Is the Tamil version of our national anthem a joke?
Recent media coverage in Sri Lanka has focussed on the confusion over the ban of the Tamil version of Sri Lanka’s national anthem. In media reports that need to be read in…
Identity
Interview with Michael Roberts
Prof. Michael Roberts, in addition to his academic writing and research, is well-known political commentator in Sri Lanka. He is also a regular contributor to this site. In the incredibly violent days…
On Anthems and the State of the Union
I have been stirred and moved even to tears by both the Tamil and Sinhala versions of the Ceylon, now Sri Lanka,anthem. I think I owe this emotional tie to birth on…
Whose reality in Sri Lanka?
No one will deny that Sri Lanka has experienced dramatic changes over the past 18 months. The military defeat of the LTTE came as a surprise to many defence and security analysts,…
These Sri Lankan whores! Serve them right!
Name and shame the whores that act in pornographic films online. Their seedy grainy stuck-between-teeth pictures plastered across newspapers will be the deterrent for other whores who have the same idea. Designate…
Nation building post war
Written to mark the forthcoming publication of , Edited by Gnana Moonesinghe We are no closer to nation building post war than we were during it, and before it. More accurately, we…
Jaffna and the North of Sri Lanka today: Post war realities, challenges and opportunities
[Editors note: Also  see interview with Dr. Muttukrishna Sarvananthan here, along with one other from a leading rights activist in Jaffna. From the psycho-social trauma and destruction of the social fabric in…
Sanctity
Photo courtesy Dushiyanthini Kanagasabapathipillai Sanctity, or rather a loss of sanctity, anchors the meditations that you will find in the few passages below. A recent article in the made a mildly facetious…
A conversation with Kumudini Samuel
Kumudini Samuel is the founder of Women and Media Collective, a women’s group working for the inclusion of women concerns in peace process and the change of attitudes towards gender issues. We…
Translation of Tamil newspaper reports on the Lessons Learnt & Reconciliation Commission hearings held in Killinochchi and Mullaitivu
Given below are translations of reports on the hearings of the Lessons Learnt & Reconciliation Commission (LLRC) held in Killnochchi and Mullaitivu that appeared in Tamil newspapers. Due to the deafening silence and…
A homophobic Editorial: Professional negligence or genuine belief?
Photo courtesy the febrile imagination On the 29th of July 2010 I read a strange and badly written editorial that appeared in the . To put it mildly, the editorial was a…
Sivahamy’s Sorrow: Mission Accomplished!
My name is Madduma Bandara — a brave young journalist working for , “we report, you decide.” Permit me to engage your imagination a bit. Sivahamy comes from a farming family in…
Low intensity evil in Sri Lanka
How can evil ever be low intensity? It is similar to a low intensity cyclone. It appears to be a misnomer. However it does really exist. A depression given the right conditions…
THE POLITICAL LESSONS OF THE SMILING ASSASSIN: MURALI, CRICKET AND SRI LANKAN IDENTITY
Savouring the richly deserved cascades of press coverage last week of Muttiah Muralidaran’s retirement from Test cricket on the magnificent record of 800 wickets, it is difficult to resist a surge of…
Random musings on Sri Lanka today
The swift annihilation of the Tamil Tigers was a surprise to me. A war that was 30 years long, finished so quickly with an undignified death for the leader of the LTTE.…
