E-Paper
Asia Cup diary: Nation on the mend
Sri Lanka is on the mend, and for better. Most soldiers smile and very few carry guns, writes Jaideep Ghosh.
The Bandaranaike International Airport has changed. The last time we were in Colombo was just a few days after the devastating July 24, 2001, terrorist attack, leading to the destruction of 13 military and civilian aircraft, with many casualties.
By the time we reached, the civilian planes had been removed, but the military had no such niceties to follow. All over the tarmac, there were these green, damaged transport aircraft — examples of mechanical fragility and the magnitude of human hate.
Just outside the terminal are some pretty gardens, but the roses were hidden behind military bunkers, with stern-looking soldiers wielding firearms of all calibre. Not at all a happy situation.
On Tuesday, things were far prettier. Colombo is the hub of tourism in this beautiful country and it shows at the airport. A new terminal building is coming up, while the current terminal building is now full of banks, stores, hotel reception counters and a whole lot of other thriving business.
And yes, the roses can be seen again.
The recent blast in a Colombo police station has not really made an impact. Uniforms are few, most of the soldiers smile, and very few carry guns. This nation is on the mend, and so much the better for it.
The drive from the airport to Colombo has also become different. Affluence in the sub-continent is measured in the number of vehicles on the street, in inverse proportion to the quality and width of the roads, and Sri Lanka is no different.
Three years ago, a colleague and I dug some pretty designs into the upholstery of a taxi as it flew across the empty road. This this time around, the hour-long drive witnessed several traffic jams, as high-performance vehicles fought low-performance roads and over-performing drivers in an effort to get ahead.
But the end result was worth it, as we reached the sea-face to be welcomed by the thundering surf of the Indian Ocean, as we drove past Colombo's version of the Manhattan to the Galle Face Hotel, our abode for the first few days of the trip.
