Category Archives: cultural transmission

March 22, 2019 · 1:16 am

A Fitting Farewell to Dishan Shiyam Careem in Galle Fort

Dishan Shiyam Careem

To all his friends & family, …..After surviving two heart attacks in 2017 Shiyam always the inspiration and pioneer during a terrible thirty year civil war passed away last week with a third heart attack at 5.25 am. Leaving two sons Amzar and Samad who will have much to face over the coming months. I have attached a picture of his funeral that brought the whole city of Galle Fort out onto the streets to pray for him and say their farewells. He was laid to rest in the UNESCO listed Galle Fort Meeran Mosque, where he can watch the boats crossing the silk route of the sea for all eternity and be at one with the ancient city he loved and never wanted to leave. On friday night, the 22nd March there will be a party celebrating his life at the warehouse in the old city – The Last Tango In Galle Fort. If you are in Sri Lanka please do go and have one last dance to say goodbye and if you are not please do stay in touch as his sons will need all of you to be around. I apologise for doing this in blocks as there are still so many people still to tell.

Best wishes always, Juliet Coombe

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March 21, 2019 · 12:32 am

Gandhara: Civilisation at the Crossroads

Sachitra Mahendra, Daily News, 20 March 2019, March 20, 2019, “A Talk at the Seminar on Buddhist and Gandhara Civilisation: The Cultural Nexus between Pakistan and Sri Lanka”

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March 19, 2019 · 1:49 pm

From Individual Atom to God Almighty

From Individual Atom to God Almighty

Michael Roberts

 With the growth of Western civilization from the 16th century onwards and its sweeping sway in the world today, we have seen the power vested in the individual atom known as “man” in its non-gendered sense. Individuation, and its blood-brother, egoism, is the warp and woof of everyday living in most parts of the world and is most pronounced in the states identified with the “West.”

Christchurch killer in court

It is imprinted and glorified in many sports competitions: say, surfing, marathon-running, motor-cycling, gymnastics, et cetera. Its imprint has been expanded by new technology such as skateboards and fancy bikes. There are also age-old sports which sustain the emphasis on intense individual action: for instance, fishing and hunting.

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March 18, 2019 · 11:46 pm

Cashmere High School in Mourning Haka for Two of the Christchurch Dead

Item in NEWSDAILY  …. 18 March 2019, “Terror attack: Christchurch students mourn classmates in stirring haka”

Children have danced side by side in an emotion-charged display of unity against the appalling acts of hate that claimed the lives of their young classmates in Christchurch. A vigil for the 50 people gunned down in Friday’s terror attack turned to a stirring scene of power and strength as school students channelled their mourning into a haka war dance.

In other parts of the city, meanwhile, families were preparing to wash the bodies of the first victims to be released by authorities. Relatives and community members tenderly perform the washing ceremony as part of traditional Islamic ritual to ready the bodies for burial.

Embedded videoThis small group of kids started an impromptu haka in tribute to two of their peers slain in the Christchurch shooting. Soon they were joined by scores of fellow students to form a deafening chorus.

Among those reeling from the attacks were Cashmere High School students whose peers Sayyad Milne and Hamza Mustafa were killed at their local mosque during peaceful prayer time. Sayyad was half way through year 10 at the school, where he was remembered for his kindness.  Hamza was finishing year 12 and had dreams of becoming a veterinarian. Pounding their chests, stamping their feet and chanting, Cashmere students broke out into an impromptu haka on Monday. Dozens of other children quickly joined in to support them, in a passionate display of community at the vigil that attracted thousands of tearful mourners.

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March 18, 2019 · 11:27 pm

The Haka in Mourning …. So Powerful …. So Moving

One day by pure chance I witnessed TV coverage of a New Zealand Maori Regiment receiving the coffins of comrades who died in service in Afghanistan. These uniformed men went into a HAKA ceremonial war dance reserved for such occasions. Wham! Bang! It was as powerful and meaningful a recognition of loss and expression of sorrow as one could get! ….. as powerful, albeit in a different manner, as THE LAST POST.

M-Berena: “Funeral Haka – A Powerful Dance from the Soul,” https://mysendoff.com/2014/04/funeral-haka-a-powerful-dance-from-the-soul/

The Maori, the indigenous people of New Zealand, have been using Haka for hundreds of years. Perhaps the most well known to most people not familiar with their history is the Haka used by the New Zealand All Blacks Rugby team that’s been performed before games since 1888. Continue reading →

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March 18, 2019 · 2:08 pm

Sri Lanka’s Architectural Heritage within Modernisation attracts Diverse Experts

Item in DAILY FT, 18  March 2019, entitled “Bridging the gap between urban development and architectural heritage”

The Delegation of the European Union in collaboration with the Embassies of Netherlands, Germany, and Italy, as well as the British Council will host the 2019 edition of Living Heritage with a one-day conference on ‘Valuing Cultural Heritage: A Cross-Cultural Perspective’ on 25 March at the Jubilee Room, Galle Face Hotel from 9 a.m. to 6 p.m.

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March 18, 2019 · 7:09 am

Pictorial and Word ‘Recipes’ for Reflection

Rohan de Soysa’s Thoughts and Snaps

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March 18, 2019 · 6:49 am

A Grand Felicitation in Print for KD Paranavitana

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March 14, 2019 · 11:21 am

Sri Lanka is Kota Uda – Standstill Gridlock says Gus Mathews

Email Note from Gus Mathews in London to Rajeewa Jayaweera in Lanka,  14 March 2019

Rajeewa, Thank you for your analysis.[1] You are absolutely correct that the main objective of the  coalition was to prevent a Mahinda Rajapakse  return to being President. RW [Ranil Wickremasinghe] had tried numerous times to be President and failed abysmally.  So with the aid of the Western countries he embarked on series of actions that would have a puppet President with him wielding executive power. He tried it with Sarath Fonseka with the understanding that once SF became President that he would surrender all his Presidential powers to RW. Unfortunately, it did not work that time despite the minorities voting for SF.

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March 12, 2019 · 1:46 pm

Mythic Fantasies: Rāvana displaces Vijaya in the Sinhala Chauvinist Lexicon

Lakshman Gunasekara, courtesy of HORIZONS, 10 March 2019, where the title reads “From Vijaya to Ravana: Sinhala geo-politics as new cosmic war”  … with highlighting emphasis added by the Editor, Thuppahi

The trend in Sinhala ultra-nationalist discourse in the past decade clearly indicates a shift in mythic inspirational fundamentals – a fading of the ‘Arya’ Vijaya persona and a slow but vociferous (and already violent) rising of a Ravana persona. Is this an ideological shift that was required by the intensity of Sinhala supremacist war effort?

Readers of my ‘Horizons’ column last week may have sought an answer to the question in my title last week, ‘Was Ravana a Sinhalese?’ and been disappointed with the lack of one. Since my column last week discussed the rise of Ravana symbolism in terms of pure myth, the question of Ravana’s ‘ethnicity’ is clearly in the realm of myth as well – modern myth, that is. Continue reading →

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