Let the local discussion be your lodestar
Image via Having been in the Washington D.C. area for a fair amount of time and having read a few of the really good contributions to the most recent series, I got…
Language
Petition signed by over 5,000: Inaction of Police in face of extremism
Photograph courtesy Fox News ### Dear Mr. Jayasundara, Attached herewith, is a follow-up Complaint to you, signed by 5000+ people from Sri Lanka, regarding the inaction of the police against extremist groups,…
My Uchipattam
My mother parts my hair in the middle, Places the Uchipattam at the center. It rests on my forehead. It feels cold. She tells me that I look like my grandmother; Not…
The Road to Nandikadal and the struggle for the military history of the Ealam war
Sri Lanka’s separatist war was one of the longest insurgencies of modern times. It was also one of the most destructive insurgencies in the region, causing the deaths of tens of thousands…
Some thoughts on ‘Close to the Bone’
‘Close to the Bone’, billed as a theatrical collaboration between Arun Welandawe-Prematilleke and Isuru Kumarasinghe, was part of Colomboscope 2016 and held at the Presidential Suite, Cinnamon Lakeside. Almost exactly three years…
The Complexity of Loss
Troubled by the burgeoning demands for accountability, the erstwhile Rajapaksa-government developed a homogenous narrative about how to respond to the cries of the war’s victims for truth and justice. Promoted as a…
Political violence and (this time) the Chief Minister!
Chief Minister Nazeer Ahamed’s outburst is not acceptable by any standards. As the senior most political office holder in the province, he has a much bigger responsibility to ensure that law, order…
The Duality of Language : Marking International Mother Language Day
Language can simultaneously connect and divide, as Sri Lanka has learned to bitter effect in the past. The divisiveness could be said to have begun with the Official Language Act of 1956, which…
Common Ground: A series of photo essays
February 4, 1948 was a historic day for Sri Lanka. Yet, often forgotten is the struggle Sri Lankans faced to ensure independence. It was the concerted effort of people, regardless of class,…
On GLF and Evolving Culture
Featured image courtesy Amalini de Sayrah Last week saw the usually sleepy town of Galle come to life with the Galle Literary Festival. In a celebration of all things literary, Colombars descended…
ISLANDED: A review by Radhika Coomaraswamy
ISLANDED By Sujit Sivasundaram (A review by Radhika Coomaraswamy) 17th December 2015 Let me say that ISLANDED by Sujit Sivasunderam is a seminal work. It is an original interpretation of historical fact,…
Copies of Loss
cc: Ravi, Priya, fighters both, taken before their time. Three pictures hang in my study. (Not my study actually, contractually; the bank retains the mortgage. I do not write in, from a…
What does hate speech mean to you?
Featured image courtesy Huffington Post Monday (November 16) marked the International Day of Tolerance. This day is particularly relevant to Sri Lankans, as the Government announced legislation to curb hate speech recently.…
Aiyo! lamented Aiya to the Adigar
Picture courtesy Thuppahi Work on the third edition of the Oxford English Dictionary (OED) has been underway since the turn of the century, but will not be finished for another decade or…
The Enduring Relevance of Puthiyathor Ulagam
I When Govinthan penned (A New World) in 1985, the intelligence wing of a Tamil militant group was hunting for him across Tamil Nadu. Govinthan (real name: Soosaipillai Nobert) joined the People’s…
