Prof. Mahesh Nirmalan - Jaffna Monitor

“தண்ணீர் தண்ணீர்” (වතුර වතුර): From Wells to Nation Building in Sri Lanka

Prof. Mahesh Nirmalan MD, FRCA, PhD, FFICM In the legendary film director K Balachander’s 1981 film ‘Thanneer Thanneer’ (or Water Water), a village’s struggle for water becomes a parable of neglect. Four decades later, this parable is being replayed in parts of the Northern province in Sri Lanka. For generations, the people of Jaffna have lived amidst water scarcity. Walking approximately 2 miles daily to a common well (‘Aththai well’ or அத்தாய் கிணறு or අත්තායි ලිඳ in Karainagar) or ca

Guest Column October 2026

Prof. Mahesh Nirmalan

Oct 5, 2026 — 11 min read

Aid, poverty and the illusion of better health

By Mahesh Nirmalan, MD, FRCA, PhD, FFICM, and Jared Mecha, MD, MPH Mahesh Nirmalan is Professor of Medical Education and Associate Vice President at the University of Manchester, United Kingdom. Jared Mecha is a Lecturer, Consultant Physician and Global Health Specialist at the University of Nairobi, Kenya. International development agencies, philanthropy, and health research funding agencies largely approach health outcomes in less developed countries (LDCs) as a problem to be solved within

Guest Column September 2026

Prof. Mahesh Nirmalan

Sep 7, 2026 — 10 min read

Sudan and the Illusion of External Rescue: a mirror for Sri Lanka

Mr. Saifeldin Nemir and Prof Mahesh Nirmalan Mr Saifeldin Nemir is a Sudanese national and the current Chief of UNICEF Field Office, Ethiopia. He was also the former Deputy Country Director for Islamic Relief Worldwide; Professor Mahesh Nirmalan is the Associate Vice President for Responsible Research Practice at the University of Manchester and Consultant in Intensive Care Medicine at Manchester Royal Infirmary, UK Sudan is geographically distant from Sri Lanka, but its recent history carries

August 2026 Guest Column

Prof. Mahesh Nirmalan

Aug 1, 2026 — 11 min read

Development, Division and Sovereignty in a Divided and Contested World

Professor Mahesh Nirmalan MD, FRCA, PhD, FFICM, University of Manchester, UK Sri Lanka, is a nation shaped by paradoxes at every level. In 1819 missionary and future Bishop of Calcutta Reginald Heber captured this paradox in his poem as “What though the spicy breezes Blow soft o'er Ceylon's isle, Though every prospect pleases, And only man is vile” Despite the colonial prejudices that are evident in the above words, the verse does capture the paradoxes of Sri Lanka which stand true to

Guest Column July 2026

Prof. Mahesh Nirmalan

Jul 6, 2026 — 10 min read

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