On Kandy. For Kandy.

Gerald H Peiris’s New Book: PLANNING FOR THE FUTURE OF KANDY …. a monograph

2. Cover image ….. 

Kandy 1

Kandy is considered the epitome of Sri Lanka’s civilisational heritage, both as a supremely venerated sanctum in the world of Thēravāda Buddhism as well as from perspectives of harmonious multiculturalism evident in its demographic, structural and functional characteristics…..

 THEMATIC FOCUS 1: Kandy is considered the epitome of Sri Lanka’s civilisational heritage, both as a supremely venerated sanctum in the world of Thēravāda Buddhism as well as from perspectives of harmonious multiculturalism evident in its demographic, structural and functional characteristics.

THEMATIC FOCUS 3:  The inertia of that outdated ‘colonial’ impact has persisted largely unchanged. In consequence, while the sanctity and the ethereal charm of the inner city are imperiled by processes such as

• the wayward proliferation of retail trade,

• the policy priority of marketing the endowments of Kandy for tourism,

• misguided notion that the inner city must persist as the foremost transport hub of the highlands, and

• neglect in city governance of long-term need to avert aggravating congestion and squalor and the endangered natural habitat.

52=Kandy Town in the Mid-19th Century An Overview …. due in Roberts, Facets of Modern Ceylon History through the Letters of Jeronis Pieris, in press.

55=Overview of Kandy Lake and Town

55=Overview of Kandy Lake and Town

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Transcript of the back cover: Planning for the Future of Kandy

The author was recruited to the staff of the ‘University of Ceylon’ soon after his graduation from that university in 1960. In 1965 he was awarded a doctoral degree by the university of Cambridge. Appointed to the Chair of Geography at Peradeniya in 1980 he served in that post up to his retirement in 2003 in the course of which he also held visiting professional appointments in Australia, Canada, Norway and the United States. His recent publications in English include the monographs titled Sri Lanka; Challenges of the New Millennium (2006); Twilight of the Tigers; Peace Efforts and power Struggles in Sri Lanka (2009); Political Conflict in South Asia (2013); and Sri Lanka; Land Policy for Sustainable Development (2017).

This study – the product of a research interest pursued over several decades – is featured by a thematic focus on Kandy as the epitome of our civilizational heritage both as a supremely venerated sanctum in the world of Theravada Buddhism as well as the extraordinary harmonious multiculturalism evident in its demographic, structural and functional characteristics. Having been  denied the benefits of perspective urban planning ever since this exquisite citadel became a ‘colonial outpost’ two-hundred years ago, the study highlights the sanctity and charm of the inner city of Kandy being imperiled by relentless processes of aggravating congestion, wayward proliferating of retail trade that generates shared-poverty and alienation of the youth, and more generally, degradation of the environment and intensifying squalor. The study in its final section indicated planning strategies that could safeguard the treasured legacy of this unique city through a process which involves placing its development within the framework of a long-term plan designed to cater to our national interests rather than short-term stakeholder demands.

50. GODAGE & BROTHERS (PVT) LTD. No. 661, 665, 675, P. de S. Kularatne Mawatha, Colombo 10, Sri Lanka. Tel. : (011) 2685369, 2686925, Fax: 2674187 http://www.godage.com godageem@slt.lk ISBN 978-955-30-9162-8 Research Designed by S. Godage & Brothers (pvt) Ltd Rs. 2750/=     US$ 50.00.

Electronic copies could be supplied by the author to present and former Sri Lankan scholars free of charge.

Gerald H. Peiris: Extracts from the Curriculum Vitae ….. as on 1 January 2020

At the University of Ceylon/Peradeniya

• Graduated with first Class Honours at the B.A. Degree Examination of 1960, and was awarded the ‘Government Scholarship’ (Citation: for the “best performance in the Faculty of Arts”).
• Awarded a doctoral degree by the University of Cambridge, UK, in 1965
• Appointed to the Chair of Geography at Peradeniya in 1980
• Extracurricular posts held: (a) Director of Student Welfare (1970-72); (b) Honorary. Senior Treasurer, University Students’ Council, 1969-74; (c) Honorary Secretary of the All-University Teachers’ Association, 1968-70; (d) Deputy Director of Student Welfare, 1967-70; (e) Honorary Senior Treasurer, University Sinhalese Society; (f) Honorary Senior Treasurer, University Film Society, 1968-70; (g) Sub-Warden, Halls of Residence (1961-62).
• Member of the University Senate, 1980-2003
• Member of the University Council, 2014-15 Re-appointed in January 2020 for a 3-year term
• Present status: Professor Emeritus

Services in Sri Lanka outside the university system

• 1991-1992 Member of the Consultative Committee on National Health Systems Research, Ministry of Health, Sri Lanka
• 1982 and 1984 Coordinator of the examinations conducted by the Bank of Ceylon for the recruitment of its management trainees
• 1983 Member of the Study Team on the ‘Integrated Rural Development Programme’ of Sri Lanka’
• 1984-1985 Consultant, National Environment Authority of Sri Lanka
• 1982-1985 Member of the ‘Social Sciences Working Committee’ of the Natural Resources, Energy and Science Authority of Sri Lanka
• Member of the ‘Panel of Experts’ appointed by the President in 2006 to advice the ‘All-Party Committee on Constitutional Reform’
• 1994-2003, Senior Research Fellow, International Centre for Ethnic Studies, Kandy.

At universities and research institutes abroad

• 1975-7 Lecturer, University of Western Australia
• 1978 Visiting Senior Lecturer, University of Western Australia
• 1981 Consultant, Asian Regional Team for Employment Promotion, Bangkok
• 1983-84 Consultant/Researcher in an international study of ‘Satisfaction of Basic Needs and Government Services’, ILO, Geneva
• 1986-87 Fulbright Scholar-in-Residence, University of Maryland, USA
• 1986 Visiting Professor, University of British Columbia, Canada  1992
• 1993 Visiting Professor, University of Trondheim, Norway
• Consultant/Collaborator in a 3-year program of research sponsored by the Clingendael Institute, The Hague – services provided at The Hague and at Port Harcourt (Nigeria)
• Consultant/Collaborator in the ‘South Asia Dialogue’ sponsored by the Institute of Policy Research, New Delhi, 1992-96 (services provided at Kandy, Colombo, New Delhi, Dhaka, Lahore and Kathmandu)
• Research Collaborator of the ‘Institute of Conflict Management’, New Delhi
• Collaborator of Encyclopedia Britannica 1993-95 (new version of the chapter on Sri Lanka)
• 1995 May-June , Leader of the Sri Lanka Study Team of the ‘University of Michigan-Sri Lanka Exchange Program’.
• 1999 Oct.-Nov. Invited scholar, Asia Foundation-sponsored study tour of the ‘Social Weather Stations’ in the Philippines.
• 2001 May-June Consultant UNICEF Regional Office, Middle East and North Africa, Amman (Jordan) and Damascus (Syria) Offices
• 2003 Visiting Fellow in Asian Studies, Bowdoin College, Brunswick, Maine, USA.
• 2003 Feb-March Lecture tour covering Bates College (Maine), Carleton College (Minnesota), Grinnell College (Iowa) and Swarthmore College (Pennsylvania), USA

Academic Publications (comprehensive list to be provided on request)

• Authorship of 9 volumes published by prestigious publishers in Sri Lanka and abroad.
• Editor/Co-Editor of 8 Consultancy Reports submitted to UN institutions, research institutes abroad
• Well over 60 articles published in prestigious journals in Sri Lanka and abroad.