Shaping Identity and Otherness

 Birth certificate details link with otherness 

Sri lankan birth certificate different within culture to culture. the different is the only surnames , like 

• sinhala surnames are Athukorala,Appuhami,Adikari 
• tamil surnames are Kadirgamar,Rajaratnam
• muslim surnames are Mohomed,Hassan,Abdullah 

Our lecturer said that the birth certificate is showing otherness in this way. and she asked us why our grand fathers name only in our birth certificate the reason is the “ wathu demala people” In past wathu demala people came to sri lanka and our sinhala people don’t like to say they are also sri lankan people. so government get a decision to mark grand fathers name and citize identity in birth certificate to relate they are completely sri lankan or wathu demala people. this thing showing otherness best way. sri lankan people and wathu demala people are different things in this way and they cut off in sri lankan people. 

This helped create a distinction between the Sinhala population and the Tamil people, marking them as separate. This decision was a way of showing that people were either fully Sri Lankan or “Wathu Demala,” as if to separate the two groups. This practice reflects the idea of “othering” — treating certain groups as different or separate from the mainstream.

And after she asked that how my name is coming and how i can i proof that it . some of students are answer that my name given by my mother or farther. so that is why i know my name is it. after my lecture said mother or farther can change your name immediately. but you can proof it by your birth certificate given by government.

OTHERNESS IN HOUSE

In many homes, there’s a difference in where and how family members talk to each other. People often speak to their mothers in the kitchen, a place usually connected with cooking and caring for the family. On the other hand, conversations with fathers usually happen in the dining room or living room, which are seen as more formal or relaxing spaces. This shows a kind of “otherness” in the house, where the kitchen is often seen as a private, feminine space, and the living areas are more public or masculine. This division reflects traditional ideas about men and women’s roles in the family, and how they interact in different spaces.

• This is the way she explain about otherness. the birth certificate is a one of most important things to get our names.