Features

China without Blinkers

Published

1 year ago

2025/08/31

I was while in Europe last month to spend a couple of days in Sete by the Mediterranean, with Tamara Kunanayagam and her partner Jean Pierre Page. He was a leading light of the French Communist party and though, as with so many left wing movements in the last century it had split, he was trying to redevelop connections. He was also strongly supportive of Jean-Luc Melenchon, the radical former Socialist who put together the coalition that emerged as the largest group in Parliament after the last French election.

Jean-Pierre is highly respected internationally, and in recent years he and Tamara have often been in China at conferences which mark the increasing influence of that country. So, I was delighted when he gave me, when I was leaving, a volume entitled China without Blinkers, which he had edited together with the radical journalist Maxime Vivas.

The basic aim of the book is to correct what it characterizes as deliberate disinformation about China. But in the process it also expounds some of the principles on the basis of which China is increasing its footprint in the world. This is done most effectively in the opening essay in the book, by Tamara, entitled ‘New Cold War or “the Unthinkable War”?’ She examines there the increasing hostility to China’s international advances, beginning with the pivoting towards the Asia-Pacific as he put it by President Obama way back in 2011.

Tamara says that that made clear that America’s principal enemy was no longer the ‘unknown unknown’ terrorist as identified by Donald Rumsfeld, but was rather China, which had not only been getting richer during this century but had also increased its influence in other countries. So we have now seen the development of what is termed the Quad, where traditional American allies such as Australia and Japan were joined with India, and the attempt to entrench the concept of an Indo-Pacific Ocean, where America would increase its primacy with its allies.

But all this is accompanied by a demonizing of China, with propaganda designed to prove that it is exploiting the countries with which it has enhanced dealings. It was such propaganda, swallowed or perhaps regurgitated without conviction, by stooge politicians in this country, that precipitated the economic crisis from which we are now suffering. For the perfectly manageable loans from China were excoriated by the Yahapalanaya government, to be replaced by loans on the international market from private agents on which we are now paying colossal interest.

Tamara’s primary concern however is foreign policy, and she shows how Washington, arguing in terms of freedom of the seas, ignores UN resolutions on territorial waters, and the provision that access should be for peaceful purposes. She also notes how the United States heightens tensions between China and nations in South East Asia with regard to territorial waters, claiming that negotiations between China and the Philippines foundered when the latter was persuaded to demand international arbitration – counter she says to a China ASEAN agreement to work through bilateral discussions without third party involvement. Of course, it could be argued that the Philippines required strengthening in any dispute with China, but underlying this is the American assumption that its hegemony is essential for holding China at bay.

The article following Tamara’s was on a very different topic, ‘On trade and foreign policy: China and some untruths’. But as the title makes clear, this too dealt with disinformation. Much of what is said is well known, but it takes an article like this to put it all together, and make clear the double standards that are involved.

Tony Andreani, emeritus professor at the University of Paris, starts with the criticism in the French mainstream press of the Chinese peril, since it has bought up vineyards and land and companies. European leaders are also worried about Chinese investments in Eastern Europe, which they see as an effort to divide the Union. But as Andreani notes with regard to the sale of Greek and Portuguese public companies, they went to the highest bidder.

The opportunities China offers, whereas the rich Western countries only offer continuing dependence, has led to 17 European countries, including 11 EU members, joining the Silk Road initiative. And there is further evidence of China working on development when it engages in economic relations, as with the infrastructure it has developed in Africa. I still recall an Ethiopian driver telling me how China had developed roads, which the West had not done. This reinforced what a British friend in Cambodia said about why Chinese assistance was highly regarded, whereas the West concentrated on what they called capacity building, ie funding their supporters in mechanisms to ensure perpetuation of their own control.

Jean Pierre Page is categorical about this when he shows what Western meddling seeks to achieve in Hong Kong. But only in passing does he note that the claim that the West is concerned with preserving democracy seems nonsensical in that Hong Kong was only given its own Legislative Council just before it was handed over to China. Until then, for one and a half centuries, it had been ruled by a British governor, with no regard for the wishes of the natives – and indeed harsh measures when workers seemed to be getting out of control, which might have limited the massive profits British companies were repatriating. These of course went back more than a century, dating back to the days of supply of opium to the natives, a commitment to free trade that crippled China and led to its virtual enslavement for a century.

I used to think that the Americans acted to promote freedom when after the Second World War they took the lead in giving independence to the Philippines, and expected the European powers to follow suit. But I had not registered then that American imperialism worked through economic domination, facilitated by their pet rulers, whom they would protect at any cost. This involved relentless support to dictators, as we have seen in Latin America. And when the natives got out of hand, support for the overthrow of a recalcitrant leader, as in the case of Indonesia, was immediate.

China too has dealt with dictators, but it has not engaged in regime change to promote its own interests. And as we have found out to our cost, following the relentless propaganda about the Rajapaksas selling the country to the Chinese, the loans they provided, far from holding us in a debt trap, were much better for us than the private loans we took under the guidance of Western oriented policy makers.

China without blinkers is most illuminating about the manner in which the Chinese economy has grown, while at the same time China has done its best to avoid the worst elements in unbridled capitalism whereby the rich get richer and richer whilst the worst off go to the wall. As John Rawls argued half a century back, making the cake grow does not mean that the slices of all who share in it get larger.

He also argued that socialism as generally practiced led to the cake not growing. But China in embracing individual enterprise, has made sure that opportunities for the worst off are expanded, and so the poverty levels in China have diminished in the last couple of decades. This is quite unlike what happens in some Western countries, where safety nets have been reduced, or indeed never really existed.

Apart from the article on Hong Kong, there are two more that deal with areas in which the West has shown particular interest, claiming that the Chinese government is exploiting minorities and destroying their identity. These are Tibet and Xinjiang. In the case of the former, whatever respect and affection the Dalai Lama commands, there is little doubt that the regime he presided over was authoritarian with little done to develop the lot of the peasantry. Those of us who have visited Tibet have seen its development, and also the continuation of the monastic life including within the Potala.

Albert Ettinger, a retired professor from Luxembourg, writes incisively about violence in Tibet before the Chinese took over, when it had an army ‘equipped and trained by the British. Its officers wore colonial pith helmets, its military band played “God Save the King” and “It’s a Long Way to Tipperary”.’ And the violence he records gives the lie to the myth of a land full of ‘innate goodness and love of neighbour’.

We have heard repeatedly of the colonization of Tibet by Han Chinese, but Ettinger claims that, at the last census, in 2010, the population was 91% Tibetan. Whether this is correct I do not know, but he seems on surer ground when he notes that a city claimed to be now 97% Chinese was part of the first Chinese empire and protected by the Great Wall.

If the charm of the Dalai Lama seems to strengthen the case against the Chinese in Tibet, far otherwise is the alternative the west promotes in Xinjiang, namely fundamentalist Islam. As Maxime Vivas, the co-editor of the book puts it in his article on this phenomenon, ‘Here in France, under the pretext that democracy can be perfected in China, the muddle-headed are championing the victory of Sharia law. They are like Gribouille, the folk tale character, who throws himself into a pond so that the rain does not spoil his fine suit’.

One example of disinformation should suffice to make clear the general picture. China was accused of using a World Bank loan to establish vocational training centres to build concentration camps, but when the Bank looked into this, it reported that its ‘review did not substantiate the allegations’.

That project, which the Bank itself cleared of the allegations against it, indicates what China has done to develop the area and thus reduce the appeal of fundamentalism. Sadly Pakistan, which slithered towards fundamentalism when it was a close ally of the United States, never thought of such a simple remedy, and it is clear that in Africa too the economic development that would limit the spread of fundamentalism is not foremost on the agenda.

Vivas has a wonderful time giving examples of the sort of misinformation the West propagated to justify its aggression towards leaders it loathed, and claims that Mike Pompeo, later Secretary of State, confessed in a talk in 2019 that as Director of the CIA in the preceding year ‘We lied, we cheated, we stole’. And later he notes that the canard about 500,000 slaves in the cotton fields of Xinjiang must be absurd, ‘when harvesting has been highly mechanised’.

The case of Xinjiang, and other allegations against China in the popular media of the West, are dispassionately analysed in the preface to the book by Mobo Gao, Professor of Chinese at Adelaide University and Director of the Confucius Institute there. He rubbishes the allegations about control of the non-Han population by pointing out, what I did not know previously, that the one-child policy was confined to the Han Chinese and minorities were exempt.

However when the policy, having succeeded in reducing population growth, was changed to allow two children, the exemptions were abolished. This has contributed to claims that minorities are now being unfairly restricted. Yet, as the article makes clear, if anyone suffered – and in the long run China seems to have benefited by the restriction on population growth – it was the Han Chinese, with as he points out the current President having just one daughter, the Prime Minister at the time he wrote only one child.

He also rubbishes the canard about forced labour, though he does grant that the conditions of migrant labour are sad. But this is true with regard to most migrant labour and he notes that, when China began its massive industrialization programme, the Han Chinese also suffered when they moved to factories in urban areas. But they moved, as our migrant labour does, because conditions were better than the rural poverty they had lived in previously.

Gao does not make pointed comparisons, with for instance the continuing poverty of workers in banana plantations in countries the West controls, though he does mention that things are now improving, which has not been the case in banana republics. But he does gently note why these tales of woe rouse anger – ‘Given the colonial slave labour, whether African labourers or aboriginal Australians and Western colonial genocides of the indigenous, and given the Holocaust in Europe itself, the narrative of slave labour and genocide, understandably rouses indignation and sentiment of horror.’

In acknowledging poor labour conditions when China industrialized, Gao notes how this was music to the ears of the West, until that is China ceased to be ‘a junior partner, or more accurately, an apprentice of capitalism’. Anger started when the West realized how hollow its victory in the Cold War had been, since the outsourcing of ‘manufacturing industries and decades of neoliberal marketiism has resulted in increasing inequality in Western affluent societies’.

Gao notes also how the way in which the Western media reports on China makes nonsense of the claim that its press is free. The way the Voice of America functioned is too well known to require repetition, though now Trump seems to have virtually abolished it, with the decision that ‘One America News (OAN), a far-right, pro-Trump network known for promoting conspiracy theories, will provide news coverage for VOA.’

More insidious than the Americans are the British, for the BBC was long thought to be independent. The recent petition by several staff opposing the manner in which the BBC had projected the Israeli perspective in covering the crisis in that region makes clear the restrictions that admittedly often idealistic journalists suffer. Gao simply notes that ‘The influential BBC is supposed to be regulated by Ofcom in its domestic reporting, but Ofcom does not regulate the BBC for its external reporting’.

And of course the private media is much worse, with unrelenting abuse of countries not to the taste of the devotees of Western monopoly capitalism who control it. Extreme instances of this occurred with regard to coronavirus, with even the Washington Post insinuating that the virus may have leaked from the Wuhan laboratory.

At a different level was the criticism of China for being repressive in its measures of control, though these led to the outbreak being contained and fatalities low, as opposed to in the libertarian United States, where the poor suffered disproportionately. Interestingly, one of those who got into the act was Francis Boyle, someone whom I remembered for his extreme allegations against Sri Lanka. Condescendingly, the article ends with the suggestion, without any allegations, that the ‘claim that the virus was created can be turned against the Western transmitter’, noting that the US is the only country to ‘have a bacteriological laboratory for military use’.

This wide ranging volume had a lot of information new to me. But while most of it could have been anticipated, from wider reading and the current international situation, I was surprised by an article on China’s Economic Growth which claimed the foundations for this were built in Mao’s time. Received wisdom, as the article puts it, is that the Chinese economy really began to develop only thanks to its ‘reorientation’ and its opening up to the world capitalist system’.

But the article claims that its GDP grew substantially in the earlier period, and China had put in place in those years the physical capital stock necessary for the economy to take off. The third argument, that China was a major civilization for thousands of years, producing a third of the world’s GNP at the beginning of the 19th century, may not seem so strong. But it is perhaps strong enough in that he claims that the century of Western aggression and exploitation, beginning with the British Opium War of 1942, decimated the country, but its rebuilding began then with the Communist Revolution of 1949.

I was glad that Mao’s commitment to social equity, even if it got out of hand at times, has been recognized, and also the development of education and health services, so that the social capital as necessary for development as physical capital was also in place.

One can understand then the hysteria of the West, which had crushed China so easily in the 19th century, when it began to realize that this giant could no longer be patronized. Given the evidence the book provides about its support for development of poorer countries, even while it pursues its own development goals through better access to raw materials, we can only be thankful that the end of history the West so complacently predicted has given way to a world of different mansions.

‘China without Blinkers’ Edited by Maxime Vivas and Jean-Pierre Page

Reviewed by prof. rajiva wijesinha

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Features

Matrimony in crisis: Economic volatility, youth outflow, and changing fabric of Sri Lankan families – I

Published

10 hours ago

2026/10/19

Thilina Walpola

by Prof. M. W. Amarasiri de Silva

Sri Lanka’s official crude divorce rate is among the lowest in the world, sitting at roughly 0.15 divorces per 1,000 people per year, which translates to about nine legally finalised divorces, daily, nationwide. However, legal scholars and sociologists emphasise that this figure does not reflect a lack of marital distress or separation. Instead, the low official number is primarily a result of the country’s stringent legal framework, complex judicial procedures, and deep-seated socio-cultural factors that prevent couples from seeking formal legal dissolutions.

A primary driver of the low official rate is Sri Lanka’s fault-based legal framework under general civil law. Unlike jurisdictions that allow “no-fault” divorce or swift mutual consent dissolutions, Sri Lankan civil law requires a petitioning spouse to legally prove specific statutory grounds in court, such as adultery, malicious desertion, or incurable impotence present at the time of marriage. Proving these fault grounds often leads to protracted, emotionally exhausting, and financially draining court battles, discouraging many individuals from pursuing a final decree. Furthermore, personal status matters for Muslim Sri Lankans are governed separately under the Quazi court system via the Muslim Marriage and Divorce Act, which operates under distinct statutory procedures.

Because navigating the formal legal system is so cumbersome and costly, hundreds of couples choose informal separation rather than court litigation. Living apart without legally dissolving the marriage on paper remains a common alternative, meaning official marriage registries undercount the true rate of domestic breakdown. Additionally, strong cultural norms, family expectations, economic dependencies, and social stigma—particularly affecting women—exert significant pressure on spouses to remain legally married even when cohabitation has permanently ceased.

Sri Lanka and other countries

Comparing Sri Lanka, India, and the United States reveals stark contrasts in divorce rates, legal frameworks, and societal attitudes toward marital dissolution. Statistically, Sri Lanka reports an official crude divorce rate of approximately 0.15 divorces per 1,000 people, annually, while India reports a rate of roughly 1 per 1,000. In contrast, the United States records a significantly higher crude divorce rate of around 2.5 per 1,000 people, with roughly 40% to 45% of first marriages ending in divorce. However, these figures reflect distinct judicial mechanisms and cultural expectations rather than a simple measure of marital harmony.

The primary legal distinction lies in the availability of “no-fault” divorce mechanisms. All 50 US.states allow no-fault divorce, enabling either party to dissolve a marriage by citing irreconcilable differences without assigning blame. India occupies a middle ground, where major personal law codes—such as the Hindu Marriage Act—permit divorce by mutual consent, provided the couple undergoes a court-mandated waiting period intended for potential reconciliation. Sri Lanka maintains the most restrictive regime among the three, requiring a petitioning spouse under general civil law to prove specific statutory faults, such as adultery or malicious desertion, through formal adversarial court proceedings.

Pluralistic personal law systems also shape how marital disputes are handled in South Asia compared to North America. Both Sri Lanka and India apply distinct personal status laws, based on religious or ethnic identity, such as Kandyan and Muslim laws in Sri Lanka, or Hindu, Muslim, and Christian personal codes in India. In contrast, the US relies strictly on uniform state civil codes for property division, spousal maintenance, and child custody, eliminating religious adjudication from the legal process.

Official divorce rates in Sri Lanka and India significantly undercount actual marital breakdowns. High legal costs, protracted court battles, and strong social stigma often lead estranged couples in both South Asian nations to choose informal, permanent separation over formal legal proceedings. In the United States, clear statutory procedures for asset distribution and custody arrangements encourage individuals to formally conclude their marriages through the judicial system rather than living in legal limbo.

Unmarried Sri Lankans

Data from the Department of Census and Statistics reveals that the proportion of the population that has never married has risen dramatically to over 40 percent. This shift reflects a major demographic transition characterised by delayed marriages, changing socio-economic priorities, and economic instability that has led many young adults to postpone or forego marriage altogether.

While both men and women are increasingly remaining unmarried, the trend manifests differently across genders due to distinct socio-demographic factors. Men generally marry at an older age than women—with the average age at first marriage rising toward 29 years for men compared to around 25 to 26 years for women. As a result, in younger adult cohorts, a noticeably higher percentage of men remain single at any given time.

Conversely, a different demographic dynamic affects women in older age cohorts. Sri Lanka exhibits a distinct gender imbalance in its total population, with women outnumbering men—there are roughly 93 males for every 100 females nationwide. This imbalance, combined with higher female life expectancy and significant labour migration of men seeking overseas employment, creates a structural shortage of eligible partners for women in certain age groups, contributing to a growing number of women remaining unmarried or living alone in later life.

The marriage expectations and ages by gender can be inferred through matrimonial advertisements in newspapers. Matrimonial advertisements, published in leading Sri Lankan weekend newspapers, offer a revealing look into the country’s shifting demographic trends and evolving marital preferences. These classified sections, traditionally placed by parents or family elders, rather than the individuals themselves, reflect a structured marriage market where personal expectations, economic security, and socio-cultural compatibility intersect.

The age profile of individuals advertised in these columns mirrors the broader national trend toward delayed marriage. For women, the typical age range featured in listings spans from 24 to 32 years, while for men, advertisers generally range between 28 and 38 years. Furthermore, advertisements for individuals in their late thirties, forties, or older have become increasingly common, particularly in notices seeking secondary marriages following a legal divorce or the loss of a spouse. The concentration of listings in older age brackets highlights how higher educational pursuits, career establishment, and economic challenges have pushed marriage further into adulthood.

Horoscope compatibility

Expectations detailed in newspapers emphasise a combination of traditional socio-cultural criteria and modern status indicators. Horoscope compatibility remains a fundamental requirement across a large majority of listings, alongside considerations of caste, religion, and regional background. Personal character is heavily weighted, with advertisements for men frequently specifying a desire for non-smoking, non-drinking partners, while descriptions for women routinely emphasise moral standing, domestic capability, and physical attributes.

Socio-economic standing and professional qualifications serve as primary benchmarks in prospective partner selection. Listings placed by women’s families heavily prioritise male suitors with secure employment in established sectors, such as medicine, engineering, law, management, or government service, alongside evidence of financial stability or asset ownership. Advertisements for men similarly seek educated and career-minded partners, though often balancing professional credentials with traditional family values. Notably, both publications feature a substantial proportion of listings placed by or seeking non-resident Sri Lankans and dual citizens, reflecting the strong pull of foreign residency and international mobility as desirable attributes in prospective matches.

Horoscope matching and dowry expectations in Sri Lankan matrimonial advertisements reflect a delicate interplay between longstanding cultural traditions and modern socio-economic realities. These two elements serve as primary filtering mechanisms during the initial stages of family-mediated matchmaking, helping families gauge spiritual alignment, family background, and long-term economic compatibility.

Horoscope compatibility remains a nearly indispensable prerequisite across a vast majority of Sinhala and Hindu marriage notices. Advertisements routinely include explicit phrases such as “send copy of horoscope with reply” or “astrologically compatible match sought,” underscoring the belief that planetary positions at birth dictate marital longevity, health, and mutual prosperity. Families often consult professional astrologers (nakath karayo) to compare charts (Janma-pathra) before engaging in direct personal meetings. Beyond general alignment, specific astrological conditions—such as Kuja Dosha or planetary placements associated with delayed marriage—are actively declared or sought out to ensure balanced pairings, making astrological clearance the first major gatekeeper in the proposal process.

Dowry expectations

Dowry expectations have undergone a significant transformation in contemporary Sri Lanka, evolving from explicit demands for wealth into subtle indicators of financial security and asset sharing. While direct references to cash or specific dowry amounts have largely disappeared from modern newspaper classifieds due to changing social norms, advertisements routinely signal material contributions through references to family assets. Listings placed by a bride’s family frequently highlight inherited residential properties, land parcels, vehicles, or substantial financial savings, framed positively as background assets rather than a mandatory transaction. Conversely, advertisements placed by grooms’ families often emphasise secure professional income and housing ownership, establishing an expectation of shared socio-economic parity between both lineages.

Ultimately, the portrayal of horoscopes and dowry in matrimonial advertisements illustrates how Sri Lankan families preserve traditional cultural safeguards while adapting to contemporary legal and economic environments. Horoscopes continue to function as an essential spiritual and psychological reassurance of harmony, while evolving dowry practices reflect a mutual investment strategy focused on helping young couples navigate modern economic pressures and establish financial stability.

Digital matrimonial platforms

Digital matrimonial platforms, dedicated matchmaking websites, and social media networks are reshaping traditional matchmaking practices in Sri Lanka. While the core objectives—securing compatible, stable, and family-approved partnerships—remain consistent, the shift to digital infrastructure has decentralised the matchmaking process, giving individuals greater agency while altering how personal data and socio-economic expectations are presented.

Specialised digital matrimony sites, such as Poruwa.lk and Matchmaker.lk, have modernised print classifieds by replacing brevity with structured digital profiles. Unlike newspaper advertisements, which are constrained by line limits and word costs, digital profiles allow candidates, or their families, to upload detailed personal biographies, verified educational certificates, career histories, and multiple photographs. Privacy controls on platforms, like Poruwa.lk, allow users to restrict photo visibility and obscure contact details until a mutual interest is established, offering safety and discretion that public newspaper columns cannot provide.

Social media platforms, particularly dedicated Facebook groups and WhatsApp channels, have democratised proposal exchanges across urban and rural demographics alike. These informal digital groups allow families and self-registering candidates to post notices directly without incurring publishing fees or relying on commercial matchmaking brokers. The interactive nature of social media enables direct messaging between interested parties, reducing the initial lag time typical of postal or phone responses generated by newspaper listings.

Digital matchmaking has also transformed how traditional criteria like horoscopes and dowry assets are handled. Many online platforms integrate digital horoscope software directly into their search filters, enabling automated chart matching before contact is initiated. Similarly, asset preferences are often communicated through structured fields detailing property ownership, foreign residency status, or career mobility, rendering explicit dowry discussions obsolete. By streamlining preliminary vetting, digital platforms allow Sri Lankans, especially young professionals and expatriates, to balance traditional familial expectations with modern efficiency.

Family-mediated marriages

While subtle differences exist in framing, with a popular English weekly in Sri Lanka leaning toward urban, English-speaking, and expatriate circles, and its Sinhala counterpart serving a wider Sinhala-speaking demographic, both mediums demonstrate that family-mediated marriage in Sri Lanka remains deeply anchored in structured compatibility, educational status, and long-term financial security.

Socio-economic factors also drive these decisions differently across genders. For many men, the financial burden of establishing an independent household, securing stable employment, and meeting traditional expectations of financial provision causes prolonged delays in marriage. For women, expanded educational attainment and changing lifestyle expectations mean that marriage is increasingly viewed alongside career goals or personal independence, rather than as an immediate or mandatory life milestone.

The severe economic volatility and escalating inflation experienced in Sri Lanka have acted as direct catalysts in altering traditional family planning and delaying marriage. Establishing a new household requires significant upfront capital, including funding wedding ceremonies, housing deposits, and securing household goods. With sharp rises in the cost of living and persistent real wage stagnation, young adults face immense financial barriers, prompting couples to postpone marriage or avoid formal marital commitments until economic conditions stabilise. (To be continued)

Features

What nature knows that humanity has forgotten

Published

11 hours ago

2026/10/19

Thilina Walpola

Urban development

by Dr Debapriya Mukherjee
Former Senior Scientist
Central Pollution Control Board

Human beings often treat nature as an unlimited storehouse, clearing forests, polluting rivers and degrading soil for immediate gain. Animals and plants, without environmental policies or scientific knowledge, survive through relationships with their surroundings and other forms of life. An elephant needs connected habitats; a bee depends on flowers; a tree supports organisms while drawing nutrients from the soil. Humans can understand these connections, yet too often act as if their consequences did not concern us.

Elephants remind us that habitats cannot survive as isolated islands. Elephants disperse seeds and shape vegetation through feeding. Roads, railway lines, mines and settlements can obstruct their movements, increasing the risk of accidents and encounters with people. An elephant entering a village may reflect not only animal behaviour but also habitat fragmentation or changes in access to food and water. Protecting elephants therefore means conserving the corridors connecting essential habitats, not merely preserving separate patches of forest.

Vultures reveal the value of nature’s unsung services. These scavengers consume carcasses and help remove decaying animal material. India’s vulture crisis, linked particularly to exposure to the veterinary drug diclofenac, showed how a chemical used for one purpose can disrupt a distant ecological process. A creature often dismissed as unattractive may perform a service whose loss has far-reaching consequences.

Bees and bats reveal the biological foundations of food security. Bees pollinate many crops and wild plants. Certain bats also pollinate flowers, disperse seeds or consume insects. Habitat destruction, pesticide exposure and loss of food sources can threaten these contributions. Agricultural success cannot be judged by yield alone; the health of pollinators and the wider landscape also matter.

: Frog

: Bee

Frogs can warn us of environmental disturbance. Many amphibians have permeable skin and depend on both aquatic and terrestrial habitats. Some populations are sensitive to pollution, pesticides, habitat loss and disease. Frogs also consume insects and provide food for birds, snakes and other animals. Their decline does not identify a particular pollutant by itself, but it can warrant investigation. A pond may still hold water while losing important elements of ecological health.

Earthworms and termites reveal the living world beneath our feet. Earthworms contribute to soil structure and organic-matter decomposition. Termites recycle plant material and influence soil formation in many environments. Alongside fungi and bacteria, these organisms sustain processes essential to soil health. This matters to agriculture: applying cow dung or vermicompost does not guarantee a good crop if soil conditions and nutrient requirements are unknown. Agricultural inputs should be chosen according to soil properties, water availability and crop needs.

“Elephants remind us that habitats cannot survive as isolated islands. Elephants disperse seeds and shape vegetation through feeding. roads, railway lines, mines and settlements can obstruct their movements, increasing the risk of accidents and encounters with people.” (A file photo by picture by Dilum Alagiyawanna.)

Mangroves

Fig trees and native grasses show why conservation must respect each habitat’s character. Many fig species depend on specialised fig wasps for pollination, while their fruits feed birds, bats and other animals. Native grasses provide food and shelter for insects, birds and grazing animals. Planting trees everywhere is therefore not necessarily ecological restoration. Converting natural grasslands into tree plantations can damage habitats adapted to open landscapes. Conservation must protect the ecosystem suited to each place, not simply increase tree numbers.

Mangroves and wetland plants provide natural protection. Mangroves support wildlife, trap sediments in suitable conditions and can reduce wave energy and coastal erosion. Wetlands store water, provide habitat and cycle nutrients; some also help moderate flooding. Neither can prevent every cyclone or flood, but destroying these systems without assessing their functions may increase risks and the cost of protecting communities.

Nature is not a world of perfect cooperation. Predators hunt prey, plants compete for sunlight, and organisms sometimes harm one another. Its lesson lies instead in interdependence, environmental limits and the consequences of disruption.

Development is often measured through roads built, buildings completed and economic returns. These achievements matter, but the picture is incomplete when ecological damage is ignored or its costs are transferred to other communities. Science enables us to examine impacts before approving projects, protect wildlife corridors before they are severed, test soil before choosing inputs and assess wetlands before filling them. Knowledge, however, protects nature only when it influences decisions.

Nature does not ask humanity to abandon progress. It asks us to distinguish genuine progress from activities that destroy their own ecological foundations. A vulture, frog, bat, termite or fig tree may seem insignificant in isolation; their importance emerges through the processes they sustain.

The living world offers no simple moral sermon, but a scientific truth: a civilisation that neglects the ecological relationships sustaining life ultimately undermines its own future.

Features

Man Behind the Music: Ananda Ganegoda and Singlanka

Published

11 hours ago

2026/10/19

Thilina Walpola

Ananda Ganegoda

A tribute to the man who believed Sri Lankan music deserved the very best

by Vindana Ariyawansa

Some people build companies. Others build institutions that outlive them. When Ananda Ganegoda passed away last week at the age of 81, he left behind something far larger than a business: a cultural landmark whose logo sits on the cassette shelves of countless Sri Lankan homes, and whose songs many of us grew up with without knowing the man who made them possible.

For decades, his name and Singlanka were one and the same. Both stand for the belief that Sri Lankan music deserved the highest standard of quality in its content, its production and its presentation.

“Singlanka: the symbol of excellence in creation and of priceless perfection in finish!”

That was the promise printed in the company’s advertising, and Ananda Ganegoda spent his life trying to keep it.

A friendship that changed a life

In the 1970s, Ganegoda was already a successful businessman from an industrialist family, running enterprises alongside his brothers. Then he met pop singer Milton Mallawarachchi, and the friendship became a turning point.

Through Milton, he came to know many of the country’s most celebrated artistes. He admired them deeply, and they welcomed him into their circle. Before long, the businessman had become something rarer: a patron who supported the country’s artistic endeavours out of genuine love for them.

Worried for the artistes

By the late 1970s the audio cassette had become the most practical way to sell music, and many businessmen rushed into the trade. Ganegoda watched this with concern. He worried about what it meant for singers’ creative and financial independence, and whether the people who made the music would share fairly in its rewards.

At the request of leading artists, he decided to enter music production himself. He did it, by every account, without commercial ambition. His only intention was to serve the artists.

18 March 1980

Singlanka was founded on 18 March 1980 as a limited company. Its founding team was remarkable. Clarence Wijewardana, the celebrated singer and songwriter, joined it. So did the renowned lyricist Kularatna Ariyawansa, who gave up his government job to be part of the venture, and continued to this day as its creative director. Vijaya Ramanayake, owner of the Tharanga record label, took charge of distribution.

Dozens of veteran artists who were close friends of Ganegoda handed over songs they had recorded independently to be released under the new label. Many new songs were recorded under the guidance of Clarence Wijewardana and Vijaya Ramanayake. In April 1980, Singlanka launched with 25 albums at once.

The first cassettes were produced in Singapore and imported. Because Sri Lanka then lacked the facilities to print Sinhala on the covers, the first sleeves carried their titles and information in English. Listeners objected, and the albums were quickly re-released with new covers in Sinhala.

By December 1980, 15 more albums recorded earlier in the year had followed. That same year, the Singlanka recording studio opened in Nugegoda under Clarence Wijewardana’s supervision. Equipped with the latest technology, it produced the country’s first eight-track recordings. Ganegoda invested heavily in it, and with veteran recordist Dayananda Perera at the helm it became the busiest and most respected studio in the country.

One roof, one family

The year 1981 was a landmark for the company. Ganegoda held a strong conviction that artists should not be left at the mercy of a fluctuating cassette market, which made careers unpredictable and unsustainable. If he could give them stability under one roof, he believed, they could give their energy to their art instead of worrying about money.

So, he invited them to join Singlanka, and they came. Amaradeva, Nanda Malini, Victor Rathnayaka, Sanath Nandasiri, Milton Mallawarachchi, Gunadasa Kapuge, Priya Sooriyasena, Sisira Senarathna, Indrani Wijayabandara, Malkanthi Nandasiri, Clarence Wijewardana, Anton Jones, Abeywardana Balasooriya and Niranjala Sarojini became exclusive Singlanka artists. Sunil Edirisinghe, T. M. Jayaratna, Somathilaka Jayamaha, Karunarathna Divulgane, Deepika Priyadarshani, Janaka Wickramasinghe, Rohan Bulegoda and Dayan Witharana joined them later.

Singlanka also produced best-selling albums by H. R. Jothipala, M. S. Fernando, Desmond de Silva, Nihal Nelson and Vijaya Kumaratunga.

The journey was not without heartache. Some ventures did not bear fruit, and it pained him when a few artistes left the label over the years. But the majority stayed, which says something about the man they stayed with.

A company of firsts

Singlanka’s catalogue reads like a record of firsts for Sri Lankan music:

· In April 1981, it released the first film soundtrack on cassette, for Sunil Ariyaratna’s Vajira.

· That year it also released Nanda Malini Live in London, the country’s first live-recorded cassette.

· In 1982, Ganegoda began replicating cassettes in Sri Lanka itself, having previously relied on Singapore. Veteran musician Rohana Weerasinghe left his government teaching post to join the company in 1983.

· In 1983, Prof. Ediriweera Sarachchandra’s iconic play Sinhabahu was released on a double cassette. Noorthi and Nadagam Songs, directed by Punyasena Gunasinghe, followed as another first.

· In 1984, under Sanath Nandasiri’s direction, came Madhubani, the country’s first album of classical instrumentals and songs, launched with a classical concert at Colombo’s Tower Hall.

· The same year, Nanda Malini’s double vinyl album Sathyaye Geethaya was released. Vinyl was not in popular demand at the time, so the experiment was not continued.

· In 1987, one of Ganegoda’s dream projects came true with Dorata Waduma, an album by six talented amateur singers. It introduced the singer Deepika Priyadarshani.

· In 1987, Sansare Api became the first collection of songs written by a member of the clergy, the Venerable Rambukkana Siddhartha.

· In 1989, Dhammapada Geethaya set verses of the Dhammapada to song.

The famous Singlanka logo was designed by Charlie Chang of Singapore. It has since become a timeless emblem of quality Sinhala music. In its first decade alone, Singlanka produced 136 original albums, a remarkable achievement for a company built on original recordings.

A patron of the nation’s culture

Ganegoda’s generosity reached well beyond his own studio. During its first two decades, Singlanka contributed financially to virtually every prominent national artistic event in the country.

In the early 1980s he sponsored concert tours to the United Kingdom for Amaradeva, Sisira Senarathna, Indrani Wijayabandara, Sunil Edirisinghe, Malani Bulathsinhala, Sanath Nandasiri and Malkanthi Nandasiri, carrying Sri Lankan music to audiences abroad.

He supported the first Sarasaviya Film Festival at the BMICH in 1980, the University of Colombo Art Festival, the G. B. Senanayake scholarship at the University of Sri Jayewardenepura, and the Mahagama Sekara Memorial Festival. He supported the Amaradeva felicitation event, the Children’s Books Society’s book exhibitions and prize-givings, the Bandaranaike Memorial Foundation Fund, and the Charles Silva Gunasinghe Memorial Fund. He supported the Vesak Bhakthi Gee Festival of the Lake House Buddhist Society, the “40 Years of Sinhala Cinema” event organised by the film critics and writers’ society, Prof. Sarachchandra’s drama festival, and the Premakeerthi Tribute Festival.

He also helped launch Amaradeva’s Naada Siththam, Dharmasiri Gamage’s Sulan Kurullo, and the concert Mage Swarayayi Obe Ridmayayi by Victor Ratnayake and Premasiri Kemadasa. These are only some of the many occasions on which he quietly gave his support.

More than a company

Today, Ananda Ganegoda’s name and Singlanka are inseparable. Singlanka is more than a record label. It is a cultural emblem of Sri Lanka, one that preserved the country’s musical heritage and identity for a generation and set a benchmark that the industry still looks to.

He began as a businessman who befriended a singer. He became a guardian of Sri Lankan music, giving artists a home, a stage and the security to create. Most of the millions who have hummed those songs may never have known his name. But every time a Singlanka melody plays, his dream is still being heard.