By Asoka S. Seneviratne –

“The pen is mightier than the sword.” — Edward Bulwer-Lytton

I have read with great interest Malinda Seneviratne’s reflections on Colombo Telegraph, The Year 2011 & Thereafter. His article reminded me not only of the remarkable journey of Colombo Telegraph (CT) since 2011, but also of my own very personal journey with CT since March 2024. I feel compelled to share this story because, for me, Colombo Telegraph is much more than a website or an online newspaper. It has become an important part of my intellectual and professional life.

For many years, I had ideas and opinions about the economic problems facing Sri Lanka. As an economist who had spent many years in economic research, policy work and academia, I naturally had views on economic policy, public finance, development and many other issues affecting our country.

Yet, strangely enough, I never had the confidence—or perhaps the courage—to write for newspapers.

I was a regular reader of Colombo Telegraph long before I became a contributor. I initially came across CT articles through InfoLanka and gradually developed a strong interest in the range of issues discussed and debated through its pages. I admired the fact that CT provided space for serious discussion on matters of national importance.

Then, in March 2024, something changed.

I decided, somewhat hesitantly, to write to Colombo Telegraph. I sent my first article without any expectation that it would actually be published. To my great surprise, it was published. “Tentative Recovery of the Economy Will Not Be Stalled By The Presidential Election”.

That moment became a turning point in my life.

At that time, I did not even know who was behind Colombo Telegraph. Only later did I learn that Uvindu Kurukulasuriya was the person who had established and developed CT. Reading Malinda Seneviratne’s recent reflections has given me an even greater appreciation of what Uvindu and CT have achieved since 2011. Malinda describes Uvindu as a journalist who understood the importance of research-generated facts and who attached great importance to ethics and editorial responsibility.

I now realise that I entered CT as an economist, but I gradually learned something quite different: journalism.

Economics and journalism are related, but they are not the same discipline. An economist may analyse data, examine policies, construct arguments and reach conclusions. A journalist, however, must also understand how to communicate those ideas clearly, concisely and effectively to a much wider audience.

I knew economics.

I did not know journalism.

I learned journalism gradually—article by article, month by month—through writing regularly for Colombo Telegraph.

Since March 2024, I have had the privilege of publishing more than 125 articles with CT. When I look back at that achievement, I find it difficult to believe that the person who submitted that first article in March 2024 was the same person who would eventually write more than 125 articles.

In a very real sense, Colombo Telegraph has transformed me.

I entered CT as an economist.

Today, I consider myself an Economist-cum-journalist.

That is one of the most unexpected and satisfying achievements of my professional life.

What makes this achievement even more meaningful is that the confidence and skills I gained through writing for CT encouraged me to approach other websites, newspapers and publications. Doors that I had never previously considered approaching gradually opened.

I began writing for other publications and found that my articles were welcomed there as well.

I do not regard that development simply as a personal achievement. I attribute a significant part of it to the confidence, discipline and writing skills I developed through Colombo Telegraph.

In that sense, CT was my classroom.

It was also my first major publishing platform.

And, in many ways, it was the institution that introduced me to journalism.

I have also come to appreciate another important characteristic of Colombo Telegraph. It has consistently provided space for discussion on a remarkably wide range of subjects that are vitally important to Sri Lankan society. Its articles address politics, economics, governance, democracy, corruption, development, international affairs and many other issues that matter to the country and its people.

I have personally experienced the impact of that work. Many people associated with me regularly refer to important articles they have read in Colombo Telegraph. That tells me that CT is not simply publishing articles; it is contributing to public discussion and influencing the way people think about the country.

Malinda Seneviratne observes that it takes years for a newspaper or website to secure a place in the minds of readers and that, once established, its presence can easily be taken for granted. I think this is particularly true of Colombo Telegraph. Fifteen years is a long journey in the life of a publication, particularly in the difficult political and economic environment through which Sri Lanka has travelled.

From its beginnings in 2011, CT has travelled through an extraordinary period of Sri Lankan history. It has witnessed political changes, economic upheaval, the Covid-19 pandemic, the economic crisis, the Aragalaya and the continuing debates about the country’s future.

I am immensely proud that, during a small but important part of that journey, I have been able to become a contributor to Colombo Telegraph.

I therefore want to express my deepest appreciation to Colombo Telegraph and, above all, to Uvindu Kurukulasuriya.

Uvindu may not have set out in 2011 to create an institution that would transform the professional lives of people like me. Yet that is precisely what has happened.

For me personally, Colombo Telegraph opened a door that I did not even have the confidence to knock on.

It gave me the opportunity to express my economic ideas.

It gave me an audience.

It gave me confidence.

It taught me how to communicate economic analysis to a wider public.

And, most importantly, it introduced me to the world of journalism.

For all of this, I am deeply indebted to Colombo Telegraph.

I will remain grateful to CT and to Uvindu Kurukulasuriya for giving me that opportunity.

Colombo Telegraph did not merely publish my articles. It helped make me an economist-cum-journalist.

That is a contribution to my life for which I will remain indebted forever.

As Colombo Telegraph celebrates fifteen years of its journey, I am genuinely happy and proud to say:

I was fortunate enough to become a small part of that journey.

And I hope to continue contributing to it for many years to come.

My heartfelt congratulations to Colombo Telegraph on fifteen years of achievement, and my deepest appreciation to Uvindu Kurukulasuriya for opening the door through which I entered the world of journalism.

*The author served as the Special Adviser to the Office of the President of Namibia from 2006 to 2012 and was a senior consultant with the UNDP for 20 years, and a Senior Economist with the Central Bank of Sri Lanka (1972-1992). He can be reached at asoka.seneviratne@gmail.com