A LITTLE BIT OF ‘LANKAN MIX’

Now, most of you might be thinking where on earth Sri Lanka lies on the world map? For one, its right at the bottom of India towards the southern side, and it is known as the pearl of the Indian Ocean (hehe, maybe it’s called that because it is shaped like a pearl) situated in the Bay of Bengal.Describing this wondrous country cannot be just explained in a few fine paragraphs, nevertheless I will try. Unfortunately many people miss this beautiful country because it is small – but don’t we all think that with the other countries as well.

Sri Lanka, known as Ceylon ages ago, was a small developing country and was famous for many types of spices such as: cinnamon and cloves, rubber and tea. We were colonized by the British in 1802 and we gained our independence in 1948, even though we are famously noted for our Cricket teams – our national sport is volleyball. We are known as Sri Lankans and most people are very friendly and are proud of the multi-national ethnicities and cultures. We had faced a 30 long year period of civil war attacks from the LTTE, and we were freed in 2009 allowing us to get back to being independent people with the power of reconciliation which is still being developed, although scars of war are still seen here and there, after all – we are not perfect. Sri Lanka is a country of 65,610 kilometers and there are plenty of different attractions that make it a marvelous country.

Another interesting fact was that long, before (the time of kings) we were divided into 3 kingdoms such as: Kotte, Kandyan and Sitawaka. Today, in 2017 we are divided into 9 major provinces and we are unified under a government system rather that the rule of kings. The main route to travel Sri Lanka is best by the public transport like other countries, such as: buses and trains – not to mention the tuk tuks.

Okay, that’s quite enough of babbling about information; let’s get on with the blog,

Colombo is the largest city in Sri Lanka, also known as the commercial capital. When you tend to walk along the pavements, you feel that the country is really urbanized unlike; of course the rural parts of Sri Lanka. Colombo has adopted a lot of the western cultures and it is very rare that you find people wearing traditional clothing such as: sarongs, saris and other items such as: ‘reddai-hatai’ it almost seems that the people here are trying to mimic television soap operas and what not.

But, the moment you hop onto a train at Pettah and travel either down south (Galle) or upcountry (Kandy) you see the original, traditional beautiful Sri Lanka as it is – untouched (although a few things are changing and developing) you see people wearing sarongs, (the old traditional ones) baggy blouses and long skirts, their accents are totally different not to mention the shops and streets are not as big and professional like the ones back in Colombo still they do have what you want for cheap prices. It’s just amazing countryside where things are beautifully kept and preserved for all of the world to see (not just the tourists but the locals as well)

Ok, this is just a peek into Sri Lanka; although we see just a simple distance of a few kilometers away, a lot can transform everything. Anyone could spot these transformations as easily as you can find your School Head master heading your way from a mile. Although how far you choose to look, how close you choose to experience the local culture, you will never find out why Sri Lanka is a place where, if you were born into would be proud about and frustrated at the same time. Why? Well, that’s something yet to be discovered for another time.

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SCRIBBLER – NAZMI MAHAMOOD