Book Review

One Nation, One People — But on Whose Terms?

One Nation, One People — But on Whose Terms?

By M.R. Narayan Swamy One day in 1997, Sri Lanka’s air force chief, Oliver Ranasinghe, learnt from a “little bird” that the Defence Secretary had gone to the UK with his son to buy two C-130 aircraft. The C-130 was ideally suited for Sri Lanka. It can carry heavy loads and even operate out of unprepared airfields. But there were problems with these two aircraft. Both had been parked on a tarmac in the UK for 13 long years in extreme weather, without being flown or even the engines being run.
Book Review August 2026
M.R. Narayan Swamy

M.R. Narayan Swamy
A Colombo Tamil Family Looks Back at the Country It Lost

A Colombo Tamil Family Looks Back at the Country It Lost

By M.R. Narayan Swamy “For every Sinhalese soldier killed, we will kill a thousand Tamils!” This was the war cry echoing on the streets of strife-hit Colombo in July 1983 as Sharmala Kanagasundram and her family sped to safety in a car while vicious anti-Tamil violence swept the Sri Lankan capital. Sharmala, her husband Ajit, and their three young boys were part of the Colombo elite and led an idyllic life. They were sure they could be happy in the country until Ajit retired from the Central
Book Review August 2026
M.R. Narayan Swamy

M.R. Narayan Swamy
How Deep Do China-Sri Lanka Ties Really Go? A New Book Explores

How Deep Do China-Sri Lanka Ties Really Go? A New Book Explores

By M.R. Narayan Swamy China and Sri Lanka have enjoyed decades of close and warm relations. Many Sri Lankans also credit China with providing extensive military assistance that helped Colombo defeat the Tamil Tigers. But is there a side of this relationship that has been kept under wraps? Yes, says a Sri Lankan scholar in a revealing new book. After detailing at length the many ways China has come to the economic and military rescue of Sri Lanka since the 1950s, Colombo-based Bhagya Senaratne
Book Review Article
M.R. Narayan Swamy

M.R. Narayan Swamy
India–Sri Lanka Ties: Partnership in Practice, Distrust in Memory

India–Sri Lanka Ties: Partnership in Practice, Distrust in Memory

By M.R. Narayan Swamy Relations between India and Sri Lanka have depth and are blossoming. But all is not hunky-dory, notwithstanding the generous multi-faceted help India has provided during crises, more so in recent times. Yes, more and more Sinhalese, the community most cross with India for more than one reason, have begun to view India sympathetically but it will take a long time for bitter memories to fade and the irritants in overall bilateral ties to dissipate. Indeed, if Sri Lanka’s eco
April 2026 Book Review
M.R. Narayan Swamy

M.R. Narayan Swamy
Book Reviews: “The Overthinker and the Elephant” by Vinayak Nirmalan

Book Reviews: “The Overthinker and the Elephant” by Vinayak Nirmalan

Dr: Mrs N Rodrigo, Colombo, Sri Lanka The Overthinker and the Elephant is a must read for all thinkers - not necessarily “overthinkers”! It is a thought-provoking, honest, humane, soul searching, spiritual journey in the quest for happiness. The narrative is set against the stunning, luminous backdrop of the night sky in the Himalayas, written in a fluid, friendly, down-to-earth style, enlivened with good humor. Authored by a young second-generation doctor of Sri Lankan origin, domicil
Book Review March 2026
Jaffna Monitor

Jaffna Monitor
DEPARTMENT OF CHOSEN ONES: What Really Ails Sri Lanka? An Insider Dusts the Cobwebs

DEPARTMENT OF CHOSEN ONES: What Really Ails Sri Lanka? An Insider Dusts the Cobwebs

By M.R. Narayan Swamy When kings become authoritarian and develop disdain for their subjects, their kingdoms collapse. This is what happened in modern Sri Lanka when a president and his kin presided over the picturesque country as if it were family property. A child prodigy who grew to be an insider with a conscience, Thisuri Wanniarachchi, unveils the story in a most chilling and gripping manner. Thisuri was just 15 when she bagged Sri Lanka’s most prestigious literary award for her first
Book Review February 2026
M.R. Narayan Swamy

M.R. Narayan Swamy
COLOMBO PORT OF CALL: Foreigners who came to adore Sri Lanka

COLOMBO PORT OF CALL: Foreigners who came to adore Sri Lanka

By: M.R. Narayan Swamy American dancer Jane Sherman fell in love with Sri Lanka at first sight. The train journey from India to the island nation may have been ghastly but the teenager, who would later become famous, was wide awake at dawn in 1926 to see the sun come up over the luscious green foliage in the country. She was full of admiration for the blue sea water, and described the people in Sri Lanka as “cleaner than Indians”. During the time she spent in Sri Lanka, Jane gave full m
Book Review February 2026
M.R. Narayan Swamy

M.R. Narayan Swamy
A Peacemaker’s Belated Wisdom

A Peacemaker’s Belated Wisdom

By: M.R. Narayan Swamy Reading this otherwise invaluable book will give the impression that academic-turned-politician G.L. Peiris was a distant observer of Sri Lanka’s peace process (which collapsed) and not the government’s chief negotiator with the Liberation Tigers of Tamil Eelam (LTTE) and a key player in a dialogue that had been expected to end a protracted and bloody conflict. Peiris raises several vital issues that he feels led the peace process to unfortunately unravel, trig
Article Book Review
M.R. Narayan Swamy

M.R. Narayan Swamy