Category Archives: pilgrimages

July 21, 2024 · 8:16 pm

Rare CEYLONIANA in the Roberts Study: Issues for the Future

Hallo to Those Attached to “CEYLONIANA” and Valuable Lankan Artefacts & Books

…………… Way back I took steps to catalogue and transport my Oral History tapes and other valuable material to Sri Lanka with the assistance of Jitto Arulampalam in Melbourne, several Adelaidians and VERITE RESEARCH in Colombo (a prolonged and massive set of operations). That stock in now available to the public at the National Library Services Board in Torrington Avenue, Colombo.[1]

Now: as my wife and I age and enter the last phase of our lives, we face the issue of the stock in my study. This includes:

  1. many-many-many off-prints of articles on Sri Lanka and world politics;
  2. books under my name;
  3. books on Sri Lanka and/or world politics (including Marxist fare);
  4. Sessional Papers and Census publications from official stock in Sri Lanka …in largish foolscap size bound copies ….;

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June 22, 2024 · 8:39 pm

The Work of Anthropologists from Sri Lanka: Reviewing the World Scenario in 1987

Presenting an academic article published in Contributions to  Indian Sociology , n.s, Vol 21, 1-25 … also reproduced subsequently in Sri Lanka in 1989 as No, 10 within the SSC Pamphlet Series marshalled by the late Ana Chittambalam, Willa Wickremasinghe , Hari hulugalle and Michael Roberts

Elizabeth Nissan: “The work of Sri Lankan anthropologists: A bibliographic survey”

 Introduction: Although many of the studies included in this essay are concerned with Sri Lanka, this is not a bibliographic essay on the anthropology of that country. It is, instead, a survey of the work of Sri Lankan anthropologists, wherever they may have carried out their research.

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June 20, 2024 · 4:36 pm

ITIHAS Launched …. and Spreads Its Wings

Go to …. https://itihas.lk/contact/    … Note that the presentation here is a re-cast selection by The Editor of Thuppahi who has also imposed his colourings on the text

Mission:  What we hope to achieve

Itihas aims to equip Sri Lankan youth with the ability to think critically about their past, present, and future. It specifically aims to debunk mythological understandings of history that afford to particular ethno-religious groups a sense of superiority or authenticity over others. Rather than acting as a gatekeeper of knowledge, Itihas seeks to empower future generations of students, scholars, practitioners, and policymakers to learn about, research, and make informed decisions on divisive issues such as conflict, discrimination and violence in a manner that advances a more inclusive Sri Lanka.

Photo by Tashiya De Mel

Itihas – Advancing history education reform in Sri Lanka

 

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June 20, 2024 · 12:22 am

Caravan Trip across desert to Western Australian Coastal Spots

Michael Roberts of Belair in Adelaide

Judy and John Smith of Belair in Adelaide are not deterred by age or wintry weather or any of the dangers that the Australian outback can generate for unlucky travellers.  They have set off on a caravan camping trip for two months or so across the Nullarbor Desert to Western Australia where they will head north to Port Hedland and beyond.

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June 10, 2024 · 4:30 pm

Commemorating D-DAY in Normandy, 2024

Item in The Economist, 30 May 2024 …. with highlighting imposed by The Editor, Thuppahi

Bob Fagan was a 21-year-old private from Texas when he plunged from his assault craft into the cold sea off Utah Beach in Normandy, under the rattle of Nazi machinegun fire and air bombardment. “The water was red with blood,” he later recalled. “There were bodies floating all around us.” A fellow member of the 299th combat battalion landing on Omaha Beach had a simpler description: “Hell.”

A beach landing by the Royal Marines of 47 Commando and civilians at Asnelles before their annual ‘yomp’ to Port-en-Bessin, in Normandy, France, to commemorate the 80th anniversary of the D-Day landings. Picture date: Thursday June 6, 2024. PA Photo. See PA story MEMORIAL DDay. Photo credit should read: Aaron Chown/PA Wire

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May 12, 2024 · 1:20 am

POIGNANT MOMENTS …. Remembering the Dead in War

 

In SRI LANKA 12 May 2024

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

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April 25, 2024 · 7:46 pm

ANZAC DAY Commemorations Today … 25 April 2024

The Ceremonial “Markings” in Turkey and Elsewhere: Momentous & Indelible Recollections

GALLIPOLI, TURKEY – APRIL 25: New Zealand Lieutenant General Jerry Mateparae speaks at the ANZAC Day Dawn Service at ANZAC Cove on April 25, 2010 in Gallipoli, Turkey. Today commemorates the 95th anniversary of ANZAC (Australia New Zealand Army Corps) Day, when First World War troops landed on the Gallipoli Peninsula, Turkey early April 25, 1915. Today April 25 is commemorated with ceremonies of remembrance for those who fought and died in all wars ….. Photo by Phil Walter/Getty Images   

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April 10, 2024 · 3:26 pm

Idyllic Explorations: Sri Lanka’s Marvellous Ruins & Monuments

Bernard VanCuylenberg, whose chosen title for this essay was  “An Odyssey – A Search for Heritage” …. with pictorial illustrations selected in arbitrary manner by the Editor, Thuppahi

Pursuant to the articles which I wrote last year, “An Odyssey – A Search for Heritage, parts 1 and 2 “) following a foray into the cornucopia of ruins buried in deep jungle well off the beaten track, I embarked on a similar venture in March this year. I am passionately moved by the treasure trove of what could be the best in ancient Sinhala civilization, possibly the life force of Sinhala culture which remains buried in the sands still awaiting the archaeologists spade, and I wish to share my experience with a wider circle of lovers of history. Parting the veil of time, an unknown sculptor, architect, engineer, master craftsman, even a poet reached out to me and held my hand leading me across the centuries in my quest.
 Degaldoruva …. off Kandy

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March 1, 2024 · 7:09 pm

“Aryan Roots” …. Nazi Scientists in Search of ‘Holy Grail’ in the Indian Subcontinent in 1939

This item was sent to the TPS Editor by Keith Bennett in February 2024. It can be located on web at …. Nazi Scientists Who Wanted To Find The Origins Of The Aryan Race Came To Sri Lanka – Roar Media

Highlighting has been imposed by the Editor, Thuppahi and a photo of Sirima Kirbamune added.

circa 1938: German dictator Adolf Hitler (1889 – 1945) and his chief of police Heinrich Himmler (1900 – 1945) inspecting the SS Guard. (Photo by Hulton Archive/Getty Images)

 

In 1938, Heinrich Himmler, one of the leading members of Germany’s Nazi Party and a key architect of the Holocaust, appointed a five-member team to go to Tibet, to search for the origins of the ‘Aryan race’. 

HIMMLER 11

1,046 Heinrich Himmler Stock Photos, High-Res Pictures, and Images – Getty Images

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March 1, 2024 · 12:29 am

The Roberts Mss at Adelaide University Library

Michael Roberts

Recent Email Exchanges with Jane Russell of UK, who has one foot in England and two feet in island Sri Lanka, and a revived focus on  George E De Silva (1870-1950) reminded me of the George E. Mss Memoirs in typescript which Jane had given me long ago. This led me to a long list which amounts to a treasure trove for those addressing a variety of topics in the history of Sri Lanka. I present the details before. Those wishing to pursue specifics must write to the Head of the Special Collections at the Barr Smith Library Adelaide University, not to me: samantha.farnsworth@adelaide.edu.au

It is my conjecture that the same corpus of material (or parts thereof) will also be part of the Roberts Collection at the National Library Services Board along Torrington Rd (beside the National Archives) in Colombo. They could initially seek specifics from Mr Welimuni Sunil who heads the institution: viz …

Welimuni Sunil … sunilnldsb@gmail.com

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