The Value of Tech Investments in Sri Lanka

"Stunning Night View of Colombo City Skyline" by Thilina Alagiyawanna is marked with CC0 1.0. 

I decided to write an article giving my vision of technology investments in Sri Lanka. I think technology multinationals are companies Sri Lanka should try to attract foreign direct investments (FDIs) from. Sri Lanka can focus on getting these companies to set-up their Sri Lankan operations with modern buildings being constructed. One area getting these companies to focus on is the South Asian region with South Asian headquarters being a possibility. If that’s too difficult an investment to obtain, another option is having a software development centre for South Asia. This includes India which is one of the most populated countries in the world. This would bring a massive number of Sri Lankan jobs.

In my previous article “Five Export Diversification Options for Sri Lanka”, two of the options I mentioned are computers & electronics and visual effects for Hollywood. As part of this, we can get technology companies to set-up manufacturing operations in Sri Lanka and attract global visual effects companies to have Sri Lankan offices.

Technology multinationals can bring advanced technology to Sri Lanka. These companies could offer modern services using this technology to the Sri Lankan market directly and also collaborate with others in Sri Lanka. I envision collaborations using this technology being agreements with Sri Lankan companies in the private sector to sell services through it and secure Sri Lankan government contracts with it. Tech companies could also do work for the Sri Lankan government on digitisation. I see their charitable activities as using their technology and expertise to benefit the poor and rural Sri Lanka.

This is a small selection I gave of the value of tech investments into Sri Lanka. There are many more possibilities I didn’t mention. Professionals involved in Sri Lanka’s technology sector and in obtaining FDI could expand on this with more detailed proposals. I’d be interested to hear if you have any ideas on tech investments in Sri Lanka. As Colombo has new buildings constructed, I am of the view that technology companies are a good sector for us to attract to enhance this contemporary trend.

Celebrating Colombo

I decided to create a post collecting photos online from my hometown of Colombo, Sri Lanka. I give credit to the photographers below and provide some commentary on these photos.

Galle Face Green

Here’s a photo of Galle Face Green from 20 years ago in 2005. It’s good to see people enjoying themselves, kites and the Sri Lankan flag flying.

"Galle Face Green" by the very honest man is licensed under CC BY 2.0.

This is another look at Galle Face Green from a different angle.

"Galle Face Green" by Dennis S. Hurd is marked with CC0 1.0.

Viharamahadevi Park

We’re now moving onto Viharamahadevi Park. The photo below has the board of the park.

 

"Viharamahadevi Park" by Honeplus is licensed under CC BY-SA 3.0.

Here’s a walking path in this park with trees and plants. 

"SL210 Viharamahadevi Park" by S.K. LO is licensed under CC BY-NC 2.0.

I really like the photo below which has grass, trees, walking paths and a bird pool in the centre.

"Viharamahadevi Park, Colombo - panoramio" by Alexey Komarov is licensed under CC BY 3.0.

Wellawatte

This is Wellwatte, the Colombo suburb I’m from. The photo below is from Rajasinghe Road. It has the Wellawatte look you get of houses, green trees and apartment buildings.

"Rajasinghe Road - Wellawatte, Sri Lanka" by Muunaa-Selva is licensed under CC BY-SA 4.0.

The following two photos are at nighttime. I really like the way Sri Lanka looks at that time of day. Shehal Joseph took them from a friend's apartment 30 metres above the ground. The first photo’s blue light is positively striking. The second photo has a good contrast of minimal lighting at the front and strong lighting at the back. I notice it features a mix of apartment buildings and palm trees.

"Views from 30m above Ground in Wellawatte - 5" by shehal is licensed under CC BY 2.0.

"Views from 30m above Ground in Wellawatte - 6" by shehal is licensed under CC BY 2.0.

This is a nice view of Wellawatte beach by the railway.

"Wellawatte beach 2" by Yomal Indula Perera is licensed under CC BY-SA 4.0.

Beira Lake

Beira Lake is a beautiful lake in Colombo. Here’s a lovely photo of Beira Lake surrounded by large green trees and skyscrapers.

"South Beira Lake" by D-Stanley is licensed under CC BY 2.0.

I love how this photo has so many different elements. We see a train going by Beira Lake, a building, palm trees, vehicles and a boat.

"UG-LK Photowalk - Beira Lake - 2017-03-12 (2)" by Rehman Abubakr is licensed under CC BY-SA 4.0.

Here’s a footbridge on Beira Lake. I like the modern architecture of this bridge.

"South Beira Lake Colombo (Childrens Park)" by Kondephy is licensed under CC BY-SA 4.0.

This is a cool photo of Beira Lake at night. I love how the bridge lights up.

"File:Beira lake at Nite.jpg" by Arvindkumarn is licensed under CC BY-SA 3.0.

Buildings

Here’s a recent picture of the Colombo skyline with all these buildings. This looks very impressive! It reminds me of Dubai.

"Colombo skyline 2024" by T Chamika is marked with CC0 1.0.

This photo of Independence Memorial Hall in Independence Square is by ImageBang!.

"Independence Square" by Mydaas! is licensed under CC BY-NC 2.0.

Here’s a colourful look at Arcade Independence Square which is nearby.

"Arcade Independence Square" by Nazly is licensed under CC BY-NC-SA 2.0.

These are the Royal Park apartment buildings in Rajagiriya. I like how it goes with the sky and the trees.

"_MG_2176" by Dhammika Heenpella / CWSSIP Images of Sri Lanka is licensed under CC BY-NC 2.0.

A good look at Colombo city from 10 years ago.

"Colombo City Line 01" by Priyantha Bandara is licensed under CC BY-NC-ND 2.0.

I’ll conclude with this lovely photo of Colombo at night.

"Colombo (Sri Lanka) at Night" by Dyl86 is licensed under CC BY 2.0.

I hope you enjoyed these photos of Colombo. As a Sri Lankan abroad, seeing good photos of my hometown has a special feeling. I like how Colombo has both many buildings and trees. This proves to be a good combination which makes Colombo a special city.

Virtual Views of Ten Sri Lankan Buildings

 

Sysco LABS building as featured in my previous blog post “Diverse Views of Sri Lanka”.

I love buildings, so I decided to write a blog post embedding virtual views of Sri Lankan buildings from Google Street View. This is a personal selection that I made. I feature the most buildings from Colombo as that’s my hometown. I also include some structures which are not traditional buildings like lighthouses and clock towers. You can explore the areas in the Google Street View embedded sections. There is also a “View on Google Maps” button enabling you to explore it in a larger size in another window. This is also useful if the embedded content does not load.

This is Independence Memorial Hall in Independence Square. It’s an important symbol of Sri Lanka’s independence from colonialism.

Here’s the Dutch Hospital Shopping Precinct. One of the places seen is the Java Lounge. I enjoyed having something sweet there in 2017.

Here’s the Christian church Christ Church, Galle Face. It’s in the centre. It’s nice to see palm trees on its property. Skyscrapers around it offer a nice contrast of traditional and modern architecture.

A modern building by SLTMobitel.

The cool Sysco LABS building. I like its use of blue and palm trees at the front.

We’re now moving far away to the Point Pedro Lighthouse in the North.

In the same region, we’re looking at the Jaffna Post Office. I like its colourful look.

This is the iconic Galle Fort Clock Tower.

This is the edge of the Kandy City Centre, a 21st century shopping complex in Kandy that’s both modern and influenced by traditional Kandyan architecture.  

We’re now moving to another shopping complex, this time the Colombo City Centre. These kinds of modern buildings are my favourite type of architecture. It’s awesome that it says “I Love CMB” at the front as I love Colombo.

I hope you enjoyed the selection of Sri Lankan buildings featured. I tried to feature a mix of both modern and traditional architecture throughout Sri Lanka.