Oh! Colombo 

The hills were alive with all sorts of antics during the so called season, social media overflowed with pictures and some newspapers carried photographs of our Colombo noveau socialites dressed up, or should I say costumed in somewhat mish mash outfits sporting strange looking hats even if they did not complement the attire they chose to wear. The crowds certainly were having a great time throwing back lots of bubbly and many other kinds of beverages, dancing to the rhythm of the baila, in their ascot inspired outfits, which they excelled in. The media also informed the public that the high and mighty had approved a couple of billion smackers to transport them around for the good of the public, along with other privileges. Whilst all this fun and games were going on a news channel aired a sad story of a village where the residents are charged phenomenal water bills monthly for water supplied with full of mud and definitely cannot be consumed. The sad lamentation of the villagers’ hardships, especially of their water situation which is a basic human right, goes unheard and this grandeur goes on. 

The lady of Embark goes on vacation and ends up having to clean garbage dumped on the sandy beaches of Arugum Bay. Garbage strewn all over by the holidaymakers who had revelled during the long Avurudhu weekend in the advertised pristine beaches of Sri Lanka - the line used by the local promoters to lure both local and international tourists.  It is not only Arugam Bay that was littered with garbage but most picnic sites or bathing areas, be it by a lake, river or sea. It is quite a disgusting sight to watch the behaviour of the uneducated traveller; compounded by the lack of dustbins and proper supervision in these areas. 

Then we hear the horror stories of the deep south, especially in the Mirissa area that has gone all apartheid where locals or anyone with a brown or darker skin is prevented from entering the premises or beach as they have a strictly white only policy, developed on their own terms. This seems quite ridiculous in this day and age, especially in Sri Lanka, which is an all brown country. Amazing how these owners have forgotten that during the war torn days it was the locals who patronized these establishments. 

Hearing, watching, listening and reading the shenanigans that are going tells us that we are living amidst a topsy turvy and unsure period in our lives, which certainly seems to bring out the worst in people.