Are you Sri Lankan?

A speech I wrote for a very dear friend :P

Everywhere we travel in the world, we are questioned ‘are you Indian?’ we say NO WE ARE SRI LANKAN. No, we do not get offended because we are called ‘Indians’ but offended on the fact that we are not known as ‘Sri Lankans’. Why? Because there are so many things that make us who we are. Yes surrounded by the Indian Ocean, we have inherited many from our neighbors. From beliefs to religion or fashion to movies to food. We have inherited many by Portuguese, British and Dutch too, and the culture we live in today is a blend of all these strong nations with a flavor of our own and a spirit which can only be our ancestors’.

We love rice and curry, one thing we cannot live without. It is not about food only, whereas farming has been one of the oldest and most respected professions in my country rice and curry brings our people close. In school, during intervals, every classroom has one big parcel of rice where everyone digs into. As simple as it sounds, that has been the first step to friendship for many of us in school.

Food is a huge part in our community, food is about sharing it’s about giving and it’s also about showing your love to another. If you visit someone, in suburbs specially, there is no possible way you could leave the house without having lunch or dinner or atleast a cup of tea. It is in built, and it is a practice that you don’t leave a house without a super sweet cup of tea.

Sri Lankans have large extended families, which can be annoying sometimes when it comes to inquisitiveness of relatives for marriages and exams. We don’t travel in big packs as much as Indians, but the close knit community we have brings out the spirit and liveliness to us every day. Sri Lankans do NOT mind their own business, a bit too nosey, sometimes it is good. Because if there is a wedding or a funeral, and when your family is unable to take care of things on your own there is a whole community who would have your back, and a huge extended family to lean on to.

Talking about Sri Lanka, one thing we cannot forget. Cricket! Heritance from the British, cricket is in us, it is a part of our lives, you go to a housing scheme in any corner in the country you will see a bunch of boys playing cricket on a road, on the beach or somewhere where there is a little bit of space. Cricket is something which we were proud of, which brings us together, which used to be our stress relief from everything. Cricket is in our blood.

Sri Lanka, during the past 50 years have faced many hardships. We have lived through a war which lasted 30 years, we have lost many. Not only lives but a lot more with it.

I remember the central bank bomb blast in Colombo, it was the parents’ day in school and most of the girls were crying standing near the school gate waiting for delayed parents to turn up (not knowing if they would)

Then in 2004, we faced a tragedy– tsunami which swept away more than 30,000 lives. Recovery was hard, very hard. But we survived. Even today if you talk to a Sri Lankan about terrorism we can sympathize, we’ve known it, we’ve seen it, we’ve been through it, and we’ve survived it.

We are emotional yet tough, we are sensitive yet brave. Sri Lankans are very friendly, fun loving, quite real and extremely fierce. We live for today not for tomorrow, we cherish every breath of our lives because we know better than anyone that sometimes tomorrow might not exist.

Next time if you see someone having paint all over a face and dancing for some crazy trumpet music, or if you see a bunch singing loud offkey in a language that makes no sense,

Or if you see someone smiling through tears, laughing through the pain and defending a friend very fiercely…

Tap and ask… ‘Are you Sri Lankan?’

Happy Independence Day Sri Lanka !