Features

Remembering Mervyn de Silva on his 25th Death Anniversary

Published

2 years ago

2024/06/21

Thilina Walpola

Mervyn de Silva

BY JAYANTHA SOMASUNDARAM

When Mervyn de Silva left us on 22^nd June 1999, it was not just the twentieth century that was drawing to a close. In retrospect one could sense, and now we know, that with his passing, an era in the literary history of Sri Lanka had ended. Because he was the last of a golden age of journalism, an illustrious tradition of English journalism in Sri Lanka that gave us H. A. J. Hulugalle, Jayantha Padmanabha, Tarzie Vittachi and Denzil Peiris. They were brilliant editors who provided us with not just world-class newspapers; they were also erudite men who helped build a Ceylonese literati that any society can be proud of.

I make no apologies for repeating what I have written before on my editor, my guru, my role model and my friend Mervyn de Silva, because all of it remains just as valid as it did a quarter of a century ago. The defining attributes of Mervyn and their importance bear repetition and deserve considered reflection.

To me Mervyn’s life was a series of literary and intellectual achievements that unfolded with Cartesian precision, building one upon the other.

The foundation being the liberal education received at school and university as well as through his voracious and explorative reading. Also, the intellectual sparing of his early days and his punishing regime of writing and literary engagement. A foundation through which he acquired and imbibed all that was admirable in Western culture, literature and thought.

Mervyn’s obvious and comprehensive modernity was a conspicuous stigmata of his socio-cultural milieu, one in which he and his peers had been moulded by almost half a millennium of saturated exposure to European thought, mores, literature, lifestyle and values. These were cemented by the British Public School experience that already shaped Mervyn’s father at Trinity College, and would then mould Mervyn himself at Royal College and the English Department of the University of Ceylon.

Mervyn was to transform these literary and intellectual skills into a career in journalism at Lake House that climaxed in the early seventies with him becoming editor of the Daily News and the Sunday Observer.

Royal College & the University of Ceylon

By then he was Sri Lanka’s best-known journalist. He would cover and report on the country for the most prestigious international journals: The Economist, Newsweek and the London Financial Times. He also reported for the BBC. As a foreign correspondent he was the driving force behind the Foreign Correspondents’ Association, serving as its president. Through all of this he left an indelible mark on journalism and the media in this country.

Not surprisingly his modernity also made him a connoisseur of ‘Cultural Christianity’ which he accessed through the works of masters like T.S.Eliot. And though Mervyn was steadfastly secular, even agnostic, his Cultural Christianity was reminiscent of what Eliot’s biographer , when describing Eliot’s late religious conversion, explained as serving to “attach Eliot to the English community and English culture.”

But he went beyond being just another Westernised dilettante. The rise of nationalism that came with the post-colonial years interacted with and impacted on his Western sophistication to give this country, for the first time, an editor who was liberal in the most profound sense of the word, in that he was sensitive to the aspirations of the emerging Sinhala and Tamil speaking world. History provided us at this critical juncture in time, with someone who was not just adrift between two worlds, but a link between two dimensions of Ceylonese life.

No doubt he had been influenced both at Royal and in the University’s English Department by those who in what was still early days, questioned and criticised the status quo; Dickie Attygalle, Regi Siriwardena and Professor Ludowyke.

Moreover his inherited family heritage did carry the strands of indigenous religion, values and pride. And perhaps this latent tension which I with my own diverse heritage can instinctively appreciate, also provided Mervyn the critic of the establishment, the rebel against the existing order and the outsider who wanted to change the status quo, with the capacity to contain this inherent contradiction. Or as Izzeth Hussain described Mervyn: “Underneath was always a troubled intelligence, sensitive and vulnerable, the non-conformist always on the side of the underdog…without illusions about men of power and their world, and incapable of identifying himself with any political party…”

His compelling mission to use his modernising drive to see beyond its own circumscribed horizon led him to replicate his radical vision beyond this Island’s shores and apply it to unlock at a global level the unraveling of a new exciting post-colonial world. And this came with the second level of his specialisation and challenges – international affairs.

Cold War & Non Alignment

In the aftermath of Bandaranaike’s 1956 victory, Mervyn’s Peradeniya batchmate, the young MEP Parliamentarian Nimal Karunatilleke, introduced him to the new Prime Minister who unceremoniously told Mervyn to take over and deliver the weekly foreign affairs commentary that was aired on the then Radio Ceylon.

He schooled himself in foreign affairs so that he became the country’s foremost writer and broadcaster in this field. As Secretary-General of the Ceylon Institute of World Affairs (CIWA) he fashioned a forum where the issues of the day could be discussed and developed.

One of my earliest recollections of Mervyn was at a presentation by Shirley Amerasinghe, Colombo’s Permanent Representative at the United Nations. While Maj. Gen. Anton Muttukumaru presided it was the debonair Mervyn, immaculately dressed, pipe in hand, who gave the vote of thanks. He opened with: They say it’s a good thing that diplomats have long noses, because they cannot see beyond them! It was pure Mervyn; charming, witty, the consummate speaker, a treat to listen to.

Later, the two-day seminar that he was to organise in 1972 for the CIWA at the Taprobane on The Indian Ocean Region, brought together some provocative minds of the day, among them jurist Lalith Athulathmudali, diplomat Yogeswaran Duraisamy, academic K. H. Jayasinghe, writer Hector Abhayavardhana and strategist Rajan Kadirgamar.

At a time when the Cold War had left the emerging states in the South with little option but to formulate their own foreign policy, Sri Lanka was fortunate to have in Mervyn someone who was gifted with a sense of history. It enabled him to respond to the flood of ideas coming out of the South as it grappled with its newfound freedom and evolved a policy of Non Alignment for the emerging post-colonial world.

At one level Mervyn was a very public person. He enjoyed the limelight, the academia-driven exchanges, the diplomatic circuit and the cocktail parties. But his family, Lakshmi his wife and Dayan his son were a source of strength to him and the object of his unwavering affection and commitment. Though my acquaintance with Mervyn’s wife Lakshmi was limited, in his tribute to his mother, Dayan clearly explains her role and significance in Mervyn’s life and career. “It was only my mother whose firmness and strength, determination and discipline, constancy and consistency, engagement and fighting spirit that kept him on track and able to achieve that which he did, reaching the top of his profession of journalism nationally and internationally, scaling the heights of global political access and encounter, and with his greatness posthumously recognised. He knew he owed her!”

Understandably the mainstream media could not accommodate him or contain him; so, he had to break out, he had to do his own thing. And so began the third phase of his journey, he set out to create and fashion a literary vehicle that quintessentially could carry his Progressive Liberal vision. And in 1978 was born The Lanka Guardian.

Lanka Guardian

He shared his vision with me on a quiet afternoon at the Orient Club. This was where Mervyn retired each day, and as his eye focused on the billiard table, his mind grappled with the challenge of launching a new journal, a different magazine.

In those early days, The Lanka Guardian drew on the literary talents of independent writers like S. Pathiravitharne, Regi Siriwardene and V. P. Vittachi – providing them, and later countless other writers with a unique forum. Mervyn also built around him a loyal team, Hugh Abeyaratne who single-handedly sub-edited the magazine, Gamini Dissanayake who looked after the business side and Shahareen Ismail behind her typewriter. And from a small office at the YMBA Building in Fort, they opened a window through which a generation could view Sri Lanka, could share ideas, could debate issues and could publish poetry.

In the years that followed, as tame journalism became the hallmark of the mainstream media, the Guardian stood out as a fiercely independent magazine, which opened its pages to diverse views and distant voices. It was honest and intelligent in a world that had become mediocre and mundane. It conveyed news, made analyses and poked fun, as everything around was reduced to stultified regimentation. As Sri Lanka passed through the darkness of the eighties and nineties, as violence swept the land, destroying dissent and creativity, Mervyn ensured that the Guardian hit the streets. It was his statement of faith, his belief in getting truth and opinion out there, regardless of the cost.

The Lanka Guardian

in Mervyn’s hands was more than a magazine, it was a torch that he kept alight as one after the other all other lamps were extinguished. It became a lifeline as people in different corners of the world waited each fortnight to sense and touch the real Sri Lanka; its events, its people, its ideas – its hopes and dreams. Mervyn and the Guardian in the words of the poet Matthew Arnold were “Wandering between two worlds, one dead, the other powerless to be born.”

Mervyn kept at it with tenacity, undaunted by the challenges. At that tenuous moment in time, it was his testament, his legacy. History called him to independently take a stand as a critical commentator, and this he did without a moment’s hesitation. And he kept at it until the very end, thinking, speaking, writing, and broadcasting, never disheartened by the carnage, the futility and the vanity of that era.

He kept true to the end. Surely could he have said when it was all over, like that tragic hero Mark Anthony before him: “Unarm Eros, the long day’s task is done.”

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Features

Retirement age for judges: Innovation and policy

Published

15 hours ago

2026/04/6

Thilina Walpola

I. The Constitutional Context

Independence of the judiciary is, without question, an essential element of a functioning democracy. In recognition of this, ample provision is made in the highest law of our country, the Constitution, to engender an environment in which the courts are able to fulfil their public responsibility with total acceptance.

As part of this protective apparatus, judges of the Supreme Court and the Court of Appeal are assured of security of tenure by the provision that “they shall not be removed except by an order of the President made after an address of Parliament supported by a majority of the total number of members of Parliament, (including those not present), has been presented to the President for such removal on the ground of proved misbehaviour or incapacity”[Article 107(2)]. Since this assurance holds good for the entirety of tenure, it follows that the age of retirement should be defined with certainty. This is done by the Constitution itself by the provision that “the age of retirement of judges of the Supreme Court shall be 65 years and of judges of the Court of Appeal shall be 63 years”[Article 107(5)].

II. A Proposal for Reform

This provision has been in force ever since the commencement of the Constitution. Significant public interest, therefore, has been aroused by the lead story in a newspaper, Anidda of 13 March, that the government is proposing to extend the term of office of judges of the Supreme Court and the Court of Appeal by a period of two years.

This proposal, if indeed it reflects the thinking of the government, is deeply disturbing from the standpoint of policy, and gives rise to grave consequences. The courts operating at the apex of the judicial structure are called upon to do justice between citizens and also between the state and members of the public. It is an indispensable principle governing the administration of justice that not the slightest shadow of doubt should arise in the public mind regarding the absolute objectivity and impartiality with which the courts approach this task.

What is proposed, if the newspaper report is authentic, is to confer on judges of two particular courts, the Supreme Court and the Court of Appeal, a substantial benefit or advantage in the form of extension of their years of service. The question is whether the implications of this initiative are healthy for the administration of justice.

III. Governing Considerations of Policy

What is at stake is a principle intuitively identified as a pillar of justice.

Reflecting firm convictions, the legal antecedents reiterate the established position with remarkable emphasis. The classical exposition of the seminal standard is, of course, the pronouncement by Lord Hewart: “It is not merely of some importance, but is of fundamental importance that justice should not only be done, but should manifestly and undoubtedly be seen to be done”. (Rex v. Sussex Justices, ex parte McCarthy). The underlying principle is that perception is no less important than reality. The mere appearance of partiality has been held to vitiate proceedings: Dissanayake v. Kaleel. In particular, reasonableness of apprehension in the mind of the parties to litigation is critical: Ranjit Thakur v. Union of India, a reasonable likelihood of bias being necessarily fatal (Manak Lal v. Prem Chaud Singhvi).

The overriding factor is unshaken public confidence in the judiciary: State of West Bengal v. Shivananda Pathak. The decision must be “demonstrably” (Saleem Marsoof J.) fair. The Bar Association of Sri Lanka has rightly declared: “The authority of the judiciary ultimately depends on the trust reposed in it by the people, which is sustained only when justice is administered in a visibly fair manner”.

Credibility is paramount in this regard. “Justice has to be seen to be believed” (J.B. Morton). Legality of the outcome is not decisive; process is of equal consequence. Judicial decisions, then, must withstand public scrutiny, not merely legal technicality: Mark Fernando J. in the Jana Ghosha case. Conceived as continuing vitality of natural justice principles, these are integral to justice itself: Samarawickrema J. in Fernando v. Attorney General. Institutional integrity depends on eliminating even the appearance of partiality (Mandal Vikas Nigam Ltd. v. Girja Shankar Pant), and “open justice is the cornerstone of our judicial system”: (Sahara India Real Estate Corporation Ltd. v. SEBI).

IV. Practical Constraints

Apart from these compelling considerations of policy, there are practical aspects which call for serious consideration. The effect of the proposal is that, among all judges operating at different levels in the judicature of Sri Lanka, judges of the Supreme Court and the Court of Appeal only, to the exclusion of all other judges, are singled out as the beneficiaries of the proposal. An inevitable result is that High Court and District Judges and Magistrates will find their avenues of promotion seriously impeded by the unexpected lengthening of the periods of service of currently serving judges in the two apex courts. Consequently, they will be required to retire at a point of time appreciably earlier than they had anticipated to relinquish judicial office because the prospect of promotion to higher courts, entailing higher age limits for retirement, is precipitately withdrawn. Some degree of demotivation, arising from denial of legitimate expectation, is therefore to be expected.

A possible response to this obvious problem is a decision to make the two-year extension applicable to all judicial officers, rather than confining it to judges of the two highest courts. This would solve the problem of disillusionment at lower levels of the judiciary, but other issues, clearly serious in their impact, will naturally arise.

Public service structures, to be equitable and effective, must be founded on principles of non-discrimination in respect of service conditions and related matters. Arbitrary or invidious treatment is destructive of this purpose. In determining the age of retirement of judges of the Supreme Court and the Court of Appeal, some attention has been properly paid to balance and consistency. The age of retirement of a Supreme Court judge is on par with that applicable to university professors and academic staff in the higher education system. They all retire at 65 years. Members of the public service, generally, retire at 60. Medical specialists retire at 63, with the possibility of extension in special circumstances to 65. The age of retirement for High Court Judges is 61, and for Magistrates and District Judges 60. It may be noted that the policy change in 2022 aimed at specifically addressing the issue of uniformity and compatibility.

If, then, an attempt is made to carve out an ad hoc principle strictly limited to judicial officers, not admitting of a self-evident rationale, the question would inevitably arise whether this is fair by other categories of the public service and whether the latter would not entertain a justifiable sense of grievance.

This is not merely a moral or ethical issue relating to motivation and fulfillment within the public service, but it could potentially give rise to critical legal issues. It is certainly arguable that the proposed course of action represents an infringement of the postulate of equality of treatment, and non-discrimination, enshrined in Article 12(1) of the Constitution.

There would, as well, be the awkward situation that this issue, almost certain to be raised, would then have to be adjudicated upon by the Supreme Court, itself the direct and exclusive beneficiary of the impugned measure.

V. Piecemeal Amendment or an Overall Approach?

If innovation on these lines is contemplated, would it not be desirable to take up the issue as part of the new Constitution, which the government has pledged to formulate and enact, rather than as a piecemeal amendment at this moment to the existing Constitution? After all, Chapter XV, dealing with the Judiciary, contains provisions interlinked with other salient features of the Constitution, and an integrated approach would seem preferable.

VI. Conclusion

In sum, then, it is submitted that the proposed change is injurious to the institutional integrity of the judiciary and to the prestige and stature of judges, and that it should not be implemented without full consideration of all the issues involved.

By Professor G. L. Peiris
D. Phil. (Oxford), Ph. D. (Sri Lanka);
Former Minister of Justice, Constitutional Affairs and National Integration;
Quondam Visiting Fellow of the Universities of Oxford, Cambridge and London;
Former Vice-Chancellor and Emeritus Professor of Law of the University of Colombo.

Features

Ranked 134th in Happiness: Rethinking Sri Lanka’s development through happiness, youth wellbeing and resilience

Published

15 hours ago

2026/04/6

Thilina Walpola

In recent years, Sri Lanka has experienced a succession of overlapping challenges that have tested its resilience. Cyclone Ditwah struck Sri Lanka in November last year, significantly disrupting the normal lives of its citizens. The infrastructure damage is much more serious than the tsunami. According to World Bank reports and preliminary estimates, the losses amounted to approximately US$ 4.1 billion, nearly 4 per cent of the country’s Gross Domestic Product. Before taking a break from that, the emerging crisis in the Middle East has once again raised concerns about potential economic repercussions. In particular, those already affected by disasters such as Cyclone Ditwah risk falling “from the frying pan into the fire,” facing multiple hardships simultaneously. Currently, we see fuel prices rising, four-day workweeks, a higher cost of living, increased pressure on household incomes, and a reduction in the overall standard of living for ordinary citizens. It would certainly affect people’s happiness. As human beings, we naturally aspire to live happy and fulfilling lives. At a time when the world is increasingly talking about happiness and wellbeing, the World Happiness Report provides a useful way of looking at how countries are doing. The World Happiness Report discusses global well-being and offers strategies to improve it. The report is produced annually with contributions from the University of Oxford’s Wellbeing Research Centre, Gallup, the UN Sustainable Development Solutions Network, and other stakeholders. There are many variables taken into consideration for the index, including the core measure (Cantril Ladder) and six explanatory variables (GDP per Capita ,Social Support,Healthy Life Expectancy,Freedom to Make Life Choices,Generosity,Perceptions of Corruption), with a final comparison.

According to the recently published World Happiness Report 2026, Sri Lanka ranks 134th out of 147 nations. As per the report, this is the first time that Sri Lanka has suffered such a decline. Sri Lanka currently trails behind most of its South Asian neighbours in the happiness index. The World Happiness Report 2026 attributes Sri Lanka’s low ranking (134th) to a combination of persistent economic struggles, social challenges, and modern pressures on younger generations. The 2026 report specifically noted that excessive social media use is a growing factor contributing to declining life satisfaction among young people globally, including in Sri Lanka. This calls for greater vigilance and careful reflection. These concerns should be examined alongside key observations, particularly in the context of education reforms in Sri Lanka, which must look beyond their immediate scope and engage more meaningfully with the country’s future.

In recent years, a series of events has triggered political upheaval in countries such as Nepal, characterised by widespread protests, government collapse, and the emergence of interim administration. Most reports and news outlets described this as “Gen Z protests.” First, we need to understand what Generation Z is and its key attributes. Born between 1997 and 2012, Generation Z represents the first truly “digital native” generation—raised not just with the internet, but immersed in it. Their lives revolve around digital ecosystems: TikTok sets cultural trends, Instagram fuels discovery, YouTube delivers learning, and WhatsApp sustains peer communities. This constant, feed-driven engagement shapes not only how they consume content but how they think, act, and spend. Tech-savvy and socially aware, Gen Z holds brands to a higher standard. For them, authenticity, transparency, and accountability—especially on environmental and ethical issues—aren’t marketing tools; they’re baseline expectations. We can also observe instances of them becoming unnecessarily arrogant in making quick decisions and becoming tools of some harmful anti-social ideological groups. However, we must understand that any generation should have proper education about certain aspects of the normal world, such as respecting others, listening to others, and living well. More interestingly, a global survey by the McKinsey Health Institute, covering 42,083 people across 26 countries, finds that Gen Z reports poorer mental health than older cohorts and is more likely to perceive social media as harmful.

Youth health behaviour in Sri Lanka reveals growing concerns in mental health and wellbeing. Around 18% of youth (here, school-going adolescents aged 13-17) experience depression, 22.4% feel lonely, and 11.9% struggle with sleep due to worry, with issues rising alongside digital exposure. Suicide-related risks are significant, with notable proportions reporting thoughts, plans, and attempts, particularly among females. Bullying remains a significant concern, particularly among males, with cyberbullying emerging as a notable issue. At the same time, substance use is increasing, including tobacco, smokeless tobacco, and e-cigarettes. These trends highlight the urgent need for targeted interventions to support youth mental health, resilience, and healthier behavioural outcomes in Sri Lanka. We need to create a forum in Sri Lanka to keep young people informed about this. Sri Lanka can designate a date (like April 25th) as a National Youth Empowerment Day to strengthen youth mental health and suicide prevention efforts. This should be supported by a comprehensive, multi-sectoral strategy aligned with basic global guidelines. Key priorities include school-based emotional learning, counselling services, and mental health training for teachers and parents. Strengthening data systems, reducing access to harmful means, and promoting responsible media reporting are essential. Empowering families and communities through awareness and digital tools will ensure this day becomes a meaningful national call to action.

As discussed earlier, Sri Lanka must carefully understand and respond to the challenges arising from its ongoing changes. Sri Lanka should establish an immediate task force comprising responsible stakeholders to engage in discussions on ongoing concerns. Recognising that it is not a comprehensive solution, the World Happiness Index can nevertheless act as an important indicator in guiding a paradigm shift in how we approach education and economic development. For a country seeking to reposition itself globally, Sri Lanka must adopt stronger, more effective strategies across multiple sectors. Building a resilient and prosperous future requires sound policymaking and clear strategic direction.

(The writer is a Professor in Management Studies at the Open University of Sri Lanka. You can reach Professor Abeysekera via nabey@ou.ac.lk)

by Prof. Nalin Abeysekera

Features

Hidden diversity in Sri Lanka’s killifish revealed: New study reshapes understanding of island’s freshwater biodiversity

Published

15 hours ago

2026/04/6

Thilina Walpola

Aplocheilus parvus

A groundbreaking new study led by an international team of scientists, including Sri Lankan researcher Tharindu Ranasinghe, has uncovered striking genetic distinctions in two closely related killifish species—reshaping long-standing assumptions about freshwater biodiversity shared between Sri Lanka and India.

Published recently in Zootaxa, the research brings together leading ichthyologists such as Hiranya Sudasinghe, Madhava Meegaskumbura, Neelesh Dahanukar and Rajeev Raghavan, alongside other regional experts, highlighting a growing South Asian collaboration in biodiversity science.

For decades, scientists debated whether Aplocheilus blockii and Aplocheilus parvus were in fact the same species. But the new genetic analysis confirms they are “distinct, reciprocally monophyletic sister species,” providing long-awaited clarity to their taxonomic identity.

Speaking to The Island, Ranasinghe said the findings underscore the hidden complexity of Sri Lanka’s freshwater ecosystems.

“What appears superficially similar can be genetically very different,” he noted. “Our study shows that even widespread, common-looking species can hold deep evolutionary histories that we are only now beginning to understand.”

A tale of two fishes

The study reveals that Aplocheilus blockii is restricted to peninsular India, while Aplocheilus parvus occurs both in southern India and across Sri Lanka’s lowland wetlands.

Despite their close relationship, the two species show clear genetic separation, with a measurable “genetic gap” distinguishing them. Subtle physical differences—such as the pattern of iridescent scales—also help scientists tell them apart.

Co-author Sudasinghe, who has led several landmark studies on Sri Lankan freshwater fishes, noted that such integrative approaches combining genetics and morphology are redefining taxonomy in the region.

Echoes of ancient land bridges

The findings also shed light on the ancient biogeographic links between Sri Lanka and India.

Scientists believe that during periods of low sea levels in the past, the two landmasses were connected by the now-submerged Palk Isthmus, allowing freshwater species to move between them.

Later, rising seas severed this connection, isolating populations and driving genetic divergence.

“These fishes likely dispersed between India and Sri Lanka when the land bridge existed,” Ranasinghe said. “Subsequent isolation has resulted in the patterns of genetic structure we see today.”

Meegaskumbura emphasised that such patterns are increasingly being observed across multiple freshwater fish groups in Sri Lanka, pointing to a shared evolutionary history shaped by geography and climate.

A deeper genetic divide

One of the study’s most striking findings is that Sri Lankan populations of A. parvus are genetically distinct from those in India, with no shared haplotypes between the two regions.

Dahanukar explained that this level of differentiation, despite relatively recent geological separation, highlights how quickly freshwater species can diverge when isolated.

Meanwhile, Raghavan pointed out that these findings reinforce the importance of conserving habitats across both countries, as each region harbours unique genetic diversity.

Implications for conservation

The study carries important implications for conservation, particularly in a country like Sri Lanka where freshwater ecosystems are under increasing pressure from development, pollution, and climate change.

Ranasinghe stressed that understanding genetic diversity is key to protecting species effectively.

“If we treat all populations as identical, we risk losing unique genetic lineages,” he warned. “Conservation planning must recognise these hidden differences.”

Sri Lanka is already recognised as a global biodiversity hotspot, but studies like this suggest that its biological richness may be even greater than previously thought.

A broader scientific shift

The research also contributes to a growing body of work by scientists such as Sudasinghe and Meegaskumbura, challenging traditional assumptions about species distributions in the region.

Earlier studies often assumed that many freshwater fish species were shared uniformly between India and Sri Lanka. However, modern genetic tools are revealing a far more complex picture—one shaped by ancient geography, climatic shifts, and evolutionary processes.

“We are moving from a simplistic view of biodiversity to a much more nuanced understanding,” Ranasinghe said. “And Sri Lanka is proving to be a fascinating natural laboratory for this kind of research.”

Looking ahead

The researchers emphasise that much remains to be explored, with several freshwater fish groups in Sri Lanka still poorly understood at the genetic level.

For Sri Lanka, the message is clear: beneath its rivers, tanks, and wetlands lies a largely untapped reservoir of evolutionary history.

As Ranasinghe puts it:

“Every stream could hold a story of millions of years in the making. We are only just beginning to read them.”

By Ifham Nizam