On a lazy late-June afternoon in a leafy Colombo suburb, I wait to watch Sri Lankan auteur Prasanna Vithanage’s ‘Paradise,’ a film starring Roshan Mathew, Darshana Rajendran and Shyam Fernando. The experience of simultaneously listening to Malayalam, Sinhala and English is more than enticing. The feeling of these long-separated cultural cousins reuniting on the silver screen! Sri Lanka has been a home away from home for me for the greater part of the last two decades.
There’s the familiarity of the landscape, the architecture and food, and at the same time, the clear understanding that even though I blend in this beautiful land effortlessly, I am technically a foreigner. Not enough research has been done on the deep-rooted cultural and historical links between Kerala and Sri Lanka, but for someone who is well versed with both places, it’s easy to see the intangible. Both places have espoused strong Socialist ideals, with very similar results.
Look at human development indices in Sri Lanka and Kerala and there is proof that universal healthcare and education are pivotal for progress. These two places don’t just share good traits, however. The propensity for violence, alcohol abuse and the eagerness to strike, strike and strike further! There are no industries here, the Malayali says about his state, the same way a Sri Lankan says about his country.
There is also the dream of working abroad and remitting the money home and building a dream home closer to retirement..
