligoda’s home was a comic book. It was an illustrated copy of Sherlock Holmes. Peeking out underneath was a leaflet bearing a familiar…
What the coup taught us
Four years ago, a majority of Lankans elected Maithripala Sirisena as the country’s executive president. A year from now, the country will be asked to elect its next executive president. Can the…
A Great Tree Has Fallen: Father Harry Miller S.J. Passes On
As the New Year dawned in 2019, I received the news that Father Harry Miller had died. Members of the Batticaloa Peace Committee had been visiting him in recent weeks, and had…
