Global Press Journal Connections: The World in Photos

Periyavilan, Jaffna, Sri Lanka

Anran Yogarasa Sakayapuspam packs lime paste in Periyavilan, Jaffna, Sri Lanka. The paste, a mixture of calcium oxide and water, is a household ingredient and is often combined with betel nut to produce a popular stimulant.

Photo by Vijayatharsiny Thinesh

Kayts, Jaffna district, Sri Lanka

Thiraviyam Sureshkumar builds coffins at his brother’s shop in Kayts, Jaffna district, Sri Lanka.

Photo by Pashna Alistan

Jaffna, Sri Lanka

Dhanabalasingam Gunanathan, left, and Erampu Sivanesarasa extract fish from a net at Kakkaithivu, Jaffna, Sri Lanka. Sivanesarasa says since the sea mother gives them great wealth, the coronavirus does not affect his business.

Photo by Vijayatharsiny Thinesh

Cheddikulam, Vavuniya, Sri Lanka

Mutthaiya Manimekalan, left, and Manimekalan Thayalan make organic compost in their yard in Cheddikulam, Vavuniya, Sri Lanka. The government encouraged farmers to produce organic fertilizers during the time it banned chemical fertilizer imports.

Photo by Thayalini Indrakularasa

Adampan, Mannar, Sri Lanka

From left, Mohamed Minhag, Mohamadhu Fayis, and Seinool Abdheen Kamardheen pick grains, and Kuptha Mevanlaal Muktha harvests them with a machine in Adampan, Mannar district, Sri Lanka.

Photo by Vetrichelvi Chandrakala

Adampan, Mannar, Sri Lanka

Sellamuthu Selvakumar, left, and Nahenthiran Surenthar make compost in Adampan, Mannar district, Sri Lanka. The import of chemical fertilizers has been banned, so farmers hire help to make compost on their land.

Photo by Vetrichelvi Chandrakala

Gurunagar, Jaffna, Sri Lanka

Krishi Kutty sews fishing nets in Gurunagar, Jaffna, Sri Lanka. Kutty says he has been doing this work since he was a kid and now employs others in the craft.

Photo by Vijayatharsiny Thinesh

Kayts, Jaffna district, Sri Lanka

John Mary Visuvasam burns coconut shells in a pit in Kayts, Jaffna district, Sri Lanka. Coconuts are used for cooking, but the shells are typically discarded, so Visuvasam collects and burns them to make charcoal to sell.

Photo by Pashna Alistan

Vidathaltheevu, Mannar district, Sri Lanka

Anton Suhanthan Sarojiny, 17, untangles a fishing net in Vidathaltheevu, Mannar district, Sri Lanka. Women in fishermen’s families often remove debris and prepare nets for the next catch.

Photo by Vetrichelvi Chandrakala

Naranthanai South village, Sri Lanka

Mary Ann Yonmary pours hand-mashed palmyra pulp on a mat woven from palm leaves outside her house in Naranthanai South village, Sri Lanka. When the pulp dries, Yonmary will cut and sell the final product, which is called pinattu.

Photo by Pashna Alistan

Cheddikulam, Sri Lanka

Rasenthiram Kabilan welds a door for the shop where he works in Cheddikulam, Vavuniya, Sri Lanka. Kabilan, who used to commute to Colombo, now works locally because of the coronavirus pandemic. “It’s nice to be with family,” he says, “even though the salary is low.”

Photo by Thayalini Indrakularasa

Cheddikulam, Sri Lanka

Varatharasan Dinarsan pours cow’s milk into a container in Cheddikulam, Vavuniya, Sri Lanka. Due to a shortage of milk powder because of a change in import taxes, the demand for and price of cow’s milk have increased.

Photo by Thayalini Indrakularasa

Jaffna, Sri Lanka

Muniyasami Ravikumar makes a clay pot in Kalviyankadu, Jaffna district, Sri Lanka. Earthenware pots are used to light lamps in Hindu temples and to collect toddy from palm trees.

Photo by Pashna Alistan

Jaffna, Sri Lanka

Mohamed Moosin, originally from Kandy district, sells cotton candy in the street in Kokuvil, Jaffna district, Sri Lanka. Moosin says he has been in the business for 17 years.

Photo by Vijayatharsiny Thinesh

Adampan, Sri Lanka

Alahuraj Thayalan saws a coconut tree trunk into planks in Adampan, Mannar district, Sri Lanka. Thayalan sells the wood for roofing material.

Photo by Vetrichelvi Chandrakala

Jaffna, Sri Lanka

Ranjithraj Nishakaran advertises the magazine Siriththiran with a promotion team in Chavakachcheri, Jaffna, Sri Lanka. The magazine, which was relaunched in January 2021, was founded in 1963 and circulated for 32 years before its offices were burned down during the Sri Lankan Civil War.

Photo by Vijayatharsiny Thinesh

Adampan, Sri Lanka

Esariyan Jeromiyas grinds iron to make a window frame in Adampan, Mannar district, Sri Lanka. Jeromiyas, a salaried employee at the workshop, commutes 30 kilometers (19 miles) each day.

Photo by Vetrichelvi Chandrakala

Cheddikulam, Sri Lanka

Kunarasa Dilaxan combines cement and sand to make stones for building material in Cheddikulam, Vavuniya, Sri Lanka. Young workers like Dilaxon used to travel to other districts for work, but they now stay close to home as coronavirus cases rise.

Photo by Thayalini Indrakularasa

Jaffna, Sri Lanka

Family members of the founders of the Periya Thambiran temple make dumplings, or modak, as an offering to commemorate the day the temple was built in Jaffna, Sri Lanka. Many people usually attend the celebration, but this year, only family members were present due to the coronavirus pandemic.

Photo by Vijayatharsiny Thinesh

Inuvil, Sri Lanka

Murugan Jeevaratnam hammers wood to make kitchen shelves in Inuvil, Jaffna, Sri Lanka. Jeevaratnam, 73, has been working as a carpenter for 45 years and says now that he’s older, he earns his salary by doing easier work.

Photo by Vijayatharsiny Thinesh

Adampan, Sri Lanka

Manuvel Mahenthiran prepares a field to sow paddy in Adampan, Mannar district, Sri Lanka. Farmland is allocated once a year to members of farmers’ organizations registered with the Ministry of Agriculture.

Photo by Vetrichelvi Chandrakala

Inuvil, Sri Lanka

Kanakalingam Govardhanan clears the grass around Karaikal Sivan Temple in Inuvil, Jaffna, Sri Lanka. As a service, Govardhanan, a bus driver, has cleaned the temple's perimeter every day since the government imposed a travel restriction during the coronavirus pandemic.

Photo by Vijayatharsiny Thinesh

Adampan, Sri Lanka

Kamardheen Sithysameena and Kaleel Ramshiya sow black grain seeds in Adampan, Mannar district, Sri Lanka. Black grain is a profitable option for farmers because Sri Lanka restricts imports of the crop.

Photo by Vetrichelvi Chandrakala

Jaffna, Sri Lanka

Arumugam Tharumaraja makes small earthenware lamps in Thirunelvely, Jaffna, Sri Lanka. Tharumaraja says exporting his pottery has been limited due to COVID-19, so he has started making lamps for a lights festival in November.

Photo by Vijayatharsiny Thinesh

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Periyavilan, Jaffna, Sri Lanka

Kayts, Jaffna district, Sri Lanka

Jaffna, Sri Lanka

Cheddikulam, Vavuniya, Sri Lanka

Adampan, Mannar, Sri Lanka

Adampan, Mannar, Sri Lanka

Gurunagar, Jaffna, Sri Lanka

Kayts, Jaffna district, Sri Lanka

Vidathaltheevu, Mannar district, Sri Lanka

Naranthanai South village, Sri Lanka

Cheddikulam, Sri Lanka

Cheddikulam, Sri Lanka

Jaffna, Sri Lanka

Jaffna, Sri Lanka

Adampan, Sri Lanka

Jaffna, Sri Lanka

Adampan, Sri Lanka

Cheddikulam, Sri Lanka

Jaffna, Sri Lanka

Inuvil, Sri Lanka

Adampan, Sri Lanka

Inuvil, Sri Lanka

Adampan, Sri Lanka

Jaffna, Sri Lanka