Category Archives: landscape wondrous

February 28, 2020 · 1:23 pm

The Tamil Buddhists of the Anuradhapura Civilization

J.L. Devananda on  Sunil Ariyaratne and His Thesis on the Tamil Buddhists of Ancient Sri Lanka …. with this title “The Tamil Buddhists of the Past and the Future”.….. in Sri Lanka Guardian, 10 October  2010  at ……………… …… https://www.buddhistchannel.tv/index.php?id=43,9583,0,0,1,0#.XO2iAhbASUk

In his keynote address at the 2554th Vesak (Vaishakha Purnima) celebrations at the Mahabodhi Society in Chennai, Prof. Sunil Ariyaratne, University of Sri Jayawardenapura said, “As we are nearing 2600 Buddha Jayanthi, as a Sinhala Buddhist, this is my humble dream for the future: Tamil Buddhist temples should come up in Sri Lanka; Tamil children should embrace Buddhist monkhood; Buddhism must be taught in Tamil; preaching and worshipping Buddhism in Tamil; Tamil Bikkus should have Sinhala followers and Tamil Bhikkus must visit Sinhala homes. That togetherness should be there.”

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February 28, 2020 · 6:50 am

Skandakumar introduces Anura Tennekoon’s Cricketing Autobiography to the World

Island News Item,  27 February 2020, entitled “A Tribute to Anura Tennekoon”

Former  Sri Lanka  captain Anura Tennekoon’s autobiography – Passionately Cricket – was launched at Sinhalese Sports Club Wednesday evening. Tennekoon,  who captained S. Thomas’ and SSC was Sri Lanka’s captain in 1975 and 1979 Cricket World Cups. Tennekoon’s former  school mates, his SSC and Sri Lanka team mates, some of the leading players produced by the country and leading figures of the business world were present at the occasion. The key note address was given by his contemporary cricketer S. Skandakumar.

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February 25, 2020 · 2:24 am

The Portuguese Burghers in Ceilao, Ceylon and Sri Lanka

Earl Barthelot, in Ceylon Digest, https://www.ceylondigest.com/the-portuguese-burghers-of-sri-lanka/ 

Sri Lanka is well known for its diversity with over 22 numerically small communities and majority communities such as Sinhalese, Tamils and Muslims. Burgher community is one of the numerically small communities. Large proportions of the Burghers do live in the Batticaloa District and a small proportion live both in Trincomalee and Ampara District. At the same time there are Portuguese Burghers living in all parts of the country in small numbers.

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February 24, 2020 · 10:42 am

From Wuhan to Diyathalawa: The Tale of Sri Lankans who were Quarantined

Lt. Com Chaminda Walakuluge, in Ministry of Defence Site, 15 February 2020, …. where the title is “Chartered from Wuhan and quarantined at Diyathalawa”

“If you want to describe this place, it’s awesome” Suganthan said. “I will tell all my friends and family that the hospitality and care we received here is beyond ‘star grades’. I have never ever been to a military facility before” Suganthan continued to share his experience at the Diyathalawa Quarantine facility, which was set up by the Sri Lanka Army (SLA) to quarantine the group of Sri Lankans evacuated from Corona virus hit Wuhan.

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February 21, 2020 · 4:29 pm

Shane Warne as Worldly fat Bastard

David Runciman reviewing NO SPIN by Shane Warne in the London Review of Books … and deploying the title Fat Bastard

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February 20, 2020 · 7:18 am

HRW and Hodge clamour about Renewed Intimidation under Gota

Amanda Hodge, in The Australian, 20 February 2020, with this title “Fear campaign ‘silencing Sri Lanka activists’

Three months after Sri Lanka’s feared former security minister Gotabaya Rajapaksa won a shock presidential victory, rights groups say security forces and intelligen­ce agencies have intensified surveillance and intimid­ation of activists and families of victims of his former regime.

 Gotabaya Rajapaksa in October 2019  …. Photo by Tharaka Basnayaka/NurPhoto via Getty Images

New York-based Human Rights Watch has called on the new government to end the ­intimidation of activists and families of those forcibly disappeared during the country’s 28-year civil war, including the 10 years in which the Rajapaksa family held power until its defeat in 2015.

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February 18, 2020 · 1:40 pm

Sri Lankan Women maul England XI in T20 Warm-up in Adelaide

Michael Roberts

A magnificent all-round performance saw the Sri Lankan Women’s team upset the pecking order in T20 women’s cricket during the warm-up matches being played in the Karen Roltan Oval in my ‘home-town’ of Adelaide this Tuesday 18th February. England are up there among the leading sides in this form of the game and Sri Lankan lost badly to South Africa in the warm-up on Sunday.

An England batswoman returns to the pavilion in manifest annoyance (at herself)…while heroines in the making, Chamari and Hasini wait to open the innings

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February 17, 2020 · 3:20 pm

Yogaraja sparks Protest against Caste Disabilities in the Tamil Regions

Ahilan Kadirgamar. in Daily Mirror, on 17 February 2020, where the title is “Breaking the Silence on Caste”

Caste is all present in Jaffna, but a silence prevails about caste oppression. Such silence and invisibility were not always the case, where vibrant struggles against caste oppression shook Jaffna some five decades ago.

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February 16, 2020 · 4:13 pm

Malinda and Shenali tilt at SOFA and MCC Schemes

Editor: I have not had the time to study the SOFA and MCC proposals or the several conflicting reports on this set of topics; while I have reservations about my own deciphering capacity on economic issues. An academic with a broad span of experience across several countries indicated to me this month  that the discussions surrounding these two issues has been marked by writings that “[ignore] facts that are unfavorable to the case that is being made or willfully distorting facts or using outright lies”.

He added: : ‘Unfortunately, this kind of unacceptable commentary is now common practice the world over and that includes some people in the highest levels of US government and academia.”

To this caution I add Sam Samarasinghe’s[i] cautionary email note to me a few months back where he indicated that the USA’s governing order is complex and its various arms do not always work with one mind.[ii]

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February 14, 2020 · 7:54 am

Devanee Jayathilaka stands firm … and the Video Tale goes viral

Malinda Seneviratne, in Daily Mirror, 13 February 2020, with this title “Devanee vs Sanath: who do you want to back, Citizen?”

A YouTube video going viral on social media has a state official going one-on-one with a politician.  Well, not exactly one-on-one because the politician had in his corner what could be assumed was a section of his constituency. Not exactly in the corner. They were in the ring, so to speak. 

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