In this week’s Ravaya column (in Sinhala), published in the issue dated 4 January 2015, I pose a topical question: are there necessary and sufficient conditions for a spontaneous people’s uprising in Sri Lanka similar to what happened in the collective phenomenon known as the Arab Spring? I address this because both the ruling party […]
In this week’s Ravaya column (in Sinhala), published on 28 December 2014, I explore the nexus between social media, digital technologies and elections by taking the example of the Indonesian presidential election held on 9 July 2014. සමාජ මාධ්ය පෙරටු කොට ගත් නව වෙබ් තාක්ෂණය (web 2.0) ආසියානු රටවල දේශපාලන ක්රියාදාමයට හා විශේෂයෙන් මැතිවරණවලට කෙසේ […] ...
In this week’s Ravaya column (in Sinhala), published on 21 December 2014, I explore the nexus between media and elections, and in particular, the growing nexus between social media and election campaigns. I also pose the question: Might the Presidential Election scheduled for 8 January 2015 be a turning point in social media use in […]
Vidusara, Sri Lanka’s only weekly science newspaper, carries this news item in its issue of 10 December 2014 on my latest book, just published by Sri Lanka Association for the Advancement of Science (SLAAS): දෙස් විදෙස් විද්යාඥයන් 25 ක ගේ ජීවන අත්දැකීම් ඇතුළත් පොතක් දෙස් විදෙස් විද්යාඥයන් 25 දෙනෙකු ගේ ජීවිත කථා අන්තර්ගත Seekers and […] ...
In this week’s Ravaya column (in Sinhala), published on 30 November 2014, I continue the story of a group of divers accidentally discovering a shipwreck while diving off the south-eastern coast of Sri Lanka close to the Great Basses Reef lighthouse. The discovery was made by Mike Wilson, who was variously talented as a diver, […]
A new book, being published by the Sri Lanka Association for the Advancement of Science (SLAAS) this month, traces life stories of 25 extraordinary men and women who excelled in various fields of science, technology and engineering. Titled ‘Seekers and Builders of Our World: Inspiring Stories of 25 Scientists’, the 350-page book highlights the vital […]
Shukichi Koizumi, a leading Japanese documentary filmmaker and television professional, is no more. When he passed away in Nagano, Japan, on 12 November 2014, aged 81, he had been making films was more than half a century. Koizumi was the founder and, until 2010, President and CEO of Group Gendai Films, a documentary and television […]
In this week’s Ravaya column (in Sinhala), published on 23 November 2014, I ask whether astrologers are the most powerful persons in Sri Lanka. This is because all important decisions of the state, including the ceremonial opening of Parliament and scheduling of elections, is done strictly on astrological advice. Speaking at a recent meeting of […]
In this week’s Ravaya column (in Sinhala), published on 16 November 2014, I recount how a group of divers accidentally discovered a shipwreck while diving off the south-eastern coast of Sri Lanka close to the Great Basses Reef lighthouse. The discovery was made by Mike Wilson, who was variously talented as a diver, photographer, writer […]
In this week’s Ravaya column (in Sinhala), published on 9 November 2014, I reflect on the recent landslide in Meeriyabedda, Koslanda, Sri Lanka on 29 October. The disaster wiped out an entire settlement of plantation workers whose houses were built on a hill already identified as prone to landslide hazards. I discuss landslide hazard mapping […]
The Sunday Observer newspaper in Sri Lanka recently sought my views on the concept of ‘Science for All’, which comes into focus with World Science Day observed globally on November 10. I sent them an op-ed of 700 words, from which they have quoted extensively in a long feature published today: http://www.sundayobserver.lk/2014/11/09/spe05.asp Here, for the […]
Twenty-five years ago, I interviewed the first national of Pakistan – as well as the first muslim — to win a Nobel Prize: theoretical physicist Dr Abdus Salam (1926 – 1996). Salam was one of the most influential theoretical physicists of the 20th century. He shared the Nobel Prize in Physics in 1979 with two […]
Vidusara, Sri Lanka’s only science and technology weekly magazine, has interviewed me in their issue dated 5 November 2014, which marks their 27th anniversary. They talked to me about the role of science journalists and other science communications in promoting science and technology for national economic development. Here’s my Q&A with the newspaper’s editor, Rajendra […] ...
Malala Yousafzai, the Pakistani teenager turned activist, shared this year’s Nobel Peace Prize. She became the second Pakistani national in her country’s 67 year history as an independent state. Her Nobel has revived memories of the first national of Pakistan – as well as the first muslim — to win a Nobel Prize: Dr Abdus […]
In this week’s Ravaya column (in Sinhala), I describe the Zero Rupee Note, an innovative effort developed by activists in India to fight systemic political corruption. The notes, which have no monetary value but carry a moral power, are paid in protest by angry citizens to government servants who solicit bribes in return for services […]
The selection of Nobel Peace Prize laureate often stirs more debate than all other Nobel prizes (in chemistry, physics, medicine, literature and economics) combined. The peace prize remains an essentially political one, reflecting the reality that most conflicts — and their resolution — are largely influenced by political considerations. Members of the Norwegian Nobel Committee, […] ...
Writing a foreword to my latest collection of Ravaya columns, titled ‘කාල බෝම්බ ඕනෑ කර තිබේ!’ (Wanted: Time Bombs of the Mind!), researcher and public intellectual Dr Udan Fernando comments on two societal trends in post-war Sri Lanka (since 2009). One is the indulgence — and even perverse ‘celebration’ — of insularity, conflating it for […] ...