THE NAME, FLAG & ANTHEM OF THE NATION There has been a lot of discussion on the appearance in public of a sticker with a particular spin on what can be argued to be the true name of this island, “Sinhale”.
“Sinha-Le,” literally (of the) Lion (Sinha) Blood, with the first part in yellow and the last or ‘le’ element in red first appeared in social media when someone got a tattoo done, took a picture and posted it on Facebook. Since then it has gone viral in Sri Lanka. While a particular group has happily piggybacked on the term and extremist ‘interpreters’ have indulged in vandalism that is a clear articulation of virulent communalism, by and large, this ‘campaign’ if you want to call it that, has been marked by a disorganization that can only indicate that it has resonated with something felt on the ground.
There has been a lot of discussion on the appearance in public of a sticker with a particular spin on what can be argued to be the true name of this island, “Sinhale”.
“Sinha-Le,” literally (of the) Lion (Sinha) Blood, with the first part in yellow and the last or ‘le’ element in red first appeared in social media when someone got a tattoo done, took a picture and posted it on Facebook. Since then it has gone viral in Sri Lanka. While a particular group has happily piggybacked on the term and extremist ‘interpreters’ have indulged in vandalism that is a clear articulation of virulent communalism, by and large, this ‘campaign’ if you want to call it that, has been marked by a disorganization that can only indicate that it has resonated with something felt on the ground.
