An Ode to a Bright Future
I hear the crack of a whip, you tell me it’s the sound of peace. I don’t believe you. Speak for yourself. Not for me. I heard them coming. They have no…
Reconciliation
26 January 2010: ‘Open Moment’, Closed Minds!
:Â Today marks exactly 250 days since Sri Lanka’s civil war officially ended on 18 May 2009. On that momentous day, all Lankans shared at least one sentiment: a huge sense of relief.…
The long wait for a President…
“How can we inspire ourselves to greatness, when nothing else will do…?” asks Nelson Mandela from Francois Pienaar, the captain of the Springboks rugby team. This leading question comes from the movie…
The Tamil Population and the Politics of Boycotts and Non Participation
The first opportunity that the population of this island had to vote in an election based on universal adult franchise was in the State Council elections of 1931 under the Donoughmore Constitution.…
Youth activists on human rights in Sri Lanka
To commemorate Human Rights Day 2009 (falling on 10 December) interviewed a number of leading activists in Sri Lanka to find out their perspectives on current challenges facing human rights in post-war…
The Travelling Circus on video: Looking at war and IDPs through theatre
Obligingly recorded by Young Asia Television at the request of , produced by Mind Adventures, directed by Tracy Holsinger and recently staged in Colombo. An in-depth review of the production is published on…
A review of The Travelling Circus
The late review is at an advantage, in that it is informed by the published critiques of others and subsequent responses online and in print. In this respect, watching Tracy Holsinger’s on…
A Wobbly Bridge (Or Is It A Footpath?) From The Tamil Diaspora
For a long time I didn’t think of myself as being a part of the Tamil Diaspora. I had this vague feeling that I was going to go back home some day. …
In Praise of the Devil’s Advocate
“I disapprove of what you say, but I will defend to death your right to say it” said Voltaire after reading Rousseau’s We respect the courage and honesty of Voltaire and other…
My Country of Contradictions
Some years ago, when I was younger, I could see where all the stereotypes about our island came from. I could see why people said Sri Lankans were particularly warm or friendly…
What must it be like to live behind these Kovil gates?
[Authors note: This is something I wrote a few months ago, that still resonates I believe with our society today.] I was on my way for practice yesterday, when I passed the…
A response to Kusal Perera on political honesty and questioning Sarath Fonseka
[Editors note: Mano Ganesan kindly accepted our invitation to respond to Kusal Perera’s article .] This subject of Sarath Fonseka should not be considered as an isolated issue. Sri Lanka is a…
1,000 posts on Groundviews: Bearing witness, shaping peace
Exactly three years after its launch, published its 1000th post today. In it Dr. Paikiasothy Saravanamuttu identifies the site with quality debate and asks citizens to use it to canvass their ideas…
Needed: An Agenda for Reform on Groundviews
Whilst it is not clear as to whether we would be voting in both the presidential and general elections on the same day, it is clear that we will be voting in…
The HOPE in Sri Lanka after war
“Where is the hope?” is a question that the writer encountered quite a few times when she asked people to pose with the HOPE board. The culture of impunity prevalent in post-war…
