Category Archives: performance

October 21, 2020 · 1:07 pm

Portuguese Names in Sri Lanka and Their Meanings

Roel Raymond, in RoarMedia, 26 February 2018, with this title “Portuguese-Sri Lankan Surnames And Their Meanings” ….. https://roar.media/english/life/history/portuguese-sri-lankan-surnames-and-their-meanings

Roel

The Portuguese arrived in Ceylon, or Ceilão, as they called it, by chance. In 1505, a fleet commanded by Lourenço de Almeida—the son of Francisco de Almeida, the first viceroy of Portuguese India—was blown into Galle by adverse winds. It was thirteen years later, in 1518, that the Portuguese established formal contact with the Kingdom of Kotte, ruled by Vira Parakrama Bahu, and were permitted to build a fort in Colombo.

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October 12, 2020 · 10:52 am

Rupert Murdoch’s Misinformation Empire

An Aussie Dissident

Rupert Murdoch is the most dangerous man on the planet.  This Al Jazeera documentary gives us a few clues why, but it is also a wake up call about how journalism and the media have gone way off the track,  lost its way, and is largely responsible for creating the dysfunctional world we live in today. 

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October 12, 2020 · 1:46 am

In Appreciation of Neville Turner, A Renaissance Allrounder

Vale J. Neville Turner, one of life’s great characters” — Almanac Admin April 23, 2018

Neville Turner (often referred to as J. Neville Turner) was an extraordinary person who had an extraordinary impact on the Australian Cricket Society during his term as President (1998~99 until 2000~01.  Neville was a regular in the outer at first-class games at the MCG (and most other grounds in Australia and around the world).  He sat with a regular group of cricket lovers who were all among the most knowledgeable around.

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September 25, 2020 · 12:04 am

Confronting Tamil Distortions: Webinar in Their Face Sunday 27th September

Global Webinar to Combat Baseless Propaganda of Tamil Tiger Agents

A group of Sri Lankan professionals have teamed-up for a two-hour Webinar on Sunday, 27 September at Sri Lanka time 7:30 in the evening which will go globally live for a presentation of cogent facts and data to combat the still-prevailing misinformation campaign undertaken by the former Tamil Tiger agents now operating within the Tamil Diaspora worldwide.

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September 24, 2020 · 1:07 pm

The Ahikuntika …. Roaming Gypsies of Sri Lanka

Pujitha Wijetunge, in http://www.lankalibrary.com/cul/gypsy.htm ….where the title is “Ahikuntika: Roaming Gypsy Clan”………. alas, no date given

Clad  in a sari and with a red mouth that showed signs that she was chewing beetle, Lili didn’t look any different from those fortune-tellers or palm readers who were a common sight in the streets few years back. But the next generation, Lucki, looked very much like those village boys, wearing a sarong and a gold painted wristwatch.

Lakshman with his dancing cobra.

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September 22, 2020 · 1:05 pm

A Poignant Farewell at Vishvamadu in 2018: Rathnapriya Banda’s Work of Reconciliation

Shenali Waduge. in an article presented in June 2018 and entitled  “LTTE village & a Sri Lankan Military Officer show the world what Reconciliation & Peaceful Coexistence is all about” …. ith highlighting emphasis added by The Editor, Thuppahi

It was a farewell that has shocked & left plenty of critics speechless. It has put to rest & completely nullified the lies that have been spread against Sri Lanka’s Army. The culprits include foreign governments/envoys, INGOs/NGOs, UN & even the present government in particular the Tamil leadership & the LTTE diaspora who must be startled at the pictures emerging of an entire village weeping as they bid farewell to a military officer who had played the role of their mentor, their father, their brother, their advisor & virtually their leader. Col. Rathnapriya Bandu has done what Prabakaran, Wigneswaran, Sivajilingam, Sumbanthiran, Sambanthan or even Tamil Nadu politicians could not do & do not want to do. In a world that plays divisive politics of divide & rule he has shown that it takes a hero to unite & Col. Bandu is one hero that we must all salute. No former LTTE village would ever carry a Sri Lankan Military officer on their shoulders & weep as he bid goodbye if he was no hero in their eyes.

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September 22, 2020 · 10:00 am

Epitaphs in Memory of Elmo de Alwis of Kalahe

Nihal De Alwis

Elmo was born on the 29th Of November 1935 in Galle to my loving parents FELIX DE ALWIS and ENID BERYL DE ALWIS. He was the seventh in our family of eleven He was my closest brother and friend throughout my schooling career until he left Sri Lanka with his family to Germany. But he never distanced himself from me and my family though he did not come very often to Sri Lanka having ensured that he was in Sri Lanka at least once a year especially in February. He was the most intelligent out of our family except for Fidelia our eldest sister, who had passed the senior matriculation in the early forties and my other eldest brother Chandra, who excelled as an entrepreneur being the managing Director of Lankem and Lanka wall tiles and becoming Founder Chairman of Royal Ceramics.

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September 22, 2020 · 2:01 am

Vale Rajeewa Jayaweera: Mate as well as Renaissance Man

Sanjeewa Jayaweera, whose choice of title is  “Rajeewa Jayaweera: beloved brother, friend, confidant, mentor, and comrade in arms”

“No Chutta, I don’t need your help today. I will let you know when I need it.”  were the last words that Aiya spoke to me. Usually, his tone was brusque and matter of fact.  That day it was soft and endearing. I was a bit surprised but happy. I often wish I had the intuition to guess something was amiss.

Rajeewa (on the left facing) with his younger brother Sanjeewa … in Halong Bay Vietnam

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September 17, 2020 · 10:25 pm

Stepladders in Learning at St. Aloysius College in Galle

Daya Lelwela, in Sunday Island, 2 May 2010

Having lived past the biblical span of three score years and ten, I thought it opportune now for me to make this reminiscent journey back in time to my days in school [viz. S. Aloysius College] before my fading, patchy memory were to rob me completely of those golden moments that I have cherished all my life and wish to share with you.

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September 8, 2020 · 5:13 am

Encountering and Experiencing ESCAT in August 2020

Michael Roberts

Apart from experiencing life in my old beats of Galle Fort when I sojourned there in late July-early August 2020, I took in the work at ECSAT. This was during an abnormal period when the handicapped personnel attending classes at the ECSAT centre in Wackwella, Galle, were miniscule because of the covid-pandemic and government regulations. My amateur photographs (some in other Thuppahi postings) will nevertheless provide readers with some sense of place, scale and personnel.

A teaching session (which happened to have as many teachers as students) displayed the practiced vigour and unison with which the teaching staff engaged the students with lessons via song. Elsewhere there were one-on-one teaching processes. I was particularly impressed by the totally engaged joy with which an autistic young man (a tinker by trade as I gathered) was pursuing his tasks at a table whenever I visited that arena.

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