Power of youth in Jaffna's economic resurgence

IN this interview we feature a 23-year-old genius of Jaffna, who is in the process of transforming the destiny of himself, his mother who brought him up as a single parent and his district as well as his country.

- By Surya VisHWA

To produce this interview, we had three discussions with Nizhal Abi (this is a Tamil name spelt with a ‘z’ which is silent in pronunciation). We had a meeting at his restaurant which also has a cafe section and two discussions at the Shisha ~ Food Castle.

At the Food Castle he has created the Kid’s World Jaffna, a stimulating place of colour, games, food and relaxation. Located in front of the Jaffna Old Park, the premises doubles up also as a hub for events such as birthday parties and also acts as a daycare centre. The building having many rooms, the space is also created for an adventurous visitor to stay overnight and has housed several backpacking tourists who enjoy having a go at several of the games enjoyed by families irrespective of age. These include manoeuvring a showcase like machine filled with popular modern cartoon soft toys. One has to press a button and direct the hook inside to stop at the cutie you wish to take home.

The artist

There are many other games that include skills such as punching which seem immensely popular with both males and females. For small children there is a large bubble house and a whole room full of toys. The walls are painted with giant animals drawn to precision. “I am the artist,” announces Nizhal, explaining that he could not afford the exorbitant amounts that interior decorators demanded.

“I started this place for kids to enjoy because there is nothing like it here in Jaffna. Another reason was that I wanted to relive my childhood. However, I had to struggle a lot finding these play devices in the global market and the finances to pay for them. I spend some hours a day managing the place and it helps me de-stress,” he points out.