Sri Lanka is a country that entices you to fall in love with her... I have been having an affair with her for the past year and a half and she has tried her best to make me slowly but surely fall in love. And I must admit that her charms have worked and I am hopelessly and madly in love with Sri Lanka.
Like in all love stories - strangers meet and slowly get to know each other. Soon they discover the hidden attractions and common interest and before you know it, a budding romance is in the making. My love story with Sri Lanka is on similar lines.
My first visit to Sri Lanka was for some work in Colombo and prior to that, all I knew about this country was the continuous strife that it was going through for years. For me it wasn’t the safest of all countries and as far as I was concerned, the few people I knew would take care of me during my stay and before long I would be back on the plane for India. I wasn’t too keen to know much about the country - how interesting could a country similar to South India and with a war waging be? I didn’t know how wrong I would be proven.
I was dazzled, amazed and pleasantly surprised from the moment I stepped out of the plane. The airport could be compared to any decent world class airport. As I stepped out of the airport it was almost as if I was in some city in South India, so similar but distinctly different – a paradox I cant explain. I loved my first drive down the Galle Road of Colombo to reach my hotel. And that is where it all began… I should have known the first sign of attraction. Before long I wanted to know her more intimately.
It took me just one trip to decide that I have to know her better. So began the questions, a bit of reading and bit of meeting people and lots of understanding. Sri Lanka has different countries within one country – I know that this phrase is often used for India but I think it holds true for Sri Lanka too. There is so much diversity that to try and fit her into one “kind” would be an injustice. Because of the constant strife, most people get educated in various Western countries and that brings in its social fabric a society which is very much Asian but with Westerns tastes. Then there are those who stay back and they have a different outlook to life. I found that although most Sri Lankans have this uncanny desire for all things materialistic there is a definitely a good dose of grounded spirituality. While the lure of the West and the Westerners is ever so present there is a great pride of all things Lankans.
It is not only the people who are so diverse the geography is amazingly diverse too. While Sri Lanka is an island country and therefore has a coastal life, it also has an amazing ‘Hill Country’ as the local like to call it, ancient cities and capitals of ancient of kingdom and very rich culture and heritage. All this is what she used on me to finally have me succumbed to her beauty and grace. And from here will begin an affair that I hope lasts forever.
Like in all love stories - strangers meet and slowly get to know each other. Soon they discover the hidden attractions and common interest and before you know it, a budding romance is in the making. My love story with Sri Lanka is on similar lines.
My first visit to Sri Lanka was for some work in Colombo and prior to that, all I knew about this country was the continuous strife that it was going through for years. For me it wasn’t the safest of all countries and as far as I was concerned, the few people I knew would take care of me during my stay and before long I would be back on the plane for India. I wasn’t too keen to know much about the country - how interesting could a country similar to South India and with a war waging be? I didn’t know how wrong I would be proven.
I was dazzled, amazed and pleasantly surprised from the moment I stepped out of the plane. The airport could be compared to any decent world class airport. As I stepped out of the airport it was almost as if I was in some city in South India, so similar but distinctly different – a paradox I cant explain. I loved my first drive down the Galle Road of Colombo to reach my hotel. And that is where it all began… I should have known the first sign of attraction. Before long I wanted to know her more intimately.
It took me just one trip to decide that I have to know her better. So began the questions, a bit of reading and bit of meeting people and lots of understanding. Sri Lanka has different countries within one country – I know that this phrase is often used for India but I think it holds true for Sri Lanka too. There is so much diversity that to try and fit her into one “kind” would be an injustice. Because of the constant strife, most people get educated in various Western countries and that brings in its social fabric a society which is very much Asian but with Westerns tastes. Then there are those who stay back and they have a different outlook to life. I found that although most Sri Lankans have this uncanny desire for all things materialistic there is a definitely a good dose of grounded spirituality. While the lure of the West and the Westerners is ever so present there is a great pride of all things Lankans.
It is not only the people who are so diverse the geography is amazingly diverse too. While Sri Lanka is an island country and therefore has a coastal life, it also has an amazing ‘Hill Country’ as the local like to call it, ancient cities and capitals of ancient of kingdom and very rich culture and heritage. All this is what she used on me to finally have me succumbed to her beauty and grace. And from here will begin an affair that I hope lasts forever.
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