𝑾𝒂𝒍𝒍 𝒐𝒇 𝑾𝒂𝒊𝒍 ( දුක් ගන්නා රාළ )

 

 

 

  Last night, I glanced at the analytics of my blog. The numbers didn't surprise me; they confirmed something I’ve long suspected and often shared in conversations: many Sri Lankans lack curiosity. This morning, I checked again. The pattern held firm. Articles that challenge conventional thinking or offer new perspectives continue to be overlooked, while superficial content thrives elsewhere. The rise of TikTok culture has only reinforced this — quick fixes of entertainment have overtaken the deeper urge to learn, explore, and question. But why? I believe it stems from how we’ve been conditioned from birth. We’ve been taught, sometimes subtly, often loudly, that Sri Lanka is the greatest nation on Earth. That we have the best of everything: nature, culture, food, medicine, and education. These narratives are embedded in our schoolbooks, echoed in our songs and films, and reinforced from religious pulpits. There was a time I, too, believed it. But travel and reading — especially in ...

 

 

Understanding how Sri Lanka’s energy network keeps the country running and what lies ahead The electricity grid is one of the most vital systems in any modern country, and in Sri Lanka, it plays a crucial role in supporting everything from households and hospitals to industries and government services. Though largely invisible to the average citizen, this complex network operates continuously, ensuring power reaches millions of people every second of the day. As our economy grows and our climate becomes more unpredictable, understanding how this system works—and how it must evolve—is more important than ever. A Mix of Local and Imported Energy Sri Lanka’s power generation comes from a diverse mix of sources. Historically, hydroelectric power has dominated, thanks to our abundant rivers and central highlands. Major hydro plants like Victoria, Randenigala, and Upper Kotmale still supply a significant portion of our national electricity. However, hydro power is seasonal and vuln...

For centuries, the heart of Sri Lanka has pulsed with the spirit of dana, of selfless giving. During sacred times like Vesak , our streets transform into vibrant avenues of generosity, where overflowing stalls offer everything from steaming rice and crispy roti to sweet ice cream and refreshing drinks, freely shared with all. This isn't about charity for the poor alone; it's a profound act of liberation, a shedding of attachment that enriches both giver and receiver. Anyone who has ever offered a simple biscuit to a stray dog or a comforting yoghurt to a lonely cat understands the subtle joy, the unclutching that comes with giving. Imagine, then, the immense blessing felt by those who orchestrate these grand acts of community giving during our Buddhist festivals. For days, the spirit of merit and compassion permeates the air, a testament to a deeply ingrained cultural and religious value. Yet, a troubling discord is emerging. From the shadowy corners of social media, a chor...

 

Some little-known historical facts about the first ever "Temple of the Tooth Relic" of the Gautam Buddha in Sri Lanka. In the fourth century CE, King Guhasiva of Kalinga in India possessed a precious relic, a Buddha's tooth. For hundreds of years, the tooth was thought to confer a divine right to govern whoever owned it, causing political unrest. Fearing that the object of his Buddhist worship might be removed from him violently, the King discreetly sent the tooth away with Princess Hemamali and her spouse, Prince Danthakumara . Legend has it that they travelled to Sri Lanka disguised and with the tooth hidden in Princess Hemamali's hair. Some accounts place their arrival in Sri Lanka at Trincomalee, while others place it at Welitota or present-day Balapitiya. Pali Dalada Vansaya, or the Chronicle of the Tooth Relic , records the legend that they landed in Balapitiya, at the mouth of the Maduganga estuary. According to legend, the pair hid the tooth in a...

One of my father’s younger brothers was in the Sri Lanka Police, not as a uniformed one, but as a male nurse in the police hospital in Colombo. My cousin was a couple of months younger than me, and we were in parallel grades in different schools. My uncle wanted to get his eldest son into the police force. He was having high hopes and when the ordinary level results came in, his hopes were dashed as my cousin could not secure results to meet even the basic entry-level requirement for a position as Sub Inspector in the police department. He was at a loss as he couldn't face his superiors after speaking in advance with some of the higher-ups to clear the way for his son’s admission to the force. He was aware of my results and his next move was to approach my father, his elder brother, to get his blessing for me to step in instead of his own son, who flunked. The only question my father asked him when the proposal was made was, " Are you crazy? " His hopes were dashed for th...

Watching from afar what is going on in Sri Lanka, I have a very mixed feeling. I was saddened to see the difficulties the people have to endure and was not able to participate in person due to my present circumstances. Furthermore, the inaction by those who have been sent by the people to the legislature to sort out such things so far. For a few reasons, I am happy too. The first one is to see that, finally, many people in the country are feeling the power of collective bargaining. And the hegemony that was created by politicians and those who are in robes for their own benefits is being broken slowly but surely. The third reason is that I was able to predict the trajectory of many things a few years ago and am glad that I have put them in writing here. Being able to be ahead of the curve is something I can’t be very happy about, but not in these circumstances, which is why it was a very mixed feeling overall. In general, if people in Sri Lanka used their brains rather than trying blin...

We met a Greek family on our recent flight to the USA and had a long chat on the 10+ hour flight from Athens to the USA. I knew by looking at them they were in their retirement. I asked them what they were doing during their working life. The answer really surprised me. The gentleman had been working as a bartender all his life and his wife was a homemaker. They were going to the US to see their son and grandchildren, whom they had not seen for awhile due to travel restrictions imposed to combat the spread of the virus. And when they wanted to know where we were coming from, I was happy to say that we were from Sri Lanka, but unfortunately, they had never heard of a country called Sri Lanka before. Bringing the tea into the conversation would stir their memory of the famous Ceylon Tea brand name, too, was met with the same response. This made me think of two important things. The first one was, "Can a bartender from Sri Lanka afford to pay for airfare to visit someon...

  This is the first-ever International Airport built on Sri Lankan soil. It was operational from 1942 to date without any significant interruption despite the country had to endure three decades of the separatist war. This is known as the Colombo Airport Ratmalana , located in a small city a few miles away from the heart of the capital. I was privileged to be able to travel from this airport a couple of times during my school days and those fond memories still linger. This was where I was first exposed to the joy of enjoying a cup of tea, poured from a real porcelain pot and to add more excitement, sugar and warm milk came in different porcelain vessels. I still remember that brown sugar was the norm then and I am sure many can reconnect to the ear that I was referring to. King Sasa's Exploits

My present work involves dispatching items to various parts of the country. Last week, someone requested certain items and since it was bulky in shape decided to give it to a private courier service. The parcel was given to them in the afternoon and the following day morning I received the confirmation from the receiving party that the item has reached them intact. Again the same party requested the same item ordered previously but it was in small quantity. Despite previously having bad experiences with them I foolishly decided to trust the Sri Lanka Postal Service again. Not to save money or anything else but I was not having the appropriate packing materials with me and I was aware that the Postal Service have their own bubble-wrapped manila folder, just well enough for my need. In fact, it cost me more than using a private courier service in the end. At the time of accepting the item, the Kottawa Post Office staffs behaved very unprofessionally and were making not only me to feel bu...

 Just to say thank you for reading. Not a bad readership. Please check out my Youtube Channel  King Sasa's Exploits  too. Thank you again.

Someone I spoke to regarding these new ministries appointed said, these new ministries are given according to the present needs of the country and he further mentioned the අලි වැට to drive his point home. The need to have an effective control and remedy over human animal conflict is needed but why it can't be dealt by the ministry of Wild life is puzzling. Take the existing ministry under the ministry of Defense and improve that creating a totally new ministry is just a waste of money only.   Now I see more and more people are selling බුළත් විට on roadsides to get a few extra bucks to supplement their ever shrinking and meager household incomes thanks to Corona and this government's foolish monetary policies. I am sure now we can expect a new  ministry called ministry of බුළත් විට , just like the අලි වැට soon . Another need of the hour.   What a disappointment it was.   It proves the fact that Small minds think SMALL right again.

Recently someone invited me to join a Facebook page called Ceylon Then Sri Lanka Now . There were some interesting historical pictures, facts and trivia in it so I decided to join the group. Then I posted a picture of a not so well know heroes of yesteryear. It was approved without much delay and was well received by former fellow members. The second post I made was about the VOC coins issued by the Dutch in the 17th century. That too was approved with not much delay. The third one posted was a picture of the then CBC (now SLBC) and wanted to know the identities of the personalities in the picture, as I knew the identity of only one person. That post got delay to come up and thinking that there was some technical difficulty that it did not reach the right people ( despite having seen the prompt I got on the screen when posting that it has been sent for moderator / Admin for approval ) I repost it once more. Again the same result and I was curious to k...