As long as I am with people, my age and gender hardly matter, says Colombo Mayor

Vraîe Cally Balthazaar looks too young to be on the frontline laying siege to a city. But that is exactly what she did three years ago while occupying Colombo, the capital of Sri Lanka, during the people’s struggle—Aragalaya, as it has since been called in Sinhala.

The youngest—and only the second—woman to helm the Colombo Municipal Council (CMC), Ms. Balthazaar, who was in the city to attend the two-day Kerala Urban Conclave that concluded on Saturday (September 13, 2025), was unapologetic about calling herself a product of Aragalaya. Ten weeks ago, she was elected to lead the very city she once laid siege to.

Speaking to The Hindu on the sidelines of the Kerala Urban Conclave, Ms. Balthazaar said she was impressed by the 2,500 stakeholder meetings held before drafting a master plan for Kochi. Taking a cue from this, she is now determined to return to her own city and consult as many stakeholders as possible before drafting an integrated master plan for Colombo.

“Kochi has done something very important and interesting by engaging with people—bringing on board perspectives on gender, heritage, and creating a child-friendly city. It is equally important that we return and hold as many, if not more, stakeholder meetings with not only policymakers and city planners, but also with the people of the city to understand what they want for themselves,” she said.

Ms. Balthazaar said that, though there was no official pact with the Kochi Corporation for the time being, the learning and the relationship would not end with the conclusion of the conclave and would certainly continue.

Asked about being in a predominantly male-dominated political landscape and being elected to helm the largest of Sri Lanka’s 341 local bodies, she said that old political hierarchies were being toppled. “As Mayor of the city, it is my job to work with the people and not forget what they want. As long as I am with the people, my gender and age hardly make any difference,” she said.

Ms. Balthazaar rued that climate change had not received the importance it deserved. “If we are not addressing climate change, then we are really not going to be future-ready. I think we have a lot to learn from Kerala, especially Kochi, which is a coastal city like Colombo. We still struggle with many infrastructural issues; for instance, there are areas that get completely inundated during heavy rains. We need to be conscious of climate change and work to find better solutions,” she said.