Category Archives: architects & architecture

February 24, 2023 · 11:36 am

Merton College & Its Meaningful Academic ‘Surrounds’

VICE-CHANCELLOR’S ADMISSION CEREMONY LUNCH AT MERTON

Former Warden Professor Irene Tracey CBE FMedSci became Vice-Chancellor of the University in January 2023.The admission ceremony was held in the Sheldonian Theatre on 10 January and was followed by a procession to Merton College, where the post-ceremony lunch was held.  Upon arrival at College, the Vice-Chancellor looked delighted to see Mertonian staff welcoming her outside the College, and took a moment to greet Head Porter Huw James on her way in to College for lunch with fellows and guests.

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February 10, 2023 · 12:37 am

Old World Charm: The New Oriental Hotel in The Fort of Galle

Joe Simpson, in https://www.worldgenweb.org/lkawgw/noh.html … with highlighting added by Thuppahi and pictorial embellishments from Joe on request or from his past articles plus other cameramen

“Preserving the spirit of a forgotten world”  ––  anecdotal glimpses of the New Oriental Hotel, Galle Fort, by Joe Simpson. otesaga@shaw.ca

Not long ago while reading a Canadian newspaper article about the restoration of Penang’s Eastern & Oriental Hotel, founded in 1885 by the Sarkie brothers, the same Armenian-born Malay Peninsula hoteliers who built Singapore’s legendary Raffles Hotel, I felt stirred to begin delving into the history of an even more venerable South Asian hostelry of my past acquaintance – Sri Lanka’s New Oriental Hotel.

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February 3, 2023 · 11:47 pm

The Charming Cricket Setting in Galle

Rex Clementine, in The Island, 2 February 2023, with this title “Galle’s splendour charms everyone in cricket” 

A mouth-watering contest began this week at the Galle International Stadium between Sri Lanka ‘A’ and England Lions and the future stars will have a feel of a venue where many a great like Steve Waugh, Shane Warne, Brian Lara, Sachin Tendulkar and Babar Azam have had their moments, gave local fans brief pains but ended up stealing our hearts. How can you not fall in love with Chris Gayle smashing sixes to Galle bus stand and then upon reaching his triple hundred lying down on floor soaking it all in.

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February 3, 2023 · 1:08 pm

“Alfred House”– Its Majestic Nineteenth Century Opulence

Hugh Karunanayake, whose choice of title reads as “Nineteenth Century Opulence: The Story of Alfred House” … presented here with highligting emphasis imposed by The Editor, Thuppahi

Nineteenth Century Ceylon boasted of many stately homes such as Queens House, Horagolla Walauwwa, and Alfred House.  Alfred House achieved considerable fame as the venue for a much-remembered dinner in 1870 to the visiting Prince of Wales, Prince Alfred then titled the Duke of Edinburgh.

Alfred House –-by Slimm & Co

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January 30, 2023 · 11:14 pm

A Pot Pourri on Buildings, Mechanised Transport, Et Cetera in Old Ceylon

Vinodh Wickremeratne, whose preferred ttile is “Historical Outline of Transport in Lanka” …. while the highlighting emphasis and the photos are additions by Thuppahi

The Island has experienced all types of Transportation at one time or another. The Ancient ports opened the country to Cholas, Arabs, Chinese and Europeans. Subsequently the slashing of jungles created rudimentary paths to link villages, anyhow the need to travel had been only for Emergencies, looking for matrimonial partners, special medications etc.

With Colonisation, the Need for Internal transportation was felt for Military strategies, Plantation core and peripheral needs and to keep the Administration  smooth.                                       Bullock cart transport in the 1840s  … & the Bridge of Boats across the Kelani River in 1820s

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January 25, 2023 · 12:37 am

St. Thomas’ College: A Wide-ranging History of the ‘School by the Sea’

David Sansoni, whose preferred title is “STC – an unauthorised history of Lanka’s greatest Public School”

Richard Simon’s ‘history of Lanka’s greatest public school’, is an epic poem!
Epic, in its reach; poetic, in its lyricism, this towering, magnificent opus is a pearl, of both history and literature. “STC” touches the soul and core, of historophile, linguaphile and bibliophile; Christian, Lankan and, above all, Thomian.


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January 24, 2023 · 7:56 pm

Sri Lankan Tamils & Their English Names: How This Feature Came About

Vinod Moonesinghe, in RoarMedia, 13 January 2023, where the title runs thus: “How Sri Lankan Tamils Came To Have ‘English’ Names”

Many Sri Lankan Tamils have English or otherwise European names, and are often confused with Burghers or Eurasians. How this came to be constitutes a vital part of the evolution of modern Sri Lanka.

 

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January 15, 2023 · 1:21 pm

Ullyses C. Grant Receives Yet Another Award

A NOTE from Retd Group Capt. Kumar Kirinde, 15 January 2023, with highlighting being his work

It’s about a man who embarked on a military career and went on to become the Commanding General (CG) of the US Army and US President (demonstrates his strategic skills and competencies). When being the CG of the army, the  president has been almost impeached as a result of falling out with him (demonstrating his power). 1.5 million people have attended his funeral and his funeral procession has been 7 miles (11km) long (demonstrates acceptance by the people as a true national leader i.e. one who worked towards fulfilling their needs and aspirations). His image has appeared on the front of the US fifty-dollar bill since 1913 (demonstrates his value to the future generations) .

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January 8, 2023 · 3:19 pm

St. Joseph’s College in Colombo: Its Early History

Following up on Till the Mountains Disappear, Dr. Srilal Fernando (Melbourne) and Avishka Mario Seneviratne have authored a new book Fruits of Virtue: An Early History of St. Joseph’s College.

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December 30, 2022 · 1:21 pm

The DRS Technology as Idea: Senaka Weeraratna’s Inventive Mind

Senaka Weeraratna 

Both the DRS in Cricket and Goal Line Technology in Soccer have a common origin in the ‘Player Referral’ concept conceived by Senaka Weeraratna in 1997.

This was the first occasion in world history that a case was made (in 1997), using the analogy of the apellate function of the legal system, to press home the point that we needed to adopt it on the playing field in a modified form in combination with modern technology, i.e. video play back in the hands of Third Umpire, to determine the accuracy of a decision made by an on field or ground umpire by way of a Review System.

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