Richard Simon’s Thomia is a massive undertaking, though to describe it as such is to indulge in cliches hardly deserving of such books. Where does one begin with a publication like this? It is, as the author notes at the beginning, not just a history of “Lanka’s greatest school”, but a fairly comprehensive and I would say eclectic history of Sri Lanka before and after British rule. The author is at his best when he draws attention to the parallel histories of school and country. Needless to say, he is at his best throughout.
Category Archives: modernity & modernization
August 22, 2025 · 11:12 am
Sanjiva’s Silken “SILK ROAD” Launched Today
Filed under art & allure bewitching, centre-periphery relations, China and Chinese influences, commoditification, cultural transmission, economic processes, growth pole, historical interpretation, Indian Ocean politics, island economy, landscape wondrous, life stories, migrant experiences, modernity & modernization, Muslims in Lanka, pilgrimages, politIcal discourse, Portuguese in Indian Ocean, power politics, security, sri lankan society, transport and communications, travelogue, unusual people, world events & processes
August 22, 2025 · 2:18 am
Drs Yasodhara & Vimukthi Kumaratunga in Britain
DATA secured from Internet Sources by The EDITOR, THUPPAHI
News Item presented by Walter Jayawardena
The wedding of London educated daughter Yasodhara of Sri Lanka’s former President Chandrika Kumaratunga and a Consultant medical practitioner Roger Walker was announced in London’s Daily Telegraph newspaper in a paid advertisement about three weeks ago.
Following the British tradition of calling Consultant level medical practitioners as Mister the Telegraph advertisement called the groom as Mr.R.H.M. Walker and the just passed out young doctor bride as Dr.M.Y.S. Kumaratunga.
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August 21, 2025 · 2:11 pm
Sachi’s Review of Bradman Weerakoon’s Autobiography
Sachi Sri Kantha, reviewing Bradman Weerakoon, Rendering Unto Caesar, Vijitha Publications, Colombo, 2004, 396 pp. under the title “Rendering Unto Caesar: a Book Review”**
Of the millions of Sri Lankans born in the 20th century, Bradman Weerakoon is the only fellow to be blessed uniquely. He was blessed for the first time in the year of his birth (1930), when his police officer father Edmund R.Weerakoon christened the name of legendary Australian cricket batsman Donald Bradman to him. In 1930, Bradman became a phenomenon in the cricket arena by scoring 974 test runs in his England tour. Bradman Weerakoon was blessed again – the only Sri Lankan – to serve nine Sinhalese politicians who held nominal executive power from 1954 to 2004. Thus, Weerakoon was privy to the thoughts and work styles of these nine politicians (John Kotelawela, Solomon W.R.D. Bandaranaike, W. Dahanayake, Dudley Senanayake, Sirimavo Bandaranaike, J.R. Jayewardene, R. Premadasa, D.B. Wijetunga and Ranil Wickremesinghe) whom he has sketched in this memoir. In addition to the nine leaders, even the first prime minister Don Stepehn Senanayake also receives passing mention, as the father of Dudley Senanayake.
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Filed under accountability, British colonialism, centre-periphery relations, communal relations, cultural transmission, economic processes, Eelam, ethnicity, governance, historical interpretation, language policies, life stories, modernity & modernization, nationalism, performance, politIcal discourse, self-reflexivity, Sinhala-Tamil Relations, sri lankan society, truth as casualty of war, unusual people
August 18, 2025 · 3:41 pm
Reaching Across the Skies: Young Avishka
Ifham Nizam ✍️in The Island, August 2025… with this title “From Skies to Scripts: A young editor taking Sri Lanka’s stories to the world,” Published
At just 26, Avishka Mario Senewiratne has already done what many spend a lifetime trying to achieve. A trained pilot, published author, historian, and now Editor-in-Chief of The Ceylon Journal, Senewiratne is fast emerging as a defining voice in Sri Lanka’s literary and historical landscape. But behind the titles lies a story of deep passion, quiet perseverance, and an unwavering love for history – and the written word.
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Filed under accountability, art & allure bewitching, Colombo and Its Spaces, cultural transmission, education, ethnicity, heritage, historical interpretation, Indian Ocean politics, island economy, lettering--history, life stories, literary achievements, modernity & modernization, Muslims in Lanka, outmigration, patriotism, photography & its history, plantations, politIcal discourse, power politics, religiosity, self-reflexivity, Sinhala-Tamil Relations, sri lankan society, teaching profession, travelogue, unusual people, world events & processes
August 17, 2025 · 12:58 am
Reading Richard Simon’s THOMIA
Uditha Devapriya, via Thilina Walpola in The Island, 10 August 2025 …………….. Review of “Thomia: The Entangled Histories of Lanka and Her Greatest Public School” by Richard Simon. In 2 volumes. Lazari Press. 869 pages.
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Filed under accountability, art & allure bewitching, British colonialism, centre-periphery relations, Colombo and Its Spaces, cultural transmission, demography, economic processes, education, education policy, Empire loyalism, ethnicity, governance, heritage, historical interpretation, island economy, language policies, life stories, literary achievements, modernity & modernization, nationalism, patriotism, performance, politIcal discourse, religiosity, S. Thomas College, self-reflexivity, sri lankan society, teaching profession, unusual people, world events & processes
August 16, 2025 · 12:53 pm
A Thoughtful Assessment of THE CEYLON JOURNAL
Dhanuka Bandara, in The Daily Mirror, 15 August 2025 … where the title reads “The Ceylon Journal III: A Review,” while the title here and the highlighting are the imprint of The Editor, Thuppahi
The third installation of the bi-annual periodical The Ceylon Journal certainly continues the success of the two previous issues. Edited by Avishka Mario Senewiratne, The Ceylon Journal was first launched in July 2024. This unique journal, which in turn draws inspiration from Young Ceylon, a 19th-century Sri Lankan journal published by Charles Lorenz Ambrose and his friends, continues to publish immensely readable, yet well-researched and informative articles on a wide range of topics.
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Filed under ancient civilisations, art & allure bewitching, British colonialism, Buddhism, centre-periphery relations, commoditification, cultural transmission, Dutch colonialism, economic processes, ethnicity, governance, heritage, historical interpretation, Indian Ocean politics, island economy, Kandyan kingdom, landscape wondrous, law of armed conflict, life stories, literary achievements, modernity & modernization, nationalism, patriotism, photography, politIcal discourse, population, power politics, religiosity, security, self-reflexivity, sri lankan society, transport and communications, unusual people, world events & processes
August 16, 2025 · 12:02 pm
Protecting One’s Computer
Chandre Dharma-wardana in Canada**
Best system is to NOT use Windows operating system, and instead switch to Linux, and then use any commercial anti-virus and protection software.
More details:
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August 12, 2025 · 7:50 pm
How to ‘Tweak’ Trump’s Tariff Programme to Benefit Lanka
Darini Rajasingham-Senanayake, whose preferred title is “Opportunity in Trump’s Tariff Shock: Diversify Products, Markets, and Industrialize”
Real and staged crises present opportunities to reorient, innovate and think outside the box. Trump’s tariff ‘shock’ presents Sri Lanka’s business sector and national policy makers with an opportunity for short, intermediate and long term economic and industrial policy shifts out of the current neocolonial, services heavy, economic model.
At this time, the focus of discussion should be on Development of New Products and New Markets by businesses and entrepreneurs, in partnership with state agencies like the Board of Investment of Sri Lanka (BOI), in order to grow the economy out of the Eurobond- USD debt trap and International Monetary Fund bailout business.
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August 11, 2025 · 1:14 am
Neelan Tiruchelvam: An Appreciation of His Mediatory Politics
Kagusthan Ariaratnam in Groundviews, 8 August 2025, where the title reads “Neelan Unsilenced …” while highlights here have been added by The Editor, Thuppahi
Photo courtesy of Pitasanna Shanmugathas
NEELAN: UNSILENCED is a compelling and vital documentary that successfully situates the life of Dr. Neelan Tiruchelvam within the turbulent history of the Sri Lankan conflict. Its greatest achievement is providing a nuanced entry point into the war by focusing on the non-violent, intellectual and pluralistic dimensions of Tamil resistance – a perspective often eclipsed by the narrative of armed struggle. By foregrounding Neelan’s journey, the film illuminates a leader who dedicated his life to constitutional reform and reconciliation.
Photo courtesy of Pitasanna Shanmugathas
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Filed under accountability, anti-racism, centre-periphery relations, communal relations, democratic measures, economic processes, education, Eelam, electoral structures, ethnicity, governance, historical interpretation, human rights, Indian Ocean politics, landscape wondrous, language policies, Left politics, legal issues, life stories, modernity & modernization, nationalism, NGOs, patriotism, performance, politIcal discourse, power politics, power sharing, reconciliation, self-reflexivity, Sinhala-Tamil Relations, social justice, sri lankan society, unusual people
August 8, 2025 · 6:58 pm
Sri Lankan Migrants Abroad as Productive Oysters for the Island
Item circulated by Sunil Thenabadu, Keith Bennett and one Dee de Silva
The Sri Lankan diaspora consists of approximately three million Sri Lankans living abroad, significantly contributing to their host countries and maintaining ties with Sri Lanka.
Demographics and Distribution
The Sri Lankan diaspora includes emigrants and expatriates from Sri Lanka residing in various countries, with significant populations in Europe, the Middle East, East Asia, Australia, and North America. An estimate from 2013 indicated that around three million Sri Lankans live outside their home country, with about one million permanently settled abroad. This diaspora is characterized by a diverse mix of ethnicities, including Tamils, Sinhalese, and Burghers, each contributing uniquely to the cultural landscape of their host nations.







