John De Silva
I am very surprised to hear people talk about the near riot that occurred at the end of the World Cup Semi Final match between India and Sri Lanka, 13 March 1996. Why are people so quick to jump to conclusions? Why are people not more understanding? Here is what ACTUALLY happened.
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Michael Roberts
I have recently presented the list of items placed in this site during April 2019 immediately after the shocking events and now commence to present the itmes that appeared in May 2019. I can hardly claim to have provided a comprehensive coverage, but readers will find a wide variety of personnel from different ethnic groups within this list. That it should evoke such wide interest is not surprising: it was a kind of 9/11 in Sri Lankan and Indian Ocean history.
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Ranga Jayasuriya, in The Daily Mirror, 13 September 2023, where the title reads “Real victims and real danger of Channel 4’s fact-less documentary” …. with highlighting imposed by Th Editor, Thuppahi
Filed under accountability, anti-racism, atrocities, centre-periphery relations, communal relations, conspiracies, counter-insurgency, disparagement, ethnicity, fundamentalism, governance, historical interpretation, Islamic fundamentalism, landscape wondrous, life stories, martyrdom, politIcal discourse, power politics, religiosity, sri lankan society, suicide bombing, terrorism, the imaginary and the real, unusual people, world events & processes
Captain Kumar Kirinde, SLAF Retd, whose facored title runs as “THE DESTROYED TOWERS OF THE WORLD TRADE CENTRE OF NEW YORK: THE AFTEMATH OF 9/11 REMEMBERED IN PICTURES” .…. Sources: http://www.quora.com (posts by Ann Longmore-Etheridge), ……………………………………………………………………………….. https://science.howstuffworks.com/engineering/structural/world-trade-center-slurry- wall.htm and Google Images
Constructing the World Trade Center (1970)
Pic: https://www.ba-bamail.com/baba-recommends/history-in-pictures-25- amazing-images-of-the-past/ ….
Filed under 9/11 Attacks, accountability, Al Qaeda, centre-periphery relations, fundamentalism, historical interpretation, landscape wondrous, life stories, martyrdom, photography, politIcal discourse, power politics, security, self-reflexivity, suicide bombing, terrorism, the imaginary and the real, trauma, unusual people, vengeance, world events & processes
Karthik Krishnaswamy in The Cricket Monthly, 24 July 2023 , where the title reads “MS Dhoni joined the pantheon of mythical Tamil heroes”
Superstars in Chennai emerge from cinema or politics or both. Then came along a cricketer from Ranchi
Chennai: Chennai Super Kings captain MS Dhoni during the IPL 2023 cricket match between Chennai Super Kings and Lucknow Super Giants, at M. A. Chidambaram Stadium, in Chennai, Monday, April 3, 2023. (PTI Photo/R Senthil Kumar)(PTI04_03_2023_000319B)
It begins when he steps over the boundary. A rasping chant. A name.
“Baashha!” A drumroll. “Baashha!” Another drumroll.
There are urgent bars of instrumental orchestration, and as they swell to a crescendo, a voice pierces the air: “Let’s welcome the new batsman, Mahendra Singh… Dhoniiiiiiiiii!”
The timing is just right. The announcer’s voice gives way to the power-packed vocals of SP Balasubrahmanyam.
Hey Baashha paaru Baashha paaru
Pattalathu nadaya paaru
Pagai nadungum padaya paaru
Coatu suitu rendum eduthu
Poattu nadakkum puliya paaru
Behold Baashha
Behold the warrior-like stride
Behold the army that sends
shudders down enemy spines
Behold the tiger in coat and suit
Filed under accountability, art & allure bewitching, cricket for amity, cricket selections, cultural transmission, economic processes, heritage, historical interpretation, Indian traditions, landscape wondrous, life stories, LTTE, martyrdom, nationalism, performance, photography, politIcal discourse, power politics, propaganda, refugees, rehabilitation, terrorism, the imaginary and the real, travelogue, truth as casualty of war, vengeance, war reportage, welfare & philanthophy, world events & processes, zealotry
Michael Roberts
On the 27th of January 1985 The lsland newspaper presented a cartoon sketch of a lion being confronted by a cockroach possessing the same physical scale as the lion under the caption “Hoisting the Flag for Lansi Eelam.” The lion denoted the Sinhala people, that is, the Sinhala nation in all its deep history and majesty. The cockroach signified the Burgher people of Sri Lanka, namely the “lansi.” The cartoon was supported by a letter attributed to a “Sharm De Alwis.”
Voila! So, it has come, but sooner than I expected: the call for a unified Lansieelam.
When I anticipated such a move I did tell a friend that were I the President I’d give the Burghers the Bambalapitiya Flats with the sea frontage thrown in for good measure. They would then be free to harness their intrinsic but long-forgotten skills in reclaiming the sea and build derricks to Mozambique or even Rotterdam.
But what bugged me was when my friend took me at my word and produced the next day the visual of the Lansieelam map. Not that I would have any objections to the apt depiction of the cockroach but that the pest had assumed the same proportions of the Sinhala Lion.
My friend re-assures me that what she has in mind is not a separate state but an isolated plot fully integrated with the Sinhala state and the cockroach, large as it now is, gives ample muscle aid to the Lion to combat other opposing factors.
Sharm de Alwis, 82/1, Kandy Road,, Kiribathgoda
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DBS Jeyaraj, inDaily Telegraph,16 August 2023 .. where the title reads “Lakshman Kadirgamar’s Jaffna Tamil Christian heritage”
Lakshman Kadirgamar’s 18th death anniversary was observed last Saturday. The former foreign minister fell victim to a Liberation Tigers of Tamil Eelam (LTTE) sniper in Colombo on 12 August 2005. Kadirgamar was one who defined himself first and foremost as a Sri Lankan. This endeared Kadirgamar to a very large number of Sri Lankans. However the fact remains that he was by ethnicity a Tamil and a Christian by religion. His parents hailed from Jaffna. This article focuses on Lakshman Kadirgamar’s Jaffna Tamil Christian heritage.
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Arjuna Perera: In Loving Memory of Dr. J. K. S. Weerasekara, a Remarkable Doctor and Beloved Uncle … A Vale & An Adieu in Facebook
With heavy hearts, we bid farewell to a truly extraordinary individual, my wife’s uncle, who departed from us last Monday. As we reflect on his life, we are reminded of his immense contributions as a gifted Orthopaedic surgeon and as an exceptional human being. His legacy as a doctor goes beyond the operating room. Through his expertise and care, he touched the lives of countless patients, providing healing and comfort in their times of need. His dedication to his profession was a shining example of selflessness and compassion.
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Email Commendation from Errol Fernando in Melbourne, 21 June 2023
Bravo, Captain Pat Cummins!
No words of praise are adequate to describe how Captain Pat, in that final hour, turned certain defeat into victory. And he did it with lots and lots of smiles! It was good to hear Cummins, in his post-match interview, acknowledge the crucial support of warrior Nathan Lyon. He also stated that the most important contribution in the match was made by Usman Khawaja. Best of all, he was gracious and modest in victory.
thuppahi
