Category Archives: architects & architecture

Cartesian Commonalities: New Amsterdam & Galle Fort, II

Bunchy Rahuman, whose preferred title is “Galle Fort, New York City and the Cartesian Legacy” ** … with  the highlights being impositions by the Editor, who also had the privilege of being a resident within the Fort for twenty or so years from 1938-1960

ESSAY TWO

 Do I exceed myself? Cartesian? The Big Apple? – surely not! But I insist, I am here, not to tweak the truth. In Essay One, I said, the street I lived [most of] my Galle, Fort life in was Lighthouse Street. Discerning readers [for a moment I thought to add if any – but my life insurance policy has lapsed!] would note that I said Lighthouse Street formed a ‘Y’ axis line for the [Galle] Fort. Now even math allergic types, have heard of X axis and Y axis as [perpendicular] lines that cross at right angles and sit in the middle of paper sheets populated by tiny squares arranged 10 x 10, within larger squares, all sitting above, below and at each other’s sides in sheets known as graph paper.

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High Rise Overkill in Colombo City Centre

Sanjiva Wijesinha, in Facebook, where the title  runs The loss of habitat and heritage”

Last Sunday morning I went for my usual walk to Galle Face Green.

It is a habit I have cultivated over the years – an early morning walk before the sun gets too hot, when I can inhale the fresh ozone-laden air coming in from the Indian Ocean and invigorate my physical body while refreshing my mind. My custom used to be to start where the Galle Face Hotel stands, walk out towards Galle Buck and the old light house or even as far as the Port Maritime Museum and then walk back, which would take me about an hour. In recent times, I have changed my route from time to time – turning round at the roundabout opposite the old Parliament (now the Presidential Secreta-riat) and walking along the road that passes behind the Shangri-La, the ITC Ratnadipa and the Taj Samudra hotels back to my starting point. As I return along this road I can see on my left across the Beira Lake the Cinnamon City of Dreams hotel.

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Hahndorf in the Adelaide Hills: German Settlers From 1839 On ….

Keith Conlon in a Genealogical Society of Queensland – GSQ’s post =deospnoStrg8 r42uti9lf3m8pgff0il26tl5f1tag2f57flti74h033aA5t · … entitled  “From Prussa to Hahndorf in South Australia. Thanks to Keith Conlon”

The end of an epic pioneer voyage:  it began in Silesia, Prussia, for the ‘Old Lutheran’ religious refugees who founded Hahndorf in South Australia in August 1839.

John Ford waterccolour    

 

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Prussian Lutheran Migration to Australia in the 19th Century

Keith Conlon in Linked In

A momentous exodus of ‘0ld Lutheran’ religious refugees to South Australia began hashtagOTD 8 July 1838. Families from Klemzig in Prussia (now Poland) sailed down the Oder River to Hamburg, their departure point for the new reformist colony of South Australia. The ‘Paradise of Dissent’ offered freedom of religion.

A 1938 memorial for their leader Pastor August Kavel at Langmeil Church in the Barossa Valley credits him as‘The founder of the Evangelical Lutheran Church in Australia’.

Kavel Memorial Monument Australia

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Galle Face Green in Colombo: Pictorials Over the Years

A Thuppahi Journey

Panoramic view of Galle Face Colombo, Sri Lanka around 1880s-1900, looking south from Galle Road (later this path became the Galle Road), ClubHouse & Galleface Hotel (far right) showing in the background……… Lankapura …. https://lankapura.com/2011/04/panoramic-view-galle-face-green-colombo/

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Hero Stones in Sri Lanka’s Past

Ama H.Vanniarachchy, whose title is “Commemorating Valour: Hero Stones of Sri Lanka”  … SEE https://amahvanniarachchy.wordpress.com/2022/06/28/commemorating-valour-hero-stones-of-sri-lanka/

“A true warrior fights not because he hates what is in front of him, but because he loves what is behind him.” ……….. G.K. Chesterton.

Battles have always been a part of human civilization. Fighting against each other for territories is a nature of almost every living being, no matter if they are human or not. Battles for acquiring land, to gain authority over geographical and natural resources, or over certain possessions, and for freedom (political or religious) have shaped the history of mankind.

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Touring Sri Lanka promoted by “Good News”

A NOTE from Naushan

The digital version of the inaugural Good News Collection shares positive and uplifting stories from across Sri Lanka. It celebrates local heroes, sports victories, new infrastructure developments, the country’s growing appeal as a travel destination and much more.

Link: https://online.fliphtml5.com/pgkmm/aysu

THIS ‘Work’ highlights the Lanka Monthly Digest’s Awards Night 2024 as well as “Bawa’s Legacy”

ALSO NOTE

https://thuppahi.wordpress.com/2020/07/25/dutch-bungalow-porch-frontals-exposures-within-galle-fort/#more-44379

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Magnifique ….. Ahmed Didi aids Trinity Chapel Restoration

Item in The Island, 25 October 2024... with a different title

The distinguished old boy of Trinity College, Kandy, Ahmed Mahir Didi, recently donated Rs. 5 million for the College Chapel Restoration Project. He is a Maldivian national, now based in the Seychelles and is a well-known businessman engaged in tourism.

Trinity College Kandy _ We extend our heartfelt thanks to Mr. Ahmed Mahir Didi [Old Boy 1968-75] for his incredibly generous donation to the Trinity College Chapel… _ Instagram

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A “City of Dreams” in the Centre of Colombo

A = Item in Booking.com

Set in Colombo, 700 metres from Galle Face Beach, Cinnamon Life at City of Dreams offers accommodation with a restaurant, free private parking and a bar. The property is around 2.5 km from Bambalapitiya Beach, 2.3 km from Khan Clock Tower and 4.7 km from Bambalapitiya Railway Station. The accommodation provides a 24-hour front desk, airport transfers, room service and free WiFi throughout the property. All guest rooms at the hotel feature air conditioning and a safety deposit box. A buffet, continental or Italian breakfast is available every morning at the property. Popular points of interest near Cinnamon Life at City of Dreams include Kollupitiya Beach, One Galle Face and Colombo City Centre Shopping Mall.

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Sigiriya: A Stupendous Citadel …..

Mahil Wijesinghe in the Sunday Observer, 13 October 2024 where the title runs “The Stupendous Citadel of Sigiriya”

After visiting the Dambulla rock cave temple, our next destination was Sigiriya, the 5th Century rock citadel, containing ruins of palace complex built by King Kasyapa (4774-4795 CE), has been designated as a UNESCO World Heritage Site. The sight is stupendous even today: a massive monolith of red stone rises 600 feet from the green scrub jungle to accentuate the lucid blue of the sky. How overpowering, then, this rock fortress of Sigiriya must have been. When it was crowned as a palace 15 centuries ago!

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