Anderw Fidel Fernando in ESPNCricinfo, 1 January 2021 –where the title reads “Sri Lanka limp towards second Test with squad decimated by injuries”
Suranga Lakmal, Kasun Rajitha, Lahiru Kumara and Dinesh Chandimal are all almost certain to miss Sri Lanka’s second Test against South Africa, due to injury. Dhananjaya de Silva had already been confirmed to be out of contention.
Dinesh Chandimal receiving treatment mid pitch
THUPPAHI darkens our entry into The YEAR 2021 and its Cumulus Cloud of COVID with two pictorial memories of two horrendous acts of political assassination by Pirapaharan and the Tamil Tigers ….. that of Rajiv Gandhi in 1991 and Neelan Tiruchelvam in 1999 …. with the roadside memorial painting at the junction of Rosmead Place and Kynsey Terrace where the LTTE’s female suicide killer ended Neelan’s life on earth (as he headed for his office) marking the moment …. albeit in temporary modality …. WHILE conveying an everlasting message.
Filed under accountability, authoritarian regimes, conspiracies, historical interpretation, life stories, LTTE, meditations, photography, politIcal discourse, power politics, self-reflexivity, Sinhala-Tamil Relations, Sri Lankan scoiety, suicide bombing, Tamil Tiger fighters, vengeance, world events & processes, zealotry
Athanasios Tsakonas has produced a book on the Kranji War Memorial in Singapore entitled In Honour of War Heroes: Colin St Clair Oakes and the Design of Kranji War Memorial ….
Nandasiri Jasentuliyana, reviewing Bhadrajee S. Hewage’s book “A NAME FOR EVERY CHAPTER: Anagarika Dharmapala and Ceylonese Buddhist Revivalism”
‘The unexamined life is not worth living.’ – Socrates.
Rarely has so much been written both in the West and in the East about the work of a ‘revivalist,’ that one would conclude there is nothing left to be revealed of the man or his work. That is until you read Bhadrajee Hewage’s “Anagarika Dharmapala and Ceylonese Buddhist Revivalism.”
Filed under accountability, art & allure bewitching, British imperialism, Buddhism, centre-periphery relations, communal relations, cultural transmission, democratic measures, disparagement, economic processes, education, fundamentalism, governance, heritage, historical interpretation, Indian religions, island economy, landscape wondrous, language policies, life stories, literary achievements, nationalism, patriotism, pilgrimages, politIcal discourse, religiosity, religious nationalism, self-reflexivity, sri lankan society, teaching profession, the imaginary and the real, truth as casualty of war, welfare & philanthophy, working class conditions, world events & processes
“PUL ELIYA” QUOTATIONS AS PRESENTED to the CCS and other personnel
I quote some passages from a book by Dr. E. Leach entitled “Pul Eliya A Village in Ceylon” (Cambridge, 1961). He is a socia1anthropologist who lived for several months in Pul Eliya, a Dry Zone Anuradhapura area village, in the mid 1950’s. There are some interesting passages pertaining to Government regulations and their practical implementation. While these views pertain largely to the 1940’s and 1950’s they are, both implicitly and explicitly, held to apply to most of the 20th century for he has also delved into past records. I present some for your comments.
Filed under accountability, ancient civilisations, British colonialism, centre-periphery relations, colonisation schemes, cultural transmission, democratic measures, devolution, economic processes, governance, heritage, historical interpretation, island economy, land policies, landscape wondrous, performance, politIcal discourse, self-reflexivity, social justice, sri lankan society, the imaginary and the real, unusual people, welfare & philanthophy, world events & processes
Michael Roberts
In late 1965 I set out on an oral history exercise interviewing retired British public servants[1] about their experiences in Ceylon. This work has been clarified earlier in two Thuppahi Items.[2] Because of my strong interest in colonial agrarian policies, I was familiar with the books produced by two outstanding Cambridge University scholars: BH Farmer and Edmund Leach. Farmer’s book on Pioneer Peasant Colonization in Ceylon (1957) reviewed British efforts to develop the dry zone of Sri Lanka via irrigation projects emulating the captivating efforts in ancient times. As such, it focused on DS Senanayake’s inspirational role in this set of enterprises. Leach’s detailed ethnographic experiences in a village arena in Anuradhapura District provided detailed ground-level data and interpretations in this field.
Filed under ancient civilisations, British colonialism, centre-periphery relations, colonisation schemes, cultural transmission, economic processes, heritage, historical interpretation, irrigation, island economy, land policies, landscape wondrous, life stories, modernity & modernization, politIcal discourse, population, sri lankan society, transport and communications, unusual people, welfare & philanthophy, working class conditions, world events & processes
Courtesy of Firazath Hussain of Wellawatte and The Fort, Galle …. who noted: “Nixon Floored. Ceylon then & style of the times ! In Tuxedo…..Richard Nixon as a state guest … with Sir John Kotalawela. Richard Nixon, US Vice-President made a visit to Ceylon in November 1953 & stayed at the Galle Face Hotel…. Love the Lankan ladies ever so elegant in their Kandyan Sarees / jewelry… and of course stylish Yvonne Gulam Hussein seated between Sir John Kotalawela and Nixon.”
Photograph taken at Kandalama Estate at a banquet hosted by Sir John Kotalawela.
ADDITONAL PIX from SIDATH ABYEWICKRAME
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Avishka Mario Senewiratne, originally in MESSENGER of 24 February 2019, where the title reads “Great Moments where the Pontiffs embraced State of the Art Technology
Since the early centuries, where the church was established many of our church fathers and pontiffs have shown interest in new inventions, the beauty of science and technology, and so on. With the dawn of the renaissance, pontiffs were much eager than before in the advancements of technology, music, and arts. Some pontiffs embraced these new discoveries, while some were dealt with a controversial sense at that time. Nevertheless, in the last two centuries, we have noticed how our holy fathers have dealt with one-time fantasies: new inventions in a more positive sense. Not just have they enjoyed the fruits of these but also have inspired all to use them to be better children of God, to be better men and women of glory, and so on. This article is an attempt to point out some key events of where the Holy Fathers at that respective time embraced the state of the art technology in the past 150 years.
Nirmala Chandrahasan, in The Island, 28 December 2020, where the title reads “In defence of Provincial Councils”
The Provincial Councils, like the windmills in Cervante’s Don Quixote, are having brickbats thrown at, and cantankerous knights tilting at them. In this piece I would like to answer some of the criticisms made against the Provincial Councils. But before I do so I note that the Prime Minister has announced that the Provincial Council elections will be held once the ground situation is ready for it. This welcome statement puts paid to all the critics, it being generally acknowledged that the Prime Minister as an experienced and consummate politician would know the political climate in the country and act accordingly.
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Elmo Jayawardena … [an article presented originally in the Daily News, circa 1992, I gather …. and now appearing again from the clouds — Editor, Thuppahi]
The SIA jumbo turned for the final approach on Plaisance International Airport. The night was cloudy and listless, the sky was demanding with a stratocumulus overcast. There was moderate rain over the airfield. My copilot who was flying the aeroplane was an experienced operator and he landed the big Boeing 747 with professional skill that received applause from the passengers. We taxied and parked in front of the terminal. It was almost midnight; I’ve arrived in the island of Mauritius, not merely as a pilot but to start another one of my wild goose chases.
This one was a peach. I was going to look for Ehelepola’s grave. The first Prime Minister of the last King of Kandy, who I read somewhere, was buried in the island of Mauritius.
Sinhala people and Adigar Pilima Talauwwe —illustrations adopted from Roberts: Sinhala Consciousness — in order to provide a suitable historical ambience for this essay
thuppahi
