Prof. Mahesh Nirmalan - Jaffna Monitor

Aid without accountability: Why fragile states remain fragile

By: Prof Mahesh Nirmalan MD, FRCA, PhD, FFICM University of Manchester. The dependence on the unimpeded flow of overseas ‘aid’ runs firmly through many countries in the global south. Grants, concessionary loans, and development assistance have been presented as honourable lifelines and viewed as the ‘magic wand for poverty alleviation’. But it is a dogma that deserves closer scrutiny in a world that treats ‘Aid’ as an extension of foreign policy. The Nobel prize winning and centre-left leani

Guest Column June 2026

Prof. Mahesh Nirmalan

Jun 14, 2026 — 8 min read

“Living there while being here”: Paradoxes in the legacy of the Sri Lankan diaspora

Professor Mahesh Nirmalan MD, FRCA, PhD, FFICM, University of Manchester, United Kingdom “திரை கடல் ஓடியும் திரவியம் தேடு” is an age-old saying by the Tamil poet Avvaiyar (ஔவையார்) in the collection of poetic moral statements known as “Konrai Venthan” (கொன்றை வேந்தன்). Directly translated it reads “Acquire wealth even if you have to cross the stormy seas”. As such the desire to travel to distant lands seeking prosperity is very much part of the South Asian psyche. It was this spirit that d

Guest Column May 2026

Prof. Mahesh Nirmalan

May 31, 2026 — 10 min read

The Double-Edged Sword: Navigating the Human and Social Paradoxes of the Bhagavad Gita

Mahesh Nirmalan MD, FRCA, PhD, FFICM, University of Manchester, United Kingdom Human life is defined by a deep-seated paradox which at times may seem unsurmountable. On the one hand we are biological organisms subject to the rules of physics and chemistry and therefore subject to entropy, decay and dissolution. We get hungry, tired, we age and ultimately, we all cease to function. Yet within this fragile and time limited existence there remains a sense of ‘I’ or ‘me’ that feels constant. Despit

April 2026 Guest Column

Prof. Mahesh Nirmalan

Apr 27, 2026 — 10 min read

When machines think: Reframing the ethics of Artificial Intelligence in the global south

Mahesh Nirmalan MD, FRCA, PhD, FFICM and Roshan Ragel PhD Professor Mahesh Nirmalan is Associate Vice President for Responsible Research Practice at the University of Manchester, UK and Professor Roshan Ragel is Professor of Computer Engineering at the University of Peradeniya, Sri Lanka How we choose to conceptualise Artificial Intelligence (AI) is one of the cornerstones of the current debate on the ethics of AI. In this context, do we see AI as a tool that has been developed by humans

April 2026 Guest Column

Prof. Mahesh Nirmalan

Apr 4, 2026 — 8 min read

Ethics of AI in an Asymmetric World: A Critical Examination of UNESCO’s 2021 Guidelines

By Mahesh Nirmalan, MBBS, MD, FRCA, PhD, FFICM & Roshan G. Ragel, PhD Mahesh Nirmalan is Associate Vice President for Responsible Research Practice at the University of Manchester, UK. Roshan G. Ragel is Professor of Computer Engineering at the University of Peradeniya, Sri Lanka. It is widely recognised that the impact of Artificial Intelligence (AI) on human societies will be profound and is likely to impact all facets of human life. It has been described as the point of “technological sin

Guest Column March 2026

Prof. Mahesh Nirmalan

Mar 3, 2026 — 9 min read

The Cosmic Dance of Shiva: A Journey through Time and Philosophy

The temporal evolution of Hindu iconography was the result of changes in the philosophical understanding on the nature of existence and the ability to express these insights through suitable artistic media. In addition to being a source of artistic inspiration these changes also trigger reflection and introspection amongst religious seekers. The journey from the abstract and amorphic Shivalinga through the early anthropomorphic ‘Pasupathi’ of the Indus Valley civilisation and the further exubera

February 2026 Guest Column

Prof. Mahesh Nirmalan

Feb 17, 2026 — 10 min read

What Sri Lanka and Gaza Teach Us About the Futility of Armed Struggle

“I object to violence because when it appears to do good, the good is temporary; the evil it does is permanent”. Mahatma Gandhi Times of war create the illusion that only force can resolve irreconcilable differences. Some social theorists even justify the inevitability of violence in achieving social change on the basis that groups in power rarely relinquish that privilege voluntarily. In this context, the armed conflicts that plagued Sri Lanka for three decades and continue to unfold in Gaza

Guest Column Special Article

Prof. Mahesh Nirmalan

Jan 13, 2026 — 8 min read

Bridges of Belief: Tamil- Buddhist Synergy in Sri Lanka’s Spiritual Tapestry

In Sri Lanka Buddhism is often associated with the Sinhalese and the ancient capitals of Anuradhapura, Polonnaruwa and Kandy. There is no doubt that the Sinhala speaking people in general and many erudite monks in particular have largely been responsible for the preservation and growth of Buddhism in Sri Lanka for over two millennia. Historically however Buddhism also had a significant presence in South India and Northern Sri Lanka. Literary and archaeological evidence from South India and the J

Article December 2025

Prof. Mahesh Nirmalan

Jan 6, 2026 — 8 min read