Sri Lanka. A story untold.
Sri Lanka is on the verge of yet another Independence day. It is a country with an incredibly rich history of over two millennia. In reality, ‘Sri Lanka’ as an entity has been around for less than half a century. For too long, we’ve let others tell our story to the world, and Lanka, as it was originally known was lost in the world of Thambapanni, Taprobane, Sielen Diva, Ceylon and much more. To add to that, of the 48 years that Sri Lanka has been around, it has only been the last 10 years or so that we have been able to break away from these shackles, and even then, we’ve never been able to truly define our narrative.
If anyone googled Sri Lanka anytime during the last decade, they would have seen horrific images of the war. As a result, most brands that launched during or soon after the war chose to take on the path of alluding to Ceylon, a mystical brand that paints a picture of tea estates, train rides and a surreal version of Sri Lanka. Our story though is so much more powerful than this idea of Ceylon. The Sri Lankan story today is a story of resilience, and we are a nation filled with individuals and companies with incredible stories who have shone through despite the adversity and the challenges posed over the years.
We are the home of people like Merrill Fernando and companies like Dilmah, one of the most powerful brands in the country and a brand that exudes purpose at every step of the way. Our software engineers are amongst the best in the world and we build and maintain the systems of the world, including the London Stock Exchange and much more. From Kris Canekaratne to Sanjiva Weerawarana to all their peers, they are the engineers that have kept our systems talking to each other.
Some of them don’t just build software. Some of them build supercars. Harsha Subasinghe and his team built South Asia’s first supercar and it’s making headlines across the world.
We are home to incredible women. From Sirimavo Bandaranaike who was the first woman prime minister in the world to her daughter Chandrika Bandaranaike who was the seventh female president in the world. From Jayanthi Kuru-utumpala who was the first Sri Lankan to climb Everest to Asha De Vos who is literally making waves around the world with her focus on marine conservation. People like Hasini Jayatilaka who is working on a cure for cancer and Jayathma Wikramanayake who made the 100 NEXT in terms of the most influential people in the world are not just role models for other women, but for all Sri Lankans.
We are home to a powerful design movement and people like Linda Speldewinde have played such a critical role in this development. Fashion designers, interior designers and graphic designers have made Sri Lanka hip and chic today. These design trailblazers are backed by some of the top textile producers in the world, with the Amaleans and the Omars leading the way, and many others providing them with incredible support, making Sri Lanka a design and fashion hub, ready to take on the world.
Tharushi Widushika, who invented a bio-degradable lunch packet and Dhammika from Kelaniya university who produced a herbal face mask in response to the recent virus outbreak stand at the forefront of entrepreneurship rooted in sustainability.
Our tourism industry has built world class products on this beautiful island. From modern design elements to infusing our historic roots, these products are globally competitive with industry veterans like the Coorays and the Balendrans with Jetwing and Cinnamon, and many more game changers like Malik Fernando and Vickum Nawagamuwage who are creating world-class products across the country.
Our president is no longer someone rooted in the past and by the identity of the traditional Sri Lankan politician, but someone who embraces digitization and modernization. His rolled up sleeves, and new age thinking gives hope to this country, and there is a sense of optimisim in terms of how Sri Lanka can progress under leadership of this nature..
We are home to many from half a world away who have come and set up homes and businesses and made our story even richer. From French cafes to Italian pizzerias to Japanese sushi houses to Swedish surf houses, they are all part of our story. We are all part of this same narrative.
When our people get stranded half a world away, we have our national carrier flying all the way across putting their lives on the line to bring our own students back home. Our soldiers did the same a decade ago, and as a result, we sit in cafes without the slightest semblance of fear.
There’s so much more to Sri Lanka than ‘So Sri Lanka’ or ‘A Land Like No Other’ or ‘Small miracle’ or any other slogan we have come up with. Our people are our story. Sri Lanka is so much more than just Ceylon. We are more than just an idyllic paradise. We are more than just a slogan. We are a country with soul, character and a human story that truly resonates across the world. We’ve been through our share of troubles, but we are a resilient collective that keeps bouncing back no matter what you throw at us. As Sri Lankans, we should be incredibly proud of this. I certainly am.
