Humanity

A vibrant, high-angle shot features a row of six colorful awareness ribbons, each representing different causes, laid out diagonally from bottom left to top right against a bright blue background. From left to right, the ribbons are pink (often breast cancer), red (often AIDS/HIV, heart disease), green (often liver cancer, mental health), yellow (often bladder cancer, suicide prevention), light blue (often prostate cancer), and purple (often pancreatic cancer, domestic violence). They are evenly spaced, creating a visually appealing pattern.

Four foods believed to cause cancer but actually Don’t

The word “myth” has two meanings in the dictionary. The first meaning refers to a traditional story, often about the early history of a group of people or explaining something natural or social, usually involving supernatural events or beings. The second meaning is about a commonly held false belief or idea. In Sri Lanka, we…

A person with a shaved head, wearing a bright orange-red monastic robe, walks barefoot on a sandy beach towards the ocean. Their back is to the viewer. Large waves crash in the turquoise-blue sea under a clear, light blue sky. Footprints are visible in the sand behind them.

Buddhism, Sex Scandals & Lessons Learned

The year 2023 has been a turbulent year for Sri Lanka as far as religious affairs are concerned. On January 5th the Social Media Activist Sepal Amarasinghe was arrested by the Criminal Investigation Department over defaming the Temple of the Sacred Tooth Relic and slandering Buddhism. On May 15th the president ordered the CID to…

A wide-angle, low-light shot of a bustling street scene at dusk, likely in India, with numerous people walking along a purple-hued road. Trees line both sides, and distant buildings or monuments are silhouetted against a dramatic cloudy sky with hints of orange and yellow.

My Tour in New Delhi: A Lankan Chronicle

Despite having a considerable distance to traverse before achieving a spot among the top ten global cities, New Delhi is undeniably a destination that beckons visitors with its charm and allure. I know that it’s true because, on September 24, 2018, I embarked on a journey of 1,288 miles to New Delhi with three of…

A line of four female mannequins, dressed in colorful saris, stand outside a clothing store. The mannequin in the foreground has light brown hair and a golden sari, while the one behind it has blue hair and a similar sari. The street and other buildings are visible in the blurred background.

Teachers’ Dress Code and the Rest of the Iceberg

The talk of the town in Sri Lanka these days seems to be about the dress code of teachers. There are two camps. One believes a teacher should have the freedom to choose between the saree and more comfortable attire and another that argues teachers shouldn’t be given that choice on grounds of modesty, tradition,…

A person with long, wavy brown hair, seen from behind and slightly to the side, stands by a large multi-pane window, reaching up to touch the frame. Dark curtains flank the window, and a hint of a brick wall is visible on the left.

Dealing with Your Inner (Emotional) Hurts

Emotional pain can be defined as pain or hurt that originates from non-physical sources. Sometimes such inner hurts are caused by the people in our lives. While people are the source of the greatest joy in life, they can also be the greatest cause of inner hurts we face in life. People can hurt us,…

A powerful shot from a slightly low angle captures a muscular, shirtless man with dreadlocks and a black and white bandana, performing an exercise on parallel bars. He is seen from the back, leaning forward with his arms engaged, showcasing his well-defined back and arm muscles. He wears black athletic pants with an orange waistband visible. The sky is bright and clear in the background. A partial view of a white flag with a black symbol is on the right, and a blue base of the exercise equipment is on the left.

I’m a Tough Guy! Are You?

In the film “Big Game” the President of the United States (Samuel L. Jackson) while running for his life explains about looking tough to a 13-year-old boy he met in the woods. It’s a very interesting conversation. Jackson tells the little boy, “Sometimes you don’t have to be tough. You just have to look tough.”…

A shallow depth of field shot focuses on the back of a child's head, showing their curly dark hair and the upper portion of their white t-shirt. The child is facing away from the camera. In the blurred background, an adult male, wearing a white t-shirt and light-colored sweatpants, stands with one hand on his hip and the other hand raised with an index finger pointed, as if scolding or instructing. The setting appears to be an indoor room with light walls and a framed picture on the right.

My thoughts on #noගුටි (#nospanking)

In the event, you are not aware, #noගුටි (#noguti: translates to #nospanking) is a national campaign launched by the Stop Child Cruelty Trust with the Child Protection Alliance of Sri Lanka to promote the ban of Corporal punishment in schools. The campaign was officially launched on February 21, 2022, at the Goethe Institute in Colombo….

An outdoor, eye-level shot captures a large, multi-story building with a light green roof and balconies, a part of General Sir John Kotelawala Defence University, under a cloudy sky. In front of the building, a dark green tank is displayed on a patch of grass. A paved road with a black and white striped curb curves in the foreground, leading towards the building. Lush green trees and bushes are neatly arranged along the roadside and around the tank, and a tall palm tree rises behind the building.

The KNDU Bill and the Boy who cried, Tiger!

I am passing by the Open University of Sri Lanka on my way to work and I cannot help but notice a banner displayed inside the campus premises facing the Nawala road. The banner says, something to the effect of “රාජ්‍ය විශ්ව විද්යාල පද්ධතිය දිය කර හරින කොතලාවල පනත හකුලා ගනු” (Roll back the KNDU…

A medium close-up shot features a child with curly dark hair peeking over a pink, cat-like mask. The mask has a white triangular nose, light purple blush spots on the cheeks, and white inner ears. The child's wide, dark eyes are visible through the mask's eyeholes, looking directly forward. The background is plain, light grey, or white.

Protect Your Children from Sexual Abuse and Molestation

As accusations of child abuse emerge with alarming regularity across the country, Sri Lanka is experiencing a nationwide crisis of child abuse. Over 2,500 incidences of child abuse were reported to the National Child Protection Authority (NCPA) in the first 60 days of 2020, while 5,242 cases were reported by July 2020. On average, its…

A clean, minimalist graphic on a light blue background features a large white circle in the center. Inside the circle, two gender symbols are interlocked: a darker teal male symbol (circle with an arrow pointing up and to the right) is positioned above and to the left of a lighter teal female symbol (circle with a cross below it). The two circles overlap slightly, creating a sense of connection.

How to Talk to Your Children about Sex in Sri Lanka?

In Sri Lanka, sex is considered taboo. Mainly because our definition of sex is narrow and limited to sexual intercourse. I remember a friend asking our Christianity teacher (who was explaining the ten commandments) the meaning of the sixth commandment: “Thou shall not commit adultery.” She managed to slip away with a vague answer, but…