Muslims of Sri Lanka who, decades ago, grew up in communities that were moderate and broadminded often wonder why Islamic fundamentalism has come back with such force. What made a once-tolerant people want to set themselves apart from everyone else?
This question lies at the heart of Stay, Daughter, a memoir that gives an intimate glimpse into the world of Muslims as times changed and the impact of the modern and Westernized world was felt.
Filed under accountability, art & allure bewitching, British colonialism, communal relations, cultural transmission, economic processes, education, ethnicity, female empowerment, fundamentalism, heritage, historical interpretation, landscape wondrous, life stories, literary achievements, meditations, modernity & modernization, Muslims in Lanka, politIcal discourse, religiosity, self-reflexivity, sri lankan society, teaching profession, the imaginary and the real, travelogue, unusual people, women in ethnic conflcits, world events & processes
Shenali Waduge, in Lankaweb, 9 February 2020, where the title is “Balkanizing India: National Security dimensions for India & Sri Lanka”
Indo-Sri Lanka relations have never been what either country would have liked it to be. What both countries should realize is that small as Sri Lanka may be, India cannot afford to bully it or destabilize it as India would have liked. The terrain is now far different than when India could call the shots in 1980s. There are bigger and far more powerful players that even India needs to weather with caution. There are many faux pas that India will not like to admit to, but what India must realize is that if it is in Sri Lanka’s best interest to ensure India remains unbalkanized, it is to India’s best interest that Sri Lanka remains without elements that covertly propose to do what was done to the Soviet Union & the former Yugoslavia.
Filed under accountability, american imperialism, centre-periphery relations, China and Chinese influences, economic processes, foreign policy, governance, historical interpretation, Indian Ocean politics, landscape wondrous, law of armed conflict, military strategy, NGOs, politIcal discourse, power politics, Rajapaksa regime, Rajiv Gandhi, security, slanted reportage, sri lankan society, the imaginary and the real, transport and communications, truth as casualty of war, world events & processes
Rajeewa Jayaweera, in Island, 10 February 2020, where the title runs “
Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi has once again sung his favorite rhapsody reserved for Sri Lankan leaders, during the joint press meet with visiting Sri Lankan Prime Minister Mahinda Rajapaksa,
Pranavesh Sivakumar in Daily News, 6 February 2020, where the title runs “Sangakkara bestowed with top Tamil recognition”
Former Sri Lankan captain Kumar Sangakkara became the first-ever sportsman to be honoured and felicitated at Kamban Vizha (a prestigious Tamil cultural festival) for his exceptional and exemplary service and for doing his country proud.
Star southpaw Sangakkara, awarded the K. Vijayapalan memorial award, joined an elite and exclusive list of award winners and honourees, including Indian musical maestro S.P. Balasubramaniam, who shared the same stage.
Filed under accountability, art & allure bewitching, communal relations, cultural transmission, education, ethnicity, heritage, landscape wondrous, life stories, reconciliation, self-reflexivity, Sinhala-Tamil Relations, Sri Lankan cricket, sri lankan society, tolerance, unusual people, welfare & philanthophy, world events & processes
News Item in Colombo Gazette, 4 February 2020
Concerns were raised today over the failure by the Government to sing the National Anthem in Tamil at the main Independence Day event at Independence Square. The National Anthem was sung only in Sinhalese, which was a shift from the policy of the former Government which decided to sing the anthem in Sinhalese and Tamil in order to promote reconciliation among the communities.
Filed under accountability, centre-periphery relations, charitable outreach, cricket for amity, cultural transmission, education, historical interpretation, Indian traditions, landscape wondrous, language policies, life stories, patriotism, performance, political demonstrations, politIcal discourse, reconciliation, self-reflexivity, Sinhala-Tamil Relations, slanted reportage, Sri Lankan cricket, tolerance, travelogue, unusual people, world events & processes
News Item Colombo Page, 1 February 2020: “Mercy flight to Wuhan: SriLankan Airlines expresses gratitude to its courageous crew members and staff”
Feb 01, Colombo: Sri Lankan Airlines expresses its profound gratitude to its patriotic and loyal staff members who volunteered to operate Flight UL1423, the airline’s mission of mercy that brought back our students from Wuhan, China, on Saturday 1st February 2020.
News Item in Colombo Gazette, 1 February 2020 …. https://colombogazette.com/2020/02/01/flight-with-sri-lankan-students-from-wuhan-lands-at-mattala-airport/
The flight with Sri Lankan students repatriated from Wuhan landed at the Mattala Airport this morning and the students were transported to the Diyatalawa Army camp in a special bus, under tight security.
Following the direction of President Gotabaya Rajapaksa, the Ministry of Foreign Relations in coordination with the Embassy of Sri Lanka in Beijing, the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of China and the Chinese Embassy in Sri Lanka, facilitated the return of the 33 Sri Lankan students and their family members to Sri Lanka from Wuhan.
Katia Hetter and the CNN Travel Team, CNN • Updated 7th January 2020
CNN Travel’s 20 best places to visit in 2020 = https://edition.cnn.com/travel/article/places-to-visit-2020/index.html
H. L. D. Mahindapala, in Colombo Telegraph, January 2020, where the title is
Any critical assessment of President Gotabaya Rajapaksa must take into consideration the salient characteristics that make him stand out from the run-of-the-mill politicians who had occupied the peaks of power.
The first notable characteristic is that he is the first head of state to come from the Sri Lankan diaspora. Initially it was a disadvantage tangled in legalities of citizenship. Later it smoothened out and has been an invaluable asset to him. His existential experiences as an expat in America had widened his horizons and opened up new vistas in his thinking and strategizing. He has acted so far as a leader who had seen the future and is bent on taking the nation in that direction. It has all the signs of being influenced by the American efficiency in delivering goods and services. The new breed of intellectuals he had recruited to run his state indicates clearly that he is in a hurry to modernise the sluggish nation and usher it into the 21st century. His first-hand knowledge of an advanced nation would hasten him to mix tradition with modernity without deracinating the nation – a critical issue in modernising Afro-Asian countries.
Filed under american imperialism, communal relations, economic processes, electoral structures, foreign policy, governance, historical interpretation, landscape wondrous, legal issues, life stories, patriotism, politIcal discourse, power politics, prabhakaran, Presidential elections, Rajapaksa regime, self-reflexivity, Sinhala-Tamil Relations, sri lankan society, Tamil civilians, unusual people, world events & processes
The South Asian island nation of Sri Lanka is as ancient as it is beautiful; as complex a civilization now as at any time in its 2,000-year history. Despite recent tumult (the horrific terror attacks last Easter), Sri Lanka remains an essential destination, an epicenter of history, with relics and ruins, temples and palaces, wildlife running free.
thuppahi
