Water Over the Vaduvakkal Bridge
Breakfast for three, hundred and fifty rupees. A trail of tea travelling through cups of steel, One held over another. Trees burdened by what they’ve witnessed, Hunched over. A sly wink. A…
Peace and Conflict
12 Years of Seeking Hope After Three Decades of War
May 18, 2021 marks 12 years since the end of the war. It must be an occasion for us as Sri Lankans to assess progress we have made in addressing root causes…
People Without Memory Can Lose Their Souls
Photo courtesy of Kumanan Kanapathippillai Over three decades of civil war has touched the lives of Sri Lankans of all ages, all races and all social classes. Fathers, sons, daughters and wives…
Mullaivayakal and the Meaning of Justice, 12 Bitter Years On
Image Courtesy of Amalini de Sayrah The first five months of 2009 brought immense and unprecedented pain to the people of northern Sri Lanka, and to their many Tamil relatives outside the…
Working for Peace and Pluralism: A Sisyphian Task
Photo courtesy of World of the Written Word Today is the International Day of Living Together in Peace According to Greek legend, Sisyphus has the wretched task of rolling a huge boulder…
The Case of the Poet Without a Voice
Photo courtesy of WSWS “We will grit our teeth and with submission to god, wait, even if the adversary aims at us the stone in the catapult sling, and aims the arrow…
Burqa Ban Undermines National Security and Human Rights
Photo courtesy of The Telegraph The Sri Lankan Cabinet has agreed a ban on wearing burqas and other full face veils in public, which is almost certain to be approved by Parliament….
Freedom of Expression: Where Do We Stand?
Photo courtesy of Sri Lanka Brief Today is World Press Freedom Day with the theme “Information as a Public Good” “Stifling the peaceful expression of legitimate dissent today can only result, inexorably, in…
Ramadan with a Ban: Face Masks On, Niqabs Off
Photo courtesy of Twitter Ramadan for many of us Muslims is a month of peace and spirituality, a month of tolerance, speaking good words, sharing good thoughts and connecting with God and…
“I live with his memory”: A Documentary on the Easter Sunday Attacks
The voices on the walkie-talkie sound alarming. The eyes of security officers in uniform search for unknown faces. They stand 500 meters away from the church and closely monitor the situation. Those…
Two Years On, They Are Still Asking For Answers
When new faces are seen at the Zion evangelical church in Batticaloa, it is customary for the pastor to welcome them. As a healing church, it is open to non-Christians. Two years…
Muslims and Market Monopolies: Unpacking a Prejudice
Photo courtesy of South China Morning Post In Sri Lanka, both mainstream and social media often portray Muslims in a negative light. This portrayal draws from pre-existing prejudices towards Muslims. These prejudices…
Denying Justice While Dehumanizing a Community at Large
Photo courtesy of Shreen Saroor Thirty-one people died in the suicide attack on Zion evangelical church in Batticaloa on April 21, 2019, of which 14 were children. To date the church remains…
Romanticising Resilience: Why the Struggle to Survive Should not Become a Way of Life
Resilient is a word frequently used by human rights activists and the development sector, to describe persons affected by war and violence. In Sri Lanka, the mothers of the disappeared are…
Fear in the East: What Lies Beneath
They joke of being followed by intelligence officers and questioned on who visited them and what they spoke about but underneath lies a real fear of being intimidated, harassed and threatened when…