Swine flu panics, the death of a musical legend, financial frauds, discovering water on the moon, the homely Scottish spinster who wooed a snickering audience and an excessive overdose of “I’mma let you finish but..” jokes at the expense of Kanye West – these are few things which 2009 will be defined by, the world over.
Closer to home, 2009 will be the year that saw the end of a long drawn war, the attack on our cricketers at Lahore and the opening of the A9 road among many other things.
Either way, it’s evident that 2009 was one of those years which left its imprint on numerous people in more ways than one. The Mirror Magazine caught up with a few people to find out the significance of 2009 and what they look forward to most, in 2010.
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| Anam |
Halik |
Gerald |
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| Milinda |
Subha |
Tehani |
Subha Wijesiriwardena (21) an actor and dancer who lives in Colombo says that the military defeat of the LTTE was a significant moment for all Sri Lankans in the previous year.
“The ‘end’ of the war incited a lot of discussion and debate. It seemed as though everywhere I went, this is all people talked about - and even within myself, it forced me to try and articulate what my own feelings were,” says Subha explaining that her involvement in ‘The Travelling Circus’, a production by Mind Adventures Theatre Company gave her a chance to unravel her feelings about the ethnic conflict, and more importantly, express herself.
Subha elaborates that despite true reconciliation being more within our reach than it has ever been, she feels we still remain divided by paranoia and repressed by the abuse of power. “Early in 2010 we will bear witness to a probably very incredible Presidential Election - I can’t hope to predict the outcome! But I do hope, very much, that whoever it is that comes into power will govern over Sri Lanka with honesty, with justice. I hope that we can end decades of violence and intolerance and corruption and injustice. The war maybe ‘won’ but I think the battle is far from over,” says Subha.
Guru (24) a Law student found 2009 to be politically the most devastating. “Tamil politics is at its lowest ebb. Paradoxically it also provides a space, provided through a high cost, of thinking about minority politics in a completely different way. The year has made me more political and cynical about politics at the same time. Personally this is my year of graduation in law. I have never imagined that my career choices will be so restricted by the politics of this country. 2010 will be in many ways a decider.”
For Anam Omar (19), a second year Mechanical Engineering student at the University of Pennsylvania, USA, 2009 left its scars in the form of a personal upheaval. “A lot of defining moments happened in 2009, but all that seems trivial now because, my 18-year-old cousin died. Automatically, I shut myself from the rest of the world, buried myself in work. But I realized I had to find some way to connect with what I was feeling and only then would I begin to heal. I am working on this realization right now. This is probably the one significant moment that stood out in my life last year,” she explains.
Providing a tech take on the past year and what 2010 may bring our way Milinda Tillekeratne, (27), a Web and Portal Developer says “2009 was a year that sent probably a few fortune tellers out of business, with unpredictable events like the First Black American President, The End to our Brutal War, The Fall of a Sri Lankan Business Tycoon and his small fortune and lastly the untimely demise of the greatest entertainer, Michael Jackson.
"From a Techy point of view, the 40th anniversary of the Internet was celebrated with more interactive web sites based on Web2.0, the New Web Standard. There was too a fresh look at website naming conventions such as del.icio.us. Social Networking/Media took off, much to our employers dislike dominating the time spent on the Internet, with Facebook and Twitter battling it out at the top. Lastly while the iPhone dominated the foreign markets, many Sri Lankans went after the cheaper Chinese option that looked identical to your Nokia.
"2010 may well be the year of Google, with Google Wave looking to revolutionize the way we communicate, which may very well turn email into a dinosaur of sorts. As long as I can remember our wish for the New Year, has been for “Peace & Prosperity”. Now that we’ve achieved peace, let’s aim to make it last and bring prosperity to all of us.”
“Personally, 2009 was the year of graduation, returning home, my first post-grad job and meeting some really amazing people,” says Tehani Ariyaratne, (23) who is currently working at the Centre for Poverty Analysis.
Adds Tehani, “As a Sri Lankan, of course it was the year that the war ended, technically, and all the possibilities of reconciliation and reconstruction that came with it. I remember the war ended during my final few weeks at university, when I was trying to decide what I wanted to do, and it seemed like home was the place to be at that moment. "
Marketing Executive and Business student, Abdul Halik Azeez (24) says he’s still getting used to the refreshing lack of tension now that the war is over. “Even though we are still unable to freely access the whole island, things are improving and I had a great time travelling along the East Coast recently,” he adds.
“On the downside, the economy has taken a hit; I and a lot of people I know have felt it. Causes have ranged from bad economic management to the global recession and we as a nation are almost in limbo, with prosperity and collapse both within our grasp.
"Although I am happy that the war is over the cynic in me doubts a completely rosy future. There is an unhealthy sense of helplessness and apathy when it comes to good governance among Sri Lankans that is creepily reminiscent of the past.
"We shouldn’t forget how the uprisings of the last four decades have made use of people who have felt marginalized and discarded. So if it is lasting peace we want then changes and tough choices will have to be made by our leadership and people to create a more inclusive society. Sitting and hoping is not enough, we as citizens must take action in any way we can,” says Abdul Halik.
“The year 2009 was, to me, a great big sap of a year. Except for the war of course,” says Gerald Pereira (20) a student of Interactive Media, “I was working a job as a designer and hadn’t yet started my further studies. Nothing much happened that caused me to exclaim in surprise, joy or horror. But yes, the war was the one thing that stood out.
“As for 2010, I think the biggest thing to look out for would be re-allocation of money usually spent on defence on other things for the development of people, like healthcare, farming or concessions on video game consoles, for example; just throwing it out there, you know?”
Overall 2009 has had a fair share of highs and lows, though perhaps more lows for the young adults of Sri Lanka it would seem. If one thing is for certain it’s that with the curtain call for the war last year, the country is currently at a pivotal stage in deciding its future. What occurs over the next few years will tip it in a direction that can either send it reeling into the past 25 years or drive it forward to prosperity.To ensure their future, the young adults of today will have a Herculean task ahead of them, and 2010 is the first step. |
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