Business

A nation reframed through food: Sri Lanka’s historic National Geographic debut

Published

2 weeks ago

2026/02/19

By Ifham Nizam

On a bright Colombo morning, beneath the polished lines of Cinnamon Life at City of Dreams Sri Lanka, Sri Lanka quietly redrew the contours of its global image.

This was not merely a programme launch. It was a recalibration.

For the first time, a Sri Lankan-made food and travel series will premiere across South Asia on National Geographic — a platform synonymous with global storytelling. In a region where culinary diplomacy has long been monopolised by larger neighbours, Sri Lanka has chosen its entry point carefully: flavour.

Jayaflava: Celebrating Sri Lanka is a six-part travel and food series hosted by Tasha Marikkar, airing on National Geographic South Asia. It premieres on Friday the 20th at 8.00 p.m., with a repeat on Sunday at 1.00 p.m. The series will broadcast across India, Sri Lanka, Bangladesh, Nepal and the Maldives — positioning Sri Lanka’s culinary identity before one of the most dynamic regional audiences in the world.

The series is the brainchild of Marikkar — author, food storyteller and an unapologetic champion of Sri Lankan cuisine. What began as a cookbook evolved — through persistence, private backing and creative risk — into a broadcast production that now carries Sri Lanka’s culinary narrative beyond its shores.

“This was never just about recipes,” Marikkar told the audience. “It was about representing Sri Lanka as it truly is — multi-ethnic, modern, chaotic, generous and absolutely obsessed with flavour.”

Her long-time collaborator Afdhel Aziz framed it in strategic terms.

“Sri Lanka has always had depth and brilliance,” Aziz said. “What it hasn’t always had is ownership of its narrative. When you tell your story authentically on a platform like National Geographic, you’re not just entertaining — you’re reframing perception.”

Perception, in tourism economics, is currency.

Bakmee Perera Vice President – Communications Planning and Media Strategy at Dentsu Grant Media, described the partnership with National Geographic India — part of the Jio Star Network and Disney International — as a structural milestone.

“This marks Sri Lanka’s first long-term content partnership agreement with an international network,” she said. “It extends beyond linear television into digital platforms. It is a significant step in global content affiliation.”

For Sri Lanka’s hospitality industry, the timing is strategic. Indian arrivals have rebounded strongly, surpassing pre-2018 levels, and industry leaders see culinary storytelling as a natural extension of destination branding.

Kamal Munasinghe, Senior Vice President – Colombo Hotels at Cinnamon Hotels & Resorts and General Manager of Cinnamon Life, put it plainly.

“We have always spoken about sun, sea and sand,” he said. “But we have not spoken enough about our food. Other destinations have built tourism identities around cuisine. Sri Lanka has not done enough in that space.”

He recalled stopping on the roadside en route to Ella for oil roti served with mushroom curry — a humble meal prepared by a woman supporting her family.

“That is the story we are bringing to the world,” he added. “There is culture, resilience and love in that plate.”

Cinnamon Hotels & Resorts, the title sponsor, features four of its properties in the series, including Cinnamon Grand Colombo, Cinnamon Wild Yala and Cinnamon Bentota Beach — the latter a tropical modernist icon designed by Geoffrey Bawa.

Bawa once reframed Sri Lanka architecturally, merging landscape with structure in ways that drew global admiration. In many respects, Jayaflava attempts a similar reframing — merging food, people and place into a narrative that feels both intimate and expansive.

The series moves through midnight kottu stalls, animated kitchen debates, artists’ studios and coastal bars. It captures contradiction — humour alongside hardship, ambition alongside nostalgia. It is not polished tourism propaganda, but textured storytelling.

Sri Lanka has often been presented to the world as either idyllic escape or troubled headline. Rarely as complex, contemporary and confident. By choosing food — the most universal of connectors — as its narrative vehicle, the country sidesteps cliché and leans into authenticity.

As the morning launch concluded, one message lingered: this is not simply a television debut. It is soft power in motion.

A nation, reframed — one dish at a time.

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Business

Embedding human rights, equity and integrity into business leadership

Published

24 hours ago

2026/03/5

Sahan Weerasooriya

Rathika de Silva, Executive Director

At its 2026 Social Sustainability Programme Kick-Off, the UN Global Compact Network Sri Lanka convened business leaders to advance the translation of global ambition into practical corporate action on inclusion, integrity and human rights.

On 24 February 2026, the UN Global Compact Network Sri Lanka (Network Sri Lanka) convened business leaders at Barefoot Garden Café for its 2026 Social Sustainability Programme Kick-Off, delivered in collaboration with Good Life X.

The gathering did more than introduce a calendar of events. It positioned Sri Lanka’s corporate community within the broader direction of the UN Global Compact’s 2026–2030 global strategy — a strategy anchored in three imperatives: equipping companies to act, catalyzing collective action, and advancing the business case for responsible leadership.

At its core, the 2026 Social Sustainability agenda is designed to move companies from commitment to capability.

Within the Diversity & Inclusion Working Group, this means building practical pathways toward equal pay for equal work and strengthening male allyship as a governance issue rather than a cultural afterthought. It means examining sexual and reproductive health, disability inclusion, and mental health not as employee benefits, but as structural determinants of productivity and retention. It means sharpening strategic communications so inclusion is embedded in brand integrity. It also means applying science-based behavioural change approaches to shift organizational culture in measurable ways.

Across the Business & Human Rights Working Group, equipping companies takes the form of deepened engagement on decent work and living wage implementation, strengthening human rights due diligence processes, and addressing emerging risk areas such as AI and digital rights. It extends to reinforcing business integrity and anti-corruption frameworks, understanding the social dimensions of a just transition, and recognizing the link between child rights, nutrition, and workforce productivity.

Business

Union Bank to raise LKR 3 Bn via Basel III Compliant Debenture Issue

Published

24 hours ago

2026/03/5

Sahan Weerasooriya

Shanka Abeywardene

Union Bank of Colombo PLC announced its proposed Debenture Issue 2026, a strategic move aimed at raising up to LKR 3 billion. This issue is designed to bolster the Bank’s Tier II capital base and provide a robust financial foundation for its upcoming growth initiatives.

The offering consists of Basel III compliant, listed, rated, unsecured, subordinated, redeemable high-yield debentures with Non-Viability Conversion. The instrument has been assigned a rating of BB (lka) by Fitch Ratings (Lanka) Ltd, reflecting the bank’s creditworthiness and the structured nature of the subordinated debt.

Investors can choose from three distinct interest structures starting from a high-yield 13% fixed rate per annum (Type A). This option is paid annually, while Type B offers a 12.5% fixed rate paid semi-annually (12.89% AER). For those seeking market-linked returns, Type C provides a floating rate of the 182-days Treasury Bill rate plus a 400-basis point margin, also paid semi-annually.

The debentures are priced at LKR 100 per unit with a 5-year tenure (2026–2031). The initial issue size is set at 20,000,000 debentures with an option to raise 10,000,000 at the discretion of the Bank and is scheduled to open on 10 March 2026.

Shanka Abeywardene, Chief Financial Officer of Union Bank stated “This debenture issue marks a significant step in the Bank’s journey towards enhanced financial stability. By strengthening its capital adequacy, Union Bank is well-positioned to navigate evolving market conditions while fuelling its long-term strategic objectives for sustainable growth”

Business

Sanjay Kulatunga appointed to WindForce Board

Published

24 hours ago

2026/03/5

Sahan Weerasooriya

Sanjay Kulatunga

WindForce PLC announced the appointment of Sanjay Kulatunga as an Independent, Non-Executive Director to its Board with effect from 03rd March 2026, following the resignation of Dilshan Hettiaratchi. The appointment further strengthens the Company’s governance framework, strategic oversight, and long-term decision-making capabilities.

Kulatunga brings an established track record as a founder, entrepreneur, and senior executive across financial services and export-oriented industries. He is the Chief Executive Officer and Co-Founder of LYNEAR Wealth Management, a boutique investment firm established in 2013, which has since grown to become one of Sri Lanka’s largest private wealth management institutions, serving high-net-worth individuals as well as local and international institutional clients.

Prior to founding LYNEAR, Kulatunga played a pivotal role in the establishment of Amba Research, an investment research offshoring firm rooted in Sri Lanka and now operating as part of Acuity Analytics.

Over the years, he has contributed extensively to several key national institutions. His previous appointments include serving on the Financial Sector Stability Consultative Committee of the Central Bank of Sri Lanka, as well as the Board of Investment of Sri Lanka and the Securities and Exchange Commission of Sri Lanka.