There are approximately 20,000 species of butterflies in total across the world, and they are distributed across all continents except Antarctica. Sri Lanka alone is home to 245 different species of butterflies ‒ out of which 26 species are endemic, while the rest of them are migratory butterflies who travel to the island throughout the year. A majority of these ...
‘During her first ten months in office as the world’s first woman Prime Minister, Mrs. Sirimavo Bandaranaike, 45, has a record of more trouble than accomplishment. She has alarmed foreign investors with continual threats to nationalise foreign oil companies, and foreign diplomats by her close relations with the Communists and Trotskyites who supported her election. She dismayed the island’s 800,000 ...
For every elephant, leopard, and sloth bear photographed in Sri Lanka, a thousand other, smaller animals crawl by unnoticed, but it is these creepy crawlies – ranging from ants to scorpions, spiders, and more – that make up the majority of the island’s ecosystem. Take, for example, insects and mammals. Sri Lanka is home to an astounding 11,144 species of ...
From serial killers to alleged assassination attempts to loin-cloth clad protesters, this week in news was filled with some strange twists and turns through and through. Local Assassination Plot (Twist) Commotion ensued at the Bandaranaike International Airport (BIA) on Wednesday (16) after a rumour started circulating that a man armed with a 9 millimetre pistol had been loitering near the ...
Changes in technology and consumer habits are impacting Colombo’s artisan locksmiths. A few decades ago, the pavements of Union Place (now Colvin R de Silva Mawatha) were lined with artisans and traders. The most aristocratic among them were the locksmiths, calling themselves “key cutters”. Today, only a few continue to ply their trade. One of the oldest is Imtiyaz, who ...
In February 2017, the Sri Lankan government released a gazette regarding revised helmet regulations. As per these regulations, a controversial full face helmet ban remains in place, in spite of calls to do away with it. Two years ago, the Attorney General announced to revise Gazette No. 644/26 of January 11, 1991, and remove the ban imposed on full face ...
Women, their depiction, the problems they face, and the space they are given in society: these are issues over which everyone waxes eloquent. The issues are talked about so often that you assume something must have been done by now. Yet, part of the problem is that those who have the power to initiate dialogue – like the media – ...
Storylize is a Sri Lankan startup that helps users tell stories via pictures. It is the brainchild of Nayana Samaranayake, an ex-Googler who is back in Sri Lanka after working in the Web Search Infrastructure team for the world’s most heavily used search engine. Sharing stories in the form of a narrative seems to be the crux of Storylize. Say ...
Towering and majestic, the grand old trees that dot Colombo’s sidewalks are so much a part of the city’s identity that they are often overlooked by those who walk or drive past them every day. The number of trees has, over the years, dwindled, but those that remain stand witness to a period in which Colombo was hailed, by those ...
The Corruption Perceptions Index for 2016, surveyed by Transparency International, is out – and it doesn’t look like Sri Lanka has fared too well. The real question, however, is: has Sri Lanka truly regressed and become more corrupt? The answer is, of course, more nuanced than clickbait headlines would have you believe. The fact is, Sri Lanka has a poor score, ...
Driving in Sri Lanka is not for the faint hearted – particularly during rush hour. The roads are a battlefield and concepts like honour, chivalry, fairness, patience and not-being-a-douchebag are all lost in the exhaust fumes. Traffic laws flouted with vengeance, homicidal three-wheel drivers who think they are driving Ferraris on a race track, and bus drivers who think they ...
It is not uncommon to have bad days now and then, when all you want to do is curl up in a corner and nurse your woes. Occasional bad days are one of the inescapable hazards of living in today’s colossally messed up world. As Ernest Hemingway once said, “The world breaks everyone.” However, while most people recover fairly quickly ...
We all know that, in order to make watalappan, you need eggs. Lots of them, in fact. But Justin Moore, in his culinary-focused travels around Sri Lanka, has come up with a vegan (no egg) version of the dessert. How? We don’t know either, but we intend to find out, by getting our hands on his latest cookbook ‘The Lotus ...
They are often reduced to blurs of colour during a rush hour commute – part of the white noise. On a more leisurely day though, you might pause outside a cinema to ponder the billboards advertising movie times. After a few weeks, you might notice that one has been exchanged for another. The cycle continues. A new exhibition called Flex ...
If you get there early enough, you might be able to treat your taste buds to some legendary Melo cake. A home-baked, decadent chocolate cake that is occasionally sold, by the slice, at the session. And fittingly so. What Melo cake is to your taste buds, is what the Melomanic Sessions is to your soul. Yes, your soul. Fairy lights, ...
In 2012, a young physiotherapy intern was brutally gang-raped in New Delhi. The story shocked the world, particularly as the 23 year old, nicknamed Damini by the press, initially survived the attack and showed remarkable resilience before succumbing to her injuries. Her tragic story spurred many to action. And so the Damini Project was born. The Damini Project is a ...
As any other eight-year-old boy, Nimesh Kavinda was fascinated by trains. Living in Peraliya – a small fishing village right by the sea in the Southern Coast of Sri Lanka – his house was located right in front of the rail tracks. In young Nimesh’s mind, trains were magical dragons which transported people from one land to another. As he ...
Reporting from Keppapulavu, Mullaitivu For over two weeks now, families from a remote village in Mullaitivu have been camping outside an Air Force base, demanding the return of their lands. Displaced many times during the Civil War, detained in Menik Farm for three years, and awaiting the release of their homes since, protesters insist they won’t budge until their demands ...
