‘Niwahal Sithuvili Sithana Sithath Udarai’ reads the first stanza of Pandit W. D. Amaradeva’s popular track written by Dolton Alwis. It translates to “great is the mind of an independent thinker”. But for centuries, free-thinkers and those

Six months ago the country was shaken by the dastardly Easter Sunday bombings carried out by Zahran Hashim’s terror outfit National Tawheed Jamaat (NTJ). The April 21 blasts killed hundreds of innocent civilians and injured scores more, leaving peo

The Sri Lankan armed forces have been under a cloud of allegations on extra-judicial killings, abductions and war crimes. Despite such allegations, there are instances that exemplify that Sri Lanka’s highly trained armed forces are empathic and hum

“Onna Babo Billo Enawaa” was a familiar threat often used by grown-ups to frighten children into obedience in those days. Fear would be instilled into children that the kidnapper with the sack (Goni Billa) would grab them if the kids did not do a

October 17 is the scheduled date for Sri Lanka to re-open the Palaly Airport as its third international aerodrome. There will be many who would applaud and praise the refurbishment and upgrading of the new airport; and there will be others who would

Situated in Colombo’s northern border, Modara is today a neglected land. Infrastructural decay in this once-prestigious harbour city resembles more underdeveloped areas in Sri Lanka. Important trunk roads experience unending construction as major u

New issues have emerged in Colombo’s garbage crisis. With an explosion taking place at the Aruwakkalu sanitary landfill site, signs of a second ‘Meethotamulla episode’ were seen last week. While the process of dumping garbage was disrupted on s

The political spectacle“Ekwa Idiriyata” (Forward Together) that unfolded on October 10 at Galle Face Green has elevated the morale of the green party to ecstatic heights. A mammoth crowd -- estimated by some of being in the range of six digits

There was once a time in Sri Lanka when even despite the dictatorial rule of the Rajapakasas there was a glimmer of hope for the people because a law operated in the country. Continuing from that dark era, when democracy was virtually nonexistent, pe

Sri Lanka’s dwindling elephant population is facing severe threats. This was evident when seven more female elephants in Habarana instantly breathed their last during September. Although the incident once again nudged the Department of Wildlife Con

The higher education sector is in upheaval over the arbitrary sacking of former Vice-Chancellors of the Jaffna and Visual and Performing Arts universities, Prof. Ratnam Vigneswaran and Prof. Sarath Chandrajeewa.

A three-judge-bench comprising Court of Appeal (CA) Justices Yasantha Kodagoda (CA/President), Arjuna Obeysekara and Mahinda Samayawardena will consider the writ application challenging Gotabaya Rajapaksa’s citizenship status today. Romesh de Silva

Private bus drivers often get cursed by people for their haphazard ways of doing things such as excessive speeding, being negligent of road signs and violating traffic laws. Gemunu Wijeratne, much associated with the private buses, making a serious r

Our grandparents have been an integral component in the home setup. But as priorities changed, the majority of today’s younger generation doesn’t have the luxury of growing up with them, owing to various reasons. While some of these elders requir

Sixty years ago on September 25, 1959, Solomon West Ridgeway Dias Bandaranaike (SWRDB) the Prime Minister of Sri Lanka then known as Ceylon was shot and seriously wounded by a Buddhist monk named Ven.Talduwe Somarama Thera. Prime Minister SWRD Bandar

With the introduction of the Donoughmore Constitution back in 1927, all Sri Lankans were granted the right to vote amid a fully functional democratic structure. Prior to its introduction, the right to vote was limited to wealthy and educated males ab

“The Prime Minister is Dead” was the striking headline in extra-large, bold letters of a special edition published by the now defunct “Times of Ceylon” on the morning of Saturday, September 26, 1959.

There were allegations that the Sri Lankan share market had reached its peak in 2011 due to various market manipulations. Possibly, a series of such illegal manipulations could unfold in the coming months, as four stock brokers including Lanka Kannan

Known as the blessed ten, Ashara Mubaraka refers to a period of ten days at the beginning of the Islamic year. Hence, the first ten days of the month of Muharram (first month according to the Islamic calendar) is dedicated to the remembrance of Prop

We all have good and bad days. But for some, a repetitive process of bad encounters, challenging life decisions and stressful events would be a burden on life. A person who has given up on life expresses various behaviours and emotions, mostly which

Ever since the name of Gotabaya Rajapaksa began to be bandied about as a potential candidate at the Sri Lankan presidential elections, doubts have been raised as to whether the former defence ministry secretary could win at the hustings.

The entrapment of rural communities, especially rural women, in a vicious debt cycle generated by thousands of unregulated microfinance organizations has reached epidemic proportions, affecting almost three million people island-wide.

Condemning the actions of the police, human rights activists, called for justice to be meted out to Anne Ranaweera. Having been subject to both physical and verbal assault at the hands of the police, in her home and at the police station, Ranaweera i

As we members of Daily Mirror news team reached Moneragala early morning for a coverage, we noticed Hela bojun Hala (A trade store which sells traditional Sri Lankan food ) closed. We noticed a signboard which said that the place would remain closed

Sri Lanka has a coastline running approximately 1600 km where about one-third of the population lives. Of late, natural and man-made phenomena have heightened coastal erosion, causing danger and environmental degradation along many coastlines. Erosio

Her worn-down, skeletal frame flooded social media posts in a matter of seconds. Online petitions were signed, others called for justice, some called to boycott peraheras while the international wildlife community criticised us once again. All this w

Greta Thunberg, the 16-year-old climate activist and Olympic athlete Björn Ferry have stopped flying in an attempt to save the environment. This idea around reducing (or not flying at all) has become so well-known in their home country of Sweden tha

Sri Lanka is facing a garbage crisis among other crises. It’s clear that we haven’t learned any lesson from the Meethotamulla garbage dump collapse which also claimed 32 lives. While the Government proposed the Aruwakkalu sanitary landfill projec

The apparel industry in Sri Lanka is –historically- a recent addition to the economy of the country, first showing significant growth in the 1980s and then grew much more significantly under the Multi Fibre Agreement that brought about quota restri

The calls to reform the Muslim Marriage and Divorce Act (MMDA) in Sri Lanka have been longstanding. Drawbacks pointed out by the Muslim female activists in the much old community law are the minimum age of marriage....