#StrikeSL – Railway Union Action Frustrates Commuters
Fort Railway Station was eerily quiet on August 9. The ticket-counters and the Station Master’s office were empty and unstaffed. There was a heavy police presence at the station, but none of…
Author: Amalini de Sayrah and Raisa Wickrematunge
Invisible Barriers: The Struggle to Combat Violence, Online and Off
Rights activists have been abducted, detained and assaulted in the pursuit of their work in Sri Lanka, both during and after the war. Even under the present government, the crackdown on the…
An Uneven Playing Field: Jeevanee Kariyawasam
‘When you’re having a conversation, your message might reach four or five people. With technology acting as a mouthpiece, you can reach thousands at a time. And when you don’t see the…
An Uneven Playing Field: Rosy Senanayake
‘In the 21st century, the digital sphere nearly outweighs that of physical human interaction’ says Rosy Senanayake, who was officially appointed the first female mayor of Colombo recently. She notes that the…
An Uneven Playing Field: Jegatheeswaram Jeyachandrika
Contesting under the UNP for the Arayampathy ward in Batticaloa, Jegatheeswaram Jeyachandrika, or Meena as she is known, counts the threats she has received on her fingers. There was the time people…
An Uneven Playing Field
The implementation of a 25% quota for women’s representation in local councils at Sri Lanka’s 2018 Local Government Election was a welcome move, and the result of years of advocacy and activism…
The Forgotten Brew: The Struggle for rights and representation in Sri Lanka’s low-country estates
It is easy to forget that Deniyaya is located in the Matara district. Many people travel here in order to trek through the Sinharaja rainforest. Few people stop to notice the sprawling…
The fabric of life
At the time of founding Selyn Handlooms in 1991, Sandra Wanduragala did not know much about the handloom industry, but this didn’t stop her. “I thrive on challenges,” she says, laughing. Despite having initial…
Invictus: Stories of Resilience from Mannar and Mullaitivu
In the post-conflict narrative, there are stories that are glossed over, or never told. November 25 is the International Day for the Elimination of Violence Against Women. To mark this day, travelled…
Flavour Profile
Food is as central to the experience of Sri Lanka as a game of cricket. As cricket is to recreation, food has transcended its functional purpose of nutrition to become, for many,…
From isolation to integration: addressing stigma on World Mental Health Day
The very mention of the town “Angoda” has widespread negative connotations, as the National Institute of Mental Health is situated there. This points to the wider issue of stigma that surrounds the…