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Home » ColumnsThe veil over the bikini: An appeal for a touch of modesty
The recent reports of a ‘bikini’ ban in the Arugam Bay area caused such a commotion, particularly on social media, that it prompted the Tourism Deputy Minister Ruwan Chaminda Ranasingha to hurriedly call a news conference to deny there was any such ban. Instead, he accused ‘certain groups’ of attempting to undermine the tourism industry [...]
A class act
My dear Malini, I am writing to you so soon after you left us for the Land of Never Return, plunging a nation into grief and reflection. Just as much as your performances on the silver screen entertained us for 6 decades, your departure has also made us realise a little bit more about ourselves. [...]
Changing the narrative – remembrance, war heroes, soldiers and all that
President Anura Kumara Dissanayake’s recent speech at the 16th National War Heroes’ Commemoration has ignited a flurry of criticism from various quarters. The accusations against him range from downplaying the heroism of the armed forces to equating the Sri Lankan military with the LTTE. However, such critiques often arise from a selective, sentence-by-sentence dissection of [...]
Deadly games of ‘Carrom and draughts’; Sri Lanka’s dissolute ministerial duo face their nemesis
A measure of unholy joy is exhibited by Sri Lankans following a dissolute duo of Rajapaksa Ministers being handed down long term rigorous imprisonment sentences by the Colombo High Court for causing a gigantic loss of more than 53 million rupees to the State in a politically motivated purchase of carrom and draught boards for [...]
MALANI: The legend will linger on but will the Malima allure survive?
Minister’s wanton reference 5 months ago, provokes public fury on her death SUNDAY PUNCH TRIBUTE TO THE KOHINOOR DIADEM OF SINHALA CINEMA It was the family funeral of the nation that people, engulfed in tears of sorrow, mourned in black and white upon hearing the breaking news last Saturday, that the queen of Sinhala cinema, [...]
While justice strikes others play ‘passport’ pandu with our nation
While justice strikes back at politicians and bureaucrats for corruption and misdemeanours over the years, there is more to be done in other places where the rotten apple continues to rot away. This happens mainly in big state institutions such as the Department of Immigration and Emigration, where thousands of citizens still queue, I am [...]