The Blog ^ @subhashi.tania

The Mount Lavinia Hotel stood like a memory frozen in time. Its white walls glowed under the sun, and the ocean breeze carried a salty whisper of stories too old to be fully true but too romantic to let go. I wandered in, curious, my sandals squeaking on floors polished smoother than a pearl.   Inside, the hotel felt like stepping into another world—a mix of colonial elegance and faded glory. The wide staircase caught my eye, and I couldn’t help but wonder: did Sir Thomas Maitland ever rush down these steps, his heart pounding for Lovina? The story of their secret romance felt alive here, even in 2024, like it was stitched into the wood and stone.   I walked out onto a balcony, and there it was—the ocean, stretching endlessly. The waves crashed like a heartbeat, steady and loud.  I left the hotel to explore the streets, where life moved at a different pace. A woman selling coconuts handed me one without a second glance, and I sipped as I wandered. The roads were...

Let’s talk biases—those sneaky little habits of the mind that shape our worldviews without us even realising it. In journalism, these hidden biases can subtly creep into our reporting, affecting how stories are told and how audiences perceive them. The stakes? High. The opportunity? Even higher. Let’s dig in. A Pandemic of Prejudice   During the COVID-19 pandemic, terms like “Wuhan virus” and “Chinese virus” surfaced across media outlets worldwide, sparking a wave of discrimination against people of Asian descent. What’s this phenomenon? Unconscious bias—the unintentional stereotyping based on identity traits like race, gender, age, and more.   Journalists, whether influenced by personal biases or societal pressures, can unintentionally perpetuate stereotypes through the stories they choose to tell and how they tell them. But there’s hope. Awareness is the first step to change. Here’s what you need to know to identify and tackle bias head-on. What Exactly Is Unconsci...

Why Colombia? That was the first thought that hit me when I heard that this year’s COP16 is happening in Santiago de Cali. I mean, come on—I do remember! How could I forget the giant statue of Jesus that pops up in so many films? And let’s not overlook the Serranía de Chiribiquete, that stunning UNESCO World Heritage site - VERY - mind - blowing ! So, I dove deep into inter-net and quickly I started to realize - why Colombia is known as a biodiversity paradise. It’s home to jaw-dropping wildlife like the Andean condor, gliding high above the mountains, and the secretive jaguar, lurking in the lush Amazonian forests. With over a thousand bird species—think colorful keel-billed toucans and the rare Santa Marta parakeet, which you can’t find anywhere else—and around 4,000 types of orchids (my grandmother’s absolute favorite!), including the national flower, Cattleya trianae, Colombia’s natural beauty is truly one-of-a-kind. But it doesn’t stop there. More than half of Colombia is blankete...

Ok, don’t get me wrong—maybe I'm getting myself wrong—but how can I ignore the fact that human imagination is often more captivating than real human interaction? I don’t know, maybe my love for ancient literature makes my mind drift away from the world, and it keeps happening, just like that, in the blink of an eye. This time, it was the epic romance of Tristan and Isolde—a perfect blend of war and love—which honestly, moved me so deep-ly. Kevin Reynolds has done such creative work—I wish I could be as creative as he is! I was genuinely curious, as the plot was unpredictable and intense throughout, except for the unbearable ending. I loved the cultural dances and the traditional way they decorated people who had passed away on boats, then dramatically sent arrows to set them ablaze at sea. I was amazed at the wisdom behind each war trap—humans are stupidly funny - not so different from the complexities of modern warfare! It's interesting to compare ancient lovers—often young, e...

Standing at the edge of the Negombo Lagoon, I was hit with a mix of beauty and heartbreak. This lagoon should’ve been paradise—a beautiful spot with fishermen’s boats dotting the horizon, where the ocean and sky meet. But up close, it was something else entirely. Garbage lined the shores, tangled fishing nets snagged plastic bags, and empty bottles floated by like ghosts.  Globally, about 80% of wastewater isn’t treated, just sent straight into oceans, rivers, and lagoons—basically turning our waters into liquid dumpsters. Here in Sri Lanka, 1.5 million tons of plastic waste piles up each year. Where does it all go? Well, places like the Negombo Lagoon catch a good chunk of it. And it’s a painful cycle: hotels pollute, fish disappear, fishermen suffer, tourists complain, and the economy takes a hit.  It’s easy to dismiss pollution as someone else’s problem, but standing by that lagoon, it felt personal. Every piece of trash, every slick of oil on the water, was like a jab to t...

It was four years ago when I first began to witness the global environmental situation up close, and it has shaped the course of my life ever since. Now, at 20 years old, I look back on that evening with gratitude. It was a sunny day, and the sky had a warm, yellowish hue. I had been given the opportunity to compere the year-end award ceremony for The Pearl Protectors, a marine conservation organization I had become involved with. The event was on the beach, unlike typical award ceremonies. The sea breeze cooled the evening air, and I could taste the salt on my lips. My hair was messy, but the people around me made me feel comfortable, as if that didn't matter at all. The atmosphere was welcoming, thanks in no small part to Muditha Ayya (Muditha Kaduwawala), the coordinator of Pearl Protectors, who reassured me, saying, "This is a chill event. Just speak like you're talking to your friends. Don’t worry."  Despite his calming words, I was nervous, paralyzed by fear. I ...