Before there was Pottermania, there was Dickensmania. In his lifetime, Charles Dickens was a phenomenon and now, 200 hundred years after he was born, Dickens remains one of the world’s most beloved novelists. This February marks the author’s bicentenary and it is fuelling a surge of interest in all things Dickensian. At the heart of … Continue reading
Yearly Archives: 2012
Sharni Jayawardena and CEPA: Chronicling the Human Cost of Development
The hullabaloo that greeted the opening of the E01 in late 2011 may have been somewhat out of proportion to what one might expect a mere expressway would warrant – but while they’re common enough elsewhere, this was a first for Sri Lanka. The 128km of winding concrete ribbon made travelling from Kottawa in … Continue reading
Shashi Tharoor: An Interloper in Indian Politics
Dr. Shashi Tharoor is in between a sessions with Tom Stoppard and Nayantara Sahgal when I finally catch up with him in the library at Amangalla in Galle Fort. As his 1.2 million followers on twitter already know, he’s in Galle for GLF. His resume on the site is also handy in that it compresses … Continue reading
Richard Dawkins: ‘My driving force is a love of truth…’
I keep a wary eye peeled for religious fanatics and rabid atheists as I lead Dr. Richard Dawkins through the Governor’s Mansion in Galle. Both would only try to hijack my subject, (albeit for very different reasons) and I am intent on shepherding my charge through to where a modest verandah abuts a small garden. … Continue reading
Mihin Amarasinghe: Conquering Ama Dablam
The view from the summit of Ama Dablam is said to be incomparable – a 360 degree vista edged all around by the cloud wreathed peaks of the Himalayas. Defining the edges of the horizon are the giants, Mt. Everest and Lhotse and there too is Nuptse and Pumori, the mountain known as ‘Everest’s daughter.’ … Continue reading
Alison Skilbeck: Four Women in One
Alison Skilbeck is showing me how to read her feet. “It’s where you put the weight in your body and how you place your feet,” she says. Standing up, she demonstrates, turning her toes in and hunching ever so slightly. “If I were to say to you that I’m a very confident person, would you … Continue reading
Dr. R.O.B Wijesekera: ‘Clouds are not spheres, nor mountains cones’
“When one reaches the 80th year, one enters the realm of the legendary octogenarian,” writes Dr. R.O.B. Wijesekera. “There is little to look forward to, save the antics, memorable as they are, of grandkids; and then there looms the danger of ill-health, incapacitation and the manifestations of infirmity. In compensation, however, there is a world … Continue reading
Dr. Izzeldin Abuelaish: “As a Palestinian, my life was a war.”
“As a Palestinian, my life was a war,” Dr. Izzeldin Abuelaish is saying. “You expect the worst of tomorrow. You say, ‘Thank god, I am alive today, but I don’t know what will happen tomorrow’. ” His voice cracks a little on the last words as our internet connection falters and the video feed stutters. … Continue reading
Smriti Daniel 