Trailing a shimmering shawl and dressed to kill, Suranga Ranawaka is a picture of glamour, something that is only emphasised by her surroundings – a newspaper office in the middle of a working week. In fact, you might be hard pressed to identify the perfectly turned out young woman as the same one who stood by a checkpoint not so long ago, hair yanked back and braided into a stiff plait, face full of distrust.

The English translations of the memoirs of both the Governor of Ceylon from 1742-1743, Daniel Overbeek and the Commandeur of Jaffna during 1748, Librecht Hooreman, were officially launched at a ceremony at the Department of National Archives on November 6. Both memoirs were translated by Rajarata University’s Professor of Humanities and former Deputy Director of the Sri Lanka National Archives, K.D. Paranavitana.