text-color-white

Hayeshika Fernando, an influencer-tutor, helps grade five students crack the life-changing scholarship exam by relying on a combination of love-bombing and well-executed teaching. Controversies surround her, but many seek her out. In some parents’ books, she’s become a modern-day guru devi.

A fortnight ago, the rupee suddenly fell steeply, driven by higher fuel imports. The government and IMF stepped-in and the rupee recovered. But a cautious Central Bank jacked-up interest rates, and now the Public Debt Management Office is in the firing line.

The police have arrested Chinese scammers for over a decade. But as South-East Asian governments crackdown, Sri Lanka is an increasingly popular destination for scam operations. Human trafficking risks follow.

Sinhalese smut online is flaccid, having lost the emotional complexity of classical and modern erotic literature. Yet audiences are turning to niche subgenres, like Korean-inspired boys’ love and erotica written by women.

Tech layoffs are here, but they aren’t as bad as the rumours suggest. Small outsourcing companies, and specific jobs like tech writers and quality-assurance engineers face the greatest threat. Tech education isn’t keeping up.

The church knew of sexual abuse allegations against one of their teacher-priests, Gregory Fernando. They transferred him to India for a couple of years, then returned him to classrooms in Kandy, where he continued to molest young children. Faced with their indiscretions, they refuse to repent.

Sri Lanka’s Telugu community resents being boxed as the ‘Ahikuntakas’ or gypsies. Most Sri Lankans overlook the diversity within the community, and push them away as social outcasts. To secure a better future, the youth are embracing Sinhalese culture and Christianity.

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?