Growing up, Kavitha Emmanuel remembers being one of the fairer members of her family. She still used skin-whitening products, but it was meant to preserve her skin tone. “I was not born a campaigner for ending colourism,” she says, “I contributed to the endorsement of the bias in my own way.” Kavitha, like many Indians, … Continue reading
There is something about a first meal in a new country: you’re tired, and perhaps disoriented. The days of your vacation stretch ahead, a blank canvas. You look for food, because it centres you, allows heart and mind to settle. In Vietnam, we decide this moment calls for bánh mì. Costing on average 30,000 Vietnamese … Continue reading
10 PET bottles. That’s how many are required to create one of the new official jerseys that the Sri Lankan cricket team will wear during the much anticipated ICC World Cup that begins at the end of this month. Designed and created by MAS Holdings, the innovative fabric is called Ocean Plastic – a nod … Continue reading
Nadeesha* has worn a burqa for 15 years, and the abaya for twice as long. Last week, when she heard that a ban on face-covering was in place, she knew there was a difficult time ahead. “This is a lovely country, it is my country. It has been a paradise on earth, and we have … Continue reading
There are few people who know their way around a Sri Lankan garbage dump as well as Dr.Randika Jayasinghe. However, while you might expect the research scientist to be studying landfill composition or whether toxins are leaching into the groundwater, Randika is actually more interested in talking to the communities in the area. “I look … Continue reading
As the sun sets at the Attari-Wagah border between India and Pakistan, the two countries execute a quick parade. Every day, a border closing ceremony involves soldiers in full regalia from both sides marching in a choreographed demonstration that includes the highest kicks you have ever seen. Spectators applaud, but when tensions run high in … Continue reading
In a small room down a warren of streets in Kithulwatte in Colombo, Fathima Rifka is making her own sanitary napkins by hand. This is the 24-year-old’s first job. One year in, she has been promoted to the position of a trainer, and has begun to teach other women from this low-income neighbourhood how to … Continue reading
