Where the Crossandra Blooms: Ethnographic Ech...

Where the Crossandra Blooms: Ethnographic Echoes of Rodiya Lives: Fieldwork, Folklore, and Poetic Memory in Marginalized Sri Lankan Communities

Author Name : Risindu Ransen, Wasantha Samarathunga

ABSTRACT This manuscript explores rare and personal encounters with the Rodiya community in Sri Lanka. It combines fieldwork, folklore, and poetic memory to highlight lives often neglected in social history. The Crossandra flower is used as a metaphor for resilience and beauty that defies caste. poems—including one novel poem Walks of Two Rodiya Girls , Ode to the Dosai Stall as examples of social conflict that stages changers. and Floral Allegiance — frame ethnographic observations as lyrical testimony. Through urban and rural snapshots, food rituals, and daily practices, the research shows how dignity, work, and silence shape Rodiya identity in modern suburbs. The paper advocates for a hybrid approach that respects academic rigour while embracing creative understanding.