culture

#OCCUPYTHESQUARE: Holding Hands, the Aftermath

On Sunday, the 6th of March, about a hundred people sat down at the hall in the middle of Independence Square. Despite it going ham on social media (there were definitely a couple of thousand more Facebook commentators than actual protestors), the aftermath seems to be fairly muddled and open for debate. Here’s what happened. A bunch of people sat down by 4. The guards skulked in a corner. Newspapermen… Read More »#OCCUPYTHESQUARE: Holding Hands, the Aftermath

A lookback on 2015: may you live in interesting times

They say the Chinese have a curse: may you live in interesting times.  We Sri Lankans have definitely been cursed by the Chinese. This isn’t just a pun on the Port City: In the space of one year we, as a nation, have toppled a dictatorship, installed another one, cried out against Saudi Arabia and argued passionately the subject of bras being thrown at concerts. We’ve watched from afar as… Read More »A lookback on 2015: may you live in interesting times

The Maluman

Malu-O! he cries, breaking through the silence. He doesn’t have a degree in Marketing. What he has is a loud voice and a tireless back.

Selling the Nation to the West #lka

(No, I’m not talking about the newspaper). If it’s one thing Sri Lankans seem to excel at, it’s a strangely bipolar type of xenophobia. On one hand, when a cousin or aunt comes down from Dubai with a handful of cheap sweets as a bribe, we proudly tell all and sundry that they “rata indhang aawa (came from abroad).” Attach the prefix “rata indhang genawa” (brough from abroad) to anything,… Read More »Selling the Nation to the West #lka