Category Archives: self-reflexivity

The Temple Wall Paintings at Karandeniya

Uditha Devapriya, in the Sunday Observer, 16 July 2023, where the title reads “Interesting Temple Murals at Karandeniya” … with photos by Manusha Gunarathna

The Buddhist temples of the Southern Province, in particular those going back to the late 19th century, display a uniquely fascinating style. They cannot be viewed in isolation from the Kandyan temples, though as Senake Bandaranayake has noted, it is difficult to ascertain or conclude whether they were an offshoot of the Kandyan Period, or whether they were merely influenced by it. This debate does not concern us at present: what should concern us is that the murals of these temples reflected their times, and that no two temples, even in the same locality, were ever the same, a point I gathered when I travelled some 50 km from the Sunandaramaya in Ambalangoda to Kataluva in Ahangama a year ago.

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A “Fernandopulle” from Sri Lanka brightens Aussie Headlines

Frontpage Headline in THE AUSTRALIAN, 17 July 2023 = “Students take housing shortage to next level”

“Internaional students Isi Larraguibel, Rowen Fernandopulle, Jaden Amba and Rois Maullers in Brisbane on Sunday”

 

…. visit … https://www.theaustralian.com.au/subscribe/news/1/?sourceCode=TAWEB_WRE …. AND TRY TO  negotiate their money-seeking hoops if you wish to read the whole article

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The World’s Propaganda War Today: Take Keating Seriously

An Observer in A Black Sea Town

The opinion writers for The Australian newspaper, like Peter Jennings, who adopt anti-Chinese, anti Russian, and pro American positions, do not critically analyse the subjects they write on. There is no critical analysis in their writings. Their purpose in writing is to propagate official Australian-American perspectives to educate/propagandize ordinary Australians into being good little Australian citizens, very nationalistic and pro-American. At present, their role is to demonize China and Russia as the bad guys, America and the West as the good guys, so that if war comes, Australians will go along with it.
Keating …. a lesson for Jennings ….

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Leading Aussie Newspaper’s Gross Misreading of Ukraine’s War Situation

An Observer at A Black Sea Town … with highlighting imposed by The Editor, Thuppahi

I thought Ukraine was doing well – so says Peter Jennings writing in The Australian yesterday.  Jennings claimed Putin was “fighting for his survival” and talked about Zelensky’s “astonishing fighting spirit”; that Putin has been defeated in every war aim; that Ukraine will never come under Russian control; and that Putin’s “strategic leadership has been stunningly incompetent”. Yes, Ukraine has held up well.

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Intertwining Pathways in Past Lanka Time …. A Tale. A Tale

Synopsis by the Publishers

In the month of 11 in the year 2048 of the Buddhist era, how many people knew that the South of Lanka would face a deadly cyclone which would change the entire history of the country. The lion race came to know of the year 1505 of the Christian era only then. The life of ten-year-old Hethu who lived on the coastline of the South changed in the same way as everybody else’s life. The life of 10-year-old Juan who worked on the Portuguese ship “Maria Helena” also changed on the same day. Their lives became intertwined with that of a monk named Rahula who lived in a Vihare in Kotte. Destiny brought them together in a strange way. It is through their meeting that the thoughts and knowledge of the realities of life changed each one of them. They see God and man in different ways. “Balakotu and Nauka ” is a new kind of novel.

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Travails of a Rookie District Officer in Polonnaruwa, 1957-58

Sugath Kulatunga

Fresh from the University of Peradeniya, after a stint of teaching at St. Anthony’s College Kandy, I was selected as an Administrative Officer in the Department of Agriculture in November 1957 with 18 others in a new cadre of administrative officers established in the Department. This cadre was the brainchild of the then Minister of Agriculture Philip Gunawardhane and was operationalized by the then Deputy Director Administration Sam Silva, who Philip called a ‘” human dynamo”. (Sam was also the prime mover in the establishment of the CWE and the Petroleum Corporation).

Sugath 

Philip Gunawardena

CP De Silva

c

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Islamic Women’s Veils: Some Desultory Thoughts

 Michael Roberts

 On re-reading an entry in Thuppahi on the Burqa with two striking illustrations that contrasted

X …..a photograph of a Western woman in a see-through net dress walking stark naked in a busy street ….. WITH …

Y …. Illustrations of the various types of veiled Islamic women, ……

 

 

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The Bairstow Run-Out: Skandakumar’s Polite Challenge to Umpire Taufelef

Somachandra Skandakumar, in The Sunday Island, 9 July 2023, where the title is ” A Letter to Simon Taufel” …. [also see Editor’s Note]

Dear Mr. Taufel, As you were an Umpire who was held in the highest esteem throughout your tenure, I read your comments on the Bairstow dismissal with interest. Since it was an incident that raised comments from two Prime Ministers and turned the sacred Long Room at Lord’s temporarily into an angry English football stadium, I thought of writing to you.

Taufel on the left

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“Lake Beauty”: A Murder Mystery in the Aussie Outback

A Novel entitled “Lake Beauty” by Rob George …. with hihlighting mpose d by The Editor, Thuppahi

... where Sam and Annie conspire against authority to bring about justice for a murdered woman. 

 

 

 

 

 

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Netherlands stretch Sri Lanka in Match in Zimbabwe

Madushka Balasuriya in ESPNcricinfo, 30 June 2023, where the title runs thus: “Sri Lanka survive Edwards scare to defend 213”

Sri Lanka 213 (Dhananjaya 93, van Beek 3-26, de Leede 3-42) beat Netherlands 192 (Edwards 67, Barresi 52, Theekshana 3-31) by 21 runs
Sri Lanka survived an almighty scare as they scraped past Netherlands by 21 runs to kickstart their Super Six campaign on a nervy but winning note. It was a victory built on the back of a career-best 93 from Dhananjaya de Silva and a backs-against-the-wall bowling effort led by the excellent Maheesh Theekshana, who picked 3 for 31.
Dhananjaya de Silva propped up a shoddy Sri Lanka batting performance  •  ICC via Getty Images

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