Features

Let’s understand what a masterpiece is and how it originated

Published

4 weeks ago

2025/11/18

Sahan Weerasooriya

Text of a lecture conducted by Bhagya Rajapakse.

Venue: Sri Lanka Archive of Contemporary Art, Architecture and Design, Jaffna on November 2025

Tamil Interpreter: Jasmine Nilani Joseph

Special Thanks: Prof.T.Sanathanan and Prof.Sarath Chandrajeewa.

(First part of this article appeared in The Island yesterday)

What constitutes a piece of art, a masterpiece?

There are three common elements that act as crucial in elevating a piece of art to the level of a masterpiece.

1. A Work of Art That Did Not Exist Before.

2. A Work of Art that is Not Bound by Time.

3. A work of art that Establishes a Benchmark for future generations of artists.

Something new and unconventional always catches our attraction.

Exceptional creativity, craftsmanship, and innovativeness

provide impetus for an artist to create something new and unconventional.

This is how originality comes in.

How would we define exceptional creativity, craftsmanship, and innovativeness?

Let’s understand this with a few examples.

On one occasion someone inquired of Michelangelo about how his sculpting process goes.

And the immediate answer of Michelangelo was, “I saw the angel in the marble and carved until I set him free.”

In the subject of marble sculpting, the meaning of creativity for Michelangelo was to remove the unwanted chunks and pieces from the marble block and save the figure he imagined on it. In his words, it’s liberating the figure from the marble that imprisons it.

Any masterpiece by Michelangelo was a clear and prime example that demonstrates how exceptional creativity, craftsmanship, and innovativeness converge in a single piece of art.

Another example is the 1942 sculpture by Pablo Picasso, ‘Bull’s Head.’

It’s nothing more than a merger of a bicycle seat and a bicycle handlebar. In this sculpture., Picasso converts two ordinary, unrelated objects into a unique and evocative structure within which unrelated objects form a correlated entity. A BULL’S HEAD.

That’s all about Picasso’s exceptional creativity, craftsmanship, and innovativeness.

Let’s move to another example.

What can one do with a few discarded machinery parts found in a scrap metal store, an iron rod, some wood blocks, and some copper strips?

A creative as well as innovative mind could do a lot more.

By bringing all these components into one single unit, sculptor Sarath Chandrajeewa gave life to something extraordinary. That is the 2023 abstract monument titled ‘Motion and Stillness.’

In this monument the artist embodies one of the most profound concepts in the world.

Motion and stillness is a concept found in physics and philosophy as well as spiritual approaches.

The existence of the whole world depends on the dynamic interplay between motion and stillness.

Motion signifies change and transformation, while stillness symbolises ‘rest’ or ‘pause,’ which ensures the continuity of motion.

One hundred years ago, in 1925, English poet Fredegond Shove

wrote a poem bearing the same title, ‘Motion and Stillness,’ as well as the meaning.

“The seashells lie as cold

as death.

Under the sea,

The clouds move in a

wasted wreath.

Eternally;

The cows sleep on the

tranquil slopes.

Above the bay;

The ships are like

evanescent hopes.

Vanish away.”

This is a moment where the same concept is embodied in two different forms of art by two different artists of two different eras and of two different countries. It’s just about being creative and innovative.

The most important thing to be noted here is that Sarath Chandrajeewa was unaware that there is a poem written a hundred years ago that holds the same title and meaning as his abstract monument does.

Art is universal; it manifests in numerous forms, conveying the same meaning and message over the centuries and beyond.

That is the reason why some works of art are considered timeless. The inherent nature of a masterpiece is that it is not bound by time and space. Instead, it transcends the boundaries of time and space. Mediums can be changed, and styles can be changed, but the core essence of any great work of art remains constant.

Works of art that transcend spatial and temporal boundaries have set precedent for aspiring artists throughout history.

All artists follow in the footsteps of the previous masters in any field of art. The masters of early days and their masterpieces act as models of excellence for other artists.

For instance, Paul Cézanne was a monumental figure for Pablo Picasso.

Picasso was greatly influenced by Cézanne’s work.

Picasso deliberately turned human faces into mask-like forms in his paintings. This was quite evident in his 1907 masterpiece, ‘Les Demoiselles d’Avignon.’ He probably got this idea from Cezanne’s 1894-1905 masterpiece ‘Bathers.’ The faces of the human figures seen in ‘Bathers’ were seemingly carved from wood.

“Cezanne is my one and only master. He was like the father of us all.” That was how Picasso admired and respected Cezanne.

Cezanne’s approach of breaking down forms and restructuring them in an abstract manner provided the foundational inspiration for Pablo Picasso and George Braque when co-founding ‘Cubism.’

Revolutionary moves taken by artists by radically changing the existing styles are always recorded by history. And their fearless approaches to art elevate their work to the state of masterpiece.

‘Cubism’ was one such revolutionary move that radically changed the landscape of art by challenging traditional perspectives and representations.

‘Cubism’ at the beginning of the 20th century shook the foundation of visual art. It was initially faced with incomprehension and rejection by the public as well as art critics.

The fragmented appearance given to the then conventional depictions by ‘Cubism’ was not well received by many.

French art critic Louis Vauxcelles first ridiculed this new style by Picasso and Braque.

In 1908, after seeing Braque’s exhibition, Vauxcelles dismissed the work by saying, “This style has reduced everything to little cubes.”

This was how this revolutionary style got its name, ‘Cubism.’

Similarly, ‘Impressionism,’ which emerged in France in the second half of the 19th century, left the viewers indifferent towards the new approach.

The first ‘Impressionist’ exhibition was held in Paris in 1874.

Claude Monet is considered a pioneer and father of the Impressionist movement.

In the 1874 exhibition, Monet’s masterpiece ‘Impression, Sunrise’ was among the exhibits.

After visiting the exhibition, French art critic and journalist Louis Leroy referred to Monet’s ‘Impression, Sunrise’ as a mere IMPRESSION rather than a finished work.

Thereafter the entire approach was named ‘The Impressionism.’

At the end of 1940, American artist Jackson Pollock established an unusual and unique abstract art technique.

In this technique he laid a canvas on the floor. Then dripped, poured, and splashed paint onto it using sticks and cans. Sometimes he rode the bicycle on the canvas, which was covered with paint.

Pollock’s revolutionary idea was to get rid of the traditional use of the ‘PAINT BRUSH’ and the role of the ‘LINE.’ He was adamant that the ‘LINE’ should not dominate the canvas any more. So, he said goodbye to the Brush and the Line, and both were given freedom from the task of painting.

But Pollock’s works were not immediately appreciated.

Art critic Harold Rosenberg gave the name ‘The Action Painting’ to this new technique initiated by Jackson Pollock.

The term ‘Drip Painting’ was coined by Time Magazine in 1956, and the magazine gave Pollock the nickname ‘Jack the Dripper.’

However, through ‘Drip Painting,’ Pollock set a precedent that influenced artists for generations.

Masterpieces are not immediately accepted by the public, and in the first run, those were highly criticised by the ‘experts’ in the field.

Because masterpieces challenge the accepted norms in any field of art.

The public as well as the critics are initially shocked by the shapes, techniques, styles, or subject matters set by the radical artistic approaches.

It is common for many works of art to be appreciated after the artist died.

Their work stands as timeless and priceless masterpieces posthumously.

In some cases works of art gain much popularity and continue to last because of the concept they carry as well as the location they are being placed in.

One hundred and eight years ago French artist Marcel Duchamp challenged the established perception of art by bringing a signed urinal into an exhibition space as a work of art titled ‘Fountain.’

Duchamp argued that the artist’s intention, idea, and the context made something art.

The context within which a work of art is placed is capable of changing the value of the work and the way others look at it.

Duchamp’s intention was to challenge the then-existing traditions of art to reconsider the nature of originality, authorship, and the way of defining art.

‘Fountain’ is considered the founding piece, and Duchamp is considered the founder of conceptual art.

The urinal titled ‘Fountain’ was not just a mass-produced commodity but a medium carrying a concept.

A commodity was converted to a work of art just by changing its context.

‘Fountain’ was discarded soon after it was submitted to the Society of Independent Artists’ Exhibition in New York in 1917.

The work known today as ‘Fountain’ is a replica authorised by Duchamp.

But the concept it carried keeps revolutionizing modern art to this day.

Another work of art that faced much controversy, praise, rejection, and ridicule predominantly on social media platforms in the recent past was ‘Comedian,’ a work by Italian artist Maurizio Cattelan in 2019.

It was all about a fresh yellow banana affixed to a white wall with ash grey duct tape.

The ordinary banana we daily see on the racks of fruit stores became extraordinary after changing its context.

As soon as the banana was placed within a high-profile exhibition space, hundreds of people gathered at the gallery to see this awe-inspiring banana.

It was no longer the banana we see in the market or just a nutritious fruit, but a concept.

According to the artist, ‘Comedian’ was interpreted as a work of art that signifies commodification of contemporary art.

The satirical commentary passed through a banana by Cattelan, in a way, pushes the viewer to re-evaluate their preconceived notion about what constitutes art and how its value is being determined in a consumer society.

‘Comedian’ was sold to three buyers on three separate occasions, and four editions of this art piece have been exhibited in 4 different locations: Florida, South Korea, New York, and France.

In 2019 the first two editions were sold at a price of $120,000, and in 2024 another edition exhibited in Sotheby’s Collection in NY was sold at $6.2 million.

When a banana rots or when someone has eaten the banana while it’s being exhibited, the artist simply replaces it again and again, and then it continues to be an original piece of art. But the concept it carries goes on to last for ages.

Speaking about bananas, this ordinary fruit has been a medium of carrying concepts in many countries, in many contexts, by many artists.

In 1967 American visual artist Andy Warhol launches a banana design screen printed on laminated plastic. This was featured on the pop album cover ‘The Velvet Underground and Nico.

Reviews say that this famous banana design by Warhol reflects his fascination with consumer culture and showcases how a primary object, such as a banana, symbolizes the rise of mass production and distribution.

In 2004 English artist Agnus Fairhurst creates a massive installation of peeled bananas. This nine-foot-long bronze peeled banana carried the concept that “Bananas are sensual, but they quickly decay.”

In the same year, 2004, Sri Lankan artist Sanath Kalubadana, through his installation ‘Dinner Table,’ expresses his disagreement over the horrors and destruction of the war in the medium of a table of food with bananas burnt to cinders.

In 2008, Austrian graphic designer Stefan Sagmeister creates a gigantic installation, ‘Banana Wall,’ with the phrase ‘Self-Confidence Produces Fine Results’ spelled out in green bananas placed among yellow ones.

Nearly ten thousand bananas are said to have been used in this installation. I quote a fascinating Facebook post by content creator ‘Ivan’ here to read out what he has said about this Banana Wall.

“It wasn’t just about shock value; it was about time, change, and transformation. Over the days and weeks, the banana slowly ripened, turning from bright yellow to spotted brown, and eventually to deep black. The scent of the room shifted too, from sweet tropical to something far less pleasant. Visitors returned again and again to see how the wall evolved, turning the space into a breathing piece of art.

If a work of art is to last for ages, it must be received by the public constructively.

Any extraordinary piece of art or a masterpiece has its unique way of initiating a silent dialogue with the viewer.

The masterpiece transmits the message of who they are, using an iconic visual language enriched with artistic elements.

The rhythm of the visual language of a masterpiece is complex. But not complicated.

No masterpiece is easy to understand and is full of complexities. But it never confuses the viewer.

Complexity is intriguing, and complication leads to confusion.

If a work of art confuses the viewer, he or she will no longer be in favor of it. That’s exactly where the silent dialogue between the masterpiece and the viewer comes to an end.

One of the most complex masterpieces in the world is Pablo Picasso’s ‘Guernica.’

Its powerful symbolism is not everyone’s cup of tea.

So, there were many arguments among the public as well as experts about what some symbols really mean.

Responding to this discourse, Picasso said, “It isn’t up to the painter to define the symbols; otherwise, it would be better if he wrote them out in so many words. The public who look at the picture must interpret the symbols as they understand them.”

Despite all the underlying complexities, people from all over the world spend millions to go to faraway countries to see the great pieces of art with their bare eyes.

Why?

Because every extraordinary piece of art has its own charisma and aura, which no replica of the same work can possess. It is the charisma and aura of Mona Lisa, David, Girl with a Pearl Earring, Guernica, and many more that draw millions of people to their countries to see them firsthand.

They are not just paint patches on canvases or stone figures. They are living beings. They have their own rhythm of breathing, they never die, and they remain immortal, as do the extraordinary masters who made them.-

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Features

Trade preferences to support post-Ditwah reconstruction

Published

7 hours ago

2025/12/15

Sahan Weerasooriya

Ditwah disaster

The manner in which the government succeeded in mobilising support from the international community, immediately after the devastating impact of Cyclone Ditwah, may have surprised many people of this country, particularly because our Opposition politicians were ridiculing our “inexperienced” government, in the recent past, for its inability to deal with the international community effectively. However, by now it is evident that the government, with the assistance of the international community and local nongovernmental actors, like major media organisations, has successfully managed the recovery efforts. So, let me begin by thanking them for what they have done so far.

Yet, some may argue that it is not difficult to mobilise the support for recovery efforts from the international community, immediately after any major disaster, and the real challenge is to sustain that support through the next few weeks, months and years. Because the recovery process, more specifically the post-recovery reconstruction process, requires long-term support. So, the government agencies should start immediately to focus on, in addition to initial disaster relief, a longer-term strategy for reconstruction. This is important because in a few weeks’ time, the focus of the global community may shift elsewhere … to another crisis in another corner of the world. Before that happens, the government should take initiatives to get the support from development partners on appropriate policy measures, including exceptional trade preferences, to help Sri Lanka in the recovery efforts through the medium and the long term.

Use of Trade Preferences to support recovery and reconstruction

In the past, the United States and the European Union used exceptional enhanced trade preferences as part of the assistance packages when countries were devastated by natural disasters, similar to Cyclone Ditwah. For example:

After the devastating floods in Pakistan, in July 2010, the EU granted temporary, exceptional trade preferences to Pakistan (autonomous trade preferences) to aid economic recovery. This measure was a de facto waiver on the standard EU GSP (Generalised Scheme of Preferences) rules. The preferences, which were proposed in October 2010 and were applied until the end of 2013, effectively suspended import duties on 75 types of goods, including textiles and apparel items. The available studies on this waiver indicate that though a significant export hike occurred within a few months after the waiver became effective it did not significantly depress exports by competing countries. Subsequently, Pakistan was granted GSP+ status in 2014.
Similarly, after the 2015 earthquakes in Nepal, the United States supported Nepal through an extension of unilateral additional preferences, the Nepal Trade Preferences Programme (NTPP). This was a 10-year initiative to grant duty-free access for up to 77 specific Nepali products to aid economic recovery after the 2015 earthquakes. This was also a de facto waiver on the standard US GSP rules.
Earlier, after Hurricanes Mitch and Georges caused massive devastation across the Caribbean Basin nations, in 1998, severely impacting their economies, the United States proposed a long-term strategy for rebuilding the region that focused on trade enhancement. This resulted in the establishment of the US Caribbean Basin Trade Partnership Act (CBTPA), which was signed into law on 05 October, 2000, as Title II of the Trade and Development Act of 2000. This was a more comprehensive facility than those which were granted to Pakistan and Nepal.

What type of concession should Sri Lanka request from our development partners?

Given these precedents, it is appropriate for Sri Lanka to seek specific trade concessions from the European Union and the United States.

In the European Union, Sri Lanka already benefits from the GSP+ scheme. Under this arrangement Sri Lanka’s exports (theoretically) receive duty-free access into the EU markets. However, in 2023, Sri Lanka’s preference utilisation rate, that is, the ratio of preferential imports to GSP+ eligible imports, stood at 59%. This was significantly below the average utilisation of other GSP beneficiary countries. For example, in 2023, preference utilisation rates for Bangladesh and Pakistan were 90% and 88%, respectively. The main reason for the low utilisation rate of GSP by Sri Lanka is the very strict Rules of Origin requirements for the apparel exports from Sri Lanka. For example, to get GSP benefits, a woven garment from Sri Lanka must be made from fabric that itself had undergone a transformation from yarn to fabric in Sri Lanka or in another qualifying country. However, a similar garment from Bangladesh only requires a single-stage processing (that is, fabric to garment) qualifies for GSP. As a result, less than half of Sri Lanka’s apparel exports to the EU were ineligible for the preferences in 2023.

Sri Lanka should request a relaxation of this strict rule of origin to help economic recovery. As such a concession only covers GSP Rules of Origin only it would impact multilateral trade rules and would not require WTO approval. Hence could be granted immediately by the EU.

United States

Sri Lanka should submit a request to the United States for (a) temporary suspension of the recently introduced 20% additional ad valorem duty and (b) for a programme similar to the Nepal Trade Preferences Programme (NTPP), but designed specifically for Sri Lanka’s needs. As NTPP didn’t require WTO approval, similar concessions also can be granted without difficulty.

Similarly, country-specific requests should be carefully designed and submitted to Japan and other major trading partners.

(The writer is a retired public servant and can be reached at senadhiragomi@gmail.com)

by Gomi Senadhira

Features

Lasting power and beauty of words

Published

7 hours ago

2025/12/15

Sahan Weerasooriya

Novelists, poets, short story writers, lyricists, politicians and columnists use words for different purposes. While some of them use words to inform and elevate us, others use them to bolster their ego. If there was no such thing called words, we cannot even imagine what will happen to us. Whether you like it or not everything rests on words. If the Penal Code does not define a crime and prescribe a punishment, judges will not be able to convict criminals. Even the Constitution of our country is a printed document.

A mother’s lullaby contains snatches of sweet and healing words. The effect is immediate. The baby falls asleep within seconds. A lover’s soft and alluring words go right into his or her beloved. An army commander’s words encourage soldiers to go forward without fear. The British wartime Prime Minister Winston Churchill’s words still ring in our ears: “… we shall defend our Island, whatever the cost may be, we shall fight on the beaches, we shall fight on the landing grounds, we shall fight in the fields and in the streets, we shall fight in the hills; we shall never surrender …”

Writers wax eloquent on love. English novelist John Galsworthy wrote: “Love is no hot-house flower, but a wild plant, born of a wet night, born of an hour of sunshine; sprung from wild seed, blown along the road by a wild wind. A wild plant that, when it blooms by chance within the hedge of our gardens, we call a flower; and when it blooms outside we call a weed; but flower or weed, whose scent and colour are always wild.” While living in a world dominated by technology, we often hear a bunch of words that is colourless and often cut to verbal ribbons – “How R U” or “Luv U.” Such words seem to squeeze the life out of language.

Changing medium

Language is a constantly changing medium. New words and forms arrive and old ones die out. Whoever thought that the following Sinhala words would find a place in the Oxford English Dictionary? “Asweddumize, Avurudu, Baila, Kiribath, Kottu Roti, Mallung, Osari, Papare, Walawwa and Watalappan.” With all such borrowed words the English language is expanding and remains beautiful. The language helps us to express subtle ideas clearly and convincingly.

You are judged by the words you use. If you constantly use meaningless little phrases, you will be considered a worthless person. When you read a well-written piece of writing you will note how words jump and laugh on the paper or screen. Some of them wag their tails while others stand back like shy village belles. However, they serve a useful purpose. Words help us to write essays, poems, short stories and novels. If not for the beauty of the language, nobody will read what you write.

If you look at the words meaningfully, you will see some of them tap dancing while others stand to rigid attention. Big or small, all the words you pen form part of the action or part of the narrative. The words you write make your writing readable and exciting. That is why we read our favourite authors again and again.

Editorials

If a marriage is to succeed, partners should respect and love each other. Similarly, if you love words, they will help you to use them intelligently and forcefully. A recent survey in the United States has revealed that only eight per cent of people read the editorial. This is because most editorials are not readable. However, there are some editorials which compel us to read them. Some readers collect such editorials to be read later.

Only a lover of words would notice how some words run smoothly without making a noise. Other words appear to be dancing on the floor. Some words of certain writers are soothing while others set your blood pounding. There is a young monk who is preaching using simple words very effectively. He has a large following of young people addicted to drugs. After listening to his preaching, most of them have given up using illegal drugs. The message is loud and clear. If there is no demand for drugs, nobody will smuggle them into the country.

Some politicians use words so rounded at the edges and softened by wear that they are no longer interesting. The sounds they make are meaningless and listeners get more and more confused. Their expressions are full of expletives the meaning of which is often soiled with careless use of words.

Weather-making

Some words, whether written or spoken, stick like superglue. You will never forget them. William Vergara in his short essay on weather-making says, “Cloud-seeding has touched off one of the most baffling controversies in meteorological history. It has been blamed for or credited with practically all kinds of weather. Some scientists claim seeding can produce floods and hail. Others insist it creates droughts and dissipates clouds. Still others staunchly maintain it has no effect at all. The battle is far from over, but at last one clear conclusion is beginning to emerge: man can change the weather, and he is getting better at it.”

There are words that nurse the ego and heal the heart. The following short paragraph is a good example. S. Radhakrishnan says, “In every religion today we have small minorities who see beyond the horizon of their particular faith, not through religious fellowship is possible, not through the imposition of any one way on the whole but through an all-inclusive recognition that we are all searchers for the truth, pilgrims on the road, that we all aim at the same ethical and spiritual standard.”

There are some words joined together in common phrases. They are so beautiful that they elevate the human race. In the phrase ‘beyond a shadow of doubt’, ‘a shadow’ connotes a dark area covering light. ‘A doubt’ refers to hesitancy in belief. We use such phrases blithely because they are exquisitely beautiful in their structure. The English language is a repository of such miracles of expression that lead to deeper understanding or emphasis.

Social media

Social media use words powerfully. Sometimes they invent new words. Through the social media you can reach millions of viewers without the intervention of the government. Their opinion can stop wars and destroy tyrants. If you use the right words, you can even eliminate poverty to a great extent.

The choice of using powerful words is yours. However, before opening your mouth, tap the computer, unclip a pen, write a lyric or poem, think twice of the effect of your writing. When you talk with a purpose or write with pleasure, you enrich listeners and readers with your marvellous language skills. If you have a command of the language, you will put across your point of view that counts. Always try to find the right words and change the world for a better place for us to live.

By R. S. Karunaratne
karunaratners@gmail.com

Features

Why Sri Lanka Still Has No Doppler Radar – and Who Should Be Held Accountable

Published

1 day ago

2025/12/14

Thilina Walpola

Eighteen Years of Delay:

Cyclone Ditwah has come and gone, leaving a trail of extensive damage to the country’s infrastructure, including buildings, roads, bridges, and 70% of the railway network. Thousands of hectares of farming land have been destroyed. Last but not least, nearly 1,000 people have lost their lives, and more than two million people have been displaced. The visuals uploaded to social media platforms graphically convey the widespread destruction Cyclone Ditwah has caused in our country.

The purpose of my article is to highlight, for the benefit of readers and the general public, how a project to establish a Doppler Weather Radar system, conceived in 2007, remains incomplete after 18 years. Despite multiple governments, shifting national priorities, and repeated natural disasters, the project remains incomplete.

Over the years, the National Audit Office, the Committee on Public Accounts (COPA), and several print and electronic media outlets have highlighted this failure. The last was an excellent five-minute broadcast by Maharaja Television Network on their News First broadcast in October 2024 under a series “What Happened to Sri Lanka”

The Agreement Between the Government of Sri Lanka and the World Meteorological Organisation in 2007.

The first formal attempt to establish a Doppler Radar system dates back to a Trust Fund agreement signed on 24 May 2007 between the Government of Sri Lanka (GoSL) and the World Meteorological Organisation (WMO). This agreement intended to modernize Sri Lanka’s meteorological infrastructure and bring the country on par with global early-warning standards.

The World Meteorological Organisation (WMO) is a specialized agency of the United Nations established on March 23, 1950. There are 193 member countries of the WMO, including Sri Lanka. Its primary role is to promote the establishment of a worldwide meteorological observation system and to serve as the authoritative voice on the state and behaviour of the Earth’s atmosphere, its interaction with the oceans, and the resulting climate and water resources.

According to the 2018 Performance Audit Report compiled by the National Audit Office, the GoSL entered into a trust fund agreement with the WMO to install a Doppler Radar System. The report states that USD 2,884,274 was deposited into the WMO bank account in Geneva, from which the Department of Metrology received USD 95,108 and an additional USD 113,046 in deposit interest. There is no mention as to who actually provided the funds. Based on available information, WMO does not fund projects of this magnitude.

The WMO was responsible for procuring the radar equipment, which it awarded on 18^th June 2009 to an American company for USD 1,681,017. According to the audit report, a copy of the purchase contract was not available.

Monitoring the agreement’s implementation was assigned to the Ministry of Disaster Management, a signatory to the trust fund agreement. The audit report details the members of the steering committee appointed by designation to oversee the project. It consisted of personnel from the Ministry of Disaster Management, the Departments of Metrology, National Budget, External Resources and the Disaster Management Centre.

The Audit Report highlights failures in the core responsibilities that can be summarized as follows:

· Procurement irregularities—including flawed tender processes and inadequate technical evaluations.

· Poor site selection

—proposed radar sites did not meet elevation or clearance requirements.

· Civil works delays

—towers were incomplete or structurally unsuitable.

· Equipment left unused

—in some cases for years, exposing sensitive components to deterioration.

· Lack of inter-agency coordination

—between the Meteorology Department, Disaster Management Centre, and line ministries.

Some of the mistakes highlighted are incomprehensible. There is a mention that no soil test was carried out before the commencement of the construction of the tower. This led to construction halting after poor soil conditions were identified, requiring a shift of 10 to 15 meters from the original site. This resulted in further delays and cost overruns.

The equipment supplier had identified that construction work undertaken by a local contractor was not of acceptable quality for housing sensitive electronic equipment. No action had been taken to rectify these deficiencies. The audit report states, “It was observed that the delay in constructing the tower and the lack of proper quality were one of the main reasons for the failure of the project”.

In October 2012, when the supplier commenced installation, the work was soon abandoned after the vehicle carrying the heavy crane required to lift the radar equipment crashed down the mountain. The next attempt was made in October 2013, one year later. Although the equipment was installed, the system could not be operationalised because electronic connectivity was not provided (as stated in the audit report).

In 2015, following a UNOPS (United Nations Office for Project Services) inspection, it was determined that the equipment needed to be returned to the supplier because some sensitive electronic devices had been damaged due to long-term disuse, and a further 1.5 years had elapsed by 2017, when the equipment was finally returned to the supplier. In March 2018, the estimated repair cost was USD 1,095,935, which was deemed excessive, and the project was abandoned.

COPA proceedings

The Committee on Public Accounts (COPA) discussed the radar project on August 10, 2023, and several press reports state that the GOSL incurred a loss of Rs. 78 million due to the project’s failure. This, I believe, is the cost of constructing the Tower. It is mentioned that Rs. 402 million had been spent on the radar system, of which Rs. 323 million was drawn from the trust fund established with WMO. It was also highlighted that approximately Rs. 8 million worth of equipment had been stolen and that the Police and the Bribery and Corruption Commission were investigating the matter.

JICA support and project stagnation

Despite the project’s failure with WMO, the Japan International Cooperation Agency (JICA) entered into an agreement with GOSL on June 30, 2017 to install two Doppler Radar Systems in Puttalam and Pottuvil. JICA has pledged 2.5 billion Japanese yen (LKR 3.4 billion at the time) as a grant. It was envisaged that the project would be completed in 2021.

Once again, the perennial delays that afflict the GOSL and bureaucracy have resulted in the groundbreaking ceremony being held only in December 2024. The delay is attributed to the COVID-19 pandemic and Sri Lanka’s economic crisis.

The seven-year delay between the signing of the agreement and project commencement has led to significant cost increases, forcing JICA to limit the project to installing only one Doppler Radar system in Puttalam.

Impact of the missing radar during Ditwah

As I am not a meteorologist and do not wish to make a judgment on this, I have decided to include the statement issued by JICA after the groundbreaking ceremony on December 24, 2024.

“In partnership with the Department of Meteorology (DoM), JICA is spearheading the establishment of the Doppler Weather Radar Network in the Puttalam district, which can realize accurate weather observation and weather prediction based on the collected data by the radar. This initiative is a significant step in strengthening Sri Lanka’s improving its climate resilience including not only reducing risks of floods, landslides, and drought but also agriculture and fishery“.

Based on online research, a Doppler Weather Radar system is designed to observe weather systems in real time. While the technical details are complex, the system essentially provides localized, uptotheminute information on rainfall patterns, storm movements, and approaching severe weather. Countries worldwide rely on such systems to issue timely alerts for monsoons, tropical depressions, and cyclones. It is reported that India has invested in 30 Doppler radar systems, which have helped minimize the loss of life.

Without radar, Sri Lanka must rely primarily on satellite imagery and foreign meteorological centres, which cannot capture the finescale, rapidly changing weather patterns that often cause localized disasters here.

The general consensus is that, while no single system can prevent natural disasters, an operational Doppler Radar almost certainly would have strengthened Sri Lanka’s preparedness and reduced the extent of damage and loss.

Conclusion

Sri Lanka’s inability to commission a Doppler Radar system, despite nearly two decades of attempts, represents one of the most significant governance failures in the country’s disastermanagement history.

Audit findings, parliamentary oversight proceedings, and donor records all confirm the same troubling truth: Sri Lanka has spent public money, signed international agreements, received foreign assistance, and still has no operational radar. This raises a critical question: should those responsible for this prolonged failure be held legally accountable?

Now may not be the time to determine the extent to which the current government and bureaucrats failed the people. I believe an independent commission comprising foreign experts in disaster management from India and Japan should be appointed, maybe in six months, to identify failures in managing Cyclone Ditwah.

However, those who governed the country from 2007 to 2024 should be held accountable for their failures, and legal action should be pursued against the politicians and bureaucrats responsible for disaster management for their failure to implement the 2007 project with the WMO successfully.

Sri Lanka cannot afford another 18 years of delay. The time for action, transparency, and responsibility has arrived.

(The views and opinions expressed in this article are solely those of the author and do not necessarily reflect the policy or position of any organization or institution with which the author is affiliated).

By Sanjeewa Jayaweera