Features

Some Vignettes of Italy

Published

1 year ago

2024/12/22

Thilina Walpola

Bracciano Lake, Trevignano

(Excerpted from Falling Leaves, an anthology of memoirs by LC Arulpragasam)

I need now to recount my sailing adventures, or shall we say, misadventures. Although I had never sailed before, I did not think twice before I shoved off on my own. On my first effort, with the wind at my back, I unfurled my sails in goose-wing style and was soon hurtling along at a whistling pace. I cannot describe the exhilaration of being one with the water and the wind, with the wind at my back and the gurgle of water in my wake. After about two hours, I reached the other side of the lake near Trevignano, just as the sun was setting.

It was quite an achievement and quite a view. So I sat in the boat, smoking a triumphant cigarette, while watching the beautiful sunset. It was only then that I realized that the wind that had helped me to cross the lake would now prevent me from returning. How I managed to return home– is the stuff of story books. It was a dark night – and I could not make out which was land and which was deeper water! I had to spend the night, partly in my boat and partly in the freezing water! Needless to say, I returned home only in the morning.

I had other sailing mishaps too. I had promised my daughter to take her to the airport in time to catch her flight. This was the first time that she was leaving home – to go to College far away in another continent: it as a big day for the family. I thought that there was time enough to go to the lake and return. At the lake, I could not resist the temptation of taking the boat out for a small spin on the lake. But I had not bargained with the prospect of capsizing! In the end, I just made it in time to catch the flight (fortunately the plane was a few minutes late), but not without raising the anxiety levels of my family, and especially of my daughter!

My happiest days in Italy were spent by this lake; and our most treasured memories are buried there. First, it cast a spell over me: even when we approached it over its surrounding hills: its sight alone overpowered me. Second, the surrounding villages, with their old cobbled streets and quaint houses takes us back to a long-gone age, bringing the past alive before our eyes. Here, we were able to enjoy the company of the old paisani of the village, the baker, the cobbler, the blacksmith, as well as the owners of the small trattorias by the water.

Thirdly and sadly, it was the only place where we spoke Italian, because we otherwise interacted only with FAO’s English-speaking families, whereas the lake gave us the chance to speak Italian. Fourthly, for the same reason, the only Italian friends we made in Italy were by virtue of our weekends spent there. Fifthly, I learned quite a bit about horticulture and viticulture through the fruit trees and vines that I planted, pruned and nurtured there with my own hands. Lastly, and most preciously, I have memories of the lake itself in all its moods: its calmness in the morning, its brisk (sailing) winds rising around noon, its tranquil sunsets and the lulling lap of its waves at night. In fact when I think of the lake, a great sense of calmness overcomes me, followed by an acute sense of loss, for that part of my life which I lost with it. It is what I miss most when I think of our 30 years in Italy.

Italian Greatness

We lived in Rome, Italy, for 30 years from 1966 to 1997. We bow in appreciation of its great people. The Italians have a long history of greatness, from Roman times through to the Renaissance and beyond.

Mussolini in his grandiose manner built a new city, just outside Rome. Among others, he built a monument to the Italian people in grand fascist style. On the façade of the building, he inscribed in bold letters a paean of praise to the greatness of the Italian people. It claimed that the Italian people were a people of writers, of painters, of sculptors, of thinkers, of navigators, of scientists, etc. When I first read it, I dismissed it as more of Mussolini’s bombast. But later, thinking about it, I realized that it was all true. Of writers there was Dante Alighieri; of painters, Rafael, da Vincil and many others; of sculptors, Michelangelo and Donatello; of navigators, Cristoforo Colombo and Amerigo Vespucci; of astronomers, Galileo; of scientists, da Vinci and Enrico Fermi, etc. This is a real tribute to the Italian people. As individuals, they are unmatched. It is only that their institutions do not work!

Colour Conscious?

As far back as Roman times, there was no colour bar. In Caesar’s time, the Romans were more worried about the length of Cleopatra’s nose rather than about her colour. Besides, some of the last Roman Emperors were from the Middle East. In the ‘sixties and ‘seventies the Italians did not share the colour restrictions that characterized the northern imperial powers, such as Britain, the Netherlands and Germany. This was because the Mediterranean countries shared the mixture of ethnicities and cultures of their region. While the northern European colonizers frowned on miscegenation, making it a dirty word, the southern European colonizers even encouraged it, as the Spanish did in Latin America.

In the early days (1970s), when I had capsized (my boat) in a lake near Rome, I made my way to the road, clad only in my swimsuit. Competing cars screeched to a halt in order to give me a ride: they did not seem to mind my colour. After I reached my own car, I sped home on the autostrada, clad only in my swimsuit, with no money or clothes since they were all at the bottom of the lake, leaving me with only my dark skin. When I came up to the payment booth in the autostrada, I had no money to pay the toll. The uniformed guards who manned the gate, seeing my plight, contributed their own money to let my car through the automated gates. My colour proved to be a plus factor, not a minus one.

It all changed with unbridled immigration. One has only to go to the Termini now, the main railway station in Rome, to see the number of migrants from all regions of the world, hanging around until they could find a job. An Italian colleague, who was a communist and very pro-immigration, got fed up when she was accosted at so many traffic lights (12 times each way, to the office and back) by immigrants offering to clean her car windscreen. After months of encouraging this, she cried ‘Basta’ (enough!). A dramatic increase in the number of coloured immigrants without employment had morphed into a ‘colour problem’.

After a time, some newspapers carried lurid stories associating immigrants with crime. This brings me to my own story. Much later (in the 1990s), when returning from a supermarket, I saw a little old lady returning from the same store, staggering under the weight of two heavy bags in each hand. Since I was walking in the same direction, I went up to the old lady and asked: “Signora, can I help you to carry those bags?” Even I was not ready for her reaction: “No, no”, she shrieked shrilly, physically recoiling, as if I were a thief! I made off hastily like a real thief, since everyone was looking at me as if I was one! This is what unchecked immigration can do: it can easily change another problem into a colour problem!

Argumentative

In 1967, when we had just arrived in Rome, we were trying to reach some place in town. Having gone through the warren of old streets in Rome, we were completely lost. So we drew up to an ‘island’ between tramlines. We asked two gentlemen who were waiting there, directions to the street that we were seeking. One said: go straight to the next traffic light and turn right. The other contradicted him, exclaiming, gesturing with his hands: ‘No, no: go straight and then turn left’. They went on arguing hotly whether we should turn left or right, while we looked on impatiently, with cars honking loudly behind us. In the end, we had to move on because of the wild honking. Looking back in the rear-view mirror, I found to my amusement and amazement that the two had moved from verbal argumentation to physical assault! All this in order to help a stranger!

I was also to witness their arguments in the 1970s and early 1980s. At that time, the Italians had no third-party insurance for their cars. When there was an accident, it mattered most who shouted the most, arguing loudly in order to prove that the other party was at fault and should pay for the repairs. Once, I saw a lady with an infant in her arms, rocking it violently to the rhythm of her shouting. As she got more worked up, she put the infant on the ground, so as to better use her hands in the argument! All the shouting matches ceased when third-party motor insurance was made compulsory by law! Their institutions had failed them: so they had to shout at each other!

How to Talk: My Hands were Tied, No?

Once when walking, I saw a woman talking in a public telephone on the pavement. The woman was holding the phone in one hand, with a large handbag hanging over her shoulder and cigarette in her mouth. Soon she started using her free hand, while continuing to puff wildly on the cigarette. Seeing that it was not enough, she put the phone under her chin, so as to gesticulate with both hands. Since her handbag was slipping from her shoulder, she threw it on the ground, and also threw away her cigarette, so that she could use both hands better. The spectacle of her doing all this, sticks in my mind’s eye, even after 40 years!

You may have heard this joke before; but I repeat it as a caricature of Italians speaking with their hands. Three Allied soldiers were captured by the Germans in WWII: one British, one French, and one Italian. Each was tortured to extract information on where the Allied formations were camped. First, the British soldier was severely tortured, so that despite his renowned stiff upper lip, he broke down and spilled the beans. Second, the French soldier was treated to the same, and after repeated torture, he too broke down and spilled the beans. The Italian soldier was severely tortured repeatedly, but he would not speak. When he returned to the prison, the British and French soldiers asked him how he could have withstood such torture without divulging any information. To which the Italian replied: “How to talk: my hands were tied, no?”

Bella Figura!

In the 1960s and 1970s, it was ‘the done thing’ for Italians to go to the beach in summer. Some families who could not afford it also went on borrowed money, while others only pretended to do so. The latter would tell their neighbours and people living down their street that they were going to the sea. They could be seen packing for the beach, even loading their beach-chairs on top of their cars. They would leave at 5 a.m., as advertised. They would then smartly drive to their mother-in-law’s house at the other end of town, where they would lie low for the duration of their fabulous trip to the sea. At the appointed time they would return, full of stories of their fantastic time at the beach, cutting indeed a bella figura! (This happened in the 1960s. I do not think that it is happening now).

Italian Drivers

The Italians are the most skilled drivers in the world, flashing their headlights to signal that they are going through, avoiding accidents by a hair’s-breadth. However, this almost caused the death of my friend Reggie Arnolda, who was working in Rome at that time (about 1975). Reggie was driving his Peugot 404 Station-Wagon on a main avenue in Rome with many traffic lights. As he came to a traffic light, it was turning from amber to red. Naturally, Reggie came to a complete stop. The Italian driver just behind him, assuming that Reggie would speed through the traffic light, as Italians did in those days, stamped on his accelerator to speed through the light. This resulted in a big crash, with Reggie’s station wagon accordioning, so that the back number plate coming to rest on his neck. One inch more – and Reggie would be dead!

After many years in Italy, I too came to drive like the Italians – just in order to survive! Once, when my wife was driving, we came to a traffic light where the light was turning from amber to red. I shouted excitedly to her to speed through. But she came to a complete stop, with Italian horns blaring, throwing the whole piazza into confusion! I asked her reproachfully, why she didn’t shoot through the red light. She replied, “but the light was red, no?” She added with irrefutable logic: “Then what should I do when the light turns green?” I was stumped!

Cloak and Dagger!

One night, my wife and I were walking from the opera with an Italian couple. The man was an old-world Italian gentleman, who when introduced to a lady would bring his heels together, bow and kiss her hand. We were walking in the shadow of the ancient buildings of Rome, while cars and scooters were zipping past us. While my Italian friend was walking ahead with my wife, I noticed that he was walking on the inner side of the street, leaving my wife on the outer side, unprotected from the roaring traffic. Finally, my curiosity overcame me and I asked him why he was not following the usual practice of walking on the outer side of the lady.

He explained that he was following the practice of old Italy. When assassins or robbers wanted to attack someone, they hid in the shadows of the old buildings. So the gallant gentlemen of yore guarded their fair ladies by walking on the inner side, nearer the dark buildings, rather than on the outer side. My friend was just following the practice of old Italy.

Immigrant Tales

It is interesting to note the different levels and types of migration from poor countries to the more developed. Qualified professionals, like doctors, engineers and accountants migrated to English-speaking countries (like England, Australia and the USA) because they were already proficient in the language for jobs in their own professions. On the other hand, unskilled workers were prepared to go to any country (France, Germany or Italy), because knowledge of the language was not required for unskilled work. This was the reason for the great migration of unskilled youth to Italy. Sociological studies also show that the first migrants to unknown shores tend to be the adventurers or ‘ne’er-do-wells’, since persons with stable jobs would not risk a leap into the unknown.

My first story is in regard to an unattached man, who got a job as a domestic ‘do-all’ in a single-member family. In order to impress his family and friends back home, he sent a photo of himself. But first, he pulled his employer’s TV set, his employer’s music console and all the telephones in the house around his employer’s bed, to show how important he had become. He then wore his employer’s posh shirt and got into his employer’s posh bed. Then, while appearing to speak importantly on the phone, he had his friend take a photo. When the photo was sent home and did the rounds in the village, every young man was jumping to go to Italy!

In the ‘eighties and ‘nineties, middlemen had got into the act. The cost of getting into Italy had grown significantly. Migrants had to mortgage or sell their properties to pay the middlemen, while bearing all the risk and cost of failure themselves. One story sums it all. Three families decided to take the risk. They mortgaged/sold their properties so as to pay the middleman upfront. They were then taken to Hambantota, where the boat (probably a fishing trawler) was awaiting them. They embarked with much trepidation, because they knew that they had burned their boats back home.

After traveling for about seven days at sea, one night the captain showed them the lights of Italy. It was night when the boat reached the shore. When telling them to disembark, he warned them to hide in the bushes till daybreak. They should then walk cautiously in twos and threes into the nearby town. They followed his instructions to the letter. At dawn, they cautiously entered the town: only to find that they were back in Hambantota in Sri Lanka, the place where they had embarked! You can imagine their chagrin and dismay – to find that they were not in Italy but back in Sri Lanka! They had been literally taken for a ride! They now had to return to their villages – to face humiliation, indebtedness and despair.

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Features

Relief without recovery

Published

19 hours ago

2026/03/17

Sahan Weerasooriya

A US airstrike on an Iranian oil storage facility

The escalating conflict in the Middle East is of such magnitude, with loss of life, destruction of cities, and global energy shortages, that it is diverting attention worldwide and in Sri Lanka, from other serious problems. Barely four months ago Sri Lanka experienced a cyclone of epic proportions that caused torrential rains, accompanied by floods and landslides. The immediate displacement exceeded one million people, though the number of deaths was about 640, with around 200 others reported missing. The visual images of entire towns and villages being inundated, with some swept away by floodwaters, evoked an overwhelming humanitarian response from the general population.

When the crisis of displacement was at its height there was a concerted public response. People set up emergency kitchens and volunteer clean up teams fanned out to make flooded homes inhabitable again. Religious institutions, civil society organisations and local communities worked together to assist the displaced. For a brief period the country witnessed a powerful demonstration of social solidarity. The scale of the devastation prompted the government to offer generous aid packages. These included assistance for the rebuilding of damaged houses, support for building new houses, grants for clean up operations and rent payments to displaced families. Welfare centres were also set up for those unable to find temporary housing.

The government also appointed a Presidential Task Force to lead post-cyclone rebuilding efforts. The mandate of the Task Force is to coordinate post-disaster response mechanisms, streamline institutional efforts and ensure the effective implementation of rebuilding programmes in the aftermath of the cyclone. The body comprises a high-level team, led by the Prime Minister, and including cabinet ministers, deputy ministers, provincial-level officials, senior public servants, representing key state institutions, and civil society representatives. It was envisaged that the Task Force would function as the central coordinating authority, working with government agencies and other stakeholders to accelerate recovery initiatives and restore essential services in affected regions.

Demotivated Service

However, four months later a visit to one of the worst of the cyclone affected areas to meet with affected families from five villages revealed that they remained stranded and in a state of limbo. Most of these people had suffered terribly from the cyclone. Some had lost their homes. A few had lost family members. Many had been informed that the land on which they lived had become unsafe and that they would need to relocate. Most of them had received the promised money for clean up and some had received rent payments for two months. However, little had happened beyond this. The longer term process of rebuilding houses, securing land and restoring livelihoods has barely begun. As a result, families who had already endured the trauma of disaster, now face prolonged uncertainty about their future. It seems that once again the promises made by the political leadership has not reached the ground.

A government officer explained that the public service was highly demotivated. According to him, many officials felt that they had too much work piled upon them with too little resources to do much about it. They also believed that they were underpaid for the work they were expected to carry out. In fact, there had even been a call by public officials specially assigned to cyclone relief work to go on strike due to complaints about their conditions of work. This government official appreciated the government leadership’s commitment to non corruption. But he noted the irony that this had also contributed to a demotivation of the public service. This was on the unjustifiable basis that approving and implementing projects more quickly requires an incentive system.

Whether or not this explanation fully captures the situation, it points to an issue that the government needs to address. Disaster recovery requires a proactive public administration. Officials need to reach out to affected communities, provide clear information and help them navigate the complex procedures required to access assistance. At the consultation with cyclone victims this was precisely the concern that people raised. They said that government officers were not proactive in reaching out to them. Many felt they had little engagement with the state and that the government officers did not come to them. This suggests that the government system at the community level could be supported by non-governmental organisations that have the capacity and experience of working with communities at the grassroots.

In situations such as this the government needs to think about ways of motivating public officials to do more rather than less. It needs to identify legitimate incentives that reward initiative and performance. These could include special allowances for those working in disaster affected areas, recognition and promotion for officers who successfully complete relief and reconstruction work, and the provision of additional staff and logistical support so that the workload is manageable. Clear targets and deadlines, with support from the non-governmental sector, can also encourage officials to act more proactively. When government officers feel supported and recognised for the extra effort required, they are more likely to engage actively with affected communities and ensure that assistance reaches those who need it most.

Political Solutions

Under the prevailing circumstances, however, the cyclone victims do not know what to do. The government needs to act on this without further delay. Government policy states that families can receive financial assistance of up to Rs 5 million to build new houses if they have identified the land on which they wish to build. But there is little freehold land available in many of the affected areas. As a result, people cannot show government officials the land they plan to buy and, therefore, cannot access the government’s promised funds. The government needs to address this issue by providing a list of available places for resettlement, both within and outside the area they live in. However, another finding at the meeting was that many cyclone victims whose lands have been declared unsafe do not wish to leave them. Even those who have been told that their land is unstable feel more comfortable remaining where they have lived for many years. Relocating to an unfamiliar area is not an easy decision.

Another problem the victims face is the difficulty of obtaining the documents necessary to receive compensation. Families with missing members cannot prove that their loved ones are no longer alive. Without official confirmation they cannot access property rights or benefits that would normally pass to surviving family members. These are problems that Sri Lanka has faced before in the context of the three decade long internal war. It has set up new legal mechanisms such as the provision of certificates of absence validated by the Office on Missing Persons (OMP) in place of death certificates when individuals remain missing for long periods. The government also needs to be sensitive to the fact that people who are farmers cannot be settled anywhere. Farming is not possible in every location. Access to suitable land and water is essential if farmers are to rebuild their livelihoods. Relocation programmes that fail to take these realities into account risk creating new psychological and economic hardships.

The message from the consultation with cyclone victims is that the government needs to talk more and engage more directly with affected communities. At the same time the political leadership at the highest levels need to resolve the problems that government officers on the ground cannot solve. Issues relating to land availability, legal documentation and livelihood restoration require policy decisions at higher levels. The challenge to the government to address these issues in the context of the Iran war and possible global catastrophe will require a special commitment. Demonstrating that Sri Lanka is a society that considers the wellbeing of all its citizens to be a priority will require not only financial assistance but also a motivated public service and proactive political leadership that reaches out to those still waiting to rebuild their lives.

by Jehan Perera

Features

Supporting Victims: The missing link in combating ragging

Published

19 hours ago

2026/03/17

Sahan Weerasooriya

A recent panel discussion at the University of Peradeniya examined the implications of the Supreme Court’s judgement on ragging, in which the Court recognised that preventing ragging requires not only criminal penalties imposed after an incident occurs but also systems and processes within universities that enable victims to speak up and receive support. Bringing together perspectives from law, university administration, psychology and students, the discussion sought to understand why ragging continues to persist in Sri Lankan universities despite the existence of legal prohibitions. While the discussion covered legal and institutional dimensions, one theme emerged clearly: addressing ragging requires more than laws and disciplinary rules. It requires institutions that are capable of supporting victims.

Sri Lanka enacted the Prohibition of Ragging and Other Forms of Violence in Educational Institutions Act No. 20 of 1998 following several tragic incidents in universities, during the 1990s. Among the most widely remembered is the death of engineering student S. Varapragash at the University of Peradeniya in 1997. Incidents such as this shocked the country and revealed the consequences of allowing violent forms of student hierarchy to persist. The 1998 Act marked an important legal intervention by recognising ragging as a criminal offence. The law introduced severe penalties for individuals found guilty of engaging in ragging or other forms of violence in educational institutions, including fines and imprisonment.

Despite the existence of this law for nearly three decades, prosecutions under the Act have been extremely rare. Incidents continue to surface across universities although most are not reported. The incidents that do reach university administrations are dealt with internally through disciplinary procedures rather than through the criminal justice system. This suggests that the problem does not lie solely in the absence of legal provisions but also in the ability of victims to come forward and pursue complaints.

The tragic reminders; the cases of Varapragash and Pasindu Hirushan

Varapragash, a first-year engineering student at the University of Peradeniya, was forced by senior students to perform extreme physical exercises as part of ragging, resulting in severe internal injuries and acute renal failure that ultimately led to his death. In 2022, the courts upheld the conviction of one of the perpetrators for abduction and murder. The case illustrates not only the brutality of ragging but also how long and difficult the path to justice can be for victims and their families. Even when victims speak about their experiences, they may not always disclose the full extent of what they have endured. In the case of Varapragash, the judgement records that the victim told his father that he was asked to do dips and sit-ups. Varapragash’s father had testified that it appeared his son was not revealing the exact details of what he had to endure due to shame.

More than two decades after the death of Varapragash, the tragedy of ragging continues. The 2025 Supreme Court judgement arose from the case of Pasindu Hirushan, a 21-year-old student of the University of Sri Jayewardenepura, who sustained devastating head injuries at a fresher’s party, in March 2020, after a tyre sent down the stairs by senior students struck him. He became immobile, was placed on life support, and returned home only months later. If the Varapragash case exposed the deadly consequences of ragging in the 1990s, the Pasindu Hirushan case demonstrates that universities are still failing to prevent serious violence, decades after the enactment of the 1998 Act. It was against this background of continuing institutional failure that the Supreme Court issued its Orders of Court in 2025. Among the key mechanisms emphasised by the judgement is the establishment of Victim Support Committees within universities.

Why do victims need support?

Ragging in universities can take many forms, including verbal humiliation, physical abuse, emotional intimidation and, in some instances, sexual harassment. While all forms of ragging can have serious consequences, incidents involving sexual harassment often present additional barriers for victims who wish to come forward. Victims may hesitate to complain due to weak institutional mechanisms, fear of retaliation, or uncertainty about whether their experiences will be taken seriously. In many cases, those who speak out are confronted with questions that shift attention away from the alleged misconduct and onto their own behaviour: why did s/he continue the conversation?; why did s/he not simply disengage, if the harassment occurred as claimed?; why did s/he remain in the environment?; or did his/her actions somehow encourage the accused’s behaviour? Such responses illustrate how easily victims can be subjected to a second layer of scrutiny when they attempt to report incidents. When individuals anticipate disbelief, minimisation or blame, silence may appear safer than disclosure. In such circumstances, the presence of a trusted institutional body, capable of providing guidance, protection and support, become critically important, highlighting the need for effective Victim Support Committees within universities.

What Victim Support Committees must do

As expected by the Supreme Court, an effective Victim Support Committee should function as a trusted institutional mechanism that places the safety and dignity of victims at the centre of its work. The committee must provide a safe and confidential point of contact through which victims can report incidents of ragging without fear of intimidation or retaliation. It should assist victims in understanding and pursuing available complaint procedures, while also ensuring their immediate protection where there is a risk of continued harassment. Recognising the psychological harm ragging may cause, the committee should facilitate access to counselling and emotional support services. At a practical level, it should also help victims document incidents, record statements, and preserve evidence that may be necessary for disciplinary or legal proceedings. The committee must coordinate with university authorities to ensure that complaints are addressed promptly and responsibly, while maintaining strict confidentiality to protect the identity and well-being of those who come forward. Beyond responding to individual cases, Victim Support Committees should also contribute to broader awareness and prevention efforts, within universities, helping to create an environment where ragging is actively discouraged and students feel safe to report incidents. Without such support, the process of pursuing justice can become overwhelming for individuals who are already dealing with the emotional impact of abuse.

Making Victim Support Committees work

According to the Orders of Court, these committees should include representatives from the academic and non-academic staff, a qualified counsellor and/or clinical psychologist, an independent person, from outside the institution, with experience in law enforcement, health, or social services, and not more than three final-year students, with unblemished academic and disciplinary records, appointed for fixed terms. Further, universities must ensure that committees consist of individuals who possess both expertise and genuine commitment in areas such as student welfare, psychology, gender studies, human rights and law enforcement, in line with the spirit of the Supreme Court’s directions, rather than consisting largely of ex officio positions. If treated as routine administrative positions, rather than responsibilities requiring specialised knowledge, sensitivity and empathy, these committees risk becoming symbolic rather than functional.

Greater transparency in the appointment process could strengthen the credibility of these committees. Universities could invite expressions of interest from individuals with relevant expertise and demonstrated commitment to supporting victims. Such an approach would help ensure that the committees benefit from the knowledge and dedication of those best equipped to fulfil this role.

The Supreme Court judgement also introduces an important safeguard by giving the University Grants Commission (UGC) the authority to appoint members to university-level Victim Support Committees. If exercised with integrity, this provision could help ensure that these committees operate with greater independence. It may also help address a challenge that sometimes arises within institutions, where individuals, with relevant expertise, or strong commitment to addressing issues, such as violence, harassment or student welfare, may not always be included in institutional mechanisms due to internal administrative preferences. External oversight by the UGC could, therefore, create opportunities for such individuals to contribute meaningfully to Victim Support Committees and strengthen their effectiveness.

Ultimately, the success of the recent judgement will depend not only on the directives it issued, the number of committees universities establish, or the number of meetings they convene, or other box-checking exercises, but on how sincerely those directives are implemented and the trust these committees inspire among students and staff. Laws can prohibit ragging, but they cannot by themselves create environments in which victims feel safe to speak. That responsibility lies with institutions. When universities create systems that listen to victims, support them and treat their experiences with seriousness, universities will become places where dignity and learning can coexist.

(Udari Abeyasinghe is attached to the Department of Oral Pathology at the University of Peradeniya)

Kuppi is a politics and pedagogy happening on the margins of the lecture hall that parodies, subverts, and simultaneously reaffirms social hierarchies.

by Udari Abeyasinghe

Features

Big scene … in the Seychelles

Published

19 hours ago

2026/03/17

Sahan Weerasooriya

Mirage: Off to the Seychelles for fifth time

Several of our artistes do venture out on foreign assignments but, I’m told, most of their performances are mainly for the Sri Lankans based abroad.

However, the group Mirage is doing it differently and they are now in great demand in the Seychelles.

Guests patronising the Lo Brizan pub/restaurant, Niva Labriz Resort, in the Seychelles, is made up of a wide variety of nationalities, including Russians, Chinese, French and Germans, and they all enjoy the music dished out by Mirage, and that is precisely why they are off to the Seychelles … for the fifth time!

The band is scheduled to leave this month and will be back after three weeks, but their journey to the Seychelles will continue, with two more assignments lined up for 2026.

In August it’s a four-week contract, and in December another four-week contract that will take in the festive celebrations … Christmas and the New Year.

Donald’s birthday
celebrations

According to reports coming my way, it is a happening scene at the Lo Brizan pub/restaurant, Niva Labriz Resort, whenever Mirage is featured, and the band has even adjusted its repertoire to include local and African songs.

They work three hours per day and six days per week at the Lo Brizan pub/restaurant.

Donald Pieries:
Leader, vocalist,
drummer

Led by vocalist and drummer Donald Pieries, many say it is his

musical talents and leadership that have contributed to the band’s success.

Donald, who celebrated his birthday on 07 March, at the Irish Pub, has been with the group through various lineup changes and is known for his strong vocals.

He leads a very talented and versatile line up, with Sudham (bass/vocals), Gayan (lead guitar/vocals), Danu (female vocalist) and Toosha (keyboards/vocals).

Mirage performs regularly at venues like the Irish Pub in Colombo and also at Food Harbour, Port City.