On the day Nagalingam Ethirveerasingam soared to win Sri Lanka’s first-ever gold medal at the 1958 Asian Games in Tokyo, communal riots were erupting in Colombo. “I felt I am not there, and here I am putting Sri Lanka in the sports headlines,” he reflects—caught between personal triumph and national turmoil. A pioneering Tamil high jumper, Ethirveerasingam represented Ceylon at the 1952 Helsinki and 1956 Melbourne Olympics, carving a place for himself in the country’s athletic history.

His portrait traces not only a trailblazing international sports career, but also his later role as a quiet interlocutor—navigating between warring factions during a fragile peace between the state and the separatist Tamil Tigers.

During a recent visit to the island nation in 2023, Ethir made a quiet pilgrimage to the former LTTE cemetery site in Kopay—some of those buried there were individuals he had worked with during the ceasefire. Though the cemetery was razed by the military in the mid-1990s and has since been subject to ongoing erasure—any efforts by local Tamils to restore or memorialise the site have been blocked or dismantled—it continues to be tenderly cared for by Tamil families. Surveillance and militarisation have continued, with even commemorative acts—such as lighting lamps on remembrance day or Maaveerar Naal—often monitored or restricted. Despite this, the memory of the fallen endures quietly. Ethir’s visit was a gesture of remembrance—quiet but resolute—emblematic of his deep empathy for those caught on all sides of the conflict.

From a young age, Manikkam was determined to emulate the life of M.G. Ramachandran (or MGR), one of the most renowned and prolific Tamil film actors of the 20th century. His life and identity are inseparable from his admiration his hero and from his early years, he embraced MGR’s cinematic persona as a model for his own life, vowing to live like the man he considered a godlike figure. As a natami, part of the community of cart pullers in Pettah, Colombo, Manikkam’s daily work was grounded in physical labor, but his appearance—always dressed in costumes inspired by MGR’s films—set him apart.

Manikkam’s distinctive image caught the attention of local and international media, and his unique blend of labor and style captivated audiences, and he quickly became a recognised figure, not just within Sri Lanka, but globally. Through viral videos, interviews, and social media, his presence transcended the streets of Colombo, with fans across the world embracing his persona.

In recounting his early life, Manikkam reflects on the influence of his mother, who encouraged him to revere ‘MGR’ as both a spiritual and personal guide. "If I live, I want to live like him," he recalls, a sentiment that has shaped his journey. 

Mary Akka, a seettu collector from Chunnakam, Jaffna, reflects on a life shaped by resilience and the pursuit of identity. A trans woman, her experiences of gender and selfhood were forged in the 1980s and 90s, during the de facto Tamil Eelam. In a context marked by societal rejection, Mary Akka’s journey was one of survival and carving out a space for herself in a world that offered few avenues for self-affirmation.

Mary Akka recalls a simple moment—preparing a meal as she reflects on her life. “I knew. This is the way I am,” she says, asserting her truth despite the rejection she faced. From a young age, she was aware of her gender identity, but societal pressure and ridicule forced her into isolation. At 13, she realised she was meant to be a woman, though this realisation was met with punishment and exclusion. Her actions, like growing her hair long and dressing in a way that felt right, were constantly scrutinised.

Her story is one of endurance, defiance, and an unwavering commitment to self-identity.

Mani Pathmarajah, a founding member of the Tamil Co-op in Toronto, reflects on her life journey, from Sri Lanka to Canada, and the role she played in supporting refugees. She recalls a life once filled with community and ease in Kalmunai, Sri Lanka, where she lived with her husband and family, hosting friends and enjoying simple pleasures like playing bridge. "We had a good life in Sri Lanka," she says, remembering the food, camaraderie, and even the joy of hosting local dignitaries.

However, as the conflict in Sri Lanka intensified, it became clear that leaving was necessary for her safety. "Luckily, we were not harmed," she notes, but the ongoing risks led her brothers to encourage her to move to Canada, where many Tamils had already sought refuge. Upon arriving in Canada, she faced a new set of challenges: the cold climate, a new culture, and the absence of household help. "The weather, the culture, the dress, everything was different," she reflects. "But luckily, my brothers taught me."

In the early years, Mani worked hard to help build the Tamil Co-op, a housing initiative aimed at providing support to refugees. As the first secretary of the Co-op, she played a pivotal role in organizing and advocating for Tamil families. "We had doctors, lawyers, teachers—professionals who couldn’t get apartments," she explains. Through volunteer work and collective effort, the Co-op provided affordable housing and support to the Tamil community, helping those in need find stability.

Jezima Ismail, born in Sainthamaruthu, Sri Lanka, is an educator, broadcaster, social activist, and human rights advocate. As principal of Muslim Ladies College from 1975 to 1988, she broke barriers for women in education and leadership. In 1976, she founded the Muslim Women's Research and Action Forum. In 1989, the Government of Sri Lanka honored her with the title of Deshabandhu. Jezima's advocacy for women's rights was shaped by her father’s progressive beliefs, inspiring her to fight for Muslim women’s empowerment and to challenge the political barriers faced by women in Sri Lanka.

Throughout her career, Jezima broke barriers, from fighting for women’s rights within the mosque to challenging the societal separation of men and women. Jezima’s connection to her roots remains strong, especially through music. Raised in a family that valued the arts, she recalls her father’s support for her musical and dance aspirations, even though she ultimately chose a different path. "I wanted to be a dancer, a singer, a film star," she says, but instead became a leader in education and activism. Music still plays a vital role in her life, with daily singing sessions keeping her grounded.

As she reflects on her journey, Jezima’s story is one of resilience, defiance, and a commitment to creating a more just world for women.

Chandraguptha Thenuwara, an artist and activist, known for his unapologetic critique of successive governments. Thenuwara was a witness to the horrors of Black July, the pogrom that left thousands of Tamils murdered in 1983, and explains why he memorialises it every year with an exhibition in Colombo. His work, deeply influenced by the events of that period, has evolved from creating joyful paintings to producing politically charged pieces that memorialise the victims of violence. One of Thenuwara’s most notable contributions is his annual exhibition that commemorates the events of Black July, a reminder of the unspoken atrocities that remain uncommemorated. "I always remind them what happened, not to happen again," he states, underscoring the importance of memory in his work. His art is a form of resistance—challenging the status quo, questioning power, and calling for a society where democracy and respect for others' opinions can flourish.

The poet and writer, Dominic Jeeva, talks about growing up with caste, and why, despite its many flaws, he’s still proud to be a Jaffna man. 

Father Harry Miller S.J. left Louisiana in 1948 for Batticaloa. The Jesuit priest talks about the development of the mission, his work in documenting the disappearances during the 1990s, and explains why Batticaloa is the only home he knows.

Writer Jean Arasanayagam reflects on her Burgher identity, her experience of 1983 — “the watershed” moment in her life— and what it’s like being married to a Jaffna man. 

Helga de Silva talks about growing up in the family home that would eventually become the sumptuous ‘Helga’s Folly’.  Helga reflects on why people are drawn to her ‘anti-hotel’, a canvas for her and her guests’ creativity. 

Former parliamentarian and retired principal of Methodist Central, Prince Casinader is also a correspondent. He talks about his love for the singing fish of Batticaloa and the conflict between Muslim and Tamil communities.

Mrs Sarojini Kadirgamar learned to play bridge during the curfews of the 1950s, looking over the shoulders of the adults. She talks about the responsibility of privilege, her Jaffna roots and her personal experiences of the Black July pogrom.

Venerable Walatara Sobhita Nayaka Thero is the chief monk at the Galwadugoda temple. He was proud of the kalu gal or black stonework in his beautiful Vihare. But also spoke enthusiastically about his impressive collection of vintage vinyl records and why it is not at odds with him being a monk.

Mallika Talwatte reflects on her experience of courtship during the 1940s and why she decided to remain single. 

Esan has been driving passengers around Jaffna in his trusty Morris Oxford for nearly twenty years. He remembers the times of scarcity following government embargoes on fuel and the need to adapt to survive. 

Christy Mihindukulasooriya was the first man to play the role of Jesus Christ in the Duwa Passion Plays. Before him there were only statues. Christy talks to us about the long history of the Duwa Passion Play and his anecdotes of playing Jesus for forty years.

Sri Nagulesawara Kurrukkal, the chief priest at the Nagulesawaran temple at Keeramalai, talks about the impact of the war on the temple and the changes brought about since the end of hostilities.

V.S Alagan, the Hindu keeper of a Catholic cemetery, shares his knowledge of the graves of different faiths.

The 105-year-old Veerakathy is very likely the oldest man in Jaffna. The tobacco farmer from Velanai has already outlived six of his sons. He talks about a Jaffna way of life that has helped him live a very long life.

T. Arasanayagam, poet and English teacher, talks about his childhood in Jaffna and his discovery of “the other”. He also reflects on his experiences of violence up close in Kandy. 

D.S. Amarasekara, a retired schoolteacher, talks about discovering the historical roots of his village of Baddegama.

Mrs. Haniah Sultanbawa did not “just carry on” and “get married to somebody” like other young Muslim girls of her time even though she was brought up to do so. In 1960, she became the first Muslim woman from the Southern Province to graduate from a university.

Dr Sivarajah is an expert in community medicine and a lecturer at the University of Jaffna. He reflects on the last thirty years of living in Jaffna and how the challenges keep him on the peninsula.

Sister Pushpam Gnanapragasam reflects on the Jaffna identity. And when the first French missionaries arrived in Jaffna and the role the nuns played during the last months of the war.

Parakrama Dahanayake recalls his earlier role as private secretary to his late uncle and former Prime Minister Wijeyananda Dahanayake, one of Sri Lanka’s unique political characters, and reflects on his decision to finally enter local politics.

Mrs Rasheed remembers her late husband and how she coped after his death to raise five children on her own.

C.K. Sankarakumaran stepped into the shoes of his father and grandfather as a guarantee shroff, a kind of banker. He reflects on his two homes of Kandy and Jaffna.

Poet and teacher, Somasundramoillai Pathmanathan, or “Sopa”, remembers the days when the baker in Jaffna was Sinhalese and the tailor was Muslim. He reflects on the hardships people of Jaffna faced over decades or war.

Retired school principal, S. Thoradeniya, talks about his lifetime goal of translating his favourite childhood read.

Bala Tampoe has been the head of the Ceylon Mercantile Industrial and General Workers Union for over fifty years. He talks about the psychology behind a successful strike and his identity as a workers’ leader. (Interview recorded in Colombo.)

Mohammed Yassin was expelled along with over five thousand other Muslim families from the Jaffna peninsula. He talks about the day that changed his life and his return to his hometown.

Sithy Muhsin was the only dressers of Muslim brides in Galle during the sixties. Also a teacher, she talks about her work styling Muslim brides over the years and her impressions of the advent of the abaya or burqa in Sri Lankan Muslim society.

Dushyanthi Nugawela Wijeyawardena’s father was a Buddhist and her mother a Christian. Yet her parents raised her to respect both Christianity and Buddhism and left her to make the choice. 

Lejmal Hussein reflects on vicissitudes of working as a migrant worker in Saudi Arabia for nineteen years, away from his family.

Mohammed Hussein Ismail, known as "Major Hussein", is believed to be the oldest man in the Fort. He talks about his ten years in Trincomalee where he worked in a jewellery shop during the second world war and the military men he came across.

Mr. Reuben is a book lender from Pedlar Street and passionate about resurrecting his lending library.  He is also a well-remembered teacher and even now some policemen respectfully refrain from smoking in his presence. The tiniest of spaces across the road from his home is filled with many books that are now lying decaying and abandoned.

Hailing from generations of Kandyan drummers, Panchanaada reflects on the challenges of continuing the family tradition and how he got his name.

Jaffna’s Bishop, Rt. Rev. Dr. Thomas Saundaranayagam, reflects on Jaffna’s earlier relationship with the south, the ruptures that threatened it, and the potential for reconciliation.

Jayaseelan’s grandfather bought the 150-year-old baths in Kochikade, north of Colombo with his pension. Jayaseelan was born just next door and inherited the baths when he retired. He talks about the changes in his life, to the baths as well as Kochikade.

‘Annawi’ Joseph Chooge recalls his days of singing hymns in Latin and how the lives of people going to church in Negombo were affected by language changes of church and country. 

Mrs Sui King Chang left Hong Kong in the 1950s to meet Yung-Hsien, the man she would later marry. Sui-King is today one of the last surviving first generation Chinese migrants. She talks about her journey to Ceylon by ship and her husband’s pioneering business, the New Chinese Shop on Chatham Street, which the family still runs.

Mustaffa Mohamed Atham Bawa has worked for the family business since he left school at 10. He talks about the changes to working as a shopkeeper the terrible incidents of violence he has witnessed and how Batticaloan Muslim and Tamil communities have tried to move on together.

Mr. Thenuwara moved to Colombo from Galle in 1965 to work for Car Mart in Colombo. After that he decided to strike out on his own and finally ended up with a garage on Lauries Road specialising in fixing Volkswagen Beetles for their obsessive owners.

Mary Joaana Vaas is a 90-year-old fisherwoman from Duwa. She talks about her husband who took her on his travels to the north and east with their young family, befriending Tamil communities there, in a time untouched by war.

Gerald Fonseka talks about his late father, known locally as Rathu mudalali. The father’s ethical treatment of his workers on the coconut plantations and mills in the 1950s inspired the son to do the same.

A member of Negombo’s Bharatha community, Selvam Croos Moraes reminisces about his discovery of an archive photograph of the Donoughmore Commission, in which his father was a staff member. He talks about his distinctive community and the challenges he faced in getting the photograph recognised as part of Sri Lankan history.

Justinus Lawrence’s father travelled to Negombo to start his own garage sixty years ago. Full of laughter, he talks about taking over the garage and the challenges he faces in running it today.

One hundred and fifty years ago, Lawrence Saravanamuttu’s grandfather Soosaipillai came to Negombo from his hometown of Jaffna to open the shop that would become famous for selling Jaffna cigars. The shop still sells cigars but as Soosaipillai explains, they are no longer from Jaffna.

Seventy-five year old Batticaloan Annaviyar Arasaratnam is a koothu master. Hailing from Karavetti, he knows over twenty different koothus. He talks about the history and different styles of this ancient art form and his struggle to keep this traditional Tamil theatre alive today.

With Sri Lankan, Portuguese and French roots, Sister Irene Bartelöt is well placed to talk about the diversity of Batticaloa. She talks about the time when people didn’t ask what ethnicity or nationality you were. “People just mixed up”, she said, underscoring the concept on which the I Am project is based. She remembers the time when she felt the call of God, when she served as a nurse during the war and what Batticaloans can teach us about healing.

Mrs Kandiah had never even been to England but through the words of the favourite nature poets, she could immerse herself in the meadows and hills of the English countryside, without leaving her home in Batticaloa.

The 92 year old Margaret Outschoorn is the oldest member of the Portuguese Burgher community in Batticaloa. Displaced from the Dutch Bar after the 2004 tsunami, she now lives in a new settlement developed especially for the community. She talks about displacement and loss of her unique culture and how she still misses her old life in the Dutch Bar.

The 71 year old Seenithamby is still throwing his net on the Batticaloa lagoon. He talks about the changes to his way of life over the years, his father who taught him to fish, and the time he believes he first saw the ‘kadal kanni’, part of local folklore among Batticaloan fishermen.

Veteran journalist ”Kala Keerthi” Edwin Ariyadasa looks back on 64 years with Lake House as a reporter and editor, working on both Sinhala and English publications. He talks about his voracious appetite for books as a child, and his career as a journalist.

Sri Lanka’s legendary filmmaker Dr Lester James Peries talks about his early life as a filmmaker, his mentor Lionel Wendt and the films that launched his career in cinema. Featuring ‘Rekava’ (1956) and ‘The Song of Ceylon’ (1934) directed by Basil Wright.

Inayet Akbarally tells the remarkable story of his great grandfather Careemjee Jafferjee and how he became the first member of the Dawoodi Bohra community to come to Ceylon in 1830. A proud and loyal ‘Peterite’, he reflects on the days when where you went to school trumped ethnicity and even religion.

Chandra Schaffter opened bowling for Ceylon against England in 1954. A successful businessman, he later mentored Sri Lanka to World Cup victory in 1996. He talks about the early days of international cricket in the country, the changing face of club cricket in Sri Lanka and the potential of the game to bring communities together.

One hundred year old Jesuit priest Father Vito Perniola came to Ceylon from Italy in 1936. He has been here ever since and was even granted Sri Lankan citizenship in 1970. As a linguist, he learnt Pali and Sanskrit and even taught Pali to Buddhist monks and nuns.

Judge Christopher Weeramantry is a former judge of the International Court of Justice and the senior-most retired judge in Sri Lanka. His campaign against nuclear weapons proliferation is famously captured in a dissenting judgement during his tenure at the ICJ, as well for respecting the environment. Taking inspiration from his elders and borrowing from the wisdom of world religions, the judge has been spreading his message of peace for decades.

Byron Unmani was an elder in the Veddah community of Vaharai. Displaced several times, they had to adapt to their new environment, and were now fishermen, living off the sea when they once lived off the forest, hence their name, the ‘Sea Veddahs’.  He talks about the loss of the native language of the community of Sri Lanka's indigenous inhabitants or Wanniyala-a-Aetto literally 'forest-dwellers' as they call themselves.

Sam Wijesinha has had several careers from criminal lawyer to Chancellor of The Open University. As President of the Prisoners’ Welfare Association, he focused on reforms to better the lives of prisoners and their families. His commitment to education extended not only to helping his poor relatives but the children of junior staff when Secretary General of Parliament.

Mrs Subramanium is the personal assistant to the head of one of Jaffna’s most popular newspapers. She reflects on her approach to life and death and why, despite the constant pleas from her diasporan family, she refuses to leave Jaffna.