Does cooking for Ammi, right under her watchful eye, sound terrifying? We invited three brave people to take up the challenge. Here’s what happened. #MothersDay2023
Dr. Punyasiri Warusawithana’s fascination with Vesak pandols began when he was a child growing up in Ambalangoda. However, his dream of becoming a doctor outweighed the need to build pandols, leading him study medicine and completing his training abroad. On his return to Sri Lanka, he pursued a career as an anesthesiologist but still held a passion for Vesak pandol-making. ...
Prayers before iftar, the meal taken at sundown to break the daily fast during Ramadan. Seen at the Galle Face Green on 9 April. Breaking the fast. Seen at the Hussaini Masjid, the Dawoodi Bohra mosque in Bambalapitiya. Devotees praying at the mosque on the night of Laylat-al-Qadr. According to Islamic belief, this is the night when the Quran was ...
Khalid Oshman (38) lost his eyesight 12 years ago. “I had hit rock bottom and didn’t know what to do with my life. I had suicidal thoughts and almost attempted to end my life,” he said. However, it was his cousin, Siddiq Ahmed, who motivated him. “He told me that I could live a normal life despite my disability. He ...
From the icky kola kandha that our mothers painstakingly made for breakfast sometimes, to the bitter koththamalli or pas panguwa they made whenever we were sneezing or coughing, Sri Lankan households have hardly ever been short of a herbal remedy that could keep the common cold or cough — and sometimes even worse symptoms — at bay. Here is a ...
If there’s anything the recent heat has taught us, it’s that Sri Lanka has an abundance of sunshine. Climate change is upon us, but, for Sri Lanka, there could be an opportunity here. Can sunlight potentially help us say goodbye to power cuts and our energy insecurity, forever? Here’s what Solar Energy Specialist Kushan Jayasuriya has to say.
Iftar at Independence Square: Over 3,000 people broke their fast at Independence Square on 02 April (Sunday), almost at the risk of running out of food organised for the event. However, thanks to those who brought food and shared with everyone, the iftar at the Square was a successful abundance of samosas, kanji, faluda and tea that were shared among ...
That is the question. The government’s decision to privatise — selling the shares owned by the government to the private and possibly foreign shareholders — several state enterprises has been challenged by many. This includes the national airlines, the telecommunicator and several other companies: which will be sold to bring in much-needed foreign revenue. Will this work? #lka #srilanka #economy ...
Amnesty International’s recent report revealed some stark truths about Sri Lanka: human right violations, government crackdown of protests, and how the global west is ignorant about these violations. Amnesty’s Senior Director for Human Rights Impact Deprose Muchena highlighted the “sickening double standards” the world continued to face in the protection of human rights. Commenting on how Sri Lanka’s protest movement ...
After her husband’s passing, Irosha Perera took charge of their homegrown business to be able to provide for her family. But Sri Lanka’s socioeconomic crisis has amplified the challenges they face on a daily basis. How can Women Headed Households be better supported in these trying times? Irosha’s story shows us how gender-responsive policymaking may be the answer.
This #InternationalWomensDay, we want to highlight the lives and guiding words of women in our lives. Send us your stories, in a vertical video format, about a woman that inspires and leads on a daily basis. This is your moment to show your appreciation. The videos must be shot in portrait or vertical mode and should not exceed 10 seconds. ...
In Sri Lanka, the ‘war on drugs’ is a recurring topic in political and social circles. Towards the end of last year, after significant socio-political upheavals in the country, the conversation on drugs rose up once more– this time with a specific focus on school children using Ice, the street name for crystal methamphetamine. People with addiction or substance use ...
Modern Sri Lanka’s most significant political attempt at finding a lasting solution to tensions between the two main ethnic groups — the Sinhalese and the Tamils — was the Indo-Lanka Accord of 1987, which, among other changes, introduced the 13th Amendment to the Constitution. The amendment has come into sharper focus recently, with President Ranil Wickremesinghe promising a full implementation ...
In 2020, the world saw a dramatic shift in gender roles – but what changes really took place? Were they long-lasting or has their impact already begun to fade? Experts on gender studies who work on the ground in Sri Lanka help us explore this tricky phenomenon.
