Bullock carts, 'parana-coat' men, local blacksmiths and 'thorombel' vendors are among the fading images of Sri Lanka.
Bullock carts which once ruled the streets are hardly ever seen.
Today women do not wait for 'parana coat' sellers to exchange used clothes for household items. Thorombel vendors carrying fancy items, toys and household goods in small carts have become a rarity..
"Today people opt for more convenient ways of purchasing. Instead they go to shops.
They do not collect clothes and wait for us to come", says K. Nandasena, who used walk from house-to-house with plastics items to be exchanged for old clothes.
P. Wilson, a blacksmith from Grandpass said, "This is a skill passed down from generation to generation. "But we do not have business anymore. A new knife or scissor replaces one that gets blunt," he said.
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| Knife-grinder P. Wilson laments that people rarely sharpen blunt knives or scissors these days |
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| Today people do not wait for the parana coat sellers to exchange used clothes for household items |
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| Bullock carts are a rare
sight today |
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