In this week’s Ravaya column (in Sinhala language), I probe why sections of Lankan society is habouring growing fears of social media, especially Facebook. A few have called for a blanket ban of Facebook, which the secretary to the Ministry of Media has assured (in his Twitter feed) would not happen. There is an urgent […]
“Of all the institutions arrayed with and against a President, none controls his fate more than television,” President Richard Nixon wrote in 1989, some 16 years after he resigned. TV reporters, he said, in many ways “are political actors just like the President, mindful of their ratings, careful of preserving and building their power.” The […]
Originally posted on When Worlds Collide, by Nalaka Gunawardene:Text of my ‘When Worlds Collide’ column published in Ceylon Today broadsheet newspaper on 14 March 2014 Sri Lanka traditional rice – image from Wikipedia Is the Department of Agriculture (DoA) the biggest impediment to our pursuing sustainable agriculture in Sri Lanka? I once posed this question…
I just took part in a public screening of HOME, the 2009 documentary that offers a new view of our planet — from slightly above. French photographer, journalist and activist Yann Arthus-Bertrand and his team travelled around the planet over 18 months to make this film. They filmed interesting natural and human-made locations in 50 […]
There is a popular myth that links Albert Einstein with the atomic bomb. In the months following the dropping of atom bombs on Hiroshima and Nagasaki, both TIME and Newsweek did cover stories that linked the theoretical physicist with the development of this weapon of mass destruction. Both stories assigned great weight to a letter […]
Originally posted on When Worlds Collide, by Nalaka Gunawardene:Text of my ‘When Worlds Collide’ column published in Ceylon Today broadsheet newspaper on 7 March 2014 “When you’re trying to reach a goal, data not only tells you if you’re succeeding, but it also suggests which activities you should do more of in order to improve…
In this week’s Ravaya column (in Sinhala), I summarise concerns about the draft new Seed Act of Sri Lanka proposed by the government’s Department of Agriculture. Many farmer groups and environmental activists have serious misgivings about proposals to centralise all seed sharing and trading in the head of the Department of Agriculture. Activists see this […]
My column on Einstein’s obscure visit to Ceylon in October 1922 was well received, and some appreciative readers asked me to look at the human being behind the intellectual. So, in this week’s Ravaya column (in Sinhala language), I explore Einstein the humanist, pacifist and supporter of civic rights all his life. මහා විද්යාඥ ඇල්බට් […]
Originally posted on When Worlds Collide, by Nalaka Gunawardene:Text of my ‘When Worlds Collide’ column published in Ceylon Today broadsheet newspaper on 21 February 2014 Kalpana Sharma Plain good journalism does not need any more labels. Having been associated with the world of public interest journalism for over two decades in one form or another,…
In this week’s Ravaya column (in Sinhala), I share info on Albert Einstein’s short visit to Ceylon in October 1922 on his way to Japan. This is based on a recent talk given by physicist Dr Kirthi Tennakone, who has unearthed this info from Einstein diaries and other archival records. I’m yet to write this […]
Originally posted on When Worlds Collide, by Nalaka Gunawardene:Text of my ‘When Worlds Collide’ column published in Ceylon Today broadsheet newspaper on 14 February 2014 Coastal challenges of South Asia – courtesy Down to Earth Magazine, CSE Many different worlds collide on the coast – both literally and metaphorically. Coasts are where land meets the…
“To garner public support for their causes, the development community must connect with rest of society using everyday phrases, metaphors and images. That is a far better strategy than expecting everyone to understand their gobbledygook.” This is the central argument in my latest op-ed essay, just published on the Communication Initiative blog. Titled Crossing the […]
In this week’s Ravaya column (in Sinhala), I continue my exploration of the global Slow Movement, which started with Slow Food in Italy in 1986, originally as a defiance of fastfood. It has since inspired other pursuits of doing things more reflectively and deliberately slowly – such as Slow Cities, Slow Reading, Slow Travel and […]
In this week’s Ravaya column (in Sinhala), I discuss the merits of Slow Food, a concept that originated from Italy in 1986 in defiance of fastfood — but has since grown into a worldwide social movement that critiques industrialised food production and consumption. It has also inspired other pursuits of doing things more reflectively and […]
Keep it short and simple, Mel always said. I still try to follow that advice even in grief when she has been taken away so senselessly and abruptly. Asker of Questions. Seeker of clarity. Gone without an answer. Digital monument: http://www.lankabusinessonline.com/mel My tribute on Groundviews.org: Goodbye, MelFiled under: Biographical, good governance, Journalism, Media, Media freedom, […]
Go organic! That call is heard increasingly in Sri Lanka, which has been late to get on this bandwagon. Much of the island nation’s organically produced fruit, spices and vegetables was exported to high-paying overseas markets until recently. But concerned with health effects of agrochemical residues in the good, more Lankans are now looking for […]
“For sure, the double-edged legacy of the Green Revolution which promoted high external inputs in agriculture must be critiqued. Past mistakes can be rectified at least now. “However, corrections have to begin upstream by questioning macro-level policies. For example, for half a century, Lankan farmers have had a huge — 90 per cent — state […]
News feature published in Ceylon Today broadsheet newspaper, 23 January 2014 South Asian Coasts Reeling Under Pressure By Nalaka Gunawardene in Pondicherry, India As economic development gathers pace in South Asia, its coastal regions are coming under pressure as never before. More ports, power plants and tourist resorts are jostling with fishermen and farmers. Balancing […]
In this week’s Ravaya column, I feature Indian agricultural scientist and activist Dr Anupam Paul, who is committed to organic farming and preserving traditional varieties of rice (folk rice). He was in Colombo in December 2013 when I had an interesting interview on the uphill struggle to sustain in-situ conservation efforts working with a handful […]