News Item: Six Honorary Degrees at ENCAENIA in Oxford University, JUNE 2024 ….
Six distinguished individuals representing the fields of science, business, academia, music and entertainment received honorary degrees at the University’s annual Encaenia ceremony last week. The honorands were: Warren East, Sir Demis Hassabis, Dr Ngozi Okonjo-Iweala, Sir Michael Palin, Anoushka Shankar and Professor Salim Yusuf.
This Item in courtesy of a Peradeniya Batch-mate Nissanka Warakaulle …………..
Michael Roberts, presenting an old essay prnted in the Lanka Monthly Digest in 2002 that was entitled “Sri Lankan-ness …. and Being Mongrel” **
The impending peace negotiations and the demand for self-determination by the LTTE and most (?) Tamils residing in Sri Lanka raise the issue of Sri Lankan identity in critical ways. Is there space for “internal self-determination” within both the territory and the idea called “Sri Lanka”? What does the concept of “self-determination” mean and does it allow for a “Tamil nation” to exist within the Sri Lankan nation in ways that will allow for “the dignity and self-respect” of those Tamils who wish to be part of this Tamil entity?
Pirapaharan, Anton Balasinghma & Thamil Chelvam on the podium at Kilinochchi before an international mix of media-personnel 10 April 2002 …. where the state of THAMILILAM was effectively proclaimed ………………..
Filed under accountability, anti-racism, British colonialism, caste issues, communal relations, cultural transmission, disparagement, ethnicity, heritage, historical interpretation, language policies, life stories, LTTE, performance, politIcal discourse, prabhakaran, self-reflexivity, Sinhala-Tamil Relations, Tamil civilians, Tamil Tiger fighters, unusual people, world events & processes, zealotry
Presenting an academic article published in Contributions to Indian Sociology , n.s, Vol 21, 1-25 … also reproduced subsequently in Sri Lanka in 1989 as No, 10 within the SSC Pamphlet Series marshalled by the late Ana Chittambalam, Willa Wickremasinghe , Hari hulugalle and Michael Roberts
Elizabeth Nissan: “The work of Sri Lankan anthropologists: A bibliographic survey”
Introduction: Although many of the studies included in this essay are concerned with Sri Lanka, this is not a bibliographic essay on the anthropology of that country. It is, instead, a survey of the work of Sri Lankan anthropologists, wherever they may have carried out their research.
Filed under Aboriginality, accountability, art & allure bewitching, authoritarian regimes, British colonialism, Buddhism, caste issues, centre-periphery relations, Colombo and Its Spaces, colonisation schemes, commoditification, communal relations, cultural transmission, democratic measures, demography, discrimination, disparagement, Dutch colonialism, economic processes, education, ethnicity, fundamentalism, governance, hatan kavi, heritage, historical interpretation, immigration, Indian Ocean politics, Indian traditions, irrigation, Islamic fundamentalism, island economy, landscape wondrous, language policies, Left politics, life stories, literary achievements, modernity & modernization, nationalism, performance, pilgrimages, plantations, plural society, political demonstrations, politIcal discourse, Portuguese in Indian Ocean, power politics, racism, religiosity, religious nationalism, riots and pogroms, self-reflexivity, Sinhala-Tamil Relations, social justice, sri lankan society, Tamil civilians, terrorism, the imaginary and the real, travelogue, vengeance, violence of language, welfare & philanthophy, working class conditions, world events & processes, zealotry
Michael Roberts
The web site is mounted via a web-engine named WORD PRESS. As its editor, I am informed every day about the number of hits …. that is visitors …. the site receives and which items have hits: this many here and this few there. The attention of course is drawn to those receiving many visitors. BUT, today I happened to lookat the bottom rows and the items receiving just one hit or maybe two.
Quite a few in the STATS FOR 19 JUNE 2024 related to biographical work about or by INDIVIDUALS – Sri Lankan personnel for the most part whether resident abroad or in the island …. or deceased.
The photos show Prof Neil Karunaratne, Dr Darrel Weinman, Dr GC Mendis & Dr Narendran Rajasingham
Filed under accountability, charitable outreach, cultural transmission, economic processes, education, female empowerment, governance, heritage, historical interpretation, island economy, landscape wondrous, life stories, literary achievements, patriotism, performance, politIcal discourse, power politics, religiosity, self-reflexivity, sri lankan society, Tamil civilians, teaching profession, unusual people
Thuppahi has consitently supported the charitable outreach that has been pursued by Ranjan Sivagnanasundaram and his VANNI HOPE projects and has no hesitation in backing this line of charitable aid.
“Enhancing Access to Digital Education for Disadvantaged Students/Children in the Rural Area of Sri Lanka”
Introduction: The role of technology in teaching and learning is rapidly becoming a crucial and widely discussed topic in the modern education system. Most education experts agree that, when used effectively, information and communication technology have the potential to enhance teaching and learning while shaping job opportunities. Computer illiteracy is now seen as a new form of illiteracy, sparking a strong desire to provide schools in remote villages with the necessary computer facilities and trained personnel to develop technologically skilled students. It is undeniable that computers can assist in the instructional process and support students’ learning.
Filed under accountability, centre-periphery relations, charitable outreach, cultural transmission, debt restructuring, economic processes, education, ethnicity, governance, island economy, landscape wondrous, language policies, life stories, modernity & modernization, patriotism, reconciliation, rehabilitation, self-reflexivity, social justice, sri lankan society, teaching profession, unusual people, voluntary workers, welfare & philanthophy, working class conditions
Go to …. https://itihas.lk/contact/ … Note that the presentation here is a re-cast selection by The Editor of Thuppahi who has also imposed his colourings on the text
Itihas aims to equip Sri Lankan youth with the ability to think critically about their past, present, and future. It specifically aims to debunk mythological understandings of history that afford to particular ethno-religious groups a sense of superiority or authenticity over others. Rather than acting as a gatekeeper of knowledge, Itihas seeks to empower future generations of students, scholars, practitioners, and policymakers to learn about, research, and make informed decisions on divisive issues such as conflict, discrimination and violence in a manner that advances a more inclusive Sri Lanka.
Photo by Tashiya De Mel
Itihas – Advancing history education reform in Sri Lanka
Filed under accountability, anti-racism, art & allure bewitching, British colonialism, British imperialism, Buddhism, caste issues, centre-periphery relations, Colombo and Its Spaces, communal relations, constitutional amendments, cultural transmission, democratic measures, Dutch colonialism, economic processes, education, education policy, ethnicity, European history, female empowerment, foreign policy, gender norms, governance, heritage, historical interpretation, human rights, Indian Ocean politics, insurrections, Islamic fundamentalism, island economy, land policies, landscape wondrous, language policies, law of armed conflict, Left politics, legal issues, life stories, literary achievements, LTTE, medical marvels, military strategy, modernity & modernization, Muslims in Lanka, nationalism, parliamentary elections, patriotism, photography & its history, pilgrimages, plantations, plural society, political demonstrations, politIcal discourse, population, Portuguese imperialism, power politics, power sharing, prabhakaran, Presidential elections, press freedom & censorship, racist thinking, Rajapaksa regime, refugees, religiosity, riots and pogroms, security, self-reflexivity, Sinhala-Tamil Relations, social justice, Sri Lankan cricket, sri lankan society, suicide bombing, Tamil civilians, Tamil migration, tamil refugees, teaching profession, transport and communications, truth as casualty of war, vengeance, war crimes, war reportage, working class conditions, world events & processes, World War II and Ceylon, zealotry
A Cinnamon Bey & John Keells Initiative reported in The Island, 15 June 2020, with this titlë “Cinnamon Bey Beruwala pioneers installation of first-ever Ocean Strainer in Kalutara District
Beruwala Canal Ocean Strainer
Cinnamon Bey Beruwala proudly announces the launch of a significant environmental initiative as part of the Clean Water Project by John Keells Holdings (JKH). Coinciding with the World Environment Day and World Ocean Day celebrations, the first ever ocean strainer was installed in the Beruwala canal, marking a pivotal step towards improving water quality and marine conservation in the Kalutara district.
Filed under accountability, charitable outreach, communal relations, cultural transmission, economic processes, education, environmental degradation, governance, heritage, island economy, landscape wondrous, life stories, modernity & modernization, patriotism, performance, politIcal discourse, rehabilitation, self-reflexivity, sri lankan society, taking the piss, transport and communications, trauma, unusual people, welfare & philanthophy, working class conditions
Punchi Putha in the Sunday Times [of Sri Lanka], 16 June 2024 … an item with this title “Chased away”
My dear Wanindu and team, I thought of writing to you at a time when you have been knocked out of the T20 World Cup with such certainty when there is still a game to be played. Once again questions are being asked about what is wrong with our cricket. Whose fault is it – you, as players,
or is it all the fault of the administrators? 
Brian Thomas in Facebook
thuppahi
