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At Sidi men play drums at t heir communities’annual Urs celebration – Photo copyright by Luke Duggleby for Sidi Project
Category Archives: Indian religions
St. Joseph’s in Colombo: Service till the Mountains Disappear
Chryshane Mendis, reviewing Till the Mountains Disappear: The Story of St. Joseph’s College’ authored by Avishka Mario Senewiratne and late Fr. Dr. Stanley Abeysekera
It was well known back in the day that Fr. Stanley Abeysekera was writing a book on College history and through my Grade 09 exhibition project of 2008, I got to know the great man very closely. From then on till I left school in 2013 I constantly dropped by his room and viewed the rare Blue and White magazines with him and earnestly listened to his stories of College. I was sad that his progress on the manuscript had slowed down due to his failing eyesight and when he was finally called to rest in 2015, I thought the book had died with him.
Filed under art & allure bewitching, cultural transmission, economic processes, education, historical interpretation, Indian religions, landscape wondrous, life stories, modernity & modernization, patriotism, performance, religiosity, self-reflexivity, sri lankan society, unusual people, welfare & philanthophy, world events & processes
The 43 Group in Ceylon: Their Story
Rohan de Soysa, copy of a PowerPoint Presentation made to the National Trust of Sri Lanka on September 29, 2016 by Rohan de Soysa transcribed into text format …. with coloured underlining [as distinct from that in black] being emphasis imposed by The Editor, Thuppahi
The Origins: The `43 Group was the first modern art movement in Sri Lanka. It arose because a group of artists felt that the art being practiced and taught at the time was too academic and rigid; nor did it attempt to follow new developments in European art since the early 20th Century. They therefore decided to form a group more open to these new developments but with a distinct Ceylonese stamp and flavour.
Filed under architects & architecture, art & allure bewitching, British colonialism, centre-periphery relations, charitable outreach, cultural transmission, democratic measures, economic processes, education, heritage, historical interpretation, Indian religions, Indian traditions, landscape wondrous, life stories, literary achievements, paintings, patriotism, performance, photography, politIcal discourse, religiosity, self-reflexivity, sri lankan society, teaching profession, the imaginary and the real, unusual people, world events & processes
Charting Anagarika Dharmapala’s Many Pursuits
Nandasiri Jasentuliyana, reviewing Bhadrajee S. Hewage’s book “A NAME FOR EVERY CHAPTER: Anagarika Dharmapala and Ceylonese Buddhist Revivalism”
‘The unexamined life is not worth living.’ – Socrates.
Rarely has so much been written both in the West and in the East about the work of a ‘revivalist,’ that one would conclude there is nothing left to be revealed of the man or his work. That is until you read Bhadrajee Hewage’s “Anagarika Dharmapala and Ceylonese Buddhist Revivalism.”
Filed under accountability, art & allure bewitching, British imperialism, Buddhism, centre-periphery relations, communal relations, cultural transmission, democratic measures, disparagement, economic processes, education, fundamentalism, governance, heritage, historical interpretation, Indian religions, island economy, landscape wondrous, language policies, life stories, literary achievements, nationalism, patriotism, pilgrimages, politIcal discourse, religiosity, religious nationalism, self-reflexivity, sri lankan society, teaching profession, the imaginary and the real, truth as casualty of war, welfare & philanthophy, working class conditions, world events & processes
A Refreshing New Study of the Anagarika Dharmapala’s Endeavours
Nandi Jasentuliyana, former Deputy Director-General, the United Nations. reviewing Bhadrajee Hewage’s new book, viz., A Name for Every Chapter: Anagarika Dharmapala and Ceylonese Buddhist Revivalism, in the Sunday Times, 20 December 2020 where the title is different.
The unexamined life is not worth living.’ – Socrates.
Rarely has so much been written both in the West and in the East about the work of a ‘revivalist,’ that one would conclude there is nothing left to be revealed of the man or his work. That is until you read Bhadrajee Hewage’s “Anagarika Dharmapala and Ceylonese Buddhist Revivalism.”
Filed under authoritarian regimes, British colonialism, Buddhism, chauvinism, communal relations, cultural transmission, democratic measures, disparagement, education, education policy, ethnicity, fundamentalism, governance, heritage, historical interpretation, Indian religions, island economy, landscape wondrous, language policies, life stories, literary achievements, politIcal discourse, power politics, religiosity, religious nationalism, self-reflexivity, sri lankan society, the imaginary and the real, truth as casualty of war, unusual people, vengeance, welfare & philanthophy, world events & processes, zealotry
Dhammika Thera’s History of Bodh Gaya
S. Dhammika
The town of Bodh Gaya in the north Indian state of Bihar is the site of the Buddha’s enlightenment and the most sacred place in the Buddhist world. For over 2000 years pilgrims have made their way to Bodh Gaya from every corner of Asia, often leaving records of their visit in inscriptions, memoirs, travelogues and even graffiti. Using these and other sources the book chronicles the place’s long and fascinating history. It recounts the magnificent ceremonies that once took place there, the saints and scholars associated with it and the various legends that grew up around it. Including previously overlooked information it also challenges the popular belief that Bodh Gaya was destroyed at the end on the 12th century and was forgotten and unvisited by Buddhist pilgrims for the next 700 years. This book should prove to be of interest to Indologists and social historians as well as to Buddhists.
Catalogue No. BP630s Language: English
Publisher: Buddhist Publication Society………
e-mail: bps@bps.lk.……….Tel: .94 81 2237283 …. Fax: +94 81 2223679
Type: Book Category:
ISBN: 978-955-24-0433-7 (2018) (Paperback)
Pages: 146 Size: 145 x 226 mm
Price: $4.00 Rs. 225
Filed under art & allure bewitching, Buddhism, charitable outreach, cultural transmission, education, heritage, historical interpretation, Indian religions, Indian traditions, landscape wondrous, life stories, meditations, pilgrimages, religiosity, self-reflexivity, sri lankan society, unusual people, welfare & philanthophy, world events & processes
Brihadeeswarar Temple at Thanjavur: A Eleventh Century Marvel
Courtesy of Cyril Ernst in California and Buddy Reid in Melbourne who brought this marvellous architectural feat to Thuppahi’s attention
For DETAILS watch this Video:
Tamil Tiger ‘Martyrs’: Regenerating Divine Potency?
This article from my pen was probably drafted in 2004. It appeared in Studies in Conflict & Terrorism vol. 28 in 2005 after the usual refereeing process. Some of the details and arguments have, in fact, been obliterated within my fading memory. For this reason, it was a refreshing READ for me and brought up specific details that are pertinent to any debate surrounding the motivations that induce self-immolation, jihadist killings of a suicidal nature, et cetera… The Bibilography will also aid present investigations though, of course, other writings have appeared since then on Islamic jihadists and other martyrdom operations…. Michael Roberts, 8 November 2020 … The photographs are fresh additions … and so too the highlighting within the text.
Filed under accountability, ancient civilisations, art & allure bewitching, authoritarian regimes, communal relations, cultural transmission, energy resources, female empowerment, heritage, historical interpretation, immolation, Indian religions, landscape wondrous, life stories, LTTE, martyrdom, patriotism, politIcal discourse, prabhakaran, religiosity, self-reflexivity, sri lankan society, suicide bombing, Tamil Tiger fighters, the imaginary and the real, unusual people, vengeance, war reportage, world events & processes
The Muslim Commitment to Allah: Desultory Thoughts
An Invitation. Your Thoughts from Michael Roberts …. sent to SELECT PALS on 31 October 2020
I just caught parts of THE HARD TALK grilling of a French lady politician [by Stephen Sackur]. One problem with journalism is its wholly presentist focus//limits. In my view the recent jihadist attacks in France cannot be comprehended without looking at the motivations and goals of, say
Filed under accountability, ancient civilisations, cultural transmission, disparagement, fundamentalism, heritage, historical interpretation, human rights, Indian religions, Islamic fundamentalism, jihad, landscape wondrous, life stories, martyrdom, nationalism, performance, politIcal discourse, power politics, propaganda, security, self-reflexivity, terrorism, the imaginary and the real, unusual people, vengeance, violence of language, world events & processes, zealotry
French Nude contaminates Sacred Bridge in India
ONE: BBC News Item …. https://www.bbc.com/news/world-asia-india-53965747
A French woman has been arrested in India for making a video of herself naked on a sacred bridge in the northern city of Rishikesh. The video, shot on the Lakshman Jhula bridge, was posted on social media. The woman faces charges under India’s internet law, and could be sentenced to up to three years in prison if found guilty, AFP news agency reports.
