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The lost songs of Gunadasa Kapuge
Ranbanda Seneviratne is a man who never abandoned the ordinary and especially subjugated segments of this country, not where the Yoda Ela bends and not anywhere else either. He died on December 5,...
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Taking out a chapter from the Book of Hope
When does childhood end? For the privileged children of this world it is a seamless move from infancy to adulthood through childhood and adolescence. This, however, is not a happy world. The word...
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‘Dammika’ was hardly an omission
Three years ago, almost to the day, I wrote about a ‘get-together’. It was a sending-off party to a friend who was going overseas and also a celebration of friendships that had lasted twenty years and...
View ArticleThe ‘traditional homelands’ tells a story
[IN A PARALLEL UNIVERSE CLAIMANTS DO NOT WANT TO VISIT]I’ve been here long. Longer than those who claim me. Their earliest ancestors, i.e. those who hadn’t coined a name for me, had to first make...
View ArticleThe rule of lawlessness
Bertold Brecht once wrote about the impact of continuing and escalating violence. At first there is horror and protest, but as the violence continues and the number of victims grows, a strange silence...
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The 'Who Knows Jaffna Best' Competition and other tidbits of the week
Who is leaving whom? Tilvin Silva of the JVP thundered from the stage at Hyde Park. He said that the Government is fast losing support and that's why there's talk of 2014 being an election year....
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Murali is transparent, accountable and reconciled
Pic by Sandra Mack of Ketikatha CreativesIt was the 22nd day of the month of July in the year 2010. Galle was the venue of the first test between Sri Lanka and India. India had avoided innings defeat...
View ArticleNotes to a doctrine of un-walling
Colombo today is far more wall-less than it used to be three years ago. It has been a gradual and deliberate process. Colombo is now re-landscaped, looks prettier and more livable. A lot of money...
View ArticleThere will always be a bell to save you*
My older daughter, Mithsandi, is a dreamer. In fact years ago I named her ‘Made of Dreams’. Her little sister Dayadi came into this world saying ‘Cuddle Me’. I called her ‘Made of Love’ and when I...
View ArticleThe Yogarajan Reconciliation Proposal
Those who lecture Sri Lanka on what is best for the country and the people, claim that accountability and justice are necessary and non-negotiable preconditions for reconciliation. Never mind their...
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The long walk never ends
The world’s most respected and loved elder statesman has passed on. Nelson Mandela for reasons that do not require elaboration was the one and only person who deserved the epithet ‘Global Citizen’; he...
View ArticleSusil Premajayantha nominates a Nominations Committee
[IN A PARALLEL UNIVERSE CALLED HUMILITY…]Next year there will be elections. That’s not news. Hardly a year passes without election, what with local government polls, provincial council elections,...
View ArticleSumanthiran comes within slapping distance
‘Moderate’ is a subjective tag. Tamil National Alliance (TNA) MP M.A. Sumanthiran may call himself a moderate but not everyone will go along with his self-perception. The same holds for any moderate,...
View Articleඅවනීතිය රජ වීම
‘ද නේෂන්’ කතුවැකිය [2013.12.01]හිංසනය දිගින් දිගට වර්ධනය වෙද්දී ඇති විය හැකි තත්වය ගැන බර්ටෝල්ට් බ්රෙෂ්ට් වරක් ලීවේය. මුලදී කෙනෙකු ඒ ගැන බියෙන් ඇළලී විරෝධය දක්වයි. එහෙත් හිංසනය දිග් ගැස්සෙමින් තව තවත්...
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A tribute to Nirmali Wickramasinghe
SHE EMBRACED THEM ALL Pic by Ravindra DharmatillekaSchool children yearn for end of term. Year-end is made for extra joy because there is always something new to look forward to: new class teacher,...
View ArticleA Christmas carol of sorts
I grew up listening to Channel 2 of the English Services of what was then called Radio Ceylon. We didn’t have a radio at home, so it was only during school holidays spent in Kurunegala, with my...
View ArticleKiriella's job application and other tidbits
UNP's sudden patriotism It's a heenen-bayavela type of awakening, like they were plagued by a nightmare. The United National Party is upset that Manmohan Singh might visit the North. This is an...
View ArticleBarack Obama delivers a post-eulogy soliloquy
[IN A PARALLEL UNIVERSE CALLED HUMILITY]I slipped in Johannesburg. No, I am talking about shaking hands with Raul Castro of Cuba. I am not talking about taking selfies during the memorial service of...
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The vilification of Karu Jayasuriya
No politician can escape the watchful eyes of the media. Media is a blessing as it is a curse as far as politicians are concerned. It helps and it detracts. This is a reality that all politicians...
View ArticleThe 'Chit System' [Version 2013]
Two days ago the Police Narcotics Bureau seized 10 kg of heroin from a house in Hikkaduwa following information furnished by a Liberian citizen arrested at the Bandaranaike International Airport. It...
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