“From Minute Hands can an Ongoig ‘Edifice’ be built”– Thupphiyaaa
AN APPEAL ON EMAIL from THE GUARDIAN
Category Archives: citizen journalism
Some Biographical Items in TPS Visited Yesterday
Michael Roberts
The THUPPAHI Web-Site has a wide range of biographical tales presented over the years. The items listed below are among those that attracted a few hits yesterday. In marking this result, I seek to remind readers of personnel who have contibuted towards our island’s varied history.
https://thuppahis.com/2020/09/30/the-joseph-family-of-british-ceylon-service-to-mankind
Filed under accountability, centre-periphery relations, citizen journalism, Colombo and Its Spaces, cultural transmission, economic processes, education, ethnicity, female empowerment, heritage, historical interpretation, island economy, life stories, literary achievements, modernity & modernization, patriotism, performance, self-reflexivity, sri lankan society, welfare & philanthophy, world events & processes
Galle Literary Festival Looms Bright & …..
Tickets for the Galle Literary Festival’s events are now available, offering guests the chance to join a vibrant four-day celebration of creativity, culture, and engaging conversation. From Thursday 6 to Sunday 9 February, the south coast of Sri Lanka will host over 100 events featuring famed local and international writers and speakers. This year’s Festival promises a diverse programme, including complimentary performances, insightful panel discussions, and culinary delights, with something to captivate every attendee.
CONTACT = Melanie Senanayake <press@galleliteraryfestival.
Filed under architectural innovation, art & allure bewitching, citizen journalism, cultural transmission, Dutch colonialism, heritage, landscape wondrous, life stories, literary achievements, patriotism, performance, photography, politIcal discourse, press freedom, self-reflexivity, sri lankan society, theatre world, tourism, travelogue, unusual people
Stalwarts Three from Yesteryear: Sri Lankans of Distinction
Upali Obeyesekere, whose chosen title reads thus: “Tribute to ‘Sons of the Soil’ who made a huge contribution towards the Economy and Socio-cultural Aspects of Sri Lanka.”
Summa
Jackson Anthony
Lalith Kotelawela
Sri Lanka lost a few stars of yesteryear recently and it is our bounden duty to recognise these individuals in our popular monthly tabloid – The Sri Lankan Anchorman. They came from diverse backgrounds in terms of birth, schooling, and upbringing. But they all had one mission in life – to excel at what they do to exude a commitment of excellence in their chosen field and bring pride to our motherland – Sri Lanka.
Filed under accountability, art & allure bewitching, citizen journalism, cultural transmission, economic processes, education, ethnicity, heritage, historical interpretation, life stories, modernity & modernization, patriotism, performance, Royal College, self-reflexivity, sri lankan society, unusual people
RIP Victor Ivan: JVP, Reporter, Stirrer …..
Rajpal Abeynayake, in The Daily News, 20 January 2025
This week marked the passing of a public figure who was controversial by any measure, and the forgettable passing of another that most Sri Lankans would for very good reason, rather forget. The controversial figure would in most people’s estimation be regarded as a good man, though flawed. He was Victor Ivan the journalist, or rebel and insurgent turned activist.
Filed under accountability, centre-periphery relations, citizen journalism, communal relations, democratic measures, economic processes, electoral structures, governance, heritage, historical interpretation, language policies, Left politics, legal issues, life stories, parliamentary elections, patriotism, performance, political demonstrations, politIcal discourse, power politics, self-reflexivity, sri lankan society, unusual people
Victor Ivan, RIP: …. The Wikipedia Memo on Victor
Michael Roberts,
I got to know Victor at a convivial session at Ananda Chittambalam’s house in Bambalapitiya in 1989. Our common interests in the island’s history and its tempestuous present meant that we kept in sporadic touch. I have his illustrated book PARADISE IN TEARS …. and I will present a Vale as well as items referring to his articles and work in Thuppahi. His demise at a relatively early age is a blow to all Sri Lankan patriots.
WIKIPEDIA
Majuwana Kankanamage Victor Ivan (Sinhala: මාජුවානා කන්කානම්ගේ වික්ටර් අයිවන්; 26 June 1949 – 19 January 2025) was a Sri Lankan journalist. He was a Marxist rebel in his youth and later became the Editor of the controversial Sinhalese newspaper Ravaya. He served as the Editor of Ravaya for 25 years consecutively from its inception. Victor was an investigative journalist, political critic, a theorist, social activist and also an author of several books.
Filed under accountability, authoritarian regimes, caste issues, centre-periphery relations, citizen journalism, communal relations, cultural transmission, democratic measures, economic processes, education, governance, historical interpretation, insurrections, island economy, JVP, language policies, Left politics, life stories, modernity & modernization, nationalism, parliamentary elections, patriotism, political demonstrations, politIcal discourse, power politics, self-reflexivity, Sinhala-Tamil Relations, social justice, sri lankan society, unusual people
Mind-blowing Choreography From 11-Year Olds at Hirana, Panadura
Mayura Botejue
HIRANA KANISHTA VIDYALAYA CONCERT: I attended this concert on Friday (Jan 17) staged at the Panadura Town Hall and it literally blew me away!
Hirana (where I live) has emerged from a village status to a small town that adjoins Panadura. I have befriended many of the locals and occasionally stop by to chat with a couple who live with their extended family (home by my walking trail). During a recent visit, one of the granddaughters (cute kid) asked me to come to her school concert that she and her siblings were taking part in. I said sure, thinking that the matter would be soon forgotten. Not so! The talk spread that I was coming and they notified my ‘man Friday’ that they had bought a ticket for me. Okay, so no big deal. It will be at the Hirana Primary School located nearby and I could make the time to attend this small concert staged at the school premises. I received the ticket and it indicated location – Panadura Town Hall.
An Epitaph For Lasantha Wickrematunge
Sabanayagam Varagunam in Daily Mirror, 8 January 2024, where the title reads “Lasantha Wickrematunge: A National Hero’s Enduring Legacy” … with highlighting here being the imprint of The Editor, Thuppahi
Wickrematunge’s courage was not merely a product of his profession; it was an intrinsic part of his being
January 8 marked a dark and somber day in Sri Lanka’s history, as our thoughts went back to Lasantha Wickrematunge, the fearless journalist and an indefatigable champion of human rights, who fell victim to a brutal assassination. Sixteen years have passed since his untimely demise, but Wickrematunge’s adherence to justice and human rights cemented his status as a national hero that continues to inspire generations.
Filed under accountability, atrocities, authoritarian regimes, centre-periphery relations, citizen journalism, communal relations, cultural transmission, democratic measures, Eelam, electoral structures, ethnicity, governance, life stories, LTTE, martyrdom, patriotism, politIcal discourse, power politics, press freedom & censorship, security, self-reflexivity, Sinhala-Tamil Relations, sri lankan society, truth as casualty of war, unusual people, war crimes, war reportage, world events & processes
A Poignant Tale … “I Am Not Lighting A Candle Today”
Buddhika Dassanayake, …. reflections presented on 26th December 2006
Its been two years since a friend called one morning, as we were studying for exams, to ask why lamp-posts were shaking. Two years since another friend called from Galle Hospital; tired, depressed, fiercely determined to see things through, utterly helpless. Two years since we heard that Tharini was missing; that the place we stayed at the last time we visited Unawatuna had disappeared along with the occupants.
Murali , Mahela & Kumar at a refugee camp on the east coast …having taken emergency supplies
Filed under accountability, centre-periphery relations, charitable outreach, citizen journalism, communal relations, cultural transmission, ethnicity, heritage, historical interpretation, landscape wondrous, life stories, patriotism, performance, politIcal discourse, refugees, rehabilitation, self-reflexivity, Sinhala-Tamil Relations, sri lankan society, tolerance, trauma
