Batticaloa, a farely large town on the east coast, is famed for its singing fish. It is surrounded by a massive lagoon where a unique network of canals and water­ways created from up-country rivers flow down towards the sea. There is controversy about the source of the sounds from this lagoon, which are heard very clearly between April and September on moonlit nights. Some say the orches­tra is made up of topsail catfish who congregate on the bed of the lagoon; others say the sound comes from tides rushing through empty mollusc shells or fretted rocks. Place your ear on an oar thrust into the water to hear the full con­certo. “Batti”, as it is known locally, was classified as a trouble-spot owing to tensions (that have never really abated) between the Tamil and Muslim communities. It was hit by a cyclone in the late 1970s and the devastation was compounded by ethnic conflict in the 1990s.

As if that were not enough, the Indian Ocean tsunami brought devastation and human suffering on an unimaginable scale to the coastal areas north and south of the town. Accommodation close to idyllic beaches such as Kalkudah Bay was levelled and the long-term physical change brought to the coast by the surging waters is still being assessed.

However many efforts are been carried out with many reputed NGOs and the government of Sri Lanka to improve the local communities in the region. The town has never seen this much of support in the past and will soon be a major economic center in the east coast.