Category Archives: cultural transmission

May 12, 2017 · 7:14 am

Empowered Women rise from the Ashes of Sri Lanka’s War

Avani Dias,  courtesy of ABC Net, May 14 May 2017, where the title runs  “Border Girls: Women in Sri Lanka take on male roles to help recovery from brutal civil war,” http://www.abc.net.au/news/2017-05-07/border-girls-help-sri-lanka-recover-from-civil-war/8499728

Women and girls whose male relatives were killed in Sri Lanka’s brutal civil war are now helping the country recover, taking on roles formerly reserved for men and heading to schools and universities to complete their education. The so-called “Border Girls” mostly come from towns and villages which formed a human buffer zone between the opposing sides during the 27-year conflict, which ended in 2009 and left tens of thousands of civilians dead, many of them killed in the war’s bloody final phase. The majority of border girls, who are from the Tamil, Sinhalese and Muslim ethnic groups, lost their partners, fathers, and brothers in the war, which pitted government troops against Liberation Tigers of Tamil Eelam (LTTE) guerrillas, also known as the Tamil Tigers. Now these resilient women want to independently lead a change in Sri Lanka by pursuing their education and altering community attitudes so women have a leadership role in the traditionally male-led society.

Saroja Dilrukshi, 16, lost most of her family during the Sri Lankan civil war

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May 12, 2017 · 6:38 am

A Christian Miracle-Worker or Kattadiya Down South

C. A .Chandraprema, introducing “God’s Secret Agent” by Herman Gunaratne, … courtesy of The Island

 The launch of Malinga Herman Gunaratne’s latest book ‘God’s Secret Agent’ at Misissa Hills a boutique hotel in Mirissa on 16 April was well attended. Among the guests were the former editor of The Island Gamini Weerakoon, the editor of The Sunday Times Sinha Ratnatunga, and the head of the Derana media network Dilith Jayaweera. There were as many foreigners as locals in the audience. Ashok Ferry who discussed the book with Herman G asked him whether it was a work of fiction to which the latter answered in the negative stating that this was a book which was based on his own experiences with a Christian ‘holy man’ by the name of Nissanka Wimalasuriya. This ‘holy man’ who according to Herman G, worked with the Holy Spirit had performed virtual miracles for him as well as many of his friends, curing physical or mental ailments, solving career problems and the like. This book was Herman G’s way of paying homage to this ‘holy man’ whom he had known for decades and also the unseen force that helped him to do what he did

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Filed under art & allure bewitching, cultural transmission, life stories, meditations, performance, self-reflexivity, sri lankan society, the imaginary and the real, unusual people, working class conditions, world affairs

May 9, 2017 · 3:08 am

BEAP Hospital rises from Tsunami Ashes in Batticaloa Locality

SPECIAL FOREWORD: The Timeless Classics Concert raised $35,000 in net returns to the Foundation. We are planning to repeat the concert in Colombo at the time the newly elected Rotary International Director visits Sri Lanka in November 2017. The event will be organised by two Rotary Clubs in Colombo spearheaded by our own Trustee, Rotarian Indrajith Fernando. The artistes have agreed to donate their services and their talent to help us raise funding for the hospital.

Memo from Nihal De Run

Dear Members of our Project Interest Group,

These pictures were taken during a site visit on 6th April 2017. We were thrilled to see the progress and the sheer size of the super structure. The contractor CECB is confident of finishing on schedule, 15th November 2017 but I would add another six weeks for the prospect of rain, material delays and so forth.


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May 9, 2017 · 2:29 am

The Full Monty: Sri Lankan Stars in Aussie Life

Courtesy of DFAT and cameraman Nathan Fulton and with thanks to Kristopher Maslin of  the Department of Foreign Affairs

 Arun Abey of Sydney  Jitto Arulampalam of Melbourne

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May 5, 2017 · 5:01 am

Malaravan’s War Journey for Tiger Tamils, 1990s

War Journey, being translation of  Por Ulaa reviewed  here by three Indian intellectuals

ONE > R.K. Radhakrishnan: “A Heroic Life after Death,” 8 July 2013, The Hindu

Just as political parties in India used music, theatre and cinema with stunning results, the LTTE relied on the written word, and folklore, with the help of platform speakers in Tamil. Heroes are created long after their death. The embellished folklores, the sexed-up citations, even made-up stories of courage, valour and sacrifice — all contribute to the creation of a hero from an ordinary human being, who is often left without a choice of how, why and if he/she will be remembered or celebrated. Institutions and movements seek to capitalise on the emotional appeal of the ‘supreme sacrifice’ to further ‘The Cause.’ Continue reading →

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May 5, 2017 · 4:05 am

A Martyr for Allah — Jabar, the Assassin, in Sydney

  Rhiam Deutrom, in The Australian, 5 May 2017, where the title runs “Cheng killer Farhad Jabar feted as ‘martyr’ by accused co-plotters”

Farhad Jabar was celebrated as a “warrior” and a “martyr” in the days after the teenager shot unarmed NSW police finance employee Curtis Cheng in the back of the head, outside the Parramatta Police Headquarters, a court has heard. Farhad, killed by special constables during the attack in 2015, was allegedly given an illegal pistol by the men at the centre of a committal hearing this week in the Downing Centre Local Court. Talal Alameddine, 24, Mustafa Dirani, 23, Milad Atai, 21 and Raban Alou, 19, are facing charges relating to planning a terrorist act and supplying the .38 calibre pistol to Farhad. All but Mr Alou were present at court this week, dressed in prison-issued green tracksuits and seated together in the dock.

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May 4, 2017 · 10:18 am

Perinpanayagam’s Study of the LTTE Strand of Tamil Nationalism

Anushka Perinpanayagam, paperback, 2010 …

The Liberation Tigers of Tamil Eelam (LTTE) is a nationalist organisation which has been a key player in Sri Lanka’s ethnic war. Like the early Tamil nationalist groups in Sri Lanka, the LTTE professes to be a secularist organisation. This tradition of secularism distinguishes Tamil nationalism from its Sinhalese counterpart. A small group of academics, however, has debated whether the LTTE is truly secularist. The debate focuses on the LTTE’s ritual calendar and commemorative events which draw on religious symbols and which, according to some critics, have the character and quality of religious events. This project intervenes in this debate by analysing how scholars use the terms ‘religion’ and ‘secular’ when discussing the LTTE and Sri Lankan politics. In addition, this book investigates how the LTTE’s claim to be secular impacts upon its narration of history and its discourse around death and dying. This work is useful not only for those interested in the Sri Lankan situation but also for those who wish to explore nationalism, modernisation and the categories of religion and the secular.

 https://www.facebook.com/anushka.perinpanayagam

The book can be purchased via AMAZON = http://researcharchive.vuw.ac.nz/xmlui/handle/10063/1784… with illustrations below being from the Thuppahi stock associated with my work on the “sacrificial devotion” of the Tamil Tigers — work which is considered intelligently by Perinpanayagam in association with the writings of Peter schalk Dagmar Hellmann-Rajanayagam and others.  Continue reading →

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May 3, 2017 · 4:43 am

In Appreciation of Geoffrey Bawa amidst an Architectural Rift of Seismic Scale

David Robson  ….. re-printing an old essay in The Daily News, 24 December 2013, in an article entitled “Remembering Bawa”

In this article, originally published in Indian Architect & Builder,  architect and writer David Robson pens an intimate and personal account of the life and work of Geoffrey Bawa – an incredible architect with an unparalleled legacy in Sri Lanka and south-east India.

Ten years have rolled by since Geoffrey Bawa’s death and fifteen since ill-health forced him to hang up his tee-square. It’s time to take stock: what was his legacy? How were his ideas disseminated? What influence has he had? What were his qualities? Who was Geoffrey Bawa?

 Bawa at Lunuganga in the 1990s Continue reading →

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May 2, 2017 · 8:47 am

“By the Will of Allah” — Fahad Jabar’s Last Will before Kill

Emily Ritchie, in The Australian, 2 May 2017, where the title is “Curtis Cheng Killer’s ISIS-Style Salute” … Note that emphasis has been imposed by the Editor, Thuppahi.

Just 15 minutes before teenage terrorist Farhad Jabar shot and killed NSW police accountant Curtis Cheng, he stared into the security camera at a Sydney mosque and ominously raised his index finger in an Islamic State-style salute. For the first time, a Sydney court heard details yesterday of alleged plotting between a group of young men accused of supplying the gun Jabar used to carry out the October 2015 ­murder.

  Pic from Daily Telegraph 

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April 29, 2017 · 9:59 am

Legless Sapper Delivers Anzac Day Address in Canberra

Jamie Walker, courtesy of The Australian, 25 April 2017, where the title is “Tour of duty inspires hero Curtis McGrath’s Anzac honour”

Curtis McGrath lost both his legs when he stepped on a landmine in Afghanistan in 2012, but not the will to excel. He was walking on prosthetic limbs within three months.  And on a golden day in Rio de Janeiro last September, the young combat engineer stood tall to keep a promise he made to the mates who helped save his life on the battlefield: he would go to the Paralympics and win.

If the gold medal in the KL2 paracanoe was a highlight of his epic journey back from injury, it’s neck-and-neck with the honour conferred on him this Anzac Day. Sapper McGrath, 29, was [chosen] to ­deliver the commemorative address this morning at the Dawn Service at the Australian War Memorial in Canberra. His subject was sacrifice, duty and the debt he owed to his country. Continue reading →

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