Most Sinhalese in the island claim that Sri Lanka was ruled by nagas and yakkas before Vijaya( a prince from India ) came to Sri Lanka. The most famous of these legendary kings is Ravana. Most people in the country believe that Ravana is still alive but in deep sleep. But most prominent historians regard Vijaya as Sri lanka's first king. Vijaya is an Indian prince who because of misbehavior was put in a boat with his 700 friends was sent off. He was the son of king Sinhabahu who was in fact the son of a Lion. Hence most Sinhalse claim to be descending from the Lion's blood.
There were several kings who ruled Sri Lanka after Vijaya but the most important after that was Pandukabaya because he chose Anuradhapura as the country's capital.
The first Portuguese arrived at Sri Lanka in 1505.
Sri Lanka experienced the Civil war through years 1983 to 2009. Racial discrimination after the post colonial era was the main reason for civil war as such. The sinhala only act which was passed in 1953 was one of the main reasons for a war as such. This act led to about 1/3 of the population facing difficulties when performing daily tasks. It also gave superior status to the Sinhalese component of the population.
Even though most people criticize the Act, it can be argued as a healthy decision as previously Lanka used colonial English to handle work at courts which limited amout of people understood. So it was really a choice between making more people understand or making the population literate in English.
The war was between the LTTE and the Sri Lankan army. Due to careful planning and expert battling techniques of Sarath Fonseka under the guidance of former president Mahinda Rajapakse and former defence secreatariat Gotabaya Rajapakse, the brutal civil war ended in May 2009 as the LTTE admitted defeat..
Sri Lanka had to gain international confidence after the war.
Jew's harp
The Jew's harp (also known as jaw harp or mouth harp) is a small musical instrument. It is held on the mouth and plucked. The person playing the harp changes the pitch and tone of the sound created by changing the shape of their mouth.
Mathematics Genealogy Project
The Mathematics Genealogy Project is a web-based database for the academic information of mathematicians. It contains information on many mathematical scientists who contributed to research-level mathematics (Mathematics higher than graduate level). The project entry includes PhD course graduation year, PhD thesis title, "alma mater", doctoral advisor, and doctoral students.
Lucy Joan Slater
Lucy Joan Slater (5 January 1922 – 6 June 2008) was a British mathematician who studied mathematical functions. Many mathematical identities have been named after her. For example, there is the Jackson-Slater identity and the Rogers-Ramanujan-Slater identity. She is also known for her books about special functions and Fortran.
Marie Anne de Bourbon
Marie Anne de Bourbon, "Légitimée de France" (2 October 1666 – 3 May 1739) was the eldest legitimised daughter ("fille légitimée de France") of King Louis XIV of France and his first well known mistress Louise de La Vallière.
LGBT rights in India
Lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender (LGBT) people in India may face difficulties from the law and the society. Non-LGBT persons do not commonly face these difficulties. India has removed laws that treated gay sex and transgender people unfairly. But Indian laws do not completely protect from unfair treatment or allow same-sex marriage.
Since 2014, transgender people in India may change their gender without surgery. The constitution also gives them a right to name themselves under a third gender. Some states also protect "hijras", who are traditional third gender people in South Asia, through housing programmes, welfare benefits, pension schemes, and free operations in government hospitals. There are about 4.8 million transgender people in India.
In 2018, the Supreme Court of India said that homosexuality was not a crime. It declared that Section 377 of the Indian Penal Code did not follow the constitution when adults had consensual homosexual sex. Homosexuality was never illegal in ancient Indian and traditional codes. It was made a crime by the British during their rule in India.
Though LGBT rights have been spoken for in recent political movements, much homophobia is still present among the people. A poll from 2019 says that around half of Indians object to same-sex relationships. Hindu respondents accept the LGBT community the highest. In 2010s, LGBT people in India gained tolerance and acceptance, especially in large cities. Still, most LGBT people in India remain hidden because they fear unfair treatment from their families who might see homosexuality as shameful.
Marriages between people of the same sex are not allowed in India by law. Same-sex couples are also not given rights of civil union or a household partnership. In 2011, a Haryana court marked a same-sex marriage involving two women as lawful. After marrying, the couple got threats from friends and relatives in their village. Their family finally accepted their marriage.
In October 2017, a group of citizens advised that a new Uniform Civil Code be created. This code would make the same-sex marriage lawful before the Law Commission of India.
There are now many same-sex marriage applications still waiting to be judged by the courts.
Article 15 of the Indian Constitution protects Indian citizens from unfair treatment
The Supreme Court of India has ruled that unfair treatment because of sexual orientation and gender identity did not follow the Constitution.
Even after this, no clear law bans unfair treatment based on both sexual orientation and gender identity. India does not have detailed laws which protect against most unfair treatment and harassment in private jobs. (Such laws exist for sexual harassment though.) Article 15 only covers unfair treatment by government bodies.
In 2019, the "Transgender Persons (Protection of Rights) Bill, 2019" was accepted. The law bans unfair treatment against transgender people in private jobs, education and healthcare.
LGBT activists are reaching out to people who have faced unfair treatment (because of their sexual orientation or gender identity) in private jobs or other non-governmental areas. They are asking such people to question the two rulings in court. They are also fighting for a clear law against unfair treatment. Such a law would also cover private unfair treatment.
LGBT people are banned from working in the Indian military. In December 2018, Member of Parliament Jagdambika Pal (BJP) asked the Indian Parliament to change the "Army Act, 1950", the "Navy Act, 1957" and the "Air Force Act, 1950". His advised change would allow LGBT people to work in the military.
Actor Kamal Rashid Khan was booked by the police on December 9, 2018 for making rude comments against LGBT people.
In February 2014, the Indian Psychiatric Society (IPS) said that homosexuality is not unnatural. It also said that neither science nor rules for psychiatry could prove that homosexuality is a mental illness or a disease. In June 2018, the IPS repeated its stand on the issue. It said that we should not disapprove of people who are not heterosexual, punish them, or remove them from the society.
Even after this, conversion treatments still happen in India. They usually carry out electroshock treatment (which may cause memory loss), hypnosis, drugs causing nausea, or talk therapy. In talk therapy, the person is told that homosexuality happens because they are "not asserting enough" or have "an uncaring father and a strict mother". Conversion treatments can cause depression, anxiety, seizures, drug use and suicidal tendencies.