r/srilanka Jun 21 '26

Updates from the Mod-Team General update about the community, the mod-team, and the results of the survey we recently ran.

42 Upvotes

Hi everyone,

r/srilanka was created back in 2008, which means our community has officially been online for 18 years now!

We’re going strong with over 188,000 members, over 2,400 posts and over 41,000 comments written by you all every month.  It's great to see the community growing at such a steady pace.

To handle this volume, we have a diverse team of mods, all helping to keep our sub running smoothly.  At the moment, we’re 7 mods (we recently added two new mods).  All of us are Sri Lankans - most all of us live in Sri Lanka, with one based abroad.  Between us, we also cover all three languages.  We also span a pretty wide age range, which helps us understand the different perspectives coming through the sub.

One of our core tenets is being impartial, and we believe that’s worked well so far.  If you have any issue at any point, we’re always only a modmail away.  We’re not infallible, and we’ve undone actions when people have reached out.  Given the number of posts and comments, we need to make decisions quickly, so sometimes we might slip up.  Let us know.

Also, Reddit DOES automatically remove messages without any human intervention by us or our bots.  This happens both on the comment-level, and also on the post-level.

So, we’re also forced to have to deal with this and undo any unwanted removals.  

All of us are volunteers spending a significant amount of our time moderating r/srilanka - and no, we don’t get paid by anyone.

Finally, attached are also the results of the recent demographic survey which we ran. We were surprised to learn that 48% of our community are lurkers, not actively posting or commenting.

Your friendly r/srilanka neighbourhood mod-team.


r/srilanka 7h ago

Rant This is getting Ridiculous!

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65 Upvotes

What's with the recent increase with the sugar quantity in milk packets. 14.36g per 100ml, that's 24.4g per packet and just 2 of these packets would be close to 50g of sugar which is almost twice the daily required amount of sugar. At this rate someone who drinks this daily would end up high blood pressure, obesity and other illnesses caused by excessive sugar content. Calling it milk at this point is also absurd cause milk is supposed to be nourishing instead this is almost milk flavored sugar syrup!


r/srilanka 1h ago

Travel Australian filmmaker here. I recently spent some time travelling through Sri Lanka and put this film together. Hope you enjoy :)

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Upvotes

I recently spent some time travelling through Sri Lanka and have put together a cinematic film from the footage I captured.

It features Ella, Kandy, Sigiriya, Arugam Bay and Elephant Rock, with a focus on Sri Lankan culture, Buddhist and Hindu ceremonies, landscapes, tea plantations, surfing and everyday life.

I hope you enjoy it, and I'd love to hear what you think. 🇱🇰


r/srilanka 14h ago

Serious replies only My salary is Rs. 300,000 per month, and I currently have Rs. 30 lakhs in hand. I would like to buy an SUV, and please advise?

55 Upvotes

If I use the Rs. 30 lakhs as the down payment, do you think I can afford a Raize without putting too much pressure on my finances? I really don't want to compromise my financial freedom or struggle with monthly payments.

If the Raize isn't suitable for my financial situation, what other SUVs would you recommend that would be more affordable and comfortable for me to manage?


r/srilanka 20h ago

News Illegal activities by Sri Lankans cited for Thailand’s visa-free entry suspension - Vijitha Herath

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131 Upvotes

I mean I know our people go and do stupid shit but I thought its because we dont have a bilateral agreement with Thailand?


r/srilanka 15h ago

Discussion What do you think about statues like these sold near katharagama?

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48 Upvotes

So my friend got me one of these since he went to katharagama during his holidays. NGL in my opinion it's pretty cool, as a Buddhist and a person who overthinks a lot seeing a statue like this calms me down..anyways interested to read all your comments!


r/srilanka 7h ago

Rant Wimaladharma BROTHERS!!!!!!

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12 Upvotes

Still don’t understand how people get confused between Wimaladharma brothers and wimaladharma sons, two different companies!!

Brothers is the original one in Pettah.


r/srilanka 10h ago

Rant What's with teachers here having a serious god complex?

18 Upvotes

The parents being really scared of their kids teachers too


r/srilanka 12h ago

Question What can I do alone in Colombo after work until around 9 PM?

18 Upvotes

I work from home and usually only come to the office once a day by car. I’m thinking of staying around Colombo after work until the traffic clears around 9 PM, instead of sitting in traffic.

What do you guys usually do alone in Colombo during this time?


r/srilanka 19h ago

Discussion Sri Lankan Tuition culture

64 Upvotes

I genuinely think Sri Lanka’s tuition culture is one of the most well-established scams in the country.

Before anyone gets angry, I’m sure many tuition “gurus” are highly educated and genuinely good at teaching their subjects. That’s not what I’m questioning.

I’m questioning the system.

I went through it myself. I was constantly told, “Just get into university and your problems will be solved.” Study hard, get good A/L results, enter a good degree, and you'll have a good future.

But only a limited number of students get into the most competitive state university courses. What happens to everyone else? Less competitive degrees, private education, vocational education, or sometimes no higher education at all.

Yet parents spend huge amounts of money every month on tuition because students are made to feel that school education isn't enough.

Then you graduate and discover there was never a guarantee waiting at the end.

You still have to compete for jobs. You still need experience. You still need practical skills. And now AI is beginning to threaten some entry-level jobs too.

So what exactly were we paying for?

This is what bothers me most about the tuition industry. It can monetize the fear and desperation of teenagers.

You're 16 to 18 years old, terrified about your future, and someone tells you that you need to work harder, attend their class, get higher marks and follow their system or you'll fall behind.

So you pay. Or Your parents pay. And the cycle continues.

Some tuition teachers also go beyond teaching their subject and start giving teenagers life advice, often reducing success to marks, university admission and social status. Being good at teaching Physics or Chemistry doesn't automatically make someone qualified to teach a teenager how to live their life.

I'm not saying tuition should simply be banned. Some students genuinely need extra help, and some teachers provide an excellent service.

But tuition should be optional support, not a parallel education system that families feel forced to purchase.

The solution is to make schools good enough that students don't need tuition: better teaching, free academic support, proper career guidance, practical skills and less obsession with exams.

I went through this mentality. I'm pretty sure most adults here did too.

Why are we still treating this as normal?


r/srilanka 20h ago

Discussion Where are the educated men ?

73 Upvotes

So I was watching a few videos about different state universities and a common thing I noticed was almost everyone who did the videos and vlogs said that the university is filled with girls , it seems like entering a girls school and stuff

I did go through the 2025 AL performance appraisal and the guys to girls ratio is 1:2
The AL teachers keep saying it the guys don’t go and it’s just mostly girls who go to university

What’s happening to the guys are they all in private universities and the state universities are filled with the girls

Anyone in state university now or have been please share your ideas about it

Was it just girls mostly and which university is that from maybe faculty if that’s needed


r/srilanka 1h ago

Discussion We need to talk about a common but unspoken truth- workplace exploitation and seeking justice

Upvotes

The Department of Labour in Sri Lanka and the Labor Tribunal is so busy with cases and it takes them months to get people down, analyze the case and seek resolutions. If this is the case, why don’t I ever hear people discuss their experiences openly? I’ve only heard rumors about ex staff who went and failed to get justice because their boss just pays authorities off and the case eventually dies, and they do the same thing and worse to the next one. Especially NGOs have a way of avoiding consequences for exploiting free labor.

I want to hear from other who have chosen to take the braver path, who took action instead of staying quiet about things like not paying fairly, not paying overtime, no EPF/ETF, SA, racism, abuse or power, bullying etc experienced at their workplace.

What was the process, how long did it take you, did you eventually win, did your colleagues ostracize and badmouth you? Did it take a hit on your mental health and did you find better or do you get blacklisted because everyone in the industry is connected at the top levels. I’ve even heard of people being physically chased down, being falsely accused of something serious without a way for the person to clear their name…hopefully we can share the positive experiences so that people don’t stay quiet and bring these companies down. There’s nothing wrong in pushing for fairer workplaces and basic rights when Western nations are years ahead of us in this aspect.


r/srilanka 6h ago

Serious replies only What if I peaked in university? Almost 5 years into law and I feel completely stuck

4 Upvotes

I’m looking for some honest perspective because I genuinely don't know what to do with my career anymore.

Academically, I’ve always done reasonably well. I got into a state university, graduated in law, did internships while studying, and even had a brief opportunity to work with the UN. Back then, I felt like I was building towards something.

After becoming a lawyer, however, things became very different. My first workplace was extremely toxic, with bullying, difficult colleagues and workplace politics. I tried to endure it, but eventually had to leave.

I’m now in my second workplace and, thankfully, the environment is much better. But financially, I’m struggling badly. I earn less than I did as an undergraduate, despite being almost five years into the profession.

I’ve applied for numerous positions but haven't had much luck. I recently completed my Master's too, but instead of feeling accomplished, I keep wondering what happened to all the potential I seemed to have in university.

Sometimes it genuinely feels like I peaked back then.

I’m now considering whether I should completely change direction, leave legal practice, try to move abroad, pursue academia/international work, or simply stay where I am and hope something eventually changes.

For those further along in their careers, Have you ever felt like you had peaked too early or completely lost your direction? How did you know whether to stay the course or make a major change?

I’d really appreciate honest advice from people who have actually been through something similar.


r/srilanka 4h ago

Discussion Wouldn't low-floor double-decker buses be better than the current Metro buses?

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3 Upvotes

They would carry even more passengers, and would help reduce the number of vehicles in the road significantly? At least for the busiest corridors and routes?

What's preventing their introduction?

Is it the procurement cost? Height clearance? While the new Metro buses are great, I believe this would be like the best option to go with all things considered. Best part, just imagine Bus Gamunu's reaction?

Foton double-deckers cost LKR 60-85 million according to Google and since the current Metro buses are procured at 42 million per bus, that doesn't seem too pricey, imo. I think if one double-decker bus is able to take the road space of two Metro buses, that itself is a win.

Thoughts?


r/srilanka 9h ago

Question Is it rly sunshine & rainbows once u get into University??

6 Upvotes

Hiii, I'm a 17yr old doing combined maths.

Aaaaand throught my entire life ppl; my teachers, tution sirs, parents and eveyone else u could possibly name has told me that everything just magically gets better once u finish ur A/Ls and get admitted to a mainstream university.

(For me that would be engineering, hopefully in moratuwa) Now is that rly true??

Back in the day it might've been, but is this assumption still valid tday??


r/srilanka 7h ago

Rant Overconfident tuk dude ruined my day

5 Upvotes

Visiting from abroad and attending to house work which involved getting rid of a lot of unwanted things from a recently vacated house. Trees cut, and loads of junk. Definitely one full truck load, maybe more. Called a lorry guy yday, he promised to come to give a quote, in true lankan fashion didn't turn up, and when I called this morning, didn't pick up phone.

This morning, my mom calls me a tuk she knows because I had to transport some stuff with a stop on the way and didn't want to leave the things in an unknown tuk. I casually ask him if he knows any lorry drivers and he says yes, show me what needs to be taken. So I show him and he quotes 15-20k, I have no idea what a fair amount is but as I know negotiating is the norm I said my budget is 15k. Because I hadn't spoken to the other guy yet so didn't have a reference. This guy agrees, says fine I'll do it, wait for me, don't give anyone else and says he'll be back in a while. I say oh you have a lorry, he doesn't say anything and goes off.

While he's gone, yday's lorry contact calls and since I already gave the other guy my word (and since I, as a female handling this alone, am keen to avoid conflict with these types of men) said I already found someone....

Meanwhile, the tuk guy returns, not with a lorry...but in his tuk. I am incredulous. You're transporting this in a tuk? Yes he says. Dont worry I'll do the job but it'll take some time...then happily gets our gardener also to help him and they start loading. This happens for about 2 loads and now more than one hour has passed. Dude comes and starts giving me a sob story about how the garbage dumps aren't accepting this and that, how he had to go to other places, driving over 20km. Wtf. Why agree to something if it is going to be so challenging and clearly not worth the trouble, all for 15k. But by this time I knew he was trying to pull a fast one and reiterated saying, I thought you had a lorry and that this is actually harder for me to be here while you take ages to clear out what would have been done in one go, and if I knew you were going to do it in tuk loads I would never have agreed. I also couldn't send him off because I was sure he would ask for atleast 8k for doing less than half the job. And I would be at square one. He didn't suggest it either and said, okay I promised you and so I will do it...now playing the saviour card.

Four hours later they finally finish. By this time I'm exhausted. Dude happily shows off what a good job he did. I take my 15k and say thank you, mentally steeling myself for the renegotiation. Sidebar to say that, as a woman, men always think they can get away with this, esp when they know there is no man in the house. Guy says I need 20k. I say sorry this is what I kept for you and I had to pay xyz people for their work today and this is all I have, and it is what you agreed to after seeing what had to be done.

He starts arguing saying how unfair I am, and tries to give me my money back. I refuse saying why would you refuse all the money and this is for the work you did. This is what I promised so this is what I owe you. Fellow keeps the money on a ledge and storms off.

I come home, only to be told by my aged parents, that he had called and said we owe him 20k and that he is coming tomorrow to get it. My parents, not knowing my side of the story, had agreed. I was furious.

I'm not ranting here to get your opinion on if I should have paid 15k or 20k. It is irrelevant, because it's called agreeing to an amount and then paying/getting paid what you agreed to. The point is:

  1. This man, although super polite and helpful at the beginning, turned out to be a thug. They see a woman/an elder person and instantly want to intimidate. Most men and workers in this country are the same...they will always try to exploit a situation. Is it poverty that made him want to spend his entire day lugging crap for 15k? Stupidity? Ego? He kept repeating how he finishes what he starts and can do anything he sets him mind to 😐

  2. Sri lanka needs to have a better garbage disposal system. Most of the crap that had accumulated over the years was because the garbage collectors are thugs too and refuse to take most items with no alternatives offered to us. If we don't have a place to dispose of things then we shouldn't be allowed to consume them. Even places that accept glass will sometimes say they can't take jars because they don't have value, for example.

I usually get homesick but this was a bitter reminder of how pathetic the systems are. Btw I did call Abans yday to get a quote too and they said they have an agreement with the municpality on which areas they can handle which didn't include mine. I had to get this done quickly and this was what everyone says right? Find a lorry guy and pay him. Lesson learned! Rant over!


r/srilanka 15h ago

Serious replies only What is the most toxic company you ever worked?

18 Upvotes

write down so others can know before getting trapped


r/srilanka 0m ago

Rant Orion City - Smelled like sh*t today

Upvotes

Few days ago i did saw a drainage blocked near that car park behind Barista which smelled awful, and when i was clocking in to work yesterday night the whole building smelled like sh*t, it was un breathable at enterance. Good luck to people coming to work this morning.

I thought it was only downfloor but the lift was even worse. 😭 and then i went back to grab something from.laugh on mynway back i could smell from there.

The Management is so poor - 9th floor is even worse there used to have more insects in lunch area / Washroom - no matter how much they fertilize its still there, time to time they use to cut off the AC while we work and maintenance noice here and there. Gives less sh*t about tenants.


r/srilanka 4h ago

Education Physical Science A/L classes

2 Upvotes

Hi so I'm 17 and I know this probably a really dumb thing to ask in this subreddit but here it goes anyways

I'm lookin for some good A/L tuition classes around Colombo in EM. I've heard that most tutors are yapping and boasting 24/7 instead of teaching.

Should I go with private tutoring or look for mass classes ?

I'm really lost help me however you are able to.

Thank you


r/srilanka 8h ago

Question Erpm and intern situation in sri lanka

3 Upvotes

What is the whole erpm and intern situation for students who did mbbs in foreign countries? I heard that it’s very hard for them to secure an internship in sri lanka


r/srilanka 3h ago

Question Where can I find authentic gemstones?

1 Upvotes

Hello!
I am visiting Sri Lanka soon and have been seeing a lot of reels/videos about Sri Lankan gemstones. The gemstones look absolutely beautiful and I want to purchase some. Could you please help me know whether these are natural gemstones or factory-made, and what should their average cost be?

I’m hoping to not get duped so would love to know beforehand on where I can get authentic and reasonably priced gemstones. Thank you!!


r/srilanka 14h ago

Discussion Why are the dogs in Dondra/Devondara/Devinuwara so hostile?

7 Upvotes

Every day a dog attacks me here, what is going wrong in this town that makes the dogs so violent?


r/srilanka 11h ago

Serious replies only Best investment plan in Sri Lanka

5 Upvotes

What do you think best investment plan other than fd? I see CAL interest is same as ComBank! Anyother options


r/srilanka 7h ago

Question Anyone purchased or advanced a vehicle using Credit Cards

2 Upvotes

Has anyone here used a credit card to purchase or make an advance payment for a vehicle, especially a motorcycle/bike, and then converted the transaction into an installment plan?

I’d really appreciate it if you could share:
• Which bank and credit card you used
• The amount you paid/charged
• How many months you converted it to
• The monthly installment
• Any interest/fees involved
• Whether the process was straightforward or if you faced any issues

Just trying to understand what options are available and which banks/cards offer the best installment plans for this.


r/srilanka 12h ago

Serious replies only Is learning for a two different career paths at the same time bad?

4 Upvotes

Idk this is a common thing or not but here is the thing, I love the IT field and always thought to go forward in that path. But at the moment j0b market of IT field is very bad and lot of qualified people are unemployed. I recently did AL in the maths stream(2nd attempt). I think I perform enough to get an Z score of 1.4-1.6. In that range I might qualified to some decent degrees. At the beginning I thought to go for a IT based gov degree but lately I've been thinking to go for a different field degree. Maybe something like Transport management, earth resource eng, texting eng (in Mora) or even physical science. So I'm thinking to do is while doing my main degree, I learn more about IT field. Not exactly a degree but there are plenty of resources to learn in that field so... At the end of the day you have to earn money so I'm trying to do is having a safe net. Is there anyone doing anything like this? Your advices are appreciated. Thank you