Notes on the Sri Lankan struggle

The black, red and yellow sign written in bold letters across the white walls of Temple Trees, the official residence of Sri Lanka's prime minister, stated 'mahajanathawa sandaha wivurthai' (open to the public). The public needed no invitation to occupy these government buildings, which up until then had excluded them. The grounds inside Temple Trees were full of unsolicited visitors who were relaxing on the lawn, strolling, taking selfies, possibly ruminating on the fact that the lush, well-maintained grass they 'trespassed' on would have housed posh events for diplomats in the recent past. These scenes of calm and levity following the massive 'Whole Country to Colombo' protests on 9 July 2022, are sometimes invisibilised in international media coverage that focuses more on the 'hurly burly' of violent clashes.

In contrast to the inquisitive public inside Temple Trees, two months prior, on 9 May, there was an angry, frustrated crowd on the other side of the enormous black gate at the prime ministerial residence. They were using decrepit police barricades as battering rams. I still remember the screech of the wheels as the 'battering rams' were pulled back and then pushed towards the gate by people who were running along with it to maximise momentum. 'Bang!', the impact was heard by onlookers and probably felt by the ones 'driving' the barrier. 'Bang!', another barrier made a dent, and the gate shuddered and moved an inch. The successive bangs were rhythmic and pulsating. The tension and anger in the air were palpable.