Ravaya Column

Beginning February 2011, I write a weekly newspaper column in the Sinhala weekend newspaper Ravaya. I cover topics and issues that are close to my heart in four broad areas: science and technology, environment, development and the information society.

As a journalist, I was trained to look for what’s New, True and Interesting (‘NTI Test’). Early on, I went beyond just reporting events, and probed the underlying causes and processes. With experience, I can now offer my audiences something more: perspective and seasoned opinion. These are needed today more than ever as we wade through massive volumes of information, trying to make sense of it all.

I’ve been privileged to chronicle and comment on the closing decade of the 20th Century and the opening one of the 21st – years of unprecedented change, and considerable turmoil, in my country (Sri Lanka), region (Asia) and the world. In my chosen areas of science, technology and sustainable development, changes have happened at a dazzling and often bewildering speed.

As a science writer and development film maker, I work with researchers, activists and officials across Asia who struggle to balance ecological concerns with economic development imperatives. I call myself a ‘critical cheer-leader’ of their efforts. Through TVE Asia Pacific, SciDev.Net and my other affiliations, I seek to enhance the public understanding of complex issues and choices required in pursuing sustainable development.

I sometimes feel a strange kinship with the ancient Greeks, who first asked some fundamental questions about the universe. They didn’t always get the answers right, and neither do I. But it is very important that we question and critique progress – I do so with an open mind, enthusiasm and optimism. On some occasions, this involves asking uncomfortable questions that irk those in positions of power and authority. In that sense, I sometimes play the role of that little boy who told the Emperor had no clothes on. (Does anyone know what happened to the boy after that?).

Ravaya website is still at a fledgling stage, and does not publish my columns online. Several readers have asked me to place them online, so I’m republishing them here after they appear in their print edition each week.

28 Aug 2011: සිවුමංසල කොලූගැටයා #29: වෙලට නොබැස පොතෙන් ගොවිතැන් කරන කෘෂි විද්‍යාඥයෝ

4 Sep 2011: සිවුමංසල කොලූගැටයා #30: නීතිය, සාමය, ජාතික ආරක‍ෂාව හා ඉන්ටර්නෙට්

11 Sep 2011: සිවුමංසල කොලූගැටයා #31: 9/11 – ලොව සසල කළ මහ පුවතක මුල්පිටු මතකය

18 Sep 2011: සිවුමංසල කොලූගැටයා #32: ඔන්න බබෝ අන්නා එනවා!

25 Sep 2011: සිවුමංසල කොලූගැටයා #33: නොබියව ඇත්ත කතා කළ ජනතාවාදී විද්‍යාඥයා

2 Oct 2011: සිවුමංසල කොලූගැටයා #34: අන්නා හසාරේ පුවත් මාරුතයෙන් ඔබ්බට…

9 Oct 2011: සිවුමංසල කොලූගැටයා #35: දුර දැක්මක් නැති දූපතක දුරදක්නවල ඉරණම

16 Oct 2011: සිවුමංසල කොලූගැටයා #36: ස්ටීව් ජොබ්ස් – අසම්මතය සුන්දර කළ ‘විකාරකාරයා’

23 Oct 2011: සිවුමංසල කොලූගැටයා #37: අලි-මිනිස් සංහිදියාවේ අළුත් පිටුවක්

30 Oct 2011: සිවුමංසල කොලූගැටයා #38: පණ්ඩිතයන්ගෙන් ළදරු රූපවාහිනිය බේරා ගත් ටයි මාමා

6 Nov 2011: සිවුමංසල කොලූගැටයා #39: පුවත්පතේ අනාගතේ ඩයිනසෝර් මාවත ද?

13 Nov 2011: සිවුමංසල කොලූගැටයා #40: පුවත්පතේ අනාගතේ 2 – ළඟ ළඟ එන මහා මාරුතය