Last Post 29th June 2007

True, I have'nt been a faithful blogger over the last few months and so much has happened most of which was begging to be dissected and analyzed amd bitched about. The State of the nation hasn't improved, Hikkaduwa is still my fav holiday destination and Facebook has robbed us of our precious time. But at the urging of fellow bloggers including my friend from The Missing Sandwich (name drop) I have decided to display my inability to spell and my impertinent opinions back online whether it's liked or not.

And so to inaugurate the Return to the blog I would like to start off by pissing off the organisers of 'The Galle Literary Festival", which I have dubbed the most pretentious event that Colombo's and Galle's high society have ever trumped up, to date. In fact it has all the symptoms of an event that was concieved over buttery scones and high tea by people who feel the need for self-importance or a nice picture in the (Hi)gh magazine.

Disclaimer: I have never been to the Galle Literary festtival aka GLF and out of the miniscule amount of people who read my blog I'm sure one or two may be huge fans and supporters of the GLF who may feel that I may be a little too uncultured to critisize such an event without even experiencing it, to which I say "Yes, now eff off".

From the first GLF last year I have been outspoken about the fact that GLF is nothing more than a money making machine not interested really in the propagation of literature and art but more in the propagation of ones image. It's a festival for the rich and literature for the well read. I don't claim to be a genius and connoisseur of words as do some of the people that attened the GLF but I do know how to read and write and I'm sure 95% of the people that turn up for the GLF have that ability as well, it's not everyday an illiterate person can dish out 35 thousand ruppees for an all access pass to the GLF, which is my biggest gripe. With all the impressive sponsors that the event attracts and all the rich people that have a stake in GLF why is it that it's only affordable by the rich. Surely don't international schools have a fairly extensive literature curriculum and aren't international school students exposed to a more spoken english way of life. Then why is it only they can afford going to the GLF. Don't the millions of underpriviledged kids with poor if not severe lack of education deserve to experience the wonders of literature or is it because they may never have the chance to study at Nottingham University or Harvard to really be deemed worthy of knowledge.

For example take blogging, the only reason why blogging has taken the world by storm is because it gives everybody and everyone regardless of color, race or creed the ability to voice their opinions, hopes and dreams without having to be a hot shot published journalist or author, for FREE, of course at the GLF its become a reason to have overpriced sessions on blogging for people who have been blogging since it's inception. What about poor young people in tiny pocket villages who blog from tiny sweat house internet cafe's trying hard to be part of the online community on a budget as tight as my ass-hole? Have sessions as much as you want but does there have to be such a steep price on knowledge and understanding FREE speech.

Why does knowledge have to be so expensive? Wasn't some the greatest authors and playwrites of the previous centuries poorer than church mice with nothing to live for? Did they prance around in their Prado's and GTi horse carraiges?

I think the GLF organisers should realize that if they want to show off how wonderfully philanthropic and dedicated they are to literature then maybe they should make it possible for people from all walks of life be it rich or poor to be able to enjoy literature and knowledge equally instead of trying to teach rich people how to suck eggs.

Remember the fall from a high horse is a long one and will freakin hurt at the end.