Browsing by Author "Pathirana, H."

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Charming the unseen snakes
(University of Kelaniya, 2013) de Zoysa, A.M.; Jayatunga, M.; Hettiarachchi, S.; Pathirana, H.; Gunesekera, M.
The initial documentation of sociolinguistic data of a remote discourse community of Tulu speakers is the essence of this paper. A pilot study to collect first hand experience of documenting evidence of discourse communities8 was conceptualized by a team of researchers converging from disciplines such as Language Studies, Linguistics, Musicology, Cultural Studies, Gender, and Disability Studies from the University of Kelaniya. Consultations and briefing with researchers who have worked with discourse communities and similar communities preceded the visit to the community of “Snake charmers”. De-briefing of data collection, critical analysis of literature produced so far on the Tulu language and contextualizing the ongoing research concluded the three day pilot study. The methodology for the study is the audiovisual recording of the initial meeting with a remote discourse community of the Telegu people. The Ahikuntaka community of Devagama, living in Aligambay in the Akkaraipattu District (Eastern Province) was visited over the Vesak weekend of 2013 to make initial contact and build rapport with the discourse community. This objective of this paper is to demonstrate the challenges of sociolinguistic or ethnographic research in the 21st century. It pinpoints some issues that are glossed over, or overlooked as being irrlevant to the topic when presenting facts in reports, because they have not been included in the research proposal. It will also record difficulties, disappointments and disenchantments when working in “exotic settings”. The paper highlights the difficulties of data collection with ‘researcher as observer’ in the context of ethical clearance. In terms of the discourse community, the results of the study show the sociolinguistic issues of identity under threat. The only educated villager calls herself a Tamil speaker and takes pains to hide her Telugu/Tulu roots. Similarly, the villagers identify themselves as Tamils in the official domain, as in filling out electoral register forms, and in claiming that the traditional occupations of snake charming and palmistry are no longer practiced, contrary to the general belief that these are the occupations of the Tulu speaking community.
The Culture and Citizenship of the Sri Lankan Chinese Dental Technicians
(University of Kelaniya, 2015) Pathirana, H.; Peiris, J.A.
The Sri Lankan Chinese, who were formally stateless, were granted citizenship under the 2008 “Grant of Citizenship to Persons of Chinese Origin” Act. Citizenship was granted to persons of Chinese ethnicity who have had permanent residence since 15th November 1948. Within this purview, Chinese dental technicians are the first dental practitioners in Sri Lanka who still practice as dental technicians in most towns in Sri Lanka. It should be noted that unlike the dental surgeons who specialise in surgery and cleaning and filling teeth, these dental technicians only engage in constructing and repairing dentures and other dental appliances including crowns and bridges. As the current dental technicians are either third or fourth generation migrants, they are legally recognised as “citizens” of Sri Lanka. Yet, as they are ethnicity-based tradesmen from a minority ethnicity, it is important to examine how their “culture intersects with their citizenship today” (Rosaldo, 1997: p. 256). Through purposive and snowball sampling methods to identify participants, the study is conducted focussing on a sample of ten dental mechanics who are based in the main towns in Sri Lanka. Considering the qualitative nature of the study, semi structured interviews were conducted to obtain information. The data gathered were analysed against Rosaldo’s (1997) notion of Cultural Citizenship: a way of understanding how citizenship is informed by culture, the way that claim to citizenship are reinforced or subverted by cultural assumptions and practices. The entire study was conducted under the purview of the Faculty of Humanities project, “Documenting Discourse Communities in Sri Lanka”. The study focussed on the degree of homogeneity, assimilation to the dominant culture, religion, language and gender identities of the sample. It was found that the participants employ several mechanisms to voice their concerns in the public sphere. It was also clear that cultural assimilation has resulted in the participants speaking the language of the dominant culture. While only Chinese men expected to continue the trade, women too are tangentially involved. Religion too is decided by the immediate culture they are exposed to.
Do you see what I see? Gender performativity in Chandrasekaram’s Tigers Don’t Confess
(University of Kelaniya, 2013) Pathirana, H.
The binary opposites between “masculine” and” feminine” are socially constructed phenomena that are often politically empowered to draw on a hierarchical arrangement. However, recent gender related studies have foregrounded that cultural definitions of sexuality and what it means to be” male” and “female” are in flux. Especially, in “queer literature” there is a tendency to eradicate the binary opposites of the performativity of gender roles. Moreover, while covering a lacuna, it is interesting to examine how gender performativity is foregrounded in Sri Lankan “queer literature”. This research paper analyses the "masculine" and "feminine" activities and behavior in Visakesa Chandrasekaram’s novel Tigers don’t Confess. It also maintains that performativity is that reiterative power of discourse to produce the phenomena that it regulates and constrains, (Bulter, 1993). Instances from the novel are drawn to foreground such constraints and to illustrate the constant change in gender performativity. The results focus mainly on the gender performativity of Sharmila, the female suicide bomber, Naveen, a lawyer and his partner Kumaran who is falsely accused of being an LTTE agent. Sharmila’s and Naveen and Kumaran’s performativity of their gender roles keep changing. It specifically brings into discussion the performative of the closet homosexual/s and the pressure from a ‘hetero-normative society’ to conform. Moreover, a breakdown of binaries such as “male” and” female” can be observed through characterization, bordering on the” in-betweens.” It is apparent that the characters live in an oppressive status quo: especially prompted by hegemonic social conventions and ideologies.
Evaluation of rapid extraction and isothermal amplification techniques for the detection of Leishmania donovani DNA from skin lesions of suspected cases at the point of need in Sri Lanka
(BioMed Central, 2018) Gunaratna, G.; Manamperi, A.; Bohiken-Fascher, S.; Wickremasinghe, R.; Gunawardena, K.; Yapa, B.; Pathiana, N.; Pathirana, H.; de Silva, N.; Sooriyaarachchi, M.; Deerasinghe, T.; Mondal, D.; Ranasinghe, S.; Abd EI Wahed, A.
BACKGROUND: Leishmaniasis is a disease caused by vector-borne protozoans. In Sri Lanka, the cutaneous form of the disease is predominant, which is usually diagnosed using Giemsa-stained slit skin smear examination and by histology. However, the sensitivity of slit skin smears and histology are reportedly low. Moreover, facilities for the highly sensitive polymerase chain reaction (PCR) are available only in a few highly-equipped parasitology laboratories. Therefore, there is a need for low cost, sensitive and specific screening tests for diagnosis of leishmaniasis at the point of need. RESULTS: In this study, a mobile suitcase laboratory applying novel extraction (SpeedXtract) and isothermal amplification and detection (recombinase polymerase amplification assay, RPA) methods were evaluated for the diagnosis of cutaneous leishmaniasis in Sri Lanka. First, the developed assay was applied to three different sample types (punch biopsy, slit skin smears and fine needle aspirates) at a local hospital. The results showed that the 2 mm punch biopsy sample produced the best exponential amplification curve and early fluorescence signal in the RPA assay. Secondly, punch biopsies were collected from 150 suspected cutaneous leishmaniasis cases and screened with SpeedXtract/RPA, RNAlater/PCR and ATL buffer/PCR, in addition to Giemsa-stained slit skin smears. Fifty-seven samples were negative in all detection methods. In total 93 samples were positive with assay sensitivities of 65.5% (SpeedXtract/RPA), 63.4% (RNAlater/PCR) and 92.4% (ATL buffer/PCR). The Giemsa-stained slit skin smear delivered the worst clinical sensitivity (32.2%). CONCLUSIONS: The SpeedXtract/RPA method under field conditions took 35 min, while almost 8 h were needed to finalize the extraction and detection by PCR in the laboratory. The SpeedXtract/RPA method produced similar sensitivity to samples preserved in RNAlater and subjected to PCR amplification, but both were less sensitive than ATL-preserved samples subjected to PCR amplification. There is a need for a standardization of sample collection and nucleic acid extraction methods.
Introduction of Recombinase Polymerase Amplification assay based mobile suitcase laboratory as a point of need tool to diagnose cutaneous leishmaniasis in Sri Lanka
(Sri Lanka Medical Association, 2018) Gunaratna, G.P.S.; Ranasinghe, P. H. K. I. S.; Manamperi, A.; Pathirana, N.; Pathirana, H.; Wickremasinghe, R.; de Silva, N.R.; Sooriyarachchi, M.; Ahmed, A.E.W.
INTRODUCTION AND OBJECTIVES: Cutaneous leishmaniasis (CL) caused by the vector-borne protozoan parasite is now endemic in Sri Lanka. Microscopy of Giemsa stained slit skin smears (SSS), lesion aspirates or scrapings for the presence of amastigotes, is widely used for laboratory confirmation of CL, although the reported sensitivity is low. Facilities for more sensitive culture and molecular techniques are available only in reference laboratories. A newly developed, Recombinase Polymerase Amplification (RPA) assay based Mobile Suitcase Laboratory (MSL) is a promising, molecular point of care test with high sensitivity and specificity for diagnosis of both post-kala• azar dermal leishmaniasis and visceral leishmaniasis. Objective was to assess RPA based MSL as a point of need tool to diagnose CL in Sri Lanka.METHODS: Twenty seven army personnel at Mullaitivu Army camp clinically suspected of having CL were recruited for this pilot study. Two slit skin smears and two punch biopsy specimens were obtained from each of them. Slit skin smears were stained with Giemsa in the field and examined for the presence of amastigotes and RPA was carried out at the point of collection. PCR was performed at the Parasitology Department, Sri Jayewardenepura University. RESULTS: Fifteen patients were confirmed by PCR as having CL and 14 of them were also positive by RPA based MSL conducted in the field (93.33% sensitivity). Only 3/15 were positive with microscopy of SSS (20% sensitivity). CONCLUSION: This pilot study shows RPA based MSL as a promising tool to diagnose CL at point of need.
Majoritarian Discourse, Masking and Female Suicide Bomber in Chandrasekaram’s Forbidden Area
(University of Kelaniya, 2012) Pathirana, H.
Militant weaponization of life is a complex area of study. In modern psycho-political warfare the suicide bomber has been one of the most potent weapons of the LTTE, since the first suicide attack on 5th July 1989. In common public discourse, the suicide bomber is often perceived as the “other”, a menacing threat to society who is “morally culpable of great crimes, thus less than human and deserving of punishment”. Therefore, this paper attempts to identify the majoritarian discourse, which dehumanizes the female suicide bomber, and analyzes how “masking” allows her to survive the ‘hostile powers’ that control her. Masking in postcolonial discourse, as viewed by Elaine Savory, is a series of “codes signifying multiple levels of personality, indicated by ritual ways… in which gods can temporarily occupy the physical plane of human existence, thereby heightening and solemnifying the ordinary human decisions…. (or) a code for disguise, deceit, (and) retreat from self exposure….” Especially mask’s effectiveness as protective and subversive strategy in politically dangerous contexts is foregrounded in this respect. Thus, the cold blooded inhuman characteristics of the suicide bomber can be read in terms of camouflage. First, one can observe Urmila donned with a mask of courage and defiance, because as the time for the mission dawns she shows signs of weakness; wanting to make more human and physical contact with Raman, her handler. However, while the sudden sexual urge she develops towards Raman heightens her “sensuality”, her lack of self constraint projects her as being “uncivilized/ savage”. The complexity of Urmila’s character is heightened as she subverts gender politics and ‘femininity’; also she draws divine inspiration from the Hindu goddess Kali. Although Urmila doesn’t fall short of being “human” her final action is far from being dialectical. Nevertheless, the catharsis that is provoked in the spectators can only be considered by viewing the masking process as “a series of codes signifying multiple levels of personality” as opposed to being viewed as disguise or deceit.
Majoritarian discourse, masking and the female suicide bomber in Chandrasekaram’s Forbidden Area
(Faculty of Graduate Studies, University of Kelaniya, 2013) Pathirana, H.
Sri Lankan theatre productions featuring war rarely place importance on the suicide bomber. As such, Visakesa Chandrasekan’s play Forbidden Area is unique as it revolves round a female LTTE suicide bomber who is on a mission. Thus, investigating the representation of female militancy is important with relevance to cultural studies as well as security studies given the pervasive presence of ‘wars on terror’. Consequently, this paper attempts to discuss whether Chandrasekaran subverts majoritarian discourse which dehumanizes the female suicide bomber, and for this analysis I use the concept of masking. Masking, as viewed by Elaine Savory (1999), is a series of codes signifying multiple levels of personality, indicated by ritual ways. While Urmila dons a ‘mask of courage and defiance’, as the time for the mission dawns she unveils mixed emotions. The complexity of Urmila’s character is heightened as she subverts gender politics and ‘femininity’; she also draws divine inspiration from the Hindu goddess Kali. Although Urmila’s character doesn’t fall short of being “human” her final action is far from being dialectical. In this text, masking functions as a protective and subversive strategy given her precarious situation.