Sri Lanka - Modern Perspectives from an Ancient Melting Pot

Best-selling Sri Lankan author Ashok Ferrey has six books to his credit, all variously nominated for the Gratiaen Prize, the DSC Prize, or State Literary Award. His last, The Unmarriageable Man, went on to win the Gratiaen - Sri Lanka’s premier literary prize founded by Michael Ondaatje.

In a parallel life Ashok is a designer and builder of houses. His last project, the Cricket Club Café in Colombo, was nominated for a Geoffrey Bawa Award for Excellence in Architecture – the first time a non-architect was accorded this honour.

A  former TEDx speaker, and Curator of the very first Ceylon Literary Festival, Ashok is by day a personal trainer.

Katie Mantwa George is a Leadership Guide and Founder of “Being Human Well”. Her mission is to highlight the importance of cultivating a sense of ease and belonging in ourselves and in our workplaces.

She partners with notable brands and workplaces to boost Engagement, Productivity and Creativity using the power of Empathy and works with private individuals to expand Self-Awareness, Authenticity and Clarity using the power of Self-Compassion. 

She is also an expert on Fearne Cotton’s Happy Place Wellness App. She left a demanding corporate career to use her extensive experience and blend of unique professional training to inspire a more Human approach to ourselves and our workplaces.

Katie holds a BSc in Psychology, MSc in Occupational Psychology and a Meditation Certification (Deepak Chopra’s Teacher Training). She has also trained with the Dalai Lama in India.

Megan Dhakshini is a published poetess, art director and trilingual VoiceOver artist. She is a multi-disciplinary creative and spends some of her time on instagram performing spoken word reels, Tamil cover songs, and writing and art directing poetry posts. She is also managing her new silver jewellery brand ‘Raatchasi’. Megan also daylights as a copywriter for The Next Big Think ~ the ad agency she co-founded and works as a trilingual voice over artist in her home city Colombo. 

Her book of poetry “Softly We Fall”, was long listed for the prestigious Gratiaen Prize in 2021.  Her first collection, “Poison Apple (2018) was published by Unsolicited Press USA. She feels most comfortable in her writer skin and on stage, performing poetry and music while exchanging exhilarating energy with audiences. 

Mehala Ford, born in Sri Lanka in 1974 and raised in the UK, is a creative entrepreneur with over 20 years of experience in the fashion industry. She studied fashion PR at the London College of Fashion and worked with notable designers like Alexander McQueen, Preen and emerging young designers in the late 90’s.

She also worked on Designers at Debenhams during the rise of the British High Street. Mehala has founded several creative platforms, notably Friday Sari Project concept store and space showcasing contemporary South Asian design and culture. Mehala teaches and champions modern sari drapes and styling to encourage the continuity of sari wearing.

She is also the creator of CommonGround&, an arts platform for South Asian creatives and has curated several cultural programmes for Royal Museums Greenwich.

Roma Wells is an Author, Adventurer and Presenter who is wildly curious about life. She runs Curious Fox Travel which is all about travelling kinder, offering breathtaking trips which uplift local communities and support wildlife conservation. As a storyteller at the core, she is immensely passionate about uplifting mental health through exploring the wonders of our natural world. 

Serena Burgess has been a yoga teacher for 18 years and firmly believes that yoga is not confined to the mat alone but is a toolbox for life. She is also a qualified Doula in Sri Lanka and comes from a 3 generation lineage of women helping women through pregnancy and birth. Serena lives in Sri Lanka with her family and is dedicated to living her life with purpose and integrity for the values she holds dear. She is a firm pacifist and created her own teacher training programme and community called the Conscious Courage Collective. We talk about being born in Hertfordshire, heading out to Sri Lanka and travelling back and forth until she settled here, her exploration of cultural heritage and why yoga needs to be de-colonised. She says “ I use the phrase Purpose is my Medicine and honestly as I observe myself when I feel like I can’t do something or contribute in some way, that’s when I start going a bit insane”