I just took part in a public screening of HOME, the 2009 documentary that offers a new view of our planet — from slightly above.
French photographer, journalist and activist Yann Arthus-Bertrand and his team travelled around the planet over 18 months to make this film. They filmed interesting natural and human-made locations in 50 countries — all from the air. This offers a different perspective to our growing impact on the planet’s natural processes and balances.
Technically outstanding and aesthetically enjoyable as it is, does HOME overstate the case for planet-saving action? Or does it gloss over deep-rooted causes of today’s ecological crisis? These and other questions were raised and discussed at our screening.
HOME the movie screening in Colombo, 13 March 2014
I was encouraged by over 60 people turning up – a mix of students, professionals, retirees and others – and staying transfixed for the two full hours – plus another 45 mins of Q&A. This is just a summary of wide ranging discussion moderated by filmmaker and film buff Sudath Mahadivulwewa.
We discussed both style and substance. I personally dislike the patronising narration by actress Glenn Close – who reminds me of an all-knowing old matron. But a few felt that this theme demanded just such a voice and delivery.
We agreed that HOME isn’t a typical natural history or environmental documentary. Its scope is vast (story of our planet and human civilisation), its vantage viewpoint extraordinary.
With all its stunning views and haunting music, HOME projects a strong message of anthropocentrism – that human beings are the central or most significant species on the planet (at least in terms of impact). This is now a dominant view among scientists who study the planet (hence the new name for our times, Anthropocene).
I sometimes wonder – as did some in my audience – whether we take too much credit for our signature on the planet. We sure are the most damaging species, but I worry about environmentalism turning into a religion-like dogma. I have always stayed clear of ‘Mother Earth’ kind of romanticising – we don’t need to turn the planet into a gigantic matriarchy to be motivated to care for it!
Besides, some geological processes — such as volcanic eruptions, earthquakes and tsunamis — are not triggered by human action. When I hear die-hard greens trying to link these phenomena to humanity (never mind the absence of any evidence), I consider it environmental advocacy going crazy.
I also drew my audience’s attention to Alan Weisman’s 2007 best-seller The World Without Us, which offers an original approach to questions of humanity’s impact on the planet: he envisions our Earth, but without us. We may be a formidable presence right now, but if we disappear, the planet would slowly but surely reassert itself…
Is HOME political enough? Some argued the film left too much for individual thought and action when, in fact, much of today’s resource crises and environmental problems stem from structural anomalies and deeply political disparities in the world. Is this an attempt to absolve the governments and corporations of responsibility and heap it all on individuals?
Opinion was divided, but it got us talking – and thinking. I don’t know Yann Arthus-Bertrand, but perhaps he kept the message at personal level so his film can be non-threatening and benignly subversive? There are times when harsh delivery can alienate part of the intended audience.
All considered, an evening well spent. As I’d tweeted in advance, we had a slightly out of this world experience with Arthur-Bertrand as our guide – and no reality altering substances. Indeed, the stark reality facing humanity can be very sobering…
High inputs to make high yields – at a heavy price
“For sure, the double-edged legacy of the Green Revolution which promoted high external inputs in agriculture must be critiqued. Past mistakes can be rectified at least now.
“However, corrections have to begin upstream by questioning macro-level policies. For example, for half a century, Lankan farmers have had a huge — 90 per cent — state subsidy on chemical fertilisers. This does not encourage thrifty use, yet successive governments have hesitated to fix the massive drain of taxpayer funds.
“Thus, mass kidney failure is more than just a public health emergency or environmental crisis. It is symptomatic of cascading policy failures in land care, water management and farming over decades.”
This is an excerpt from the first of a monthly series of analysis blogs (columns) I will be writing for SciDev.Net in 2014.
Titled “Going upstream for lasting kidney disease remedies“, the first essay looks at the broader implications of a chronic kidney disease that is spreading in India and Sri Lanka for which medical and other researchers still cannot pinpoint a specific cause.
I have been writing and broadcasting about this public health issue for sometime, and have listened (or interviewed) most key players on the Lankan side of the investigation. In this opinion essay, I look at the policy dilemmas and healthcare challenges posed by Chronic Kidney Disease of uncertain aetiology, or CKDu.
I argue: “There are no quick fixes. In searching for solutions, health and environmental activists must rise above their single-issue advocacy positions. They can bring grassroots concerns to national debates. Collaboration – not confrontation or conspiracy theories – is the need of the hour.
“Hijacking a human tragedy for scoring some debating points is not worthy of any true follower of Rachel Carson.”
News feature published in Ceylon Today broadsheet newspaper, 23 January 2014
South Asia Coastal Management Convention in Pondicherry – L to R Chandra Bhushan, Aurofilio Schiavina, Sunita Narain, Tahir Qureshi, Anil Premaratne
South Asian Coasts Reeling Under Pressure
By Nalaka Gunawardene in Pondicherry, India
As economic development gathers pace in South Asia, its coastal regions are coming under pressure as never before. More ports, power plants and tourist resorts are jostling with fishermen and farmers.
Balancing livelihoods, economic growth and environmental conservation is the only way to avoid a major resource crisis, acknowledged participants at the South Asia Convention on Coastal Management held in Pondicherry, India, from 19 to 21 January 2014.
Over 70 senior government officials, researchers, civil society activists and journalists from Bangladesh, India, Maldives, Pakistan and Sri Lanka came together for this event, organised by Delhi-based Centre for Science and Environment (CSE) and Pondicherry-based citizen group, PondyCAN.
They reported how a disproportionately high share of South Asia’s industrialisation, urbanisation and tourism development is concentrated along its combined 11,240 km of coastline. In total, coastal areas support livelihoods of some 400 million South Asians through fisheries, tourism and other activities.
In many parts of the region, high population density exists alongside sensitive ecosystems – such as mangroves and coral reefs and river estuaries. This intensifies the challenge of managing coastal resources. Climate change impacts, already felt as extreme weather events, add to these pressures.
Participants discussed strategies for regulating coastal development, protecting coastal habitats and coping with climate change.
They agreed on the urgent need for improving scientific understanding of coastal regions, which begins with clearly defining, demarcating and mapping such areas. Evidence based policy making and effective regulation depend on such a knowledge base, currently lacking or inadequate.
“There is a need to strengthen regulatory systems, build capacity and do more research to better manage coastal challenges in South Asia,” said Sunita Narain, Director General of CSE.
In CSE’s view, she said, the most important intervention is to strengthen existing institutions to get them to deliver with greater transparency and accountability.
She added: “We need to balance conservation with benefits to local communities. We also need partnerships between conservation, development and livelihoods without which coastal resource management is not possible in a region like South Asia”.
Only such an approach can reconcile the many pressures faced by South Asia’s maritime countries including poverty, depleting resources, increasing hazards and large scale enterprises seeking quick profits from the coastal resources.
“We need to make sure these plans incorporate climate change to make them more meaningful to countries like ours,” he added.
Large scale infrastructure development projects are adding to other pressures. India – which already has 202 commercial ports and 27 thermal power plants on its coastline – is planning another 76 ports and 59 power plants. Over 70% of Sri Lanka’s tourist hotels are located in the coastal zone, with more coming up. The scramble for the coast is increasing in other countries, too.
Meanwhile, over two thirds of the world’s ship breaking takes place on open beaches in Bangladesh, India and Pakistan with little regard for worker health or environmental pollution. It is a highly hazardous industry with lucrative returns for operators.
Participants agreed on the need for the South Asian countries to share experiences and approaches and to learn from each other.
Premaratne pointed out that laws and regulations are just one strategy for better managing coastal areas. Other strategies include awareness raising and public education, and the involvement of local communities in resource management and benefit sharing.
Participants also stressed the need for placing all scientific information and maps in the public domain. Right now, these are often trapped in state agencies or research institutes, with no easy access to researchers or other citizens.
Probir Banerjee, President PondyCAN, stressed that the “worst affected are the people living at the margins and the objective has to be to enhance livelihoods, and not compromise them.”
While unexplained mass kidney failure is a serious public health problem in Sri Lanka, some persons are exaggerating the number of cases and deaths resulting from it, says the kidney specialist who first detected the disease.
Consultant Nephrologist Dr Tilak Abeysekera, who heads the Department of Nephrology and Transplantation at the Teaching Hospital Kandy, told a recent scientific meeting that it is very important to correctly diagnose the ailment – and not get it mixed up with other types of kidney disease.
“For example, only 16% of kidney patients in the Anuradhapura district can be classified as affected by what is now called Chronic Kidney Disease of unknown aetiology, or CKDu,” he said. He was speaking at a national symposium organised by the National Academy of Sciences of Sri Lanka (NASSL).
The symposium, held in Colombo on 10 December 2013, brought together senior representatives from many public institutions, research organisations and advocacy groups. It discussed the current status of knowledge of the disease, its occurrence, cause(s) and the short and long-term action needed to combat or mitigate it.
Wide-ranging discussions at the symposium highlighted the need for better disease surveillance, and further research. Participants also agreed on the need for much caution by policy makers and the media to avoid creating panic and confusion.
“Some writers to newspapers have claimed that the kidney disease is worse than the (2004) tsunami. The two tragedies are not comparable, and many numbers being mentioned in the media are gross exaggerations,” Dr Abeysekera said.
Mystery disease
CKDu emerged in the early 1990s, when hundreds of people in Sri Lanka’s Dry Zone – heartland of its farming — developed kidney failure without having the common causative factors of diabetes or high blood pressure.
Most affected were men aged between 30 and 60 years who worked as farmers. The disease built up inside the body without tell-tale signs or symptoms, manifesting only in advanced stages.
Dr Abeysekera was the first to notice and report this variation of the disease that had no immediately apparent cause. As the numbers rose, doctors and other scientists began probing further, trying to identify factors that triggered kidney failure.
Having first appeared in the North Central Province, CKDu has since been reported from parts of five more provinces: the North Western, Uva, Eastern, Central and Northern. The endemic area now covers around 17,000 square km, which is home to over 2.5 million people. To date, it remains exclusively a Dry Zone disease.
Owing to discrepancies in record keeping, it is difficult to arrive at a reliable estimate of deaths resulting from CKDu, According to Dr. Kingsley de Alwis, President of NASSL, deaths have variously been estimated at between 20,000 and 22,000 over the past 20 years. These numbers are not fully verified.
According to him, some 8,000 persons are currently undergoing treatment. This costs the public health sector over Rs. 4,000 million every year.
Over the years, many scientific studies have been carried out and various environmental, geochemical and lifestyle related factors have been probed. Researchers now suspect environmental and genetic factors as causes – but a definitive link to a specific factor has yet to be found.
The National CKDu research project, initiated and led by the Ministry of Health during 2009-2011, has concluded that CKDu is caused by multiple factors instead of a single one (see also box below).
In particular, it found chronic exposure of people in the endemic area to low levels of Cadmium through the food chain and also to pesticides. It also reported a genetic susceptibility in individuals with CKDu.
Many causes
Dr Shanthi Mendis, Director, Management of Non-communicable Diseases at WHO, told the symposium that kidney disease due to environmental factors is not unique to Sri Lanka. It has also been reported from Japan, Nicaragua, El Salvador, Croatia, Bulgaria and Serbia among others.
In Sri Lanka, WHO-supported research has shown that men over 39 years of age who are engaged in chena cultivation are more prone to CKDu. A positive family history in parents or siblings also increases the risk.
According to Dr Mendis, among the factors that appear to play a role are: chronic exposure to low levels of Cadmium through the food chain; exposure to nephrotoxic (kidney-damaging) pesticides; concurrent exposure to other heavy metals (Arsenic and Lead); deficiency of Selenium in diet; genetic susceptibility to kidney failure; and the use of Ayurvedic herbal remedies containing the Sapsanda plant (Aristolochia indica).
Cadmium enters the environment mainly through chemical fertilisers. The national research project did not find drinking water as a main source of Cadmium.
“In endemic areas, high Cadmium levels were found in certain vegetables such as lotus roots, freshwater fish and tobacco. But Cadmium in rice in both endemic and nonendemic areas was less than the allowable limit of 0.2 milligrams per kilogram,” Dr Mendis said.
Traces of Fluoride and Calcium naturally occurring in groundwater may also aggravate the effect of nephrotoxins and contribute to CKDu, she added.
Agrochemicals are not the only substances to watch. Dr Mendis also highlighted 66 Ayurvedic medicinal prescriptions that contain Aristolochia, being used for treating over 20 ailments. These include remedies for snakebite, fever, body pains, labour pain, indigestion and headache. Most people have no idea what their medicine contains, making it particularly difficult to assess exposure to this factor.
As often happens, research has raised more questions while clarifying some issues. Further studies are needed to understand exactly how certain plants accumulate heavy metals from their surroundings.
According to NASSL President Dr de Alwis, this is the typical process of science. “We need not be unduly alarmed about the number of different causes to which CKDu is attributed by scientists…Science works through a series of interactions, as well as the clash of ideas.”
Dr Tissa Vitarana, Senior Minister of Scientific Affairs who opened the symposium, asked all researchers to keep an open mind in such scientific investigations, ensure rigour of testing and analyis, and discuss their findings widely.
“There has been a spate of media abuse on CKDu. I’m glad to note that the media hype has died down so that a more sensible evaluation becomes possible,” he said.
Dr Vitarana, who is a virologist by training, added: “Cadmium, the main heavy metal suspected of being responsible for CKDu, enters our environment mainly through chemical fertilisers. There is no argument that we need to reduce use of such fertilisers. But as a scientist, I need to be convinced that Cadmium is the main cause. Right now, there is no such conclusive evidence, so we need to keep an open mind.”
Remedies & prevention
While the debate on exact causes of CKDu continues in scientific circles, the public health toll keeps rising.
“CKDu is a major public health issue placing a heavy burden on Government health expenditure and is a cause of catastrophic expenditure for individuals and families leading to poverty and stigma in the community,” WHO’s Dr Mendis said.
And as Minister Vitarana noted, in affected areas of the Dry Zone, farmers’ morale is breaking down. “This can raise questions on the future of farming in Sri Lanka.”
Based on the National CKDu research project, WHO has recommended a number of short and long term actions for ministries and other state agencies concerned with health, water supply, food and agriculture sectors.
An urgent priority is to supply clean drinking water to all people living in the endemic districts. Most people currently rely on groundwater, tapped through tube wells, hand pumps, or dug wells. The government’s 2014 budget proposals have recently allocated Rs 900 million to set up Reverse Osmosis small treatment plants that can purify ground water at local level.
Meanwhile, acting on other recommendations, the Ministry of Health has intensified public education and CKDu surveillance. At the same time, more treatment facilities – including kidney dialysis units – are being set up.
Many families of patients living with CKDu face economic hardship as their breadwinner can no longer work. They need both livelihood and counselling support.
On the preventive front, the Health Ministry now advises against consuming lotus roots in endemic areas, and asks people to be careful with all herbal medicines containing Sapsanda. One study recommendation is for regulating the use of nephrotoxic herbal medicines.
The national research study has also recommended action for stricter regulation of agrochemicals. It specifically calls for regulating the indiscriminate use of synthetic fertilisers, in particular phosphate fertilisers containing traces of Cadmium, Arsenic and Lead. Farmer reliance on these can be reduced by greater use of locally made rock phosphate. Similarly, better regulation of pesticide distribution and use is also needed.
Going a step further, the study has advocated strengthening tobacco regulation to protect people from exposure to Cadmium through passive smoking. This should add to the already strong case against tobacco.
The humanitarian crisis of CKDu has reached such levels, notes WHO, that urgent remedial actions are needed even as researchers continue their investigations.
“Translating available research findings into action should not be delayed. Implementing multisectoral measures to people’s (especially children’s) exposure to nephrotoxins is a top priority,” said Dr Mendis. “Follow-up research should not be a barrier for implementing WHO recommendations.”
Text box:
It was a national study, clarifies Health Ministry
The national research project on CKDu was co-funded by the World Health Organization (WHO) and Sri Lanka National Science Foundation (NSF). Comprising 11 studies, it is most comprehensive investigation on the topic so far, and involved dozens of local researchers and senior public health officials.
Research teams measured arsenic, cadmium, lead, selenium, pesticides and other elements, often linked with kidney failure, in biological samples from CKDu patients from three endemic areas (Anuradhapura, Polonnaruwa and Badulla). They compared the data with control groups from the endemic areas and a non-endemic area, i.e. Hambantota. They also analysed food, water, soil and agrochemicals from all the areas for the presence of heavy metals such as Cadmium, Arsenic and Lead.
The research findings were formally released in mid 2013. They were also published as a scientific paper in the international medical journal BMC Nephrologyin August 2013. The full paper can be accessed free online at: http://www.biomedcentral.com/1471-2369/14/180
“This is a national study carried out by our own experts, with World Health Organization (WHO) providing technical advice and part of the funding,” said Dr P.G. Mahipala, Director General of Health Services at the Ministry of Health.
He clarified: “It is not correct to refer to this study as a WHO study.”
Don’t exaggerate Lanka’s kidney disease – by Nalaka Gunawardene – Ceylon Today, 28 Dec 2013
This week’s Ravaya column (in Sinhala) looks at the widespread practice of toxic waste dumping in Italy (and overseas) by mafia groups contracted for the task by polluting industries. In the 1990s, this gave rise to what is now called Ecomafia.
Arriving in the Philippines just two weeks after the super typhoon Haiyan (local name Yolanda) hit the archipelago nation on 8 November 2013, I’ve been following many unfolding debates on disaster recovery and resilience.
The Filipino media have been full of post-disaster stories. Among them, I came across an editorial in the Philippine Star on 26 Nov 2013, titled Stopping the Waves, which touched on the role of protecting natural barriers that can guard coastal areas from storm surges.
A key excerpt: “Nothing can stop a storm surge, but there are ways of minimizing the impact of powerful waves. Levees have been built in some countries, although the ones in New Orleans were breached by the storm surge during Hurricane Katrina. Another option is to develop mangrove forests, which can also function as bird sanctuaries and breeding grounds for marine life.”
It added: “Yolanda has revived the debate over the proposed destruction of the coastal lagoon to make way for commercial development. That mangrove forest must be protected and expanded rather than destroyed, and more mangrove areas must be propagated throughout the archipelago. You can’t roll back deadly waves, but their punch can be blunted. Natural barriers should help do the job.”
This is just what TVE Asia Pacific’s regional TV series The Greenbelt Reports highlighted. Filmed at 12 locations in four Asian countries (India, Indonesia, Sri Lanka and Thailand) which were hardest hit by the Indian Ocean tsunami of December 2004, the series showcased Nature’s protection against disasters and climate change.
It covered three coastal ecosystems or ‘greenbelts’ — coral reefs, mangroves and sand reefs. Reporters and producers from TVE Asia Pacific journalistically investigated the state of greenbelts in South Asia and Southeast Asia by talking to researchers, activists and government officials. They also looked at efforts to balance conservation needs with socio-economic needs of coastal communities.
Here’s the overview documentary (additionally, there were 12 stand-alone short videos as well):
The Greenbelt Reports: Armed by Nature: Part 1 of 3
The Greenbelt Reports: Armed by Nature: Part 2 of 3
The Greenbelt Reports: Armed by Nature: Part 3 of 3
In this week’s Ravaya column (in Sinhala), I discuss the public health implications of rising levels of pesticide residues in our food. I cite research by the Hector Kobbekaduwa Agrarian Research and Training Institute (HARTI) on pesticide use habits of upcountry vegetable and potato farmers, which makes alarming reading.
Among other things, researchers found that up to a quarter of surveyed farmers grow some chemicals-free vegetables their own use! So this is not a matter of ignorance, but willful poisoning of the unsuspecting consumer.
News feature written for Ceylon Today newspaper, 19 Oct 2013
Air Pollution causes cancer, confirms WHO
By Nalaka Gunawardene
Air pollution causes cancer, it is now medically confirmed.
The World Health Organization (WHO) has just classified outdoor air pollution as carcinogenic to humans.
Exposure to air pollution can cause cancer in lungs, and also increase the risk of cancer in the bladder, the International Agency for Research on Cancer (IARC), the specialized cancer agency of WHO, announced this week.
Close to a quarter million people already die every year from lung cancer caused by air pollution, WHO estimates.
In a statement, IARC said: “After thoroughly reviewing the latest available scientific literature, the world’s leading experts convened by the IARC Monographs Programme concluded that there is sufficient evidence that exposure to outdoor air pollution causes lung cancer (Group 1).”
They also noted a “positive association” with an increased risk of bladder cancer.
Depending on the level of exposure in different parts of the world, the risk was found to be similar to that of breathing in second-hand tobacco smoke.
“The air we breathe has become polluted with a mixture of cancer-causing substances,” says Dr Kurt Straif, Head of the IARC Monographs Section that ranks carcinogens. “We now know that outdoor air pollution is not only a major risk to health in general, but also a leading environmental cause of cancer deaths.”
Particulate matter — tiny pieces of solid or liquid matter floating in the air, and a major component of outdoor air pollution– was evaluated separately and was also classified as carcinogenic to humans (Group 1).
Outdoor air pollution – emitted mostly by transport, thermal power generation, industrial and agricultural activities — is already known to cause a range of respiratory and heart diseases. In Sri Lanka, more than 60% comes from vehicles burning petrol and diesel fuel.
The IARC Monographs Programme, dubbed the “encyclopaedia of carcinogens”, provides an authoritative source of scientific evidence on cancer-causing substances and exposures.
IARC adds substances, mixtures and exposure circumstances to Group 1 only when there is sufficient evidence of cancer-causing ability (carcinogenicity) in humans.
The link between tobacco smoking and lung cancer has long been established but now focus is on other cancer-causing air pollutants. In June 2012, IARC declared that diesel engine fumes can certainly cause cancer, especially lung cancer, and upgraded it to Group 1. Earlier, diesel fumes were in group 2A of probable carcinogens for over two decades.
“Classifying outdoor air pollution as carcinogenic to humans is an important step,” says IARC Director Dr Christopher Wild. “There are effective ways to reduce air pollution and, given the scale of the exposure affecting people worldwide, this report should send a strong signal to the international community to take action without further delay.”
Although the composition of air pollution and levels of exposure can vary dramatically between locations, the conclusions of the IARC Working Group apply to all regions of the world.
Air pollution is a basket term, which covers dozens of individual chemical compounds and particulates. These vary around the world due to differences in the sources of pollution, climate and weather. But IARC now confirms that the mixtures of ambient air pollution “invariably contain specific chemicals known to be carcinogenic to humans”.
It is only in recent years that the true magnitude of the disease burden due to air pollution has been quantified. According to WHO, exposure to ambient fine particles contributed 3.2 million premature deaths worldwide in 2010. Much of this was due to heart disease triggered by bad air, but 223 000 deaths were from lung cancer.
More than half of the lung cancer deaths attributable to ambient fine particles are believed to have been in China and other East Asian countries.
In the past, IARC evaluated many individual chemicals and specific mixtures that occur in outdoor air pollution. These included diesel engine exhaust, solvents, metals, and dusts. But this is the first time that experts have classified outdoor air pollution as a cause of cancer.
IARC Monographs are based on the independent review of hundreds of scientific papers from studies worldwide. In this instance, studies analysed the carcinogenicity of various pollutants present in outdoor air pollution, especially particulate matter and transportation-related pollution.
The evaluation was driven by findings from large epidemiological studies that included millions of people living in Europe, North and South America, and Asia. A summary is to be published in the medical journal The Lancet Oncology online on 24 October 2013.
Air Pollution causes cancer, Ceylon Today, 19 Oct 2013
Cover of Sivu Mansala Kolu Getaya Book 2 by Nalaka Gunawardene, pub Sep 2013
PROMO NOTE FOR MY LATEST BOOK:
Science writer Nalaka Gunawardene’s latest Sinhala book, Wada Kaha Sudiye Sita Loka Winashaya Dakwa, will be released at the Colombo International Book Fair that starts on 14 September 2013.
Through 54 columns, the book offers personalised insights and non-technical analysis related many current issues and topics in science, technology, sustainable development and information society in the Lankan context. It is written in an easy, conversational Sinhala style rich in metaphor and analogy.
In particular, this collection probes how and why Lankan society is increasingly prone to peddling conspiracy theories without critical examination or rational discussion. From astrological hype linked to end of the world in 2012 to claims of mass poisoning via agrochemicals, Nalaka seeks to separate facts from hype, conjecture and myth.
The book defies easy categorisation, as it covers topics as diverse as alternative histories, agrochemical misuse, disaster management, Internet censorship, Antarctic exploration, asteroid impacts, cricket history and road safety.
“I seem to have outgrown the neat label of science writer,” says Nalaka. “Indeed, the very title of my column suggests how I sit at the intersection (or confluence) of science, development, mass media and information society. From that point, I explore tensions between modernity and tradition — and ask more questions than I can easily answer!”
In his quest for clarity and reason, Nalaka talks to researchers, activists and officials. He also draws on his many experiences and global travels as a journalist, TV producer and development communicator.
The 340-page book is priced at Rs. 550. It will be available from leading bookstores, and at special discounts from the Ravaya booth during the Colombo Book Fair.
Science writer Nalaka Gunawardene won the Vidyodaya Literary Award for the best newspaper column in Sinhala during 2012.
The award is one of several presented annually by the University of Sri Jayawardenapura to celebrate creative writing and journalism in Sri Lanka. Each September, the University’s faculty members and students announce their selection of the preceding year’s most outstanding published books in the Sinhala language.
The award ceremony, held on 2 September 2013 at the National Library Services Board auditorium in Colombo, recognized the best Sinhala novel, best short story collection, best poetry collection, best lyrics collection and the best newspaper column of 2012.
Nalaka won the award for his Sinhala language column titled Sivu Mansala Kolu Getaya (සිවුමංසල කොලූ ගැටයා), which he has been writing on a weekly basis in the Ravaya Sunday broadsheet newspaper since early 2011. A collection of 44 selected columns was published in September 2012 as a book by the same name. It was a Ravaya Publication.
The award citation, read by Professor Dammika Ganganath Dissanayeke, Head of the Department of Sinhala and Mass communication at the University, described Sivu Mansala Kolu Getaya as being in a league of its own, engaging twenty first century Lankans.
It noted the broad range of the column’s topics and subjects – such as information society, innovation, climate change, disaster management, HIV/AIDs, energy crisis and censorship – and commended the colloquial language in which it is written.
Copies of the book, priced at Rs 450, are still available from all leading bookstores. The second book of columns, also a Ravaya Publication, will be released later this month during Colombo International Book Fair.
Open Minds! 