Articles in Roar

Asiff Hussein 29 March 2018 Wellawatte, in the southernmost limit of Colombo, is such a hive of activity today that it is hard to believe it was a sparsely populated place a little over a century ago. Its Sinhala meaning, ‘sandy garden’, itself suggests a rather deserted area. It was then …

Asiff Hussein 29 March 2018 Names of places are not just names, they give us a peep into the history of those places. This is because places are often identified by a distinguishing characteristic or incident, and though these features have long passed into non-existence, the names still survive. Here lies …

Asiff Hussein 17 February 20180 Bambalapitiya, in the heart of downtown Colombo, is arguably one of the most exciting places to be in the city, with shopping malls, bookshops, restaurants, and hotels lining its streets. The name is still quite intriguing as no one has been able to convincingly trace …

Asiff Hussein 1 February 2018 The Bohras are hard to miss: the men are unmistakable in their snow-white robes, luxuriant beards, and caps of gold lace, and the women in their dainty dresses of pastel hue. The Bohras stand out everywhere, but not just because of their appearance. They have …

Asiff Hussein 16 August 2017 The Parsis of Sri Lanka are an intriguing community. They are very small; so small that you can count their families—the Billimorias, Captains, Choksys, Pestonjees, and Jillas—with your fingers. There are only around 40 Parsis in Sri Lanka at present. At no time during their …

Asiff Hussein 20 January 2018 It goes without saying that Fort is the Heart of Colombo. Little wonder it still goes by the ward name of Colombo 01. All roads begin from it, so to say. The President’s House, Police Headquarters, Central Bank, tourist offices and business houses all bear witness …

Asiff Hussein   25 September 2017 Clothing, influenced by fashion trends, has been fickle in many cultures, liberally undergoing changes over time.  This is more so today than ever before. Fashion changes—although admittedly not as frenzied as today—also took place in the olden days, so much so that one can easily …

  Asiff Hussein 19 February 2017 Little do we realise that names are the foundation of all knowledge. Naming people and things makes it easier for us to make sense of our world. In the Muslim creation story, for example, we are told how God taught Adam the names of …

Asiff Hussein 5 April 2017 When we Sri Lankans think of crabs, we invariably think of the edible kind from our seas and lagoons that make such a scrumptious meal. A whole culinary culture based on crab has taken root in the country, as is evident in the number of …