In 1971, the Catholic Church in Sri Lanka officially inaugurated the national office of the International Catholic Organisation for Cinema and Audio-visual (OCIC), under the guidance of the then Archbishop of Colombo, Dr Thomas Benjamin Cooray. The decision was based on reforms within the church aimed at increasing the role of the media, particularly after the Second Vatican Council of ...
‘Nattami’ is the name given to a labourer in Pettah who carries and moves goods to and from shops, often by manually pulling carts loaded with the goods. Photographer Malaka Pathmalal recently ventured into this busy commercial hub to find out how they contribute to the organised chaos that is Pettah. Names have been changed on request of the nattamis. ...
Sri Lanka has a rich musical history, characterized by a folk tradition, such as the Sinhalese Virindu, or the Portuguese influenced Baila. But there is now a burgeoning contemporary music scene that, while still relatively new, is making an impact.
Most of us would find it hard to picture a childhood without school. For as long as we can remember, going to school has been taken for granted as a normal part of growing up. Education and childhood are often seen as two inextricably linked concepts ‒ which is just as it should be, for as established by the UN ...
For someone who has led so many lives—as a graphic designer, painter, photographer and dramatist, working in cinema, television, broadcasting, and journalism—even the word “artist” hardly captures his versatility.
Sri Lankans are rightfully proud of our globally and regionally exceptional literacy rate (92.63 % as of 2015) and our constitutionally guaranteed access to primary education. However, beyond this, the conversation on how well our education system is doing by its participants produces a range of divided and impassioned opinions from all quarters. This is particularly true on the common ...
We recently wrote about Sri Lankans who have made it in theaters and the silver screen in the US and the UK. Here at home, Sri Lankans have been making short art-house films for quite a while. Some are spectacular and have received international acclaim while a fair number are lacking in terms of acting and post-production (and some directors ...
Going through sex-change surgery has never been a personal trial. Society has always felt the need to be a part of it; to let transgender persons know that they do not approve of them making the personal choice of changing their own body. Trans men and women not only deal with the emotional and physical changes they experience, but are ...
Sri Lanka is currently experiencing a drought, believed to be the worst in nearly four decades. As of noon today (January 21), over one million people are believed to have been affected across several parts of the island. According to the Disaster Management Centre (DMC), 1,041,690 people have been affected by the drought so far, with the Eastern Province being ...
News reports of late have been dominated by the presence of salt water crocodiles spotted in several places offshore, including Dehiwala/Mt Lavinia/Colpetty and more recently Galle Face. Turns out, despite the hype, these “unusual” sightings are not as unusual as most people would think. Not unusual? But…? The issue is more complicated than it seems at first glance. For instance, ...
Prominent scholar and philosopher, Professor Tariq Ramadan is a complex blend of seemingly incongruent identities. He often describes himself as “Swiss by culture, Muslim by religion, Egyptian by memory, and Moroccan by adoption”. Professor at Oxford University of Contemporary Islamic Studies at the Faculty of Oriental Studies, Ramadan’s academic and public focus is on Qur’anic interpretation and the role of ...
A look at Sri Lanka’s burgeoning urbanization, and what this means for people and the economy The World Bank recently published a publication highlight that analyses and quantifies urbanization in South Asia. Armed with a charmingly animated infographic, the piece is based on the report ‘Leveraging Urbanization in South Asia : Managing Spatial Transformation for Prosperity and Livability’. The title’s ...
Former Sri Lanka cricket captain Kumar Sangakkara, after recording a statement yesterday (2) over the match-fixing allegations, said the truth would be revealed once the investigations are complete.
Do you remember Albert Moses? The name doesn’t ring a bell? How about Ranjeet Singh? Ranjeet Singh, is the Sikh in the hit sitcom of the 80’s ‘Mind Your Language’, who would often say “a thousand apologies, sir-ji”. Now you remember him, don’t you? Having left the hills of Kandy, Moses found his way into quite a few Blockbuster movies, ...
If the abbreviations SAITM, SLMC, GMOA, and IUSF are alien to you, and you’re confused as to why students are being tear-gassed and water cannoned by cops, then you’re in the right place. News of protests by the Inter University Students Federation (IUSF) and strikes by the Government Medical Officers Associations (GMOA) have flooded Sri Lankan screens and papers once ...
Loosely known as Koththamalli, this miracle herbal tea has cured colds for many generations. Our search for its origins has led to the Tamil community. This home remedy seems to have first been brewed by the Tamils, but over the years it has spread among all communities in Sri Lanka making it a popular medicinal concoction. Koththamalli is simply coriander, ...
Some of us grew up with Led Zeppelin and Jimmy Hendrix close to our hearts whilst others were hooked to the stories of Tupac and his contemporaries and yet, another group of us who learnt and worshipped the moves and music of Michael Jackson. Then most of us hit a certain age of self-discovery and stumbled upon the soul ...
High spatial resolution images captured by drones are bettering those generated by satellites, and enabling researchers in Sri Lanka to study crop health and irrigation in greater detail. A team of the International Water Management Institute (IWMI) has been testing the Swiss-manufactured eBee, or Electronic Bee in the skies above the Anuradhapura district, this month (September). “Usually, the clear sky ...
