The Next Chapter Begins!

It is safe to say that for the both of us, among the many avenues of the Rotaract Arts Club, the editorial was the one that felt most like home. The editorial is more than words on a page; it is a sanctuary of sorts where imagination knows no bounds and you can write to your heart’s content. In addition to being the tapestry where all our emotions, feelings, and opinions are woven together, we are also dedicated to upholding the public image of Rotaract Arts Club. Yes, it is a tremendous responsibility, but one that we as editors find great joy in!

As we start our journey as co-editors (hello, hello!) for the year 23/24, we cannot start this article without mentioning two of our favourite human beings on earth, aka our absolutely amazing predecessors and co editors extraordinaire, Rtr. Shihara Ferdinando and Rtr. Tharini Ratwatte. Before reflecting on how much they have done for us (believe us, it’s a lot!), we wanted to mention how they transformed our editorial during their tenure. The editorial soared to new heights in their hands, and we are sure you, too, our dear readers, echo our sentiments. They always made it look easy, and maybe that’s because both of them were truly passionate about their jobs. When we took up our positions, their collective advice can be condensed into a sentence: It’s always okay to make mistakes, so don’t worry about them and enjoy the process rather than thinking of it as a burden. Beautiful advice, not just for running an editorial but also for our lives.

With such a mindset, the success they created is not surprising. After all, statistics don’t lie (as our dear coeditors, who love all things economics, would agree), because together they published a whopping 95 articles. They didn’t stop there; they carried out six projects that were not only creative but also allowed us writers to really test new waters and challenge ourselves. These proved to be novel experiences for our readers as well, because articles under these projects garnered more views for our blog. Major projects like “The Ghoul Game,” “The Universe,” and “Readers’ Digest” are sure to have left an impression on many of our writers and readers alike. Not to mention the crowning achievement during their tenure—publishing articles in all three languages! Even though it was a challenge, they were undaunted, swiftly recruited translators, and got down to business! What a welcome change it was—the celebration of all three languages and, hence, allowing more individuals to pursue their creativity. 

These two worked tirelessly, whether it be making banners or editing articles till late while juggling a plethora of other work. Running a blog is no easy feat, and anyone who has followed their journey knows just how great their commitment was. Their professionalism and attention to detail are inspiring. More than that, they were our moral support system throughout our year as Rotaractors and budding writers. Every article we published, they were on the sidelines cheering us on, which we are truly grateful for. Even now, they never hesitate to answer our never-ending questions about everything. The two of us promise to build upon this extraordinary path you paved and to make you proud. So without further ado, let us introduce ourselves! Since it’s a tad bit weird to write about ourselves at length, (and for the sake of our humbleness) we decided to describe each other. 

Rtr. Kusali Rupasinghe, simply put, is amazing! She probably has watched every movie you have and read every fictional book. Oh! And if you ever encounter an extremely well put together outfit and a ‘New Yorker’ tote bag on someone at uni, that’s Kusali! She’s very creative and proactive, which has made the past two-ish months on this job rather enjoyable. She’s also a little Miss Perfectionist, nothing to worry as her work already is perfection! But nothing said above compares to her organization skills, that’s truly her super power, she has amazing people skills and can (very easily) get people to come together. Oh! and somehow powers through any awkward conversation with such grace. Like I said, simply put: Amazing!

Rtr. Sajani Jayasinghe is the epitome of a girl boss who has everything (or at least most of it) figured out. She may be anxious, but she ends up completing the multitude of tasks she has quite effortlessly. One can be sure that they can rely on her for anything because she is one of the kindest people ever. In addition, she is highly opinionated (in a good way!), elegant to the core, has a tendency to overuse the words “wholesome” and “debatable” , and does not tolerate any negativity. She always looks on the bright side, and you can bet on her to have a solution for almost anything. Saj is, in short, one of the coolest humans I know. 

When both of us got to know that we were selected as co-editors, we were absolutely over the moon and excited over the prospect of working together. The possibilities seemed endless, and we would have long conversations and meetings coming up with ideas for projects and what we could possibly do to make the editorial even better. How could we improve upon what Shihara and Tharini and their predecessors worked hard to bring to fruition? We had to decide, make plans, and add our very own little twist to them!

To elaborate on just a select few of our major projects, we hope to start with what we will for the time being call “Project Love.” This series will be an ode to love in all its forms, celebrating everything from romantic love to parental love, the unbreakable bond between siblings and friends, the empowering journey of self-love, and the vibrant spectrum of love within the LGBTQ+ community. Anyone who knows us knows we are always on the lookout for a good laugh, and we know many of our readers are too! So hold onto your funny bones as we plan on diving headfirst into a world of humour with funny anecdotes, humorous real-life stories, and more. Furthermore, Month in Review and State of the Blog will also be continued in our year, and we hope to keep them trilingual as our past co-editors did. The rest of our projects will be revealed in due time, and we promise you all a very fun ride!

As for the changes we hope to make this year as co-editors, our first and foremost one would be to make the blog even more accessible. Not only publishing articles trilingually but also making them more accessible to differently-abled readers. The two of us are committed to ensuring that all of our readers can access our content easily, and as such, we have plans to enable enlargement of font sizes and also publish articles with oral accompaniment. Moreover, we hope to have as many in-person events as possible, such as open mics, talks, and movie nights. However, our ultimate goal is to ensure that the editorial is a safe place for both our writers and readers. 

We also opted to keep the publishing days from last year, which were Tuesday, Thursday, and Saturday. A routine we will try our best to adhere to even though we are aware of many obstacles such as writer’s block and never-ending academic work. Therefore, in such times, we will have a more flexible schedule by publishing once or twice a week, and during exam season, the two of us will spearhead minor projects, giving our writers a break. This year’s editorial features nearly fifty extremely talented individuals, and we look forward to reading and editing their creative pieces!

With all of that being said, we have to end this article now, even though we have much to say! The two of us will strive to bring the editorial to new heights by supporting each other and our writers. So buckle up, dear readers, and join us on our editorial escapades. Cheers to all of us!

The two co-editors, signing in!

Rtr. Kusali Rupasinghe & Rtr. Sajani Jayasinghe