About
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a random photo of me from Flickr
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This is always out of date
My name is Indrajit Samarajiva. My Montreal friends call me Indi. My parents and people in Ohio call me Jit. People in Sri Lanka call me both, but I think I prefer Indi.
I was born in Vancouver in 1982, while my parents were in Grad School there. My family is Sri Lankan. My dad Rohan (who I call Tha Tha) and mom, Sujata (Amma), grew up in Sri Lanka. They worked really hard and got into University of British Columbia and Simon Fraser, and I got born with a Canadian passport.
We moved to Sri Lanka when I was 3. We lived with my Achi for a while, I forgot English and learned Sinhalese, ate some fruit, stepped on the dog’s tail. When I was 5 me (and me two new sisters, one in Amma’s tummy) moved to the USA – Columbus, Ohio. Thatha taught Communications at Ohio State University and Amma worked in the Chemistry Department for a while, then for the Ohio Board of Regents. I forgot Sinhalese and learned English again.
I grew up in a typical US suburb. Rich, white, and boring. but good schools and safe. As soon as I got the hell out of high school I came to McGill University in Montreal, Quebec – which is my favorite city ever. I still love America, especially the Bill of Rights and the Constitution. And the Ohio State Buckeyes and the Boston Red Sox (for Merit).
I graduated from McGill with a degree in Cognitive Science. I’ve studied Psych, Linguistics, Education, Philosophy, and Computer Science. In my last year I learned about DNA and Brains. I also worked full-time for the McGill Faculty of Education (and took breaks for class). I guess I’d describe that job as Office Geek.
I live in my Colombo. I can be contacted via indi@indi.ca
MIA is a great artist, and I kinda look at her politics like performance art. It’s like her middle finger at the Superbowl. More posturing than an actual position. I dunno. When it comes to Sri Lanka she’s a hater, but I can’t hate on her music.
What’s happening in the Maldives looks like the Arab Spring in reverse. Maldivian Winter if you will. The police and security forces have overthrown an elected President and are now beating people in the streets. Anni (former President Nasheed) is calling for elections but no response from the government, as it is. From a friend there I hear that there’s been a warrant issued for Anni and that many people have fled rather than face the police.
I’ve written about post-war development in Sri Lanka, mainly Colombo. These are mostly government projects, or big business. What about the hood? Are low and middle income places developing as well?
This is the Nawam Maha (Gangarama) Perahera editing into one minute. A big part of the Buddhist/cultural tradition is the experience – the heat, the smells, the crowds – but you can get a quick sense of it here.
The worst days are the ones that don’t end, like yesterday. The best days are often ones where something tragic doesn’t happen, making ordinary life incredibly sweet. Today was a bit of both.
