Jeremy Bourke: “The new Sri Lankan resort where wildlife roam free,” in The Weekend Australian Travel + Luxury Magazine, 3/4 February 2024 …….
Buffalos in pools, elephants on footpaths and an escort needed when you leave your pavilion – the fenceless Hilton Yala is quite the experience.
Hugh Karunanayake of Melbourne now … whose title for this essay in The Island, 4 February 2024 is “LIONEL WENDT, COUNT DE MAUNY, DAVID PAYNTER, AND RAMAN” … here presented with highlighting imposed by The Editor, Thuppahi
The self-styled “Count”. De Mauny was born as Maurice Marie Talavande on 21 March 1886. The circumstances under which he left for Ceylon were controversial, some writers suggesting that he was compelled to leave France for misbehaviour with young men in his charge. None of these rumours have ever been established, and to this day remain as rumours. According to William Warren, author of the book ”Tropical Asian Style”, de Mauny was first invited to Ceylon in 1912 by Sir Thomas Lipton the tea magnate.
Wendt with a sketch of a young man by Paynter on the wall?
Filed under anti-racism, art & allure bewitching, centre-periphery relations, citizen journalism, cultural transmission, education, heritage, historical interpretation, landscape wondrous, life stories, paintings, patriotism, photography, politIcal discourse, self-reflexivity, sri lankan society, tolerance, travelogue, unusual people, world events & processes
John De Silva is an Old Aloysian like the Editor Thuppahi. He resides now in Melbourne and is a key member of the small crew sustaining the Old Aloysian Magazine.
Filed under landscape wondrous, life stories, nature's wonders, photography, tourism, travelogue, wild life
Michael Roberts and Arthur Saniotis, … reproducing the editorial introduction to a collection of essays devoted to the topic identified in the title pesented within Social Analysis, Volume 50, Issue 1, Spring 2006, 7–24 © Berghahn Journals ... with highlighting emphasis imposed in this version by Michael Roberts
Facing death with equanimity and with a honed, trained body is an expression of sheer power.[1] When a group of like-minded individuals confronts an opposi- tional force with equal mental and bodily capacities, whether on a sports field or in a warring conflict, the result is power compounded. Each article in this special section ‘confronts’ such powers. Together they explore several regionally specific projects in Asia in which dying for a cause is seen as a virtue.
There are several parts of Asia where social practices and cultural traditions have consciously nourished bodily empowerment. In these select yet dynamic traditions, mind and body are conceived as a unity. Attentiveness to cosmic powers is an integral aspect of disciplined ascetic practices that seek to har- ness bodily energy in maximal ways. These practices confront death. They are directed toward transcending the fear of death—and death itself. When they are inserted into a moment of violent conflict involving interpersonal combat, they encourage a steely, terrifying fearlessness as well as deadly striking power.
Filed under accountability, Al Qaeda, american imperialism, atrocities, authoritarian regimes, British colonialism, centre-periphery relations, communal relations, cultural transmission, economic processes, ethnicity, Fascism, female empowerment, fundamentalism, governance, heritage, historical interpretation, immolation, Indian traditions, insurrections, Islamic fundamentalism, jihadists, landscape wondrous, life stories, LTTE, martyrdom, military strategy, Muslims in Lanka, nationalism, patriotism, photography, politIcal discourse, racism, racist thinking, security, self-reflexivity, social justice, sri lankan society, suicide bombing, Tamil Tiger fighters, terrorism, the imaginary and the real, trauma, truth as casualty of war, vengeance, violence of language, war crimes, world events & processes, zealotry
An Advertisement …. with highlights imposed by Thuppahi
The Great Days of Colombo is by far the most comprehensive work on the City of Colombo. This profusely illustrated work running to over 800 pages tells the story of how Colombo originated from very humble beginnings as a simple Moorish port to become what it is today, a bustling city full of life and colour.
Filed under architects & architecture, British colonialism, centre-periphery relations, Colombo and Its Spaces, communal relations, cultural transmission, demography, Dutch colonialism, economic processes, ethnicity, heritage, historical interpretation, island economy, landscape wondrous, life stories, modernity & modernization, photography, population, sri lankan society, transport and communications, travelogue, working class conditions, world events & processes
Assembled by Michael Roberts, who had the pleasure of befriending Kshema & Kumari Sangakkara at a chance meeting at the Premadasa Stadium (i.e Khettarama) when their son, Kumar, was playing for Sri Lanka’s B Team … and thus secured the pleasure of visiting their villa known as “Engeltine Cottage” – a famous residence associated with the Hannadige Pieris family (about whom a guy named Roberts had crafted a book in 1976 ….. https://thuppahis.com/2020/10/07/jeronis-pieris-letters-in-coffee-table-book-insights-into-19th-century-ceylon/).
Engeltine Cottage in Kandy: The Intertwining of Three Families ……. https://thuppahis.com › 2012/04/04 › engeltine-cottage-in-kandy-the-intertwining-of-three-families-pieris-sangakkara-and-krishnapillai/
Filed under art & allure bewitching, cricket for amity, cultural transmission, economic processes, education, ethnicity, heritage, historical interpretation, life stories, nationalism, patriotism, performance, photography, politIcal discourse, self-reflexivity, Sinhala-Tamil Relations, Sri Lankan cricket, sri lankan society, unusual people, world events & processes
Veins of Influence: Colonial Sri Lanka (Ceylon) in Early Photographs and Collections, by Shalini Amerasinghe Ganendra
[This book is a pioneering monograph that brings a rich array of early and previously unpublished images of Sri Lanka (Ceylon) into the global discourse of photography, pairing a striking lens of visual appreciation with distinctly humanizing perspectives.
Filed under accountability, architects & architecture, art & allure bewitching, British colonialism, Buddhism, commoditification, Dutch colonialism, economic processes, ethnicity, female empowerment, governance, heritage, Hinduism, historical interpretation, island economy, landscape wondrous, life stories, modernity & modernization, photography, photography & its history, plantations, Portuguese imperialism, power politics, religiosity, sri lankan society, Tamil civilians, the imaginary and the real, tourism, transport and communications, unusual people, wild life, working class conditions
Ron Slee of Flinders University & Adelaide, …… with highlighting imposed by The Editor, Thuppahi and some End Notes added
My interest in visiting Sri Lanka has been building for decades, generated by my friendship with two Sri Lankan nationals with whom I play tennis, Michael Roberts and Justin La Brooy. Justin had written me a very helpful short history of the country and added his recommendations of where to see wildlife and scenic beauty and Michael had sent hundreds of photos and personal stories that helped me plan my visit.
Unexpectedly this year,[1] I was able to spend 11 memorable days in their country of origin, including two days visiting Galle Fort where Michael had grown up in the 1940s and 50s.
Michael Roberts
Percy Abeysekera has passed away recently …. carrying the Sri Lankan flag and reams of cricketing memories with him to an abode in the skies: memories that encompassed at least 70-72 years of cricketing cheer. Yes, that long a span. To me, Percy was first and foremost, an Aloysian. When I joined the St. Aloysius cheering squad as a 14-to-16 year old at the Galle Esplanade during our cricketing matches against Richmond, Mahinda and other schools, Percy was one of our cheerleaders. So, his patriotism and his crazy cricketing virtuosity was nurtured in Galle …. at our school.
thuppahi
