Global Press Journal Connections: The World in Photos

Mannar, Sri Lanka

From left, Christhobar Ajith, Mohammathu Sathaku Yasin, Ravuthar Mohammathu Pasith and Mohammathu Imthiyas Infan play carom as they wait for three-wheeler customers in a parking lot in Mannar, Sri Lanka.

Photo by Vetrichelvi Chandrakala

Mannar, Sri Lanka

Mohan Jathusan, left, and Radnasingam Mohan weld a motorcycle engine at one of the few welding shops in Mannar, Sri Lanka.

Photo by Vetrichelvi Chandrakala

Jaffna, Sri Lanka

Sabarathinam Thevarasa forges a knife at his metal workshop in Jaffna, Sri Lanka. Thevarasa, who has 50 years of experience, says he is happy to be self-employed at his age.

Photo by Thayalini Indrakularasa

Jaffna, Sri Lanka

Alakendraraja Ramkumar hews wooden planks to build a fishing boat in Jaffna, Sri Lanka. Ramkumar worries that the rising cost of wood will limit production.

Photo by Vijayatharsiny Thinesh

Jaffna, Sri Lanka

Mangaleswaran Kabilan prepares food for a customer in a trolley in Jaffna, Sri Lanka. Kabilan opened the business in 2019.

Photo by Vijayatharsiny Thinesh

Mannar, Sri Lanka

Renchi Thevaraja, left, and Jerus Jeparson dry their grain harvest on a road in Mannar, Sri Lanka. Because the grain is worth more after it’s been dried, the farmers also purchase crops from nearby farmers to dry and sell.

Photo by Vetrichelvi Chandrakala

Jaffna, Sri Lanka

Devotees, some carrying milk pots on their heads, walk to Inuvil Kandaswamy Temple in Jaffna, Sri Lanka. In this town, worshippers bring milk and freshly harvested paddy to the temple to commemorate Thaipusam during a Hindu harvest festival.

Photo by Vijayatharsiny Thinesh

Velanai, Jaffna, Sri Lanka

Arumugam Sritharan repairs a television at a customer’s home in Velanai, Jaffna, Sri Lanka. Sritharan, who has 10 years of experience in wiring and plumbing, says it’s a challenge to find parts for older televisions.

Photo by Thayalini Indrakularasa

Tirunelveli, Jaffna, Sri Lanka

Sarmila Sooriyakumar draws a portrait at her home in Tirunelveli, Jaffna, Sri Lanka. Sooriyakumar, who earns an average of $150 a month from selling her art, says customers typically give the pencil drawings as gifts.

Photo by Thayalini Indrakularasa

Mannar, Sri Lanka

Pakiyam Sebamalai, left, and Solai Valliyamma weave flowers into garlands in Mannar, Sri Lanka. Hindu worshippers often visit temples on Friday evenings to make garlands and offer them to the gods.

Photo by Vetrichelvi Chandrakala

Jaffna, Sri Lanka

Kularajasingam Sutharshan, left, shovels grain into a bag with colleagues at Kaithady Bridge in Jaffna, Sri Lanka. Sutharshan uses empty roads to have enough space to spread out and dry his harvest.

Photo by Vijayatharsiny Thinesh

Mannar, Sri Lanka

Sereaf Sekariya squeezes gram dough from a pastry bag in Mannar, Sri Lanka. Sekariya sells snacks from his food cart in the evenings.

Photo by Vetrichelvi Chandrakala

Karainagar, Jaffna, Sri Lanka

Arumugam Selvam prepares a shrimp net for the next day’s catch in Karainagar, Jaffna, Sri Lanka. Selvam, who has been fishing since he was 16, says the family business will not continue after his death since his children have left the industry.

Photo by Vijayatharsiny Thinesh

Point Pedro, Jaffna, Sri Lanka

Thurairasa Koneswaran, who has constructed kites for 20 years, paints one of them at his shop in Point Pedro, Jaffna, Sri Lanka.

Photo by Vijayatharsiny Thinesh

Cheddikulam, Vavuniya, Sri Lanka

Kanesamoorthy Theeban, left, explains a technical skill to apprentice Thiyagaraja Sutharsan in Cheddikulam, Vavuniya, Sri Lanka. Theeban has operated an auto repair shop out of his home since the COVID-19 pandemic began.

Photo by Thayalini Indrakularasa

Kodikamam, Jaffna, Sri Lanka

Revelers carry a statue of Lord Murugan during Skanda Sashti, a Hindu festival, outside a temple in Kodikamam, Jaffna, Sri Lanka. On the sixth day of the festival, devotees celebrate the deity’s victory over evil.

Photo by Vijayatharsiny Thinesh

Cheddikulam, Vavuniya, Sri Lanka

From left, Rasalingam Mohanraj, Rasarathinam Vinotharan and Sagadevan Saruksan dig a well with a machine in Cheddikulam, Vavuniya, Sri Lanka. Since the groundwater level is low, workers dig borewells at a depth of 100 feet as an alternative to ordinary wells for agricultural needs.

Photo by Thayalini Indrakularasa

Pandatharippu, Jaffna, Sri Lanka

Kanthasamy Kugasanth paints cement sculptures in Pandatharippu, Jaffna, Sri Lanka. Kugasanth, who has worked as a painter for over two years, says his employment has been affected by lockdowns to prevent the spread of the coronavirus.

Photo by Vijayatharsiny Thinesh

Neerveli, Jaffna, Sri Lanka

Yoganathan Viththakan makes handicrafts with coconut shells in Neerveli, Jaffna, Sri Lanka. Vithagan says he promotes his business through Facebook and exports his handicrafts to Canada and Switzerland.

Photo by Vijayatharsiny Thinesh

Cheddikulam, Vavuniya, Sri Lanka

Manokaran Chandrakala weaves a blanket at a handloom training center in Cheddikulam, Vavuniya district, Sri Lanka. The center, run by the Department of Industries, trains young women to make such goods as garments, towels and blankets in an effort to provide employment opportunities and to boost production in rural areas.

Photo by Thayalini Indrakularasa

Cheddikulam, Vavuniya, Sri Lanka

Muthu Velumani adjusts his field’s boundaries in Cheddikulam, Vavuniya, Sri Lanka. Due to the monsoon in the northern part of the country, he had to reconstruct his paddy before he could sow the field.

Photo by Thayalini Indrakularasa

Adampan, Mannar, Sri Lanka

Rawuthar Kowpath Umma harvests peanuts in Adampan, Mannar district, Sri Lanka. Locals can often find work in landowners’ fields during the harvest season.

Photo by Vetrichelvi Chandrakala

Kodikamam, Jaffna, Sri Lanka

Sinnathamby Sinnapillai, left, and Paramanandar Vallikodi weave coconut leaves to fence their house in Kodikamam, Jaffna, Sri Lanka. In rural areas, where cement walls are hard to find, residents will often replace their coconut leaf fences twice a year.

Photo by Vijayatharsiny Thinesh

Adampan, Mannar, Sri Lanka

From left, Pasith Pasarath, bottom, Jeyanthan Maheesan, top, and Immanuel Anthonithas collect straw in Adampan, Mannar district, Sri Lanka. The farmers will store the straw to feed cows during the upcoming rainy season.

Photo by Vetrichelvi Chandrakala

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Mannar, Sri Lanka

Mannar, Sri Lanka

Jaffna, Sri Lanka

Jaffna, Sri Lanka

Jaffna, Sri Lanka

Mannar, Sri Lanka

Jaffna, Sri Lanka

Velanai, Jaffna, Sri Lanka

Tirunelveli, Jaffna, Sri Lanka

Mannar, Sri Lanka

Jaffna, Sri Lanka

Mannar, Sri Lanka

Karainagar, Jaffna, Sri Lanka

Point Pedro, Jaffna, Sri Lanka

Cheddikulam, Vavuniya, Sri Lanka

Kodikamam, Jaffna, Sri Lanka

Cheddikulam, Vavuniya, Sri Lanka

Pandatharippu, Jaffna, Sri Lanka

Neerveli, Jaffna, Sri Lanka

Cheddikulam, Vavuniya, Sri Lanka

Cheddikulam, Vavuniya, Sri Lanka

Adampan, Mannar, Sri Lanka

Kodikamam, Jaffna, Sri Lanka

Adampan, Mannar, Sri Lanka