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Home » ColumnsUnmasking Sonia Faleiro: Her latest book draws flak for misleading portrayal of Buddhism
Indian-born, London-based writer Sonia Faleiro’s latest book, “The Robe and the Sword”, was reviewed by the left-leaning Guardian newspaper in the UK, and it has raised eyebrows among readers not only because of the contents of her tome but also because of her family’s business credentials. First, about the book. She has relied on a [...]
The ‘first gunshot’
My dear Namal baby and the organisers of the Nugegoda rally, I thought of writing to you after seeing you at Nugegoda last week. I heard it being called the ‘first gunshot’ against the ‘maalimaawa’ regime and the beginning of their end, but seeing all of you in action, I am not so sure. You [...]
Matters of life and larder: The House takes on Ditwah, our farmers and food safety
By Sandun Jayawardana The penultimate week of the Parliamentary debate of Budget 2026 was overshadowed by outside events as the disaster brought on by Cyclone ‘Ditwah’ forced lawmakers to pause the ongoing committee stage debate for two days. With the extent of the disaster becoming clear, the Committee on Parliamentary Business which met on Thursday [...]
Implications of govt. increasing plantation workers’ daily wage
The government’s decision to pay an additional Rs 200 per day to plantation workers raises a number of issues regarding the tea plantations. The issue is not whether the daily wage of plantation workers should be increased or not, but whether the government, rather than the plantation companies, should bear the cost. That, in a [...]
The unbowed spirit: Disaster and the enduring compassion and resilience of the Sri Lankan nation and lessons not learnt
The catastrophic weather events currently gripping Sri Lanka—a stark reminder of the island’s vulnerability to the whims of nature and the accelerating threat of climate change—have once again tested the very foundations of the nation. Yet, in the face of this immediate crisis, a familiar and profoundly uplifting narrative has emerged: the innate resilience and [...]
Public quake that shook Govt.
The Opposition fired the first grapeshot of public protest last Friday, resoundingly echoing the ominous grassroots rumblings distinctly heard stemming from the ground. Though the main opposition, the SJB, was conspicuous by its absence, the gathered opposition’s combined roar was loud enough to make the government alarmingly hear the people’s voice of increasing discontent over [...]
Genuflection and our diplomatic advances
So the party is over. I mean the weeks-long talkathon at the Diyawanna Oya abode. For that relief, much thanks. The more one listens to our MPs and advice emanating from the thinking apparatus of supporting staff, the more I recall a biting saying of Napoleon Bonaparte. “In politics, he said, stupidity is not a [...]
Govt. in eye of storm over disaster handling
Warnings about the coming cyclone were not taken seriously; crisis meetings began only on the eve of Cyclone Ditwah’s landfall Namal says state officials’ fear of arrest for proactive action, prevents quick response Disaster postpones NPP’s budget defeats in local councils; estate workers hail President for Rs. 200 wage hike Tilvin faces protests from pro-LTTE [...]
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