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…
‘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…
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…
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…
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…
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,…
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 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,…
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…
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.…
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…
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…
PANEL DISCUSSION: ‘Framing discourse: Media, Power and Democracy’, 5.30-7.00pm, 20th September JDA Perera Gallery, Horton Place, Colombo Free & open to public. Parking available inside the venue. Seating limited. The architecture of…
The novel ) first and published it in October 2014, and the Sinhala version in December 2014. This review is limited to the Sinhala novel as I am yet to read the…
Photo by REUTERS/Dinuka Liyanawatte via Channel 4 To write a piece of this nature while holding an academic position in a state university is quite a controversial move. Those who read this piece…
