Vesak and Violence Against Women
Original photograph REUTERS/Damir Sagolj I have not hidden my increasing disdain for the way Buddhism is practiced and promoted in Sri Lanka. To say the least, we have not only forgotten what it…
Identity
The burka ban: Europe and Muslims on collision course?
‘I think someone forced you to wear this. I will help you. Here is a fine of €200’. Sounds stupid? Well that’s the bizarre logic of the French rescue plan/law to help…
Proud of being a ‘half-caste’: Perceptions of Eurasians in Sri Lanka
Although there were times when to be an Eurasian meant that one was generally looked down upon, considered ‘half caste’, Rosemarie is proud of her mixed heritage. At the time when she…
Notes on Possibilities after the UN Report: Including Nationalism and ‘The Geopolitics of Emotion’
Photo courtesy Deborah Philip It was my sense after May 18, 2009 when the LTTE was defeated that Sri Lanka was missing an opportunity to redefine itself as part of a kinder,…
Educating the Soul, the Spirit and then the Mind
Photo courtesy The Schools Project Background Over the years, I have spent much time with children and teachers in schools running leadership programs not only in Sri Lanka, but also in Canada,…
‘National security’ in post-war Sri Lanka: Women’s (In) security in the North
Photo from Resurrecting the ‘undead Tiger’[1] to secure the citizen: How the situation of women belie the dominant security narrative ‘The world should appreciate our successful anti-terrorist effort. But today we are…
A Mother’s Call for the Re-awakening
Photo credit: Sangam Mrs. B. Thilagamani began her non-violent resistant activism when she was 18 years old and played a key role during the 1961 Satyagraha Campaign. During the Satyagraha Campaign, Sri…
Kerosene: How does a taxi driver take the sick to the hospital when there’s no fuel around?
How does a taxi driver take the sick to the hospital when there’s no fuel around? How does a newspaper publish news of bombs and deaths without newsprint? And how does a…
Sinhala and Tamil New Year in Jaffna, Sri Lanka: Ground realities
Sinhala & Tamil New Year when I was growing up was always a much-awaited annual event in our neighbourhood. We’d have card tournaments and badminton tournaments leading up to the “Big Day,”…
‘Heal Lanka’ by Ras Ceylon
A retweet this morning from Ras Ceylon alerted us to the fact that he was following our feed. We first read about Ras Ceylon on Sepia Mutiny, interviewed by the inimitable Tanzila…
A review of (Un)making Time: ‘My Other History’ and ‘Rondo’
Image from ‘Rondo’ Image from ‘My Other History’ “We are all capable of believing things which we know to be untrue… And then, when we are finally proved wrong, impudently twisting the…
A Lost White Tribe: The Eurasians of Sri Lanka
A Lost White Tribe: The Eurasians of Sri Lanka is a personal look at some of the last remaining ‘Eurasians’, and part of the Moving Images commissioned and supported by . Produced…
A brief impression of ‘Rondo’
Original photo courtesy Mind Adventures Rondo is a devised theatre play, based on the theme of reconciliation, says the programme note for the production of RONDO by Tracy Holsinger and the Mind…
World Cup Cricket and Football: Nationalism in France and Sri Lanka
Photo credits: 888 Sport Zone and Daily Info Picks I know absolutely nothing about cricket and honestly would not have paid attention to the Cricket World Cup, had I not been in…
Proud to be Sri Lankan?
Citizenship, as I know it, is a means by which citizens of a particular country are recognized as entities of that country. I feel that citizenship gives each of us a sense…