Sri Lanka, April 28 -- The recent scenes at the Temple of the Sacred Tooth Relic in Kandy, where thousands gathered to pay homage, offer a sobering reminder of the entrenched inequalities that continue to plague Sri Lankan society. As is regrettably common across many aspects of our public life - from school admissions to employment opportunities to access to public services - privilege once again triumphed over principle.

Among the devotees were the elderly, the disabled, the poor, and the marginalised - individuals who, despite their devout faith, were forced to wait patiently while the affluent, the influential, and the well-connected moved swiftly past them. In a space meant to embody the highest ideals of compassion, humility, and e...