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Sri Lankan food isn’t a monolith. Specific dishes like Jaffna crab curry are associated with particular communities, but regional cuisine isn’t explored. Geography and trade give rise to a distinct culinary tradition beyond the Bentara, and with it delicacies like fish ambulthiyal and kalu dodol.

How did a UNP carpenter's son become the JVP's General Secretary? In the first half of a two part series, Hiranyada Dewasiri examines the experiences, the women, and the books that made the enigmatic Tilvin Silva who he is today – possibly the most powerful man in the country.

Education reforms are underway — the most significant in the recent past. But can they reform history textbooks, which despite incremental improvements remain nostalgic, nationalist, and sometimes straight-up racist?

Sri Lanka’s tourism product is vast; blue waves, golden sand, cool forests, and historical ruins are spread throughout the island. But poor destination management and infrastructure development means that tourists congest at only a handful of tourist sites.

Other than Manila, no Asian city takes Christmas as seriously as Colombo. Some traditions are dying and new ones are emerging. As many migrate, armed with milk wine, salt beef, and figgy pudding, Burgher aunties and uncles fight the good fight to preserve the best of Christmas past.

Doppler radar is vital for cyclone prediction. Despite trying for nearly two decades, Sri Lanka is the only country in the region without it. Met department mismanagement and negligence are the main cause, say audit reports. Ironically, Sri Lanka operated cyclone prediction radar in the 1980s.

By clothing the presidency in such overmighty power, J.R.'s constitution magnified folly into catastrophe. Black July, the referendum that made a mockery of democracy, Indian intervention, all the way to Gota’s disastrous economic collapse — all bore the imprint of unchecked authority.

Authorities removed hundreds of unauthorised coastal buildings this year. But when they tried to demolish an illegal cafe on Trinco’s public beach, monks erected a Buddha statue. The authenticity of the monks’ Pooja Bhoomi deed is in question and officials object to the law’s selective application.

Despite Supreme Court judgements against them, torturers remain in police service, and sometimes even get promoted. Neither the police department nor the national police commission takes discipline seriously.

The government’s digital ID project is shrouded in secrecy and controversy. With huge benefits to the public on one hand and risks to privacy and security on the other, can the government win trust for digital governance?