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Ranil’s moment of truth
Two months ago Ranil Wickremesinghe had to decide whether or not to contest the Presidential Election. In 2010 he had a similar problem. Back then few would have bet on Mahinda Rajapaksa losing....
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Kolombian loyalists take over and how!
Kolombians are a distinct people from Colombo who know much -- so much that they are wont to think that others don't know and can't think. They have things to say. A lot of things to say. The entire...
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A confused Parliament calls for dissolution
Parliament is made of members representing various parties elected by the people. People come, people go. Some stay for years like the present Prime Minister Ranil Wickremesinghe. Others are here...
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Dear Rebel, get some creature-tips!
This is the eighteenth in a series of articles on rebels and rebellion written for the FREE section of 'The Nation'. Scroll to the end for other articles in this series. 'FREE' is dedicated to youth...
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Ruwan Bandujeewa offers poetic drops of intoxication
BOOK REVIEW: ‘මීළඟ මීවිත’ (‘Meelanga Meevitha’ or ‘The Next Wine’) a collection of poems by Ruwan Bandujeewa, an author-publication.Almost twenty five years ago Krishantha Sri Bhaggiyadatta gave me a...
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There's friendship and there's dependency
My friend Dammika Amarakoon has a theory about friends and friendship. "Friendship is only possible among equals. All other relationships to a greater or lesser degree describe slavery, they speak of...
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The games you can and cannot play with rice
This is the eighteenth article in a series I am writing for the JEANS section of 'The Nation'. The series is for children. Adults consider yourselves warned...you might re-discover a child within you!...
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Electoral reform, anyone?
So who wants true representation after all the cheers are jeers are done?[Pic courtesy sarynippf.wordpress.com]The existing electoral system is seen as a serious problem and one which encourages...
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Impeachment of the people by the people with the people
Thanks to the antics of politicians and NGOs with dubious agenda (e.g. BASL, which by the way is made of a large number of tax dodgers) the office of the Chief Justice became fair game for caricature....
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This ihapaalana stuff is driving me nuts!
Pic courtesy mysticpolitics.comKolombians are a distinct people from Colombo who know much -- so much that they are wont to think that others don't know and can't think. They have things to say. A lot...
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Dear Rebel, get through your universities first
This is the nineteenth in a series of articles on rebels and rebellion written for the FREE section of 'The Nation'. Scroll to the end for other articles in this series. 'FREE' is dedicated to youth...
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Mangala flushes stuff down the tube
Foreign Minister Mangala Samaraweera is well known for gaffes. One can’t blame him. He’s an honest politician. With Mangala, what you see is what you get. If he trips it is because he has been...
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Here’s to tomorrow
Pic Courtesy Tharindu AmunugamaEach Independence Day or rather each anniversary when we celebrate what happened on February 4, 1948 is unique. There are however some celebrations that acquire special...
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The magic of the road less-traveled
This is the nineteenth article in a series I am writing for the JEANS section of 'The Nation'. The series is for children. Adults consider yourselves warned...you might re-discover a child within you!...
View ArticleOn the caricatured dichotomy “jathika” (national) and “arthika” (economic)
First published in the Daily Mirror of November 12, 2005, this piece I believe has new currency given the economic 'prerogatives' of the current set of worthies in cabinet, led by Ranil Wickremesinghe....
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The Tamil version of the National Anthem is beautiful
What is the defining feature of the Sinhalese? This is not an easy question to answer. One could even frame it in other ways, replacing ‘Sinhalese’ with ‘Helas’ or even the ‘Yakshas’. There could be...
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Shall we write a new song about freedom?
There was a day in the year 1948 when a country was washed afresh by a new breeze. It was called Independence. Freedom was on everyone’s lips. Every heart sang. There were dozens of ‘freedom songs’...
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The Maithripala-Ranil electoral-reform mickey
So gets the last laugh? The way things are going, not the people. Apart from the goodies promised (and delivered with a view to win votes in a soon-to-be-held General Election) there are two elements...
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Maithripala Sirisena's days are numbered
In times of transferable mandates 'hope' does not belong to the hopeful but is a carrot in the hands of the privilegedPresident Maithripala Sirisena’s days are numbered. That’s by his own admission,...
View ArticleI was graced by the spirit of R.J.K. Karunananda Ranatunga
She was just an infant when her father ran a race that became one of the most memorable Olympic moments. She was nine when he died under tragic and mysterious circumstances. She was literally on the...
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