Life is meaningful

Life is meaningful, When I like things I do.
Not when I do things I like.

When I say 'I don't like the things I do' , mostly it means I am uncomfortable.
That extra effort to 'like what I do' even when I don't feel like doing it first, takes me out of my comfort zone. That's when magic happens.

When I like things I do, it's about caring and sharing.
When I do things I like, mostly it's about my self.

Myth of aspiration

Entrepreneurship is about 'go get' your aspiration, dream of things what drives you.

Question:  'What is really that drives you?'

A wealthy professional in Colombo, respected in many circles for his technical proficiency and unparalleled commitment, confessed me that he wants to run away from city and hide in a village.

A youth in a village, with eyes gleaming with hope, is willing to stay away from his family and risk legal boundaries, to find greener pastures ($).

Now let me ask you the question (above) again. 'What is really that drives you?'
Pause.

'Will achieving that dream, would fulfill your life?'
Pause.

'Do we need to burn our selves too, ignoring people who've been there, done that?'
Pause.

'If entrepreneurship is about been smarter, shouldn't we be reflecting more than acting too fast?'
Pause.

Android domination, in numbers.

This picture tells a remarkable story of android domination, which might be the greatest tech domination in history. Picture above and quote below was pulled out from a google+ post of Tim O'Reilly. 

Look at the numbers. Impressive figures. It goes on to show that in a complex competitive eco system of devices, apps, operating systems, law suits, patents, telcos, etc, a well crafted business model, always lead.

In two short years Android has blown up the mobile market, going from 142m users (57% market share) to 709m users. This incredible growth is surely one of the most rapid marches to market dominance in history. iOS has also grown substantially from 75m users in Q2 2011 to 232m users in Q3 2013 (19% market share). The big loser is Symbian, which has fallen from a 20% market share to 5% in just two years. This is followed by Blackberry (down to 5% share) and Windows Mobile (6% market share), although Windows Mobile has recently started to grow again in 2013.

Interestingly, “Don’t know” has fallen from 20% market share to 5% market share, indicating how important the OS experience has become to users.

These results underline how mobile operating systems have radically reshaped the internet experience. Today, thanks to OS integration of internet services (e.g sharing via Twitter), in-built aggregation tools and the central positioning of app stores means the operating system is increasingly defining how we use the internet. This has far-reaching impacts across all aspects of digital behavior and can be crystalized in the example of the growth of messaging apps such as WhatsApp, Snapchat and Line. No longer do we need one service to do it all;operating systems promote the usage of an increasing number of services that do one thing, and do it well.

Sri Lanka Rich List

'Rich' is the new buzz now. In past, I looked at rich on Silicon Valley, then on Indians in awe. Now it's our own.
Forbes published 'the richest 6 of Sri Lanka', few days back. (Read full article )
It talked about Dhammika Perera's journey. (Read full article )

This gives 'hope' for entrepreneurs. If Sri Lanka to get the best from the window of opportunity now, having lots of entrepreneurs is the way.

It might be a clear indication of where Sri Lanka is heading. Getting rich is always good. It alleviates poverty. There's the other side too - the dark side. The greedy and the corrupt, that take over the 'gold rush'. Enron, Lehman brothers & Galleon told us how not to run a company.

But greed is omnipresent.

It's premature to tell. Sri Lanka has the chance to be a model for sustainability. There are lot of 'if's.

Faraz Shouketaly has written a book on the same. This is from their PR.

The Rich List Company today announced that its 2013 edition of The Sri Lanka Rich List, written by internationally renowned investigative journalist Faraz Shauketaly, will be available from Friday, December 6. It will be released with an official launch party at the RnR @ Racecourse in Colombo. This definitive guide to the richest in Sri Lanka celebrates the extraordinary citizens who believe in their country and its potential, and is built on a solid foundation of transparent wealth and deep research into financial and corporate Sri Lanka. Expect names such as Stassen Group’s Harry Jayawardena, Odel’s celebrity CEO Otara Gunewardena, and Dhammika Perera, whose fortune is estimated to be at US$550 million by Forbes Asia.

More can be found from the website : thesrilankarichlist.com

Google + Android domination of smart devices

"Fusion Smart Village" started off in 2010, with Google Nexus 1 phones in Sri Lanka.
At this moment, the tech savvy around the globe are head over heals about Google Nexus 5.

This video by Marques Browniee explains how Google (with Nexus 5, Kitkat and Google 'now') will high jack even the iOS environment.




Since 2010, smart devices have made tremendous strides. It will just keep getting better with Google glass, smart watches, and soon on your fridges, cars and watching machines.

The time has come for machines to start conversation among machines, with out our intervention.
Science fiction has become so real.

What #SmartVillage means now

Tomorrow (24 OCT), I will be speaking about "Smart Village" at Google Business Group's "Mobile for Business" event.

This is from the event page,

Can smartphone help develop rural communities on education and improve economy? and can a very personal device like smartphone be a shared device?
"Smart Village" an innovative project since 2010, created by Sarvodaya-Fusion (a social enterprise) to see the response for above questions and we were led in to remarkable insight. Isura will share how those insights, which show the potential for using internet and devices to uplift rural small enterprises can help your business.

It is amazing to see how Fusion has evolved since SmartVillage inception in 2010. Something that started as an experiment, is now a country wide movement.

Here's the thing though..." Can we truly reap the benefits knowing that rural communities are ready for internet and devices?" " What is stopping us as a nation?"

Let's discuss, tomorrow.

Writing my first book.

Writing a book is hard. First I needed to find a topic I was passionate, and then to brainstorm and check if that is something people would buy.

This 'buy' thing was Gihan's idea. I wanted to publish as a e-book. But Gihan said, "if you need to be serious about writing a book, it should be printed." 

I guess he's right.
I have set 3 month deadline for the first draft. That is January 12, 2014.

So blogs on this space will be slow to come. I am putting effort each day in to the book. Mostly it is about one page per day. Not bad, considering the 'writer's block' I had been.

My wife, Muditha, seeing the first few pages, said "go ahead". A rare spontaneous 'yes' from her!

She's right behind me on this.

Crystal was helpful, motivating me on twitter. She will go through the first draft. Thanks.
https://twitter.com/isura/statuses/389025083768848385

This sounds crazy, I know. Just now completed the first page of the book I'm writing. Yes, you heard right. Heh. #theBookProject #fb
— ISURA (@isura) October 12, 2013

The conversation must build. Hence I will be sharing updates on hashtag #theBookProject on twitter and facebook.

Your thoughts, comments, critique would be lovely. 

Let me type.

Cheers !

Pic Credit: Tetra Images

Battery performance in iOS 7

First impression was great. iPad looked as if it is a new device. So much cooler and fresh outset .

iPad mini used to be the best tablet I used regarding battery power. But after iOS 7 upgrade, it started draining faster. One thing of course is I used it extensively as it is impulsive to see all the app updates and do upgrading.
Yet after all the excitement gone, and life settles back on iPad, I still find battery performance is not as it is used to be on iOS6.

So here's a very comprehensive guide, explained step by step to avoid unnecessary drop of battery. The best I saw ploughing through many articles.

It worked. (Make sure you do all the steps described)
Not to the extent of magical iOS 6 times, but still is a better option.
Many thanks to thameera for been the sounding board when things went wrong.

Pic Credit

When do we need a " Board of Life" ?

Shruti Challa said, an entrepreneur needs a "Board of Life".
Not a Board of Management, not mentors, but a Board of Life.

This board needs to have people whom you can fall back when things get screwed.
Life, Work, Projects, Personal, Health, what ever.
I agree.

Having access to them, on demand, is the key.
No, they do not have to allocate time, weekly or monthly, which is the popular belief on mentors. (Good mentors do not have that much time)

Pic Credit : Mike Hill

How a Sri Lankan rural startup won an award in UK

And when you thought that there's no positive thing in news on Sri Lanka, this pops up.

Amazing story. Entrepreneurship is well and alive in this country. And they are not in the limelight, like the superstars on TV, yet.
And no, you don't have to be "techy" to run a start-up. Or have ivy league credentials.
Imagine a day people talk of start-ups, just like they talk of super stars.

Nimali Gunawardana from Ambalantota in the Hambantota District was crowned last night as the UK’s Youth Business International (YBI) Start-Up Entrepreneur of the Year 2013 at an awards ceremony in London.

The award is endorsed by UK’s Prince of Wales and prior to receiving her award, she and other award winners had an audience with the Prince Charles.

Nimali runs a small-scale business named Nimali Chips and Fibre Mill, which produces and exports environmentally-friendly coir for mattresses and coir piths and more uniquely making coconut husk chips, which is a new industry.

Nimali, who comes from an impoverished background, was determined to overcome traditional ideas about women in Sri Lanka. However, a failed coir business venture and a lack of collateral meant that banks rejected her loan requests.

With the help of UK’s YBI member Youth Business Sri Lanka (YBSL), Nimali’s new business employs 13 people and is looking to generate a turnover of more than $ 39,200. And she is just 25 years old.

Nimali is one of seven children from an underprivileged family and she worked to pay for her higher education. Thereafter, to make ends meet, she became a machine operator in a garment factory.

Read FT full post here 

Pic courtesy: FT

7 things successful start-ups do.

1)  Get to work, fast

2)  Look for quick break even (i.e. simply, to get to that awesome state: income = cost), cash
generating projects.

3)  Offer high value products and services that can sustain direct personal selling.

4)  Not trying to hire the crack team.

5)  Growth, Growth, Growth.

6)  Focus on cash.

7)  Build relationship with their Bank (Bank Manager).

Exceptional list. This was taken from the article " Bootstrap finance: The art of start-ups" by Amar Bhide. I edited few words for simplicity.


Pic: Courtesy

How to use your android's data connection through USB on a Mac.

08 September 2013,

I wanted to use the data connection in Android phone on a Macbook.
Why? because I can have a solid internet connection from my phone data connection to my laptop with out needing a dongle. One data connection, 2 devices.

The operating systems: in android device - Ice cream sandwich(ICS) and in Mac - Mac OS X 10.7.2.

When I started my android journey in 2010 along side Fusion Smart Village, having a Google nexus one (on Ginger Bread) was the coolest thing :). I could simply enable the wifi hotspot in Ginger Bread OS and use the data connection as a wifi hotspot. And that was how the rural communities also used the smart phone as a shared device. Because of that, the smartphone was tagged by community as a "mobile telecentre". At that time I never tried the USB tethering option, which is, you simply connect android phone with USB cable to your computer. So now I wanted to try it with the new OS: ICS.

For simplicity, below is a technical explanation of tethering. There are 3 types of tethering. According to wikipedia,

"Tethering refers to connecting one device to another. In the context of mobile phones or Internet tablets, tethering allows sharing the Internet connection of the phone or tablet with other devices such as laptops. Connection of the phone or tablet with other devices can be done over wireless LAN (Wi-Fi), over Bluetooth or by physical connection using a cable, for example through USB.

If tethering is done over Wi-Fi, the feature may be branded as a Mobile Hotspot. The Internet-connected mobile device can thus act as a portable wireless access point and router for devices connected to it."

I tried about 6 different apps/drivers until I could yell " Got it!". It took about 4 hours.
Some of the apps needed installation from, both phone and laptop end. But would give error messages at the very last step.

The winner, the absolute beauty was " HoRNDIS". Very simple. I just downloaded a simple driver package, and installed. Then I connected the phone through USB cable, it automatically picks the connection. That's it ! . So go to their page here, and avoid wasting few good hours of your time. But be notified the solution works, if only you have Mac OS 10.6.8 (snow leopard) to 10.8.2 (Mountain Lion)

Useful Links:

The other notable apps I used can be found from this Mashable article.  But in my pursuit and also noted in many tech forums, most of them works fine for Windows, but not for Mac.
The most popular one is PdaNet, but that gives an error message on the last step: "error code "e00002c5".

So happy android tethering on Mac !. This is just my experience explained. There are many who try this.

Has it worked for you? If you are one using/trying, please drop a comment below.

Thanks Udara and Gopi for technical guidance earlier on ICS.

Pic: courtesy

Invention is not innovation

I met Prof.Malik Ranasinghe today at SLASSCOM CXO breakfast briefing. He was one of the panelists of the forum "Impact of policies concerning the internet on innovation and economic growth".
I have great respect for him. He was the Vice Chancellor when I was at University of Moratuwa. He bridged the Corporate - University deadlock by initiating key engagements.

He said" inventions are what we do at school and university level". Sri Lankan inventors are afraid. They are in constant fear that their ideas will be stolen by someone else. That is not innovation."

"Innovation happens when an idea gets viral to be adopted by general mass"

He went on to say, " if you want innovation to happen, get out of university, meet the industry, seek until someone buys your idea to make it main stream"


Pic: Getty Images Preview

Start-Up mindset

"Apple is the biggest start-up on the planet", said Steve jobs.

Start-ups are great way to fuel entrepreneurship in a society, to overcome challenges and seize opportunities. Organizations and people who's in the start-up mind set act fast, think agile.

No matter how large apple became, the organization breathed like a start-up. And that's how apple has achieved unparalleled creativity & innovation by rupturing many industries through tech.

This drives the point that learning about startups will help individuals and organizations at any given point in their life cycles.

Good news is, we don't need to be big like apple to be a startup, and grow.

image: Getty images preview

The lizard brain

The term "lizard brain" is coined by Seth Godin, in his new book ' The icarus deception'.
I read an article on the book, and "lizard brain" is:

Whether you know it or not, we all have what Godin refers to as a lizard brain. He says, "The lizard is a physical part of your brain, the pre-historic lump called the amygdala near the brain stem that is responsible for fear and rage and reproductive drive."

Godin has written a lot about this in previous books including Linchpin and Poke the Box and cites author Steven Pressfield for further explanation -- “As Pressfield describes it, the lizard brain is the resistance. The resistance is the voice in the back of our head telling us to back off, be careful, go slow, compromise. The resistance is writer's block and putting jitters and every project that ever shipped late because people couldn't stay on the same page long enough to get something out the door. The resistance grows in strength as we get closer to shipping, as we get closer to an insight, as we get closer to the truth of what we really want. That's because the lizard hates change and achievement and risk," Godin says in The Icarus Deception.

Quieting the lizard brain is a constant struggle for entrepreneurs. It is a skill that needs to be developed. But as we tune into the frequency of what we feel is the right decision and tune out the lizard brain we will be able to truly test our business plans and hypothesis.

The full article: Here

Having the best

Having the best is not a guarantee for success. Having it all neither.

Example: Purchasing Excel does not guarantee that I'll build an effective budget.
Getting the next best smart phone does not guarantee that I'll be punctual for the next meeting, despite having many calendar, time management apps.

Similarly, we can make excuses, 'we don't have this and that to get things done'.
Aspiring is a good thing, but it should not be an excuse.

Echelon magazine

This new magazine (print - Rs.140 ) has good graphics, in depth analysis, yet concise look at current business climate in Sri Lanka. I learned a lot. Made me think differently.

I also downloaded April issue from App Store. (Free ! )
It downloads in to 'News stand' app, and it is interactive. Commendable.

Looking forward to next issues.

Nugegoda wetland park

Joggers with earphones, kids on top of a war tank, birds Resting on trees after a hard day of flying, and cars circling to find parking space (not many spaces, sadly) are some of many happenings at new Nugegoda.

Just walking around, I liked the birds (lots of them, that I forgot I m in Nugegoda) and the beautiful evening sky (unlike the dull Nugegoda sky seen from the flyover)

Do visit.

See Yamu review.

Deep analysis or gut feeling ?

After many years of ups and downs, now I'm listening more to my gut feeling.
Analysis is about engaging my mind.

Listening to gut is all about heart.
When listening to gut, I don't need anybody to advise me, whether I do right or wrong.
My stomach would be heated if I do wrong. That is my consciousness.
Every time I overrode that judgment to do some analysis, things got messy .

So, from now on, I will be respecting my gut more. After all that's the best judge.

P.S. it's not that I will completely avoid analysis. Just that I would give more prominence to my gut.

Bottle of water Vs Coffee

Yes, bottle of water is my new addition in the car.
Not a fancy thing, but it is fixing a bad habit.

I used to stop for coffee, plus random snack, when ever I felt exhausted, driving through dense traffic in Colombo. Though I knew my habit is unhealthy, I kept on doing ( signs of addiction).

Now with water bottle, I keep my self hydrated, during the breaks (sometimes Big Breaks ! ) at color lights. It is refreshing, and keep me occupied in stressful waits in long traffic. And I don't feel for a coffee break. Great on health, and of course on wallet.

Best thing on Lankan youtube, since JehanR

I saw one video of 'Kushan & Srimal show' on youtube.
Interested, I checked their other videos as well.
The act is young and creative (trying hard to pursue their passion).

' Chooti malli & podi malli' was a huge success on TV and radio. Now they can be found selling literally many things. TV and radio channels put their stuff on youtube to get eyes and ears back in to their channels.

Then came Jehan R, and dominated the youtube thing.

'Kushan & Srimal show' is in Sinhala and so much youtuby.

To Subscribe to their channel, click here.

Right View

This video is worth sharing, and listened to, at least 10 times. It's the latest talk by Ajahn Brahm on 'right view'. Link to video here.

He also mention about the religion mess in Sri Lanka, and explains how hierarchy in religion distorts the right view and in-fact become a wrong view. I am a fan of Ajahn Brahm, and this talk, is a gem.

4th April - TEDxYouthColombo

Me and Udara will be talking at this year's TEDxYouthColombo event, on 4th April (This Thursday) starting at 0530 PM at APIIT.


Click these links to follow TEDxYouthColombo on Twitter (Note: a protected account) and Facebook page.

Theme for this year is " Positive Disruption". We will be talking about our lives and work around Sarvodaya-Fusion.

TED with its mission of " ideas worth spreading" has created a unique platform for speakers to tell their ideas to a global audience, in less than 18 minutes.

Gonna be fun. To register for the event fill in this form. 

2 of the talks I adore from TED archives are below, which will give you the flavor of the event.

"How to use a paper towell" - a 5 minute (short, but brilliantly presented) talk, on something we all can do, right from this moment.

"Bring on the learning revolution" - a talk by Sir Ken Robinson. One of my favourite talks of all time.

Kindle basic, still rocks my world

I am a kindle fan for 2.5 years now.

On reading books, I used androids, iPods and recently a ipad mini (which I thought will make kindle redundant)
But, there are somethings that do not change.

I love to flip pages and smell the papery aroma of print books.
I love the electronic ink technology of kindle basic, that is almost like reading a paper back. It never hurt my eyes, unlike the bright glare rich screens of smart devices (including kindle fire).

And kindle basic lets me focus on the book, only on the book, with its simple rudimentary design.
Hence, kindle basic, still rocks.

Weekend

Weekend - the period from Friday evening through Sunday evening, esp. regarded as a time for leisure (from Dictionary)

Does weekend matter?
Do we really have weekend?
Why do we wait until the weekend for the fun? Does that mean the weekdays are not fun?

What is fun, anyway?
Staying away from traffic? no deadlines looming? no body disturbing you?

It's been revealing to me, that people do not like Sundays.

They feel that they are edging closer to Monday, the worst day of week. So the best day for most is Saturday. And oh, some people work half day, on saturdays.
So we have a very limited time frame sandwiched between some where on Saturday and somewhere on Sunday. And that upcoming deadline next week, constantly nagging at the mind on Saturday too. So, we dont really have a week end. Wow.

I've been thinking. Week end, week days - all these notions do not matter. We have 7 days in a week, and 52 weeks in a year. That's lot of time. So instead of cornering life to week days and week ends, might as well look at them as weeks. eg: "I will do this stuff this week, and that stuff next week". And the "stuff" should make us happy. Otherwise no point, eh?

Experience

Illustration of Christopher Columbus writing by candlelight in journal using quill

People I talk to, including me, are very busy. So many things are "happening".

Been busy is good, but if they are not reflected upon, they become mere "happenings". Life can be unforgiving if you only have "happenings"

"Experience" is an overrated word. Experience is not a substitute for happenings.

We get experience when we analyse and reflect our happenings. Or else we are overwhelmed. 

To get experience, we need to reflect, on both bad and good. And we need to write them down. Then you will see some patterns. Find your own balance. I found these 4 habits useful.

>pic courtesy

If you are going through hell...

Last few weeks have been great, exciting and demanding. Great new things are forming at Fusion front. 

Aslo I had few chances of getting close to best of friends from Uni days. 

Thing is, we might not have kept constant contact with each of us, but when we do, it all comes back. The great memories, the creative energy that we shared. 

And then comes the hell. A sickness out of no where sweeps the whole energy building inside. You want to get up and kick some grass, but then again conserving energy and moving consciously becomes the art of balancing the energy, for the long run, for the end game.

So yeah, if you are going through hell...keep going.

> pic courtesy

Coding. Anyone?

I had to do Chemical and Process Engineering at Uni, because I was below the GPA needed for software engineering. Yet that could not deter my determination to be around software.
At uni, I had 2 friends who were totally nuts about entertainment. We made songs, documentaries and imagined a world where people having a good time, with software, agile enough to serve anyone's needs.

Of course, I started my career as a Sales Engineer at a software company. Then a senior Accountant at a Telco. Communications, software, excited me, and I worked my self in periphery, understanding the processes that make a phone call possible, a web site up and running.

I loved coding, but was too busy seeing the big picture.

Now, I am at Fusion, doing ICT for Development and Mobile for development. Eagerly awaiting the next wave of technology to come and lift the lives of rural communities.

Coding is a very fun thing. You can change lives. Now anyone with a tint of motivation can go beyond. Watch the video. Be inspired.

I want to find a job in Kantale

This was what a 'Fusion Education' student said to me while visiting him at Kantale.

The question I asked was "do you want a job in Colombo?". I was curious, as majority wants to come to Colombo for greener pastures.

The following was his answer - an answer that got me thinking for few weeks now, and drives me for the next innovation idea.

" Colombo is expensive. As a beginner, I won't be able to afford cost of living there. If I can stay in Kantale, I can save money, and take care of my parents too "

He knows jobs are scarce in his neighborhood. Yet he's willing to test his nerves on entrepreneurship too.

This is one of many examples, on why I have faith in youth of this nation.

Career instead of job

Remember the excitement of landing at your first job?
We all are desperate for this - the first job.

Then over time, the excitement reduces to a daily - must do chore - to make ends meet.
This happens when you continue to hunt for better jobs.

There's another way - more successful - and ever exciting.
Hunt for a career.

Jobs depend on demand and supply of HR markets.
Career depends on , well, you.

Career is a life long process of renewing your self, understanding and sharpening your strengths and align with new trends.
Jobs are fun, until you are no longer needed at your office, or you are fed up with it.

Thinking of your career drives you for the right job, or better still, the job finds you.
That's the only difference. The only thing that matters - for happiness.

Fundamentals in the age of abundance

We read books : fundamentals of X, basics of Y. It takes time to read and put them in to practice. And it requires routine practice to master.

On Internet we read: 5 ways to win X, how to make Y in 45 minutes. This does not take much time, and sure feels like a cheat sheet. And Internet comes with heaps of free and ever increasing new advise in abundance.

Free access to new knowledge does not guarantee value over time. It may most probably drive you down, consuming your precious time.

Fundamentals in the other hand, put in to practice, sharpens over time. So be careful, and take time to revisit fundamentals.

"Why me?"

If I don't ask "why me?" after my victories, I cannot ask "why me?" after my set backs and disasters ~ Arthur Ashe

By default people do not remember much of the good times. The sooner we hit a bad patch, we forget we had good times.

Life is about ups and downs. That's what makes it exciting - worthy to pursue happiness and be inspired.

Problem is our over excitement. In happy times - we over joy, not wanting the happy feeling to go away. In sad times - we get agitated and depressed, want the bad feeling to go away, quickly. If we can master this over excitement, pausing each time we are over excited, to think - " This too is temporary" (in both happy and sad times) we can find peace. Peace of mind is something better than striving for happiness at all times.

Pic courtesy: desuza.communications

Life's little luxuries

Today I woke up at 430. First thing I do, is haul my self out of bed, and switch on the lights. I heard the 'tick' sound, but was still in dark. Hmm. I remembered. Last night it was lightning so hard, it might have made the trip switch off. I went there and, yes it was off. I pulled it up, and was still in dark.

I looked around. Usually my neighbors are up at this time, and I heard them talking, in dark. Duh.

I slept last night around 830, exhausted by a weary day of work. And the immediate thought came to my mind was 'this would be a bad day'.

I switched the flash light of my ever reliable Samsung Hero phone, and went to wash room. I turned on the tap, and water came gushing through my finger tips. I marveled at it for few seconds. Then I washed my face. I felt happy, peaceful. These things, electricity and water have become so common, and I hardly appreciate them. But these little moments, when they get absent, with out warning, we understand what 'luxuries' we have, unnoticed in the mad rush of life.

I sat down, smiling, " life ain't that bad ".

We left a bit early today, no cooking, aiming to eat out.

And when I came to Katubedda junction, the color lights were not working. Even with the thin traffic in that early hour, still people were mad, with out color lights. How many times have I cursed traffic lights before ? Huh. As I moved towards Ratmalana, I could see lights & colour lights in their glory. Oh how I took these for granted. 

Rating for Movies shown in Sri Lanka?

"Rating for movies shown in Sri Lanka?" This was the question asked by Robin, a British volunteer at Fusion. I said " I am not sure, Why?"

He explained. He went to Savoy to watch 'Hansel and Gretel' and was horrified to see small children (Age 4-5) in the audience. According to him, the movie has violence worse than 'Django Unchained'. And he had seen children crying during the interval.

And I quote Robin again " I can understand theaters in Sri Lanka showing public announcements  against smoking. But what about violence? And no rating ? "

Food for thought. Leave aside theaters, it's up to parents to be aware and be understood about the movie before purchasing tickets.

Go to imdb.com, type ' Hansel and Gretel ' and you'd see a R rating, and reasons why it is so. Even 'Madagascar' has a PG rating. Hmm.

Pic courtesy: moviechopshop.com 

Sri Siddhartha Gautama

On the movie

Good to see right blend of technology in a Lankan movie. Glad to see Indian, Lankan collaboration. Nice to see an age old story been recreated with minimum controversies. A great effort.

Many don't like the slow pace of this movie. I liked it, because the slowness of story line, sinks in the struggle of the prince, up until his departure from worldly affairs. The movie briefly shows Siddhartha's 6 year journey from departure from his palace up until enlightenment. Yet, the movie mainly carries the life of the prince, not of Buddha. Creating the life of prince and his struggle to make terms with things he was forced to, is wonderfully recreated. I enjoyed the novel 'Buddha' by Deepak Chopra, because it projected the real vulnerable prince in confusion. This movie comes so close in projecting those emotions well. But there were issues with casting. Overall I am happy for the movie, and to see 'houseful' signs at Sri Lanka cinema halls for a Lankan movie. Here's the list of halls, show times and contact numbers.

On the cinema hall

Tower Cinema Hall at Moratuwa was a disaster. 'Cattle shed' is the best title I can give. yes - ODC is Rs.100, balcony is Rs.130, and parking is just Rs. 20. 

But, BUT, they can't really make patrons sweat like pigs? Let seats crack and cushions to come out? To have a sound system that my mother cannot really understand most of the words? Not to maintain at-least the existing exhaust fans? Atleast make effort to rotate their age old fans?

For goodness sake, the shows are houseful, ordinary people are buzzing around cinema gates to get in. They come in van loads, the whole families, to enjoy a Lankan movie !

When was the last time that happened in Sri Lanka? 

Anyways, enjoyed a movie, with parents, despite bitter life conditions. :)

Hats off to the producers of the movie.

'Kadal' to 'Vishwaroopam'. Madness.

As politicians & religious leaders are busy deciding whether we should watch Vishwaroopam or not, I write this to put forward a simple view.

I watched 'Kadal' yesterday. I am amazed why Christians did not protest about it. That movie seriously looks deeply in to humanity through life around church in a coastal village in Southern India. It has lot of humour and at the start, Christianity gets a battering (Or it assumes, for dramatic intent). So why not ban 'Kadal' as well.

Then why ' Sankhara' and ' Suriya Arana' was not banned? Both revolves around Buddhism, and talks on sensitive issues: Former on sexuality of a monk and later on how poverty makes poor people stray away from values and principles.

Anyways, it is sad that creative interpretation of things that matters to people, get blocked by people have no idea how a common man struggles to live.

And oh, if you are sick about this racial crap, watch 'Oh my God'. 100% honest movie - makes you think, out of your box - out of your religion.

'Kadal' - The sea

It's released here in Sri Lanka, parallel to India on Feb 01st.

I saw it today thanks to seeing a tweet from Arun, who happened to see it yesterday. Then he provided me details about the cinema hall (EROS, Pamankada) and show times. Otherwise there's no way to find details on web. So thanks Arun!

@isura show times 10.30pm, 2.30pm and 6.30pm. Not sure of booking but there were too many free seats yesterday. @twitsath
— R.Arunothayan (@Me_ArunR) February 2, 2013

And I had been told over phone by theatre that they have a 930 pm show. (Guess it is only on weekends, please verify that)

@isura 0112365030 - Eros Theatre Number. Talk to them and see bro, not sure of weekend bookings!
— R.Arunothayan (@Me_ArunR) February 2, 2013

I Liked the movie. Story was moving, never a boring gap.

Most importantly, Mani Ratnam is a director, who's down to earth. I cannot find fake, made up fluffy dolls in his movies. He creatively brings out real characters, closer to our region, in their authentic flavour. (Bollywood is mostly fake wannabe Hollywood characters, with no spec of reality.

The story revolves around a battle between Good and evil. All the characters have a grey element. Neither 100% good nor 100% evil. Movie projects that compassion can smooth grudges and life can be re-started at any point, if one wishes to.

Beautiful movie. Great music (Rahman does it again - a maestro in every sense). 

This is my first time at Eros cinema. Lots of chatter and yelling. Signs of superb movie loving audience. Absolutely enjoyed the whole experience (Not just the movie)

And oh, the official trailer above is meh. It does not capture the essence of movie. Not at all. Glad that I did not see it before seeing the movie. Otherwise, I would not have watched it. So don't judge this movie by its trailer :)

Let me know your thoughts, if you do see it.

Django Unchained

It is one hell of a movie. 'Hell' is for 2 things. One for its wonderful story telling. Two is for its' gross depiction of the hell, that America was, during the period of slavery.

Watch it at your own discretion. Violence is shown in the most detailed form, that it took me hours to get out of sombre feelings. But I learned something valuable. The slave trade did not happen because whites were superior. It happened because blacks admitted whites were superior. One stand, One man, against the tide, is the difference between , I mean, everything.

Power packed movie. Great pack of actors. Can't ask for more. In-fact too much.

Wisdom from Rizana's mother

Rizana's mother - Ms.Rafeena Nafeek

I read a post from BBC titled "Sri Lanka's Rizana Nafeek: Mother forgives Saudi beheading".

And here I extract few quotes from Rizana's mother. We have many things to learn and think.

There's no point in blaming anyone - Rizana has gone 

We only got to know [about] her execution from the media. They [the Saudi authorities] should have at least told us about it.

Even our request to get her body to Sri Lanka was refused.
Mrs Nafeek urged other impoverished families not to send their daughters for domestic work in Saudi Arabia or anywhere else.

Instead she said that they should educate their children, a wish that Rizana had expressed for her own young siblings before her death.

Read the full post here 

Pic courtesy: BBC

Sarath, you'll be deeply missed.

I ve met SARATH only once. But feels like known him for ages. Never heard any negative comment bout him from his circles...lessons for life.
— isura(@isura) January 20, 2013

Today, I've made my final respect for Sarath, very early in the morning. I've talked to his wife (Roshini) and his mother's sister (aunty Devi). The reason for me to pay respect for this wonderful human being is explained above in my tweet.

I went to Coco in 2010, just to see what the heck this place was, because I never seen any restaurant been tweeted that much, almost venerated by the patrons. There I realized why people come to Coco. It's not just the food, it is the pool of energy swirled around Sarath, that people engaged in. 

When I listened to his wife and aunty today, I understood how peaceful this man was with such diversity around him. He was devoted to his enterprise, and staff just adore him. Blessed with a beautiful family, he made them all feel energetic. He may have left us at early age of 39, but I can see his legacy continuing and his energy flowing - through the people he had touched. 

I learned a lot today,  on how a life should be spent. Thanks Sarath for the wonderful life, you lived, which is the message you are leaving with us. Good Bye.

You may pay your respects from 20th January 2013 till 3pm on the 21st at 96 Barnes Place, Colombo 7. yfrog.com/h8uc7yokj
— Coco Veranda (@cocoveranda) January 20, 2013

Cremation will be held on 21 January 2013 at 4.30 PM at the General Cemetery, Borella, Hindu Section.
— Coco Veranda (@cocoveranda) January 20, 2013

Friends, in case you missed, there'll be a twitter-pause of 1hour beginning at 4.30pm (11.00 GMT) to honor our beloved friend @sarathsc #lka
— Gopiharan Perinpam (@gopiharan) January 21, 2013

Intellectual discussions Vs Direct Apprehension

It's very easy to attach and posses by intellectual discussions, to avoid direct apprehension of our lives.

If we get lost in these distractions, we would loose the chance of facing our emotions and passions in their rude raw reality.

If we do not go in to the root cause of our unpleasant and painful emotions and feelings, we will become lost in extreme pleasure and pain, mistaking their common appearance to be permanent.

Pic Credit: Peter Booth

Mobile for development

Info-graphic by World bank below shows the potential of Mobiles for development. The one thing I am passionate about. Here's the link to their site.