Category Archives: performance

April 14, 2019 · 11:27 am

Nimal Sanderatne’s Review of Lanka’s Economic Performance over 71 Years

Nimal Sanderatne, in Sunday Times, 3 February 2013, where the title reads  “Tale of lost opportunities: 71 years of economic underdevelopment amid social progress”  

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

On the eve of the country’s 71st anniversary of independence, we cannot be content with the country’s post-independence economic performance. It has been far below our potential and expectations at independence. It has been a tale of lost opportunities. Nevertheless, our post-independence social development has been impressive with significant improvements in education, health and social amenities. Continue reading →

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April 4, 2019 · 1:51 pm

Aficianados and Music at Sunil Santha Lecture by Tony Donaldson, 28 February 2019

Gurudevi Sunil Santha Lecture at the National Trust on February 28, 2019 – Dr. Tony Donaldson

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April 3, 2019 · 6:36 am

In Honour of Professor Kingsley M. de Silva: Scholarly Excellence

Gerald H Peiris. Island, 3 April 2018,where the title is  “The Pursuit of Scholarly Excellence: Professor Kingsley M. de Silva’s Impact on University Education”

“Honour whom honour is due” (Epistle to the Romans, Holy Bible)

Professor Kingsley de Silva resigned from the academic staff of the University of Peradeniya in 1995. That premature retirement must have been a painful termination of a cherished institutional link, made in the context of those in charge of university affairs at that time making it difficult for him to continue in university service without jeopardising his research commitments.

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March 27, 2019 · 4:52 pm

Inhumane: Ruminations from A Pictorial Tale

  Charles Sarvan, courtesy of  Colombo Telegraph,  19 March 2019, where the title is “ On ‘Reading’ A Picture” …. Note that I have taken the liberty of inserting emphasis in colour and  introducing more paragraph divisions in Charlie Sarvan aka Ponnadurai’s  presentation in order to assist readability and analytical work –though this act may well distort his philosophical bent…… Bio-data is at the end of the article Editor, Thuppahi

“The saying that a picture is worth a thousand words refers to the notion that a complex idea can be conveyed with just a single picture.” This particular picture appeared in ‘Colombo Telegraph’ on 12 Feb. 2019; I shared my reaction privately with some of my contacts including, as a courtesy, Colombo Telegraph Editor who suggested that I rework the material with the possibility of it being uploaded. Unsatisfactory health has hindered an earlier response. In philosophy, an ‘essential’ is a quality that something must have for it to be what it is, while an ‘accidental’ is one that it happens to have but could lack. In what follows, that the men in uniform are Sinhalese and the prisoners Tamil is accidental. In other words, what I attempt here is a modest, general investigation and reflection.

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March 25, 2019 · 2:16 pm

Cricketing Sense from Ashantha De Mel’s Selection Team

Michael Roberts

Champika Fernando has served Sri Lanka’s cricketing world well by conducting a revealing interview with Ashantha De Mel, the Chief Selector for Sri Lanka Cricket, for the Daily Mirror. Ashantha not only represented Sri Lanka at cricket, but also was a leading bridge player in competitive tournaments. His acumen shines through in the analysis he has provided. While I have met him in passing in the distant past, I have had limited interaction with him: those brief occasions indicated to me that he is a no-nonsense person and would not suffer fools gladly.

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March 25, 2019 · 9:39 am

Cricketing Assassins of the CRICKET AGE

Michael Roberts

I receive news items from the web-site CRICKET AGE on a pop-up basis and am therefore a witness to their propensity towards muckraking. This has been a consistent dimension of their reportage and commentary – to the point where one can suspect that it is a policy that goes beyond commonplace news sensationalism.

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March 18, 2019 · 11:46 pm

Cashmere High School in Mourning Haka for Two of the Christchurch Dead

Item in NEWSDAILY  …. 18 March 2019, “Terror attack: Christchurch students mourn classmates in stirring haka”

Children have danced side by side in an emotion-charged display of unity against the appalling acts of hate that claimed the lives of their young classmates in Christchurch. A vigil for the 50 people gunned down in Friday’s terror attack turned to a stirring scene of power and strength as school students channelled their mourning into a haka war dance.

In other parts of the city, meanwhile, families were preparing to wash the bodies of the first victims to be released by authorities. Relatives and community members tenderly perform the washing ceremony as part of traditional Islamic ritual to ready the bodies for burial.

Embedded videoThis small group of kids started an impromptu haka in tribute to two of their peers slain in the Christchurch shooting. Soon they were joined by scores of fellow students to form a deafening chorus.

Among those reeling from the attacks were Cashmere High School students whose peers Sayyad Milne and Hamza Mustafa were killed at their local mosque during peaceful prayer time. Sayyad was half way through year 10 at the school, where he was remembered for his kindness.  Hamza was finishing year 12 and had dreams of becoming a veterinarian. Pounding their chests, stamping their feet and chanting, Cashmere students broke out into an impromptu haka on Monday. Dozens of other children quickly joined in to support them, in a passionate display of community at the vigil that attracted thousands of tearful mourners.

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March 13, 2019 · 7:32 am

Sri Lanka’s Laurel and Hardy Act in Geneva

Rajeewa Jayaweera, Island, 11 March 2019, where the title is “A Joke called Sri Lanka”

Sri Lanka has become a joke and is the laughing stock of the world. Four months ago, Sri Lanka had two Prime Ministers, then two Leaders of the Opposition. It is now fielding two teams to the 40th Session of the UNHRC with two contradictory messages.This is chiefly thanks to the falling out of Laurel and Hardy of current Sri Lankan politics, President Sirisena, and Prime Minister Ranil Wickremesinghe.

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March 11, 2019 · 5:04 am

Tamil Tales in UK: Melange of Truths and Lies via Gullible Brits

This article in a web site in 2016 reveals the mix of dissimulation. half-truths, truths and lies amongst well-meaning, but gullible British do-gooders and reporters that are perpetrated by some members of the diaspora including new British-born generations who have absorbed a variety of tales, inclusive of half-truths and concoctions, related by their parents (all this apart from but not unrelated to active LTTE network activity throughout UK and Europe) … Michael Roberts

Flora Hastings, “Defunding the Diaspora: Sri Lankan Tamil Communities at the Forefront of Government Cuts,” https://novaramedia.com/2016/11/06/defunding-the-diaspora-londons-sri-lankan-tamils-at-the-forefront-of-government-cuts/

The end of Sri Lanka’s civil war, and the ongoing oppression of the Tamil community by the Sri Lankan government should make it harder for the UK to ignore the needs of London’s Sri Lankan refugees and incoming asylum seekers. But community spaces that support London’s Sri Lankan Tamil diaspora are struggling in the face of ongoing cuts to local governments.

 The Sangam center, founded in 1936, is one of the oldest Tamil organisations in London

“I want to show you a cemetery”. This was an unexpected endnote to an interview about teaching the Tamil language in the borough of Newham. Lashani pushes open the door of a disused room, three flights up. Light enters from a window yawning over a communal space, encased by a block of houses. Our viewpoint is through the back of the London Tamil Sangam of which Lashani is the head teacher. Continue reading →

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March 10, 2019 · 1:09 am

Asha De Vos forges Paths for Women and All

Charumini de Silva, in Daily FT, 8 March 2019, where the title is “Let capacity not gender define you: Asha de Vos”

Marine biologist, ocean educator and Blue Whale Project pioneer Dr. Asha de Vos believes that women should focus on their capacity to define themselves and not let their gender limit their potential.

Ocean Educator and Blue Whale Project Pioneer Dr.Asha De Vos

Delivering the keynote address at the ‘Ring the Bell for Gender Equality’ event, organised by the International Finance Corporation (IFC) in partnership with the Colombo Stock Exchange (CSE) to mark International Women’s Day, de Vos shared a powerful message on the importance of leading a purpose-led life while preserving natural resources.

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