Category Archives: education

January 6, 2025 · 1:20 pm

Meeting Professor Hilali Noordeen in Galle via Karen Roberts

Michael Roberts

In late 2003 or early 2004 I was privileged to receive an invitation from Nazreen Sansoni of Barefoot to participate in the Galle Literary festival where the central events took place within the precincts of the Galle Fort — a familiar spot replete with memories of my childhood and youthful experiences.

Dr Hilali Noordeen

Karen Roberts

As it happened one of the literary stars featuring in the manifold ‘events” of the GL Festival was Karen Roberts, whose background and literary work was known to me. She was, I stress, no relation, though she had been educated in a school in Wellawatte that was a stone’s throw away from my sister Estelle Fernando’s abode in Hampden Lane Wellawatte.

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January 6, 2025 · 11:13 am

Three Benedictines Head the Sri Lanka Army

Amal Presenta Fernando & Shirley Pulle Tissera

The topmost positions in the Sri Lanka Army are held by three Benedictines, who were in the same class of Rev Bro Alexander Cyrilus FSC.

PRIDE OF ST BENEDICT’S COLLEGE, COLOMBO 13……

It is indeed a very proud occasion for all Benedictines, when the top three ranking officers of the SL army are very Loyal past students of their school To add to the absolute uniqueness of this occasion, they were also classmates who grew up together under the watchful eyes of the Christian brothers, which is the only established Teaching arm of the Catholic Church.

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January 3, 2025 · 12:32 pm

ERROL sticks His Neck Out

In his unrestrained and self-deprecating manner, ERROL FERNANDO has presented this bold forecast about the ways the Sydney Test Match will pan out. Enjoy folks …… Editor, Thuppahi.

Ostrich and Man with His Head in the Sand Stock Illustration – Illustration of ostrich, terrain_ 138335911 Continue reading →

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January 1, 2025 · 3:54 pm

Biographical Insights in Past TPS Items

https://thuppahis.com/2020/05/15/ivor-jennings-and-peradeniya-university-in-two-excursions/

https://thuppahis.com/2022/04/26/an-ode-for-maureen-neliya-hingert-ceylons-beauty-queen/

https://thuppahis.com/2022/04/26/maureen-hingerts-life-times-in-pictures/

https://thuppahis.com/2024/05/18/remembering-david-hookes-a-moving-farewell-at-adelaide-oval-27-january-2001/

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December 22, 2024 · 11:50 am

In Memory of Sarath Ilangantileke

Upali Obeyesekere, … with highlights imposed by Michael Roberts, a rugger-colleague from Peradeniya-Uni days

It is with profound sadness we learn that Dr. Sarath Illangantileke had passed away recently. Born in Kurunegala to Dr. Eric & Autley Illangantileke, Sarath had his entire education at Trinity College Kandy. He represented his alma mater with distinction in a star-studded Rugby team in 1963 that included the celebrated stand-off Mohan Sahayam, scrum-half MTM Zarook (another Kurunegala product), Trinity forwards in Sam Canagasabai, Manik de Silva, George Carson, Gavin Rodie, Sarath Illangantileke, supported by Nicko Perera, David Ondaatjie, and H.J. Fernando. Piyasena brothers Gamini and Ananda to wingers Rodney Geddes or Justin Labrooy, and super coach Percy Madugalle.

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December 22, 2024 · 10:09 am

Chandra Schaffter Features in the TPS Website

https://thuppahis.com/2023/03/30/a-cricketing-saga-extraordinary/

March 30, 2023

A Cricketing Saga Extraordinary

Chandra Schaffter … responding to an earnest request from Michael Roberts**

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December 19, 2024 · 3:37 pm

Beyond Imagination – Chandra Schaffter’s Life of Service

Ravi RUDRA has composed an extensive web-item describing Chandra Schaffter’s services to Sri Lanka,  S. Thomas College, cricket, hockey, the Tamil Union CC’, insurance services in the island and humakind in general. The account includes photographs and is so extensive that it is best presented in segments. THIS is the first instalment. As this segment includes heaps of photographs, it will take me time to insert all of them…. so the present version is incomplete .…. Editor, TPS 

Compilation by Ravi RUDRA …. with this title ‘The Phenomenal Journey of Mr. CHANDRA SCHAFFTER 94* Story of Vision, Resilience, Disappointments and Success” …. 1 December 2024 

Mr. Chandra Thomas Adolphus Schaffter (born 3 April 1930) ‘The Father of Sri Lanka Insurance & Much, Much More’

“If you cannot do something for those who work for you, but you seek to get the best out of them and not worry about them, then, I don’t think life is worth living. What I am today, I owe it first to God and then to my School”– Chandra Schaffter

 Legendary Thomian (Jan 1937–March 1950)

“I was very fortunate to attend S. Thomas’ College because I had a good education and a good foundation. I lost my mother when I was only 3 and my father when I was 11, so I never had real parental guidance in that sense.But my school masters, especially in my early years, and some of my relatives were very helpful in making me find my way around.

S. Thomas’ was a great place to be in, as you learnt a lot of good values which you don’t see in the outside world. This up-bringing has stood me and many Thomians in good stead.”– Chandra Schaffter

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December 15, 2024 · 2:03 pm

Vale = An Appreciation of Professor Padmasiri De Silva

Revd Mahinda Deegalle from London, in The Island 15 December 2024

The year 2024 is rapidly drawing to a close. This year marks the personal losses of many helpful academics, monks, family members, and friends. I place this brief note of appreciation here to pay tribute to the late Professor Padmasiri de Silva (1933–2024), one of my teachers at the University of Peradeniya in the 1980s, who was just about to celebrate his 92nd birthday on January 18, 2025 with the publication of his most recent contribution The Moral Psychology of Buddhism, which is currently under preparation for publication posthumously in Melbourne.

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December 12, 2024 · 11:49 pm

Seeking Ethnic Reconciliation Through Commemoration of the Dead-in-War

Capt Prasanna Rajaratne, SLN … in DAILY FT, 6 December 2024, ….. where the title reads “National security only through national harmony“
They may still feel trapped in the same plight, and unless that perception is acknowledged, addressed, and their aspirations realised, the resurgence of dissent is not merely possible but inevitable

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December 2, 2024 · 5:36 pm

Politics of Identity in Lanka: Mithran Tiruchelvam’s Introduction in 1997 to his Book

Introduction by Mithran Tiruchelvam …. a son of Neelan Tiruchelvam of the ICES [who was tragically assassinated by the LTTE in front of the ICES offices one year later]

The present collection of essays arose out of a symposium held at the International Centre for Ethnic Studies (ICES), Colombo from 13-15 March 1997, where researchers and scholars presented some of their recent research interests. This volume seeks to gather the threads of a hybrid collection of essays and weave them together in their shared historical moment. An anthology of this nature seeks organizational cohesion based on the papers’ common origins at the symposium, thereby sacrificing some degree of thematic or disciplinary unity. It is intended that such a collection make available to the general reader and to the scholar alike, a sense of the variety of social science pursuits being undertaken in Sri Lanka today. As such its purpose is to flavour as much as to nourish the reader’s palate, providing a sampling of the eclectic diversity of topics, methodologies and critical perspectives. engaging the social scientist today.

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