The Pakistan High Commission has started an Urdu Language Training Center in the Sri Lankan capital. The avowed purpose of the venture is to help Lankans who go to Pakistan either for higher studies or to do business, communicate with locals. But it is undeniable that one of the aims of the Center is to counter the spread of Hindi, which is already a hugely popular language in Lanka thanks to Bollywood films and their songs.

After January 2015’s  presidential polls—otherwise known as the Rainbow Revolution—that ousted “friend of China” Rajapaksa, Beijing’s influence over Colombo was said to be gradually receding from the sandy shores of the island traditionally seen as within India’s periphery of influence.

Rosy Senanayake and Kumar Sangakkara are two extremely popular Sri Lankans and shadows that have befallen their careers have caused heartburn among their fans. [...] This brings in the key question: Can anyone who is not a professional diplomat and wants to be one or is selected as one be a successful diplomat?

Parvatibai Chowgule College of Arts and Science, Margao has organised a first-of- its kind, short-term cultural and academic programme of two weeks. At present the college has affiliations with these four institutions namely Stockholm, Sweeden, Waseda University of Tokyo and Kelaniya University in Sri Lanka.

Prime Minister Modi has been promoting a new term, "spiritual neighborhood". He used it during his trips to Sri Lanka and more recently to Mongolia to link up with Buddhism. It makes for good diplomacy. Prime Minister Narendra Modi has invented a new concept in diplomacy, "spiritual neighbourhood". Addressing the Great Hural, the Mongolian Parliament, the Prime Minister affirmed, "I bring the greetings of your 1.25 billion spiritual neighbors."

Neighbourhood diplomacy can be tricky even at the best of times, because any two neighbours will have common but differening expectations of a good bilateral relationship. Viewed in this light, India’s Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s latest visit to Sri Lanka has gone off well, without setting the Palk Strait on fire. 

Prime Minister Modi’s public pitch in the presence of Sri Lanka’s President, for "the early and full implementation of the 13th amendment and going beyond" may not have been the best conceivable projection of soft power, at the level of the Sri Lankan masses.

The two countries signed an agreement on cultural cooperation enhancing cooperation in a variety of fields including performing arts, libraries, archives and documentation, publications and professional exchange.