Cricket has always played a big role in my life. If you are Sri Lankan, whether or not you love the game, play the game or watch it, somehow cricket has the ability to get in the way of everyday…
Growing up in Sri Lanka is the same for little boys and girls until you hit a certain point: puberty. I suppose this can be said about any country, but most families on this island take a rather traditional approach when…
Meet Kaushalya Kathireson from Colombo, Sri Lanka. She once had a pet goat. She’s also constantly confused (perhaps this will be evident as you read on…..). She can be bribed with chocolates. And she loves people who can make her laugh.
I was born in……Kandy but grew up in Colombo. I spent a year in Malaysia and then a couple more in India in my pursuit of knowledge (well technically for my A/Ls and then my Undergrad). My favourite novels from my country are…..Chinaman by Shehan Karunatilaka and The Sweet & Simple Kind by Yasmine Gooneratne. When I need a reminder of home, I listen to.….any Sri Lankan radio station I can find online. My favourite time of the year is…..that day when you wake up happy for no reason. My favourite local phrase is…..a toss between Bokeng and Full Aathal. The first literally means ‘from your gut’ and is also used as a phrase to say you’re giving it everything you have, while the second is more like mojo. My favourite words of wisdom/words to live by are…..‘One day your life will flash before your eyes, make sure it’s worth watching’ is something I’m still trying to live by this saying, haven’t got there yet though…‘Nothing is not better or worse than anything’ and ‘This too shall pass’ are my reassuring quotes. ‘I’m like a peacock, you gotta let me fly’ – I like this one coz … well I just do. And the word ‘Sonder’. It’s soooo deep.What I love most about my home (country) is…..the Poya Days!!! I mean who doesn’t? And of course the diverse landscape, and the cricket.
If you happened to watch the Sri Lankan leg of Amazing Race Australia in 2011, you may recall the chaos that followed the Sri Lankan Mask Festival, as teams were lost in a frenzy of masked dancers. The history of Sri…
Being from a multicultural country like Sri Lanka has its perks, one of which is being able to celebrate several New Years within a given calendar year. The Sinhala and Tamil New Year falls each year in April, usually on…
We Sri Lankans love our food, and we have a wide variety of dishes that can trace their origins back to either one of our many ethnic groups or our neighboring countries. Each dish has its own story, entwined with…
‘Like Christmas cake that is fresh up until the 25th but with each succeeding day becomes less appetizing and edible, women too lose their marital appeal as they pass the mid twenties mark’. You can’t argue with this old Japanese…
After spending about a year in Kenya, my family caught what I like to call ‘the wildlife bug’, and upon returning to Sri Lanka we spent more and more of our vacation time visiting national parks and wildlife sanctuaries around…
You know what I don’t understand? Overprotective parents. No no, hear me out. Here’s a typical scenario when you are out with your friends (If you are a Sri Lankan girl living with your parents). Phone rings. “hello?” “Putha*, where…
There are two occasions where I get the chance to meet up with my entire extended family: Weddings and funerals. More recently, as economic constraints have taken their toll on the overly flamboyant Sri Lankan weddings, invitations lists have become…
Do you know what’s embarrassing? Meeting someone from another country (in my case, a Canadian) who’s been in your country for a short time yet can name more of its cities than you can. Yes, this, actually happened to me….
There are quite a few places in Sri Lanka, and Colombo in particular, where you could go to listen to some good live music, depending on your taste in music. However, if you are looking for a musical experience that…
