Category Archives: historical interpretation

Merle Oberon: The Full Montage ….

The Wikipedia Disclosures …. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Merle_Oberon

Merle Oberon with Laurence Olivier in  in Wuthering Heights (1939)

 

Merle Oberon (born Estelle Merle O’Brien Thompson; 19 February 1911 – 23 November 1979) was a British actress. She began her acting career in British cinema in the early 1930s, with a breakout role in The Private Life of Henry VIII (1933). She later moved to Hollywood, where she became an international star, earning acclaim for films such as The Dark Angel (1935), Wuthering Heights (1939), and That Uncertain Feeling (1941). Her career spanned from the 1920s to the 1970s, primarily in English-language films produced in the UK and the U.S. Her performance as Kitty Vane in The Dark Angel earned her a nomination for the Academy Award for Best Actress.

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Merle Oberon’s Burgher Genealogical Lineage …

An Item passed on by Jayantha Somasundaram of Canberra, June 2025 … with highlights imposed by The Editor, Thuppahi

 Merle Oberon (born Estelle Merle O’Brien Thompson; 19 February 1911 – 23 November 1979) was raised as the daughter of Arthur Terrence O’Brien Thompson, a Welsh mechanical engineer from Darlington who worked in Indian Railways, and his wife, Charlotte Selby (whose full name was Constance Charlotte Thompson, according to her 1937 obituary), who was born in Sri Lanka (then Ceylon) and was a Burgher from British Ceylon.

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A Documentary on the Pattini-Kannagi Cult in Sri Lanka

A Film Documentary on the Kannagi – Pattini cult in Sri Lanka will be prsented at the Goethe Insitutute on the $th June eveningat 6.30 pm ….

This event is part of a series of initiatives marking the conclusion of the Strengthening Social Cohesion and Peace in Sri Lanka (SCOPE) programme, co-funded by the European Union and the German Federal Foreign Office. The event will also be a part of the Film Forum at Goethe-Institut.

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A Review of Norah Roberts’ Book … GALLE AS QUIET AS ASLEEP

Bandu De Silva in LankaWeb 2012 reviewing GALLE AS QUIET AS ASLEEP by Norah Roberts

 

https://www.lankaweb.com/news/items/2012/08/26/galle-eternal-charm-book-review-galle-as-quiet-as-sleep-by-norah-roberts/

 

Galle: Eternal charm   =  Book Review Galle as Quiet as Sleep By Norah Roberts, ….  August 26th, 2012

The title Galle as Quiet as Sleep made me reflect for a long time. I asked myself how this title could fit in. Finally, I reconciled myself to it. Yes, GallE’s heritage is a quiet one. The people of Galle as Norah Roberts will tell us made their contributions quietly. Even now, the town after dusk or at early dawn is so calm and placid that one does not get the feeling of being in a big city. Certainly not like Kandy which has lost its old charm. Kaluwella with its old Kittange with the Kovil adjoining it still reminds one of the 19th century or early 20th century. One could still have a glass of plain tea served by a Tamil boy in an ol style tea kiosk as one met with in Batticaloa at Habarana twenty years ago. The Tamils do good business thee without any problem.

 

 

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An Electoral Duel of Titans, 1952-1970s: Colvin vs Jayasinghe

Avishka Mario Seneviratne, in FACEBOOK, where the title runs thus: “Colvin vs. Jayasinghe: The Battle for Wellawatte–Galkissa, 1952 and Beyond”

In the early years of Sri Lanka’s post-independence democracy, few figures stood as tall—both intellectually and politically—as Dr. Colvin R. de Silva. A Marxist firebrand, brilliant lawyer, and founding member of the LSSP, he was famed for his thunderous oratory and razor-sharp debates in Parliament. But in the 1952 general election, following the sudden death of Prime Minister D. S. Senanayake, the winds shifted. Even as an MP, Colvin maintained a flourishing legal career and was widely regarded as one of the country’s top criminal lawyers. His most famous courtroom victory came when he was defending national cricket hero Mahadevan Sathasivam, accused of murdering his wife. Though doing only his job, the case left a bitter taste among many voters in Colvin’s own electorate, who saw the defense as ethically troubling. The middle-class Tamils, especially in Colombo and its suburbs felt uneasy with the case.

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Sri Lanka’s Shipwreck Treasures ….

Gothami Meepe, text of a verbal presentation presented here with underlining emphasis imposed by The Editor, Thuppahi

Viewers of the Zoom lecture organised by Heritage Alliance Lanka were captivated as the Maritime Archaeologist, Mr. Amalka Wijesuriya, unfolded the treasurers hidden underwater around our island of Sri Lanka. Amalka is a Lecturer of History & Archaeology at the University of Ruhuna and hails from the historic town of Ambalangoda. His parents had often pointed out historical carvings and drawings in the area, creating a strong interest in Sri Lankan history within him. The renowned Archaeologist, Prof. Senaka Bandaranayake’s influence during his university days, had created a special interest in the history of the Galle Port and the heritage buried in our ocean.

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In-Migration to Australia, 2024: Ethnic Breakdown

Courtesy of KEITH BENNETT

SOME INTERESTING AUSTRALIAN MIGRATION STATISTICS….

Out of the top ten countries where migrants came from in 2024, England was on top with 963,000 migrants (3.5%) and Sri Lanka 10th with 172,000 migrants(0.6%).

In second and third place were India and China

Australia’s total population in 2024 was 27.1m

PS: The Rest of this Item sent to me by Keith Bennett did not reproduce. Till I insert it, let me present data derived from Wikipedia and the internet.

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Resisting Racist Oppression: Measures Symbolic & Minute ….. Yet Meaningful

Channa Wickremasekera in Facebook, … [where items disappear into the depths] … with highlighting imposed by The Editor, Thuppahi

A close friend recently sent me the link to Louis Theroux’s documentary ‘The Settlers’. He was moved by it, he said. I was too, not only by the documentary, but also by the fact that my friend was moved. He is hard to move. He is very cynical about all the protests I go to. How many bombs have you stopped? He asks jokingly. He hates what Israel is doing in Gaza but he cannot see how ordinary people like him or me can change anything.

The King of Brobdingnag and Gulliver

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Malani Fonseka: A Nation’s Farewell

A  NEWS ITEM in The Island, 25 May 2025 …Final rites of veteran actress Malani Fonseka to be held with state honours on Monday, 26th May at Independence Square”

The final rites of veteran actress and iconic queen of Sri Lankan cinema,  Malani Fonseka, will be held with state honours on Monday, 26th May 2025, at the Independence Square.

DEAUVILLE, FRANCE – MARCH 05: Sri Lankan actress Malani Fonseka awaded during the Deauville film festival on March 5, 2014 in Deauville, France …… Photo by Dominique Charriau/WireImage

A discussion regarding the arrangements forthe state funeral was held this afternoon (24) at the Presidential Secretariat, under the leadership of Minister of Buddhasasana, Religious and Cultural Affairs, Dr. H. M. Sunil Senevi and Secretary to the President Dr. Nandika Sanath Kumanayake.

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Anguish Without Closure … As Sri Lankan Tamils Lament The Missing

Jeevan Ravindran in Al-Jazeera, 24 May 2025…. where the title runs thus: ‘Need answers’: Will Sri Lanka’s Tamils find war closure under Dissanayake?”

Tamils commemorating the loved ones they lost, or who were ‘disappeared’, during the civil war that ended 16 years ago are still waiting for answers.

Sri Lanka Tamils
Krishnan Anjan Jeevarani and her sister cry as they remember the family members they lost during SriLanka’s civil war, including Jeevarani’s three-year-old daughter[Jeevan Ravindran/Al Jazeera]

Mullivaikkal, Sri Lanka – On a beach in northeastern Sri Lanka, Krishnan Anjan Jeevarani laid out some of her family’s favourite food items on a banana leaf. She placed a samosa, lollipops and a large

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