A MEMO From Michael Roberts as Editor, Thuppahi, July 2025
The Word Press system keeps me informed about the HITs on TPS items everyday and also assembles figures for each week. Reviewing these details provides one with a glimpse of internet viewers and their interests. As an exercise with this objective I provide figures of HITS on items carrying biographical tales.
HEREWITh, then, are the figures of such hits — HITS on bio-tales –– during the past week.
Filed under accountability, art & allure bewitching, authoritarian regimes, British colonialism, Buddhism, centre-periphery relations, charitable outreach, communal relations, cricket selections, cultural transmission, disparagement, economic processes, Eelam, ethnicity, European history, governance, heritage, historical interpretation, Indian Ocean politics, insurrections, island economy, landscape wondrous, language policies, Left politics, legal issues, life stories, literary achievements, modernity & modernization, nationalism, performance, politIcal discourse, population, power politics, S. Thomas College, self-reflexivity, Sinhala-Tamil Relations, slanted reportage, Sri Lankan cricket, sri lankan society, Tamil Tiger fighters, teaching profession, theatre world, unusual people, world affairs, world events & processes
Hiran Hewavisenti in FACEBOOK,, 3 July 2025
The skipper leads from the front, has a cool head and makes all the right moves with his timely bowling changes.
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
Date 28 June – 2 August 2025 …………..Coach … Andy Farrell ….. ……………. Tour captain(s) Maro Itoje
Michael Roberts, presenting an article published in 2005 as a pamphlet by the ICES, Colombo with this title “The First Settlers and Their Claim to Ownership of Terrain/State. A Comparative Excursion” … an essay originally presented in Abdul Rahman Embong, Rethinking Ethnicity and Nation Building: Malaysia, Sri Lanka and Fiji in Comparative Perspective, Panbrit UKM, Bangi, Malaysia, (c. 2003) which was then reprinted as a booklet by ICES, Colombo in 2005 – see ISBN 955-580-099-5 I.
Filed under Aboriginality, ancient civilisations, animal world, British colonialism, centre-periphery relations, communal relations, cultural transmission, discrimination, economic processes, ethnicity, governance, heritage, historical interpretation, intricate artefacts, island economy, land policies, landscape wondrous, life stories, politIcal discourse, racism, religiosity, self-reflexivity, social justice, sri lankan society, tolerance, travelogue, unusual people, world events & processes
Michael Roberts
SOUTH ASIA has been a form of Australian exploration — in the plural form of manifold journeys and investigations — in South Asia for several decades. I was a small cog in this cluster of activities some 20 years back; but, alas, fell away. Some old partners in arms are still part of the Editorial Advisory Board; but its a fresh and bright team that is bringing the Indian subcontinent into the Aussie arena. Sri Lankan scholars and readers need to take note of this work and chip in with their own ‘commentary’ — whether in article form or as avid readers.
Check https://www.tandfonline.com/journals/csas20 …. AND/OR write to shameem.black@anu.edu.au ……….. OR ……………………….. priya.chacko@adelaide.edu.au
Filed under ancient civilisations, australian media, British imperialism, Buddhism, centre-periphery relations, communal relations, cultural transmission, economic processes, electoral structures, ethnicity, European history, governance, heritage, Hinduism, historical interpretation, Indian General Elections, Indian Ocean politics, Indian religions, Indian traditions, land policies, landscape wondrous, life stories, literary achievements, migrant experiences, modernity & modernization, parliamentary elections, patriotism, pilgrimages, plural society, politIcal discourse, Portuguese imperialism, Portuguese in Indian Ocean, power politics, Presidential elections, press freedom & censorship, racism, Rajiv Gandhi, religiosity, riots and pogroms, security, self-reflexivity, terrorism, transport and communications, working class conditions, world events & processes, zealotry
DBS Jeyaraj, in the Financial Times, 28 March 2025 where the title reads “How UK-sanctioned “Col” Karuna was deported from Britain 17 years ago”
Vinayagamoorthy Muralitharan alias “Col” Karuna
After the UK sanctions were imposed the Tamil newspaper “Thamilan” interviewed Karuna about it. Karuna was dismissive saying that the UK sanctions would not affect him or his politics in any way. Karuna denied that he was responsible for any human rights violation. Speaking further he said that if he was guilty of any human rights violation, the UK could have penalised him when he sought refugee status there. “Why didn’t they do it then? Instead they sent me back home safely,” pointed out Karuna. He went on to say that he was not bothered by the UK sanctions.
It is indeed ironic that a man who was deported from the UK years ago has now been forbidden from travelling to the UK due to the sanctions imposed in a different context. Is Karuna being honest in saying that the UK authorities deported him instead of penalising him for alleged human rights violations because he was not guilty of any such offence? What were the circumstances under which he went to the UK 17 years ago and what exactly happened to him then?
Filed under accountability, asylum-seekers, authoritarian regimes, Britain's politics, centre-periphery relations, ethnicity, governance, historical interpretation, human rights, legal issues, life stories, LTTE, politIcal discourse, refugees, Sinhala-Tamil Relations, sri lankan society, Tamil migration, tamil refugees, travelogue, unusual people, world events & processes
The hard copy of THOMIA by Richard Simon in two volumes — all 868 + lxv pages of this searching history — is now in print. Presented here are the initial pages.
Filed under British colonialism, centre-periphery relations, Colombo and Its Spaces, cultural transmission, economic processes, education, education policy, ethnicity, heritage, historical interpretation, island economy, language policies, life stories, literary achievements, patriotism, politIcal discourse, religiosity, S. Thomas College, sri lankan society, teaching profession, unusual people, world events & processes
IT is a testament to Gananath’s openness and skills that personnel from so many walks of life have stepped up to record his influence on their thinking and lives. May he dwell comfortably in his after-life. ….. Michael Roberts
A Female Voice in Facebook, March 2025
I was deeply saddened to learn of the passing of Prof Gananath Obeyesekere. Much will be written about Prof Obeyesekere’s contribution to academia in the coming days. He was a giant in the field and one of the most well-known and respected Sri Lankan intellectuals.
Filed under anti-racism, art & allure bewitching, caste issues, charitable outreach, communal relations, cultural transmission, education, ethnicity, heritage, historical interpretation, landscape wondrous, language policies, life stories, literary achievements, patriotism, pilgrimages, politIcal discourse, religiosity, self-reflexivity, sri lankan society, world affairs, zealotry
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