Colombo, SRI LANKA — On October 4 this year, a 39-year-old woman from the Brandix garment factory in Minuwangoda tested positive for COVID-19. By October 13, Brandix, which makes garments for global brands such as Victoria’s Secret, Gap and Marks & Spencer, was at the heart of an expanding cluster of over 1,500 cases. Garment workers were … Continue reading
July 29, 1999. Vasuki Nesiah was on her way to meet Neelan Tiruchelvam when she heard he would not be able to keep their appointment. As his course assistant, Vasuki had been working with Neelan, helping him to prepare for a constitutional law class that considered how the Tamil epic Silapadikaram and the Greek tragedy Antigone could be ‘sources’ … Continue reading
In early 1996, when Geoffrey Bawa first asked Pradip Jayewardene what kind of home he wanted, he replied: “My perfect house would be a garden.” Pradip knew that if anyone could do this, it would be Bawa. He had visited the architect’s Lunuganga estate in Bentota, and had fallen instantly in love with what was … Continue reading
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
Rumour has it that a CD featuring a photograph of Mani Shankar Aiyar welcoming President Mahinda Rajapaksa to his daughter’s wedding, juxtaposed with alleged atrocities committed by the Sri Lankan government during wartime, was what led to the Indian politician’s defeat in his constituency Mayiladuthurai in Tamil Nadu in the 2009 elections. But in a … Continue reading
Smriti Daniel 