Michael Roberts
The THUPPAHI Web-Site has a wide range of biographical tales presented over the years. The items listed below are among those that attracted a few hits yesterday. In marking this result, I seek to remind readers of personnel who have contibuted towards our island’s varied history.
https://thuppahis.com/2020/09/30/the-joseph-family-of-british-ceylon-service-to-mankind
Filed under accountability, centre-periphery relations, citizen journalism, Colombo and Its Spaces, cultural transmission, economic processes, education, ethnicity, female empowerment, heritage, historical interpretation, island economy, life stories, literary achievements, modernity & modernization, patriotism, performance, self-reflexivity, sri lankan society, welfare & philanthophy, world events & processes
THOMIA …. with the world and the moon in its sights and landing sites
RICHARD’s NOTE, 20 February 2024
Two important Thomia-related things happened yesterday. First, I had a call from Softwave to confirm that the first completed copies of the book would be delivered today, 20 February, as promised. Second, I made a call of my own, to confirm with the proprietors of the Barefoot Gallery Cafe that I shall be holding the official launch of Thomia there on the fourth of March.
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Ama H.Vanniarachchy, whose title is “Commemorating Valour: Hero Stones of Sri Lanka” … SEE https://amahvanniarachchy.wordpress.com/2022/06/28/commemorating-valour-hero-stones-of-sri-lanka/
“A true warrior fights not because he hates what is in front of him, but because he loves what is behind him.” ……….. G.K. Chesterton.
Battles have always been a part of human civilization. Fighting against each other for territories is a nature of almost every living being, no matter if they are human or not. Battles for acquiring land, to gain authority over geographical and natural resources, or over certain possessions, and for freedom (political or religious) have shaped the history of mankind.
Rex Clementine in The Island, 16 February 2025, where the title reads “Remarkable Turnaround for Sri Lanka’s ODI Team” .… with highlights being impositons by The Editor, Thuppahi
A year ago, Sri Lanka found themselves languishing at eighth in the ODI rankings, a far cry from their glory days when they rewrote the rules of one-day cricket. Fast forward 12 months, and they’ve leapfrogged three places to settle at number five. Their recent emphatic series win over Australia is the latest sign that this team is on an upward trajectory, clawing their way back to where they rightfully belong.
Kusal Mendis –fine innings Continue reading
Dr Muralidaran Ramesh Somasunderam, in LankaWeb, 10 February 2o25, with this title “The Liberation Tigers of Tamil Elam. Funding and Training of the Organization”
The LTTE got their training and funding from the PLO, which is the Palestinian Liberation Organization and the arms they gained or got from Pakistan. This is why the Indian Central Government was very much against the LTTE and its leadership group.
In fact, the LTTE was an organization which diversified their businesses and even sold things like oils and soups to more dangerous items such as drugs and weapons. It is true that Sri Lankan Tamil Diaspora in overseas countries funded LTTE. The real fact was most of the Sri Lankan Tamils did ordinary jobs in the Western Countries and if the LTTE did not have diverse business interests and support from overseas countries, especially Palestine for tanning (sic) and Pakistan for military equipment, they would not have been able to carry out a civil war against the army of Sri Lanka for more than thirty odd years. This is why if Kittu Master who was in the LTTE leadership group was able to smuggle the arms the government of Pakistan loaded in the ship he came on outside the port of Madras it would have been very hard to defeat and bring the LTTE down.
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Tickets for the Galle Literary Festival’s events are now available, offering guests the chance to join a vibrant four-day celebration of creativity, culture, and engaging conversation. From Thursday 6 to Sunday 9 February, the south coast of Sri Lanka will host over 100 events featuring famed local and international writers and speakers. This year’s Festival promises a diverse programme, including complimentary performances, insightful panel discussions, and culinary delights, with something to captivate every attendee.
CONTACT = Melanie Senanayake <press@galleliteraryfestival.
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Laleen Jayamanne & Nammika Raby, in The Island, February 2025
“People were nourished by stories….” (Kathandarawalinne minissu jeewathwune) Gananath
“Man does not live by bread alone” Matthew 4:4
Dimuthu Saman Wettasinghe’s film Gananath Obeyesekere: In Search of Buddhist Conscienceopens with a bravura tracking shot moving past trees, water, a splash of saffron robes. These sunlit images are enfolded in a non-religious, rather melancholy male choral chant, but soon the singular voice of Professor Gananath Obeyesekere cuts through with a kind of Dionysian intensity. He tells us a story about Gauthama Buddha, as the camera encircles, at speed, what turns out to be the Kandy Lake. His tale is about a devastating war waged by the king of Kosla against the Sakya kingdom but of the Buddha’s unshakable belief that if folk get together and discuss matters in good faith (call it diplomacy), all wars could be averted. This carefully and deeply researched, imaginative, ‘Educational Film’ of 142 minutes, with its exhilaratingly dense overture and its subtle montage, is a loving tribute to an exemplary Lankan scholar/teacher and his life work (of some 70 years) as an internationally renowned Anthropologist.
The film shows Gananath’s empathetic ability to pay careful ethnographic attention to a variety of gendered states of mental distress and trauma and their traditional ritualised ecstatic expressions, especially with regard to women, well before some feminist scholars in the West began to be interested in the topic of ‘Women and Madness’ from a Freudian psychoanalytic perspective. Psychoanalytic theory became methodologically important for Feminist Film Theory, which I used in my doctoral thesis on ‘Female Representation in the Lankan cinema’.
Filed under art & allure bewitching, Buddhism, caste issues, centre-periphery relations, communal relations, cultural transmission, economic processes, education, ethnicity, female empowerment, heritage, historical interpretation, Indian traditions, landscape wondrous, language policies, legal issues, life stories, literary achievements, modernity & modernization, nationalism, patriotism, performance, political demonstrations, politIcal discourse, power politics, psychological urges, religiosity, religious nationalism, self-reflexivity, Sinhala-Tamil Relations, social justice, sri lankan society, teaching profession, the imaginary and the real, theatre world, travelogue, unusual people, vengeance, world events & processes, zealotry
Michael Roberts
During my years at Peradeniya University campus in the late 1950s, one of my bosom pals was LJM Cooray aka Mark Cooray. Our engagements in the Student Christian Movement deepened our association and was further strengthened by his marriage to another SCM-er viz. Noreen – a gentle and inspiring soul. Let me stress that Mark’s home in Colpetty was one of the several spots where I could stay overnight during my undergraduate days.
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Upali Obeyesekere, whose chosen title reads thus: “Tribute to ‘Sons of the Soil’ who made a huge contribution towards the Economy and Socio-cultural Aspects of Sri Lanka.”
Summa
Jackson Anthony
Lalith Kotelawela
Sri Lanka lost a few stars of yesteryear recently and it is our bounden duty to recognise these individuals in our popular monthly tabloid – The Sri Lankan Anchorman. They came from diverse backgrounds in terms of birth, schooling, and upbringing. But they all had one mission in life – to excel at what they do to exude a commitment of excellence in their chosen field and bring pride to our motherland – Sri Lanka.
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ITEM in ESPNcricinfo
The Under-19 Women’s T20 World Cup 2025, hosted by Malaysia, has reached its penultimate stage as India, Australia, South Africa and England emerge to be the semi-finalists. After weeks of intense league matches, and the thrilling super six stage where the 12 teams clashed, the top two teams from each group advanced to the final four.
While India and Australia dominated Group 1, South Africa and England emerged victorious from Group-2. The semi-finals are set to take place on 31st January at the Bayuemas Oval, Kuala Lumpur one after another.
thuppahi
