Corridors of Time – Artistic Narratives of Heritage and Nature …. at … the Harold Peiris Gallery at the Lionel Wendt, Col-7 ,,, Opening: 2nd November 2023 @ 6pm …. continuing from 3rd-5th November … with Paintings from Royden Gibbs & Joseph Rodrigo
Category Archives: cultural transmission
Remembering Percy Abeysekera: Lanka’s Cricketing Flagbearer
Michael Roberts
Percy Abeysekera has passed away recently …. carrying the Sri Lankan flag and reams of cricketing memories with him to an abode in the skies: memories that encompassed at least 70-72 years of cricketing cheer. Yes, that long a span. To me, Percy was first and foremost, an Aloysian. When I joined the St. Aloysius cheering squad as a 14-to-16 year old at the Galle Esplanade during our cricketing matches against Richmond, Mahinda and other schools, Percy was one of our cheerleaders. So, his patriotism and his crazy cricketing virtuosity was nurtured in Galle …. at our school.
For Lanka: The Profound Interventions of Pauline & Dick Hensman
Rohini Hensman, in a commemorative essay about her politically committed parents in the SSA journal POLITY in 2023 where the title runs “A Hundred Years of Pauline And C. R. (Dick) Hensman”
The birth anniversaries of Pauline Hensman (née Swan) and Dick Hensman occurred over the course of the past year [ …]. This attempt to provide an overview of their life and times will inevitably suffer from gaps, since neither they nor most of their contemporaries are alive. It will, therefore, have to draw on the imperfect memories of their children and younger friends, who would have to rely on hearsay for the parts of their lives from which they were absent. Nevertheless, the main events and themes of their lives emerge quite clearly.
Filed under accountability, anti-racism, art & allure bewitching, British colonialism, British imperialism, caste issues, citizen journalism, cultural transmission, democratic measures, economic processes, education, electoral structures, ethnicity, governance, heritage, historical interpretation, language policies, Left politics, life stories, literary achievements, nationalism, patriotism, political demonstrations, politIcal discourse, press freedom, racism, self-reflexivity, social justice, sri lankan society, tolerance, unusual people, women in ethnic conflcits, world events & processes
Plinio’s Description of “Taprobane”
Piero Perondi, whose chosen title was “THE SPLENDID TAPROBANE ALIAS SRI LANKA””
The main ancient source on Taprobane is the Roman historian Plinio the Old, in his manuscript “Natural History”, which does not fail to briefly retrace the testimonies of previous authors. He states that only in the time of Alexander the Great was it made clear that Taprobane was an island; before it was considered almost another world, the “land of the Antichthone ” (i.e. the inhabitants of the southern hemisphere).
Filed under ancient civilisations, art & allure bewitching, cultural transmission, education, heritage, historical interpretation, landscape wondrous, life stories, literary achievements, politIcal discourse, reconciliation, self-reflexivity, the imaginary and the real, travelogue, unusual people, world affairs
The Sea Tigers at War: Innovativeness married to Experiential Art
Rear. Admiral Y.N. Jayarathne …. whose preferred title for this article is “Principles of the Swarming Concepts” …. and where the black highlights are his work
Situational awareness
The Sea Tiger, enemy we fought at sea, was a ‘worthy enemy’ as I recall! This enemy (when I say enemy it is not an individual that I am referring to but the group or the collection of individuals) evolved from a fisheries background: thus they knew the ground (the sea, the marine environment and the marine weather. In any fishing community there always will be weather forecasters who would say whether it is going to rain or sea is going to be rough by simply looking at the clouds and environment), new the trade of seafaring; how to manoeuvre/navigate the boats and new how to repair, modify and manufacture boats! All these were passed down the generations through experience and wisdom, and not by formal education at school. So, they were psychologically empowered, physically fit by knowing how to swim at sea (a tremendous self-confidence factor in personal capacity) and professionally competent for the trade!
Filed under authoritarian regimes, counter-insurgency, cultural transmission, heritage, historical interpretation, island economy, landscape wondrous, life stories, LTTE, marine life, martyrdom, military strategy, performance, sea warfare, self-reflexivity, sri lankan society, Tamil Tiger fighters, unusual people, vengeance, world events & processes
Talking about Oral History Work on Ceylon in the 1960s
Adilah Ismail in the Sunday Times, 7 June 2015, where the title is “Colourful history of a historian” … with highlighting imposed by the Editor Thuppahi viz, Roberts himself
Looking back on his ‘going-down memory lane interviews’ with retired Britishers and Sri Lankans who served mainly in the Ceylon Civil Service, Michael Roberts who was in Sri Lanka recently, talks to Adilah Ismail about the beginnings of a passion.
In Colombo last week: Michael Roberts. Pic by M.A. Pushpa Kumara
It’s the late 1960s: On most Fridays, Michael Roberts would make his way towards Colombo from Peradeniya, [1] recording equipment balanced at his feet and his bag filled with assorted clothes strapped to the back of his trusty scooter. Navigating the sharp curves and turns on his two wheeler, once in Colombo, he would spend his weekend sprinting from one interview to another.
Filed under British colonialism, centre-periphery relations, citizen journalism, Colombo and Its Spaces, colonisation schemes, communal relations, constitutional amendments, cultural transmission, devolution, economic processes, ethnicity, governance, historical interpretation, island economy, Kandyan kingdom, land policies, language policies, Left politics, life stories, modernity & modernization, nationalism, parliamentary elections, patriotism, plantations, politIcal discourse, power politics, racism, self-reflexivity, Sinhala-Tamil Relations, sri lankan society, transport and communications, travelogue, welfare & philanthophy, world events & processes
Madness at the Heights of Power in USA: Electoral Demogogy
A NOTE from VB, an American citizen from Sri Lanka … responding to the Item in Thuppahi from “A Sri Lankan in Brisbane”
Future Leadership in USA – Republican Presidential Candidate Nikki Haley
Citizen: “What will you do with Iran if you were President?”
Hayley: “What I said to Netanyahu …. Finish them! Finish them! They are only going to try and kill us and kill Israelis …..”
No worries, guys! The land of the free and the home of the brave will be in good hands!
Filed under accountability, american imperialism, arab regimes, atrocities, centre-periphery relations, cultural transmission, disparagement, electoral structures, fundamentalism, governance, historical interpretation, Islamic fundamentalism, life stories, Middle Eastern Politics, military strategy, politIcal discourse, power politics, Presidential elections, racism, security, truth as casualty of war, vengeance, world events & processes, World War Three?, zealotry
Lionel Sirimane at 103: The Last of the Mohicans
Capt Elmo Jayawardena, … AN ESSAY that is borrowed from elanka = https://www.elanka.com.au/the-last-of-the-mohicans-by-capt-elmo-jayawardena/
Lionel Sirimane … navigator
The lane down Nugegoda which is in the outskirts of Colombo, is named Mudaliar Avenue. Two left turns after that would bring you to number 1/8. This is Uncle Siri’s and Aunty Olga’s domain. Sadly, she passed away. As Uncle Siri says, “she went to heaven in 2021”, a sentiment whispered softly, sounding more like a person finding it impossible to fill the huge empty space she left. Perhaps painful heartstrings may be tugging when he mentions her. 68 years is a very long time to share a blissfully happy life and lose your soul partner.
Filed under accountability, art & allure bewitching, citizen journalism, cultural transmission, education, heritage, historical interpretation, landscape wondrous, life stories, modernity & modernization, patriotism, performance, self-reflexivity, sri lankan society, the imaginary and the real, transport and communications, travelogue, unusual people, world events & processes
The Senanayakes at Cricket in Ceylon: Anecdotal Lore
KKS Perera in E-Lanka, 15 October 2023 , where his title is “More on Senanayakes and Cricket”
Dr. Michael Roberts’ enthralling exploration of the Senanayake family and their ties to cricket in last week’s E-lanka provided the inspiration for me to craft this anecdotal script.
Don Spater Senanayake, was the son of the lesser-known Don Bartholomeus, a native of the picturesque town of Mahiyangana. According to family lore that has been passed down through the generations, the Senanayake family’s roots can be traced back to an ancient era—the Anuradhapura period, specifically between AD 253 and 266. The tale recounts that during this time, a benevolent King dispatched a delegation from Mahiyangana, entrusted with a sacred Bo sapling. Their mission was to plant this revered sapling at a hallowed location in Attanagalle. The delegation journeyed toward their destination, they decided to rest for the night and carefully placed the Bo sapling in a specially chosen spot. The next morning, to their astonishment, they discovered that the sapling had taken root, defying all expectations. This miraculous event led to the christening of the place as “Bodhi-tale,” signifying the spot where the Bo sapling had firmly established itself. Over time, this name evolved into “Bothale.”
Filed under accountability, British colonialism, centre-periphery relations, cricket for amity, cultural transmission, economic processes, education, heritage, historical interpretation, life stories, performance, politIcal discourse, S. Thomas College, Sri Lankan cricket, sri lankan society, unusual people
Learie Contantine Featured in Thuppahi in 2022
Chandra Schaffter .…. 7 January 2022 …………https://thuppahis.com/2022/01/07/learie-constantines-cricket-coachng-stint-in-ceylon-1953/
Michael Roberts …… 7 Jan 2022 ……https://thuppahis.com/2022/01/07/constantines-coaching-spell-in-ceylon-in-1953-assorted-notes/
Filed under art & allure bewitching, centre-periphery relations, charitable outreach, cricket for amity, cricket selections, cultural transmission, education, heritage, historical interpretation, life stories, performance, Sri Lankan cricket, sri lankan society, the imaginary and the real, unusual people, world events & processes
