The current severe political and economic situation in Sri Lanka recently led to a default on debt obligations. The country's foreign exchange reserves are also nearly exhausted, which restricts its ability to purchase imports and drives up local prices for goods. This crisis has a number of root causes, and the resulting economic upheaval has led to widespread unrest and bloodshed. Some of the contributing elements to Sri Lanka's current situation are illustrated in this figure. Sri Lanka had months of turmoil due to rising prices, food and fuel shortages, and protracted power outages. As a result of the country's government being deposed, it experienced its first sovereign debt default since gaining independence from Britain in 1948. The island's foreign exchange difficulties and subsequent violent outbursts made it more challenging to raise further funds to support its tourism-based economy, which had already been severely harmed by the Covid-19 outbreak.
What steps did the government take?
The Rajapaksa administration first delayed talks with the IMF despite the economic crisis was getting worse. Opposition politicians and experts have been on the administration to act for months, but it has refused in the hope that tourism will rise. A significant chunk of public fury is directed against President Gotabaya Rajapaksa and his brother, former Prime Minister Mahinda Rajapaksa. When the president banned the import of synthetic fertilizers in April 2021, the supply of the country's key rice crop was wiped out, driving up rice prices. The administration eventually turned to China and India, two regional powerhouses vying for control of the island. According to India, it has sent more than $3.5 billion in aid this year. China made less public interventions but stated that it supported the country's debt-restructuring initiatives
1. Visit Sri Lanka.
Since Sri Lanka has a serious financial crisis, it is really high time to travel there. You have the
opportunity to assist and save it as a result. One of the most valuable islands in the world is Sri Lanka.
Sri Lanka has it all, including a tropical climate, gorgeous sandy beaches, lush, deep-green forests that
sway to the sound of birdsong, high-altitude hilltop retreats, a wide variety of animals, and active tea
plantations. Cities and towns in Sri Lanka are bursting with color, noise, and activity, preserving and
appreciating the country's great heritage.
Its varied landscape is home to significant holy sites, temples, and historic remains that are just waiting
to be discovered, as well as charming villages and tiny towns that are scattered along the coast or tucked
away in the countryside.
Are you trying to find a place to go on vacation where you can get away from the worries of everyday
life? Are you trying to find a place where you may escape the stresses of regular life and enter a state of
bliss?
No need to search further; Sri Lanka, a little island nation shaped like a droplet of water beneath the
Indian peninsula, has plenty to offer any daring traveler. Don't let Sri Lanka's small fool you—the country
packs a powerful tourist punch.
Due to its pristine beaches, rocky hills, and flowing lush green meadows, as well as its rich biodiversity,
diversified flora and fauna, and ancient culture, Sri Lanka is one of the MUST-VISIT destinations on
anyone's list.
Simply because of these factors, Sri Lanka ought to be on your choice of destinations for your upcoming
holiday. After years of civil war, Sri Lanka has fallen off the tourist map. However, that is no longer the
case, and when considering Sri Lanka as a travel destination, it is clear that being cut off from the rest of
the world for such a long time has its benefits.
2. For the first time in decades, northern Sri Lanka is now accessible to foreign tourists, giving you a chance
to experience the country's true character. Both untouched and uncrowded.
In the US, the annual worth of tea is $1 billion.
It contributes 15% to the nation's GDP and provides work for more than a million people.
It is likewise regarded as being superior to Indian tea.
You can take a few days to explore the tea region by train, stay on a plantation, and go hiking.
Tea
Tea is valued $1 billion each year in the United States. It generates 15% of the country's GDP and
employs over 1 million people. It is also thought to be superior to Indian tea. Over several days, you can
travel by train, stay on a plantation, and hike around the tea country.
Colombo.
Sri Lanka's capital is Colombo. This enormous metropolis is a thriving metropolis with a fascinating mix
of cultural and historical influences. Colombo isn't commonly thought of as a stand-alone destination, so
we usually save it for the last day of our journeys.
3. Sigirya
Sigirya is a palace erected on top of a very large rock by an exiled king to hide from his brother. After the
king died, it was abandoned and utilized as a Buddhist monastery until the 14th century. Sigiriya is
becoming Sri Lanka's most visited historic site.
4. Galle
The Portuguese occupiedin the 16th century. The Galle fort is a UNESCO World Heritage Site and Asia's
largest remaining European-built stronghold.
The Sri Lankan economy is in a crisis.
Sri Lanka is currently experiencing a severe economic and political crisis that recently resulted in a
default on debt obligations. Additionally, the nation's foreign exchange reserves are almost depleted,
which limits its ability to buy imports and raises domestic costs for goods.
There are several causes for this crisis, and the economic unrest has spawned widespread unrest and
bloodshed. This diagram explains some of the contributing factors to Sri Lanka's current predicament.
People power campaign aims to remove president
Thousands of people wait in a long line that extends to the end of the street outside the president's
office in Colombo to learn how their leaders have been conducting themselves. Men, women, and kids
will all in to take a look.
The White House is one of the most secure structures in the nation and one of the emblems of power.
These individuals think they have succeeded in removing the president and prime minister from office
through the power of the people.
5. Even though the president has said he will stand down on Wednesday, none of those things have yet
occurred. If he doesn't formally retire, the conflict will last a very long time.
On Sunday, protesters were standing their ground inside the president's palace of occupation.
Nirosha Sudarshini Hutchinson, who was at the compound with her two teenage daughters, expressed
her sadness by saying, "I feel sorry."
"A man who was democratically elected president has to resign in such an unflattering manner. We now
feel guilty about supporting him."
On Sunday, other Sri Lankan lawmakers gathered to talk on how to handle a seamless transfer of power.
Within a week of the president's formal resignation, the speaker of Sri Lanka's parliament told the BBC
World Service Newshour program, a new cross-party coalition administration would need to be formed.
According to political analyst and human rights attorney Bhavani Fonseka, "the next couple of days are
going to be incredibly unpredictable times as to see what transpires politically." She also said it would be
fascinating to see if the two leaders "really resign."
Sri Lanka: A primer
Off the coast of southern India, on an island, is Sri Lanka. In 1948, it achieved freedom from British
sovereignty. The nation's 22 million people are divided into three ethnic groups: Muslims, Sinhalese, and
Tamils.
For years, one family of brothers has dominated: After years of a brutal and bloody civil conflict,
Mahinda Rajapaksa's administration overcame Tamil separatist insurgents in 2009, making him a hero
among the majority Sinhalese. The current president, Gotabaya, who was the defense secretary at the
time, has announced his resignation.
Despite sharing many executive duties with the prime minister, who is in charge of the majority party in
parliament, the president of Sri Lanka is the country's head of state, government, and military.
Now that there is an economic crisis, there is rage on the streets: there are rolling blackouts, shortages
of some groceries, medicines, and fuel as a result of rising inflation, and the Rajapaksa family and their
government are being blamed by many.
6. Sri Lankan heritage?
Anuradhapura, Polonnaruwa, and Digamadulla are just a few of the world's historic towns that may be
found in Sri Lanka, which has a history dating back roughly three thousand years. In the midst of the
soaring mountains are the abandoned remnants of these formerly majestic settlements, complete with
their palaces, temples, monasteries, hospitals, and theaters.
Of all the historical attractions, the Kingdom of Anuradhapura is the most well-known and breathtaking.
The third-longest-serving capital of Sri Lanka and one of the oldest continuously inhabited towns in the
world is one of the most revered by Buddhists worldwide. It served as Sri Lanka's capital from the fourth
century BC until the turn of the eleventh century, making it one of South Asia's longest-lasting and most
stable hubs of political power and urban activity. On the other hand, the city itself is significantly older
than the Kingdom of Anuradhapura and may have existed as early as the ninth century BC, according to
archeological findings. Due to repeated South Indian invasions, Anuradhapura was abandoned; over
time, it was forgotten before being rediscovered in the early 19th century.
The second-oldest kingdom in Sri Lanka, Polonnaruwa, first served as the country's governmental center
in the ninth century BC. Farmers in and around Polonnaruwa continue to receive irrigation water
through the irrigation systems that the Polonnaruwa dynasty constructed, which are substantially more
advanced than those of the Anuradhapura Age. The kingdom's glory, however, was short-lived, and by
the eleventh century, a south Indian invasion had shifted the political center closer to the country's
center. The ancient city of Polonnaruwa is still one of the best designed archaeological relic sites in the
country today, a tribute to the discipline and majesty of the Kingdom's first rulers.
However, the kingdom's glory was fleeting, and by the eleventh century, a south Indian invasion had
moved the political center closer to the geographic center of the nation. The ancient city of
Polonnaruwa, a testament to the order and majesty of the Kingdom's earliest rulers, is still one of the
best planned archaeological relic sites in the nation today. Many of the major achievements created by
Digamadulla in antiquity have been destroyed by time, war, and looting, while many more remain
stoically awaiting discovery in the deepest parts of Sri Lanka's jungles. Compared to Anuradhapura and
Polonnaruwa, Digamadulla has gotten less attention from archaeologists.
UNESCO acknowledges the rich cultural diversity of Sri Lanka and has designated six archaeological sites
there as World Heritage Sites:
8. Colombo offers a wide range of products for sale that are representative of Sri Lanka's rich artistic
heritage. Popular handicrafts include pottery, wooden masks, fine lacework, gemstone-set silver and
gold jewelry, jewelry made of lacquer, and ceramic and ceramic jewelry. You can buy the entire variety
of handicrafts from the many shops in and around the capital in addition to witnessing the labor that
goes into manufacturing them while visiting the nation. For instance, in the small village of Molagoda in
the central provinces, you can see pottery being made, or in the cities along the south-western coast,
you can see skilled weavers creating complex lace patterns. During the colonial era, Portuguese and
Dutch women started creating lace as a hobby. Since then, it has grown into a legitimate domestic sector
that is primarily found on Sri Lanka's southwest coast. In Weligama, Galle, Matara, and Hambantota,
lace is made. And if you happen to walk into a home where someone is crafting beeralu lace, don't miss
out on watching how the hands deftly control the equipment to fashion intricate patterns. If they let
you, you might even try it yourself.
These lace-making methods, which are almost exclusively utilized by women, are embellished with
garments, tablecloths, pillows, chairs, gowns, and other items. Looking back, we can see that jewelry has
always been a part of Sri Lanka's history and legacy. Jewelry is currently available to anybody who wants
a piece that has been skillfully crafted, but silver, gold, and gem-encrusted bracelets, necklaces, and
rings among other decorations were originally regarded to be a sign of royalty and luxury. Jewelry made
in Sri Lanka, whether it is traditional in style or modern and up to international standards, is a very well-
known and highly sought-after commodity today. In contrast to past generations, where one can see
ancient customs and designs combined with modernity, modern equipment and technology have
occasionally been used in the fabrication of jewelry. Sri Lanka is a fantastic place to shop for jewelry if
you're looking for precious and semi-precious stones, particularly blue sapphires. Visitors and people
looking for keepsakes of Sri Lankan culture frequently choose these finely made traditional handicrafts.
The art of lacquer production, which originated in central Sri Lanka, has spread throughout the island
over time. The base for traditional lacquerware is an imported wax from India made from a particular
insect. While some continue to use traditional methods, others like the modern tools and methods that
have become available for making these elaborate and lovely designs over time. Read more,
9. E and E Crafts.
Buy Now on eBay.
Buy Now on eBay.
12. Buy Now on eBay.
Visit E and E Products
Visit E and E Crafts (facebook page)
Visit E and E Shop (facebook group)
Visit E and E Crafts (YT channel)
Visit eandeeducation.blogspot.com
Visit E and E channel with tharanga (YT channel)