Category Archives: landscape wondrous

March 9, 2025 · 2:59 pm

Teenager Rambles in the Galle Arena, 1950s

Michael Roberts

‘Arriving’ in this world in 1938, I was lucky to reside within the Fort of Galle as the youngest in a large family.  My father TW Roberts was a retired Ceylon Civil Servant and a respected member of the upper-class circles in town – with his membership of the Galle Gymkhana Club as one mark of this position. This status notwithstanding, we lived in rented houses –first in Pedlar Street and then in Middle Street.

 Galle fort & port in British times … & an Aerial View more recently

Continue reading →

1 Comment

Filed under art & allure bewitching, cultural transmission, heritage, historical interpretation, landscape wondrous, life stories, marine life, nature's wonders, sri lankan society, tolerance, travelogue

March 8, 2025 · 4:56 pm

Developing Hambantota Port: The Controversy in 2019

Michael Roberts

An aerial drone photo taken on March 28, 2024 shows the Hambantota Port in Sri Lanka. Located in the south of Sri Lanka, the Hambantota Port is one of the signature projects of Belt and Road cooperation between China and Sri Lanka. (Photo by Xu Qin/Xinhua via Getty Images)

My Set of Bibliographical References

An Insider: “The Internal Tussles & Vagaries and Scheming that hindered the Development of the Hambantota Port Project,” 15 September 2021, https://thuppahis.com/2021/09/15/the-internal-tussles-vagaries-and-scheming-that-hindered-the-development-of-the-hambantoa-port-project/#more-55017

Continue reading →

2 Comments

Filed under accountability, centre-periphery relations, China and Chinese influences, Colombo and Its Spaces, demography, devolution, economic processes, electoral structures, export issues, foreign policy, governance, growth pole, historical interpretation, Indian Ocean politics, island economy, landscape wondrous, life stories, modernity & modernization, politIcal discourse, population, Rajapaksa regime, self-reflexivity, sri lankan society, transport and communications, world events & processes

March 8, 2025 · 10:36 am

Galle Face Green in Colombo: Pictorials Over the Years

A Thuppahi Journey

Panoramic view of Galle Face Colombo, Sri Lanka around 1880s-1900, looking south from Galle Road (later this path became the Galle Road), ClubHouse & Galleface Hotel (far right) showing in the background……… Lankapura …. https://lankapura.com/2011/04/panoramic-view-galle-face-green-colombo/

Continue reading →

Leave a comment

Filed under accountability, architects & architecture, art & allure bewitching, British colonialism, communal relations, cultural transmission, ethnicity, governance, heritage, historical interpretation, island economy, landscape wondrous, life stories, modernity & modernization, photography, political demonstrations, sri lankan society, transport and communications, travelogue

March 8, 2025 · 12:16 am

Full-Frontal: The Trump-Zelensky Spat …… Implications

Dr. Matthew Crosston  … article in Modern Diplomacy with the title reading: “Trump vs. Zelensky: Popping the Proxy War”  …. presented here wthout the accompanying photos [tech issues]

History will likely look back on the three-year anniversary of the Russia-Ukraine war and note that it was the beginning of the end in real terms.

After the sensationalized public breakdown between Presidents Zelensky and Trump in the Oval Office, an off-the-rails meeting now witnessed and commented on endlessly the world over, it is difficult to imagine the conflict on the Eastern front of Ukraine is going to just continue on as before.

Continue reading →

Leave a comment

Filed under accountability, american imperialism, authoritarian regimes, disparagement, governance, landscape wondrous, legal issues, life stories, performance, politIcal discourse, power politics, Russian history, security, truth as casualty of war, Ukraine & Its Ramifications, world events & processes

March 6, 2025 · 7:40 pm

China’s Growth Over the Centuries

Gp Capt Kumar Kirinde (Retd) …. with Memo to his Retiree Colleagues in the Sri Lankan Armed Services

Dear RAFOA member,  As I see, the way strategic matters are taking shape in our beloved Sri Lanka, the Chinese factor has come to stay in relation to the three aspects to be taken care for the progress of a nation-state i.e. political, economic and social development. Therefore, I strongly feel that we all need to have an idea of how China came to be a world power. Accordingly attached is a brief on Imperial China, the first of a series of eDocs compiled on China covering its journey from 221 BC to the present day.

Continue reading →

1 Comment

Filed under authoritarian regimes, centre-periphery relations, China and Chinese influences, demography, economic processes, ethnicity, historical interpretation, landscape wondrous, modernity & modernization, politIcal discourse, power politics, travelogue, world events & processes

March 5, 2025 · 12:12 am

Chinese Fleet’s Impact on Sri Lanka in the Early 15th Century 

Charles Schokman’s Discovery of Amazing Facts conveyed in an Email entitled “A Bit of Ceylon History”

Amazing how they sailed with 30,000 sailors on 35 massive ships
In fact some ships were garden ships supplying food to the sailors!
In 2014, I had read that the Chinese had a map of  the East and West coasts of both North and South America dated about 80 years earlier than Columbus’s voyage, owned by Zheng He.

Continue reading →

1 Comment

Filed under ancient civilisations, authoritarian regimes, China and Chinese influences, cultural transmission, economic processes, ethnicity, historical interpretation, landscape wondrous, life stories, power politics, sea warfare, transport and communications, world events & processes

March 3, 2025 · 6:16 pm

The Invincible Thomian Cricket XI of 1965

Somasundaram Skandakumar

That Thomian team in 1965 was like Bradman’s Invincibles. They fielded a superbly balanced side that smashed all records as Barney Reid led their bowling with uncanny control and very late and sharp inswing, while Sarath Seneviratne their skipper and Anura Tennakoon spearheaded the batting.
At Tea on the second day following on with two hours to go we were eight down and the Thomians were celebrating. Wadugodapitiya was joined by our dear Lakshman Thalayasingham and they defended stoutly as the minutes ticked by until a few minutes before close Thalay was out stumped playing on his back foot🤗😂He never lived that down🤗
The last pair held firm and we escaped with an honourable draw.

Continue reading →

4 Comments

Filed under accountability, art & allure bewitching, cricket for amity, cricket selections, cultural transmission, heritage, intricate artefacts, landscape wondrous, life stories, performance, Royal College, S. Thomas College, self-reflexivity, Sri Lankan cricket, sri lankan society, unusual people

February 27, 2025 · 11:37 am

Afghanistan Down England in Thrilling Win

Andrew Miller in ESPNcricinfo, 27 February 2025: “Zadran 177, Omarzai five-wicket haul knock England out” ………. Joe Root’s 120 off 111 balls – his first ODI ton since 2019 – in vain for England.

Afghanistan 325 for 7 (Zadran 177, Omarzai 41, Archer 3-64) beat England 317 (Root 120, Omarzai 5-58) by eight runs

The politicians hadn’t wanted this game to go ahead, but who could have wished to deny the scenes of raw euphoria that unfolded in Lahore, as Afghanistan completed the double they had set in motion at the 2023 World Cup and dumped England out of the Champions Trophy in a wildly undulating, anxious scramble for glory.

Continue reading →

Leave a comment

Filed under cricket selections, landscape wondrous, life stories, performance, world events & processes

February 27, 2025 · 12:22 am

A Vibrant Debate around A Vibrant Singer –Kishani

Darshanie Ratnawalli

 Controversies surrounding new renditions of popular songs do have a sociological basis…or rather a basis which owes something to sociological factors. But it’s silly to think it’s all sociological. Enjoyment of music is a function of individual taste which is unpredictable and cannot be slotted so easily into neat sociological cubbyholes. Why did some people react so violently to Kishani’s rendition? Why did a Sinhala TV morning show host liken it to a screeching of a female cat in heat? It’s because a powerful operatic voice trained to hit top notes can sound too powerful for ears used to and raised on Hindustani based music. But no……. even that is not right. Popular music lovers of any country may find opera outside their groove zone. See this video of Whitney Houston, Sting and Elton John attempting to sing an opera aria with Pavarotti …… (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Q2mMPz_a4vY)…..

YOUTUBE.COM 

Whitney Houston, Pavarotti, Sting, Elton John – La Donna e Mobile 1994

Continue reading →

Leave a comment

Filed under accountability, art & allure bewitching, cultural transmission, female empowerment, heritage, historical interpretation, landscape wondrous, life stories, patriotism, performance, politIcal discourse, reconciliation, self-reflexivity, sri lankan society, theatre world, unusual people, world events & processes

February 26, 2025 · 12:54 am

Pinnawela Elephant Orphanage Celebrates Its 50th Year

Amal Jayasinghe, in The Island, Sunday Edn, with Pics by Ishara Kodikara and this title “Sri Lanka’s first elephant orphanage celebrates 50 years”

 Sri Lanka’s main elephant orphanage marked its 50th anniversary on Sunday February 16 with a fruit feast for the 68 jumbos at the showpiece centre, reputedly the world’s first care home for destitute pachyderms. The Pinnawala Elephant Orphanage lavished pineapples, bananas, melons and cucumbers on its residents to celebrate the anniversary of their home, which is a major tourist attraction.

A few officials and tourists invited to the low-key celebration were served milk rice and traditional sweets while four generations of elephants born in captivity frolicked in the nearby Maha Oya river.

Continue reading →

1 Comment

Filed under cultural transmission, elephant tales, governance, heritage, landscape wondrous, life stories, Uncategorized