India, May 14 -- Despite years of disturbances, Sri Lanka holds its culture close and continues to prosper. The third edition of the HSBC Ceylon Literary and Arts Festival held from 13th to 15th February at the Cinnamon Lakeside in the capital of Colombo celebrated exactly this. The first day began with a traditional performance and with festival director Ajai Vir Singh speaking of what to expect during the event.

The inaugural session titled What Paradise Lost had author Shyam Selvadurai talking about his literary journey with Karissa Chen. "My writing changed with how I changed as a human being. I'm interested in families and that's at the centre of my work," he said. Chen said that, from her American point of view, his novel, Mansions...