Category Archives: sri lankan society

August 24, 2018 · 1:16 am

The Wolvendaal Church in Colombo

Hugh Karunanayake, courtesy of The CEYLANKAN, Vol XXI, No. 3, August 2018

The Wolvendaal Church, that almost neglected but historical building in the Pettah, is unique in many ways. It is one of the few buildings in Sri Lanka which link the Portuguese period of occupation of Sri Lanka right through the Dutch and British periods, to independent Ceylon, and finally exists as a repository of culture of the Dutch who unsuccessfully sought to conquer the whole country. Some  recent photographs show weather related damage to the exterior of the building, which seem to be  receiving the attention of those who are in charge of the church.

Wolvendaal Church in 1938 – Pic by Lionel Wendt …. and

Dutch_Reformed_Church,_Colombo Watercolour painting of the Dutch Reformed Church (Wolvendaal), Colombo by J. L. K. van Dort (1888)Watercolour painting of the Dutch Reformed Church by J. L. K. van Dort (1888)

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August 23, 2018 · 3:04 pm

Potency, Power and People in Groups– British Ceylon to Modern Times via Pictures

  Penance on road, Sri Maurpthy Pathirikaali Temple, 2009

This book is both a display and a reflective exercise on the power of imagery, whether from camera or painting or etching. Images can be as captivating as seductive as misleading.  They can serve as raw data that provides glimpses of facets of life lost to the modern generations. They must, of course, be deployed by social scientists with attention to context and in association with other forms of data.

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August 22, 2018 · 10:54 am

Fundamental Issues – A Readiness to Rethink Conflict Situations. Padraig Colman Stands up

Michael Padraig Colman O’Leary is an Irishman who was a civil servant in England who also wrote articles the English version of a French publication. He  chose to settle down in Uva District  at some point way back with his charming Sri Lankan wife Tiny.

Padraig + tiny

He has recently moved to the hinterland of Colombo. His writing and investigative instincts remain strong and he sustains a web site.

He took up some of the challenges associated with Eelam War IV and its aftermath. He participated in the discussions pursued by the Marga Research Institute when Marga investigated the foreign investigators – leading to such outcomes as these reviews:

Marga 2011 An Analysis and Evaluation of The Report of the Advisory Panel to the UNSG nn the Final Stages of the War in Sri Lanka, https://www.dropbox.com/s/0eybj1ynej6spaa/The%20Darusman%20Report-%20Final%20doc-2.doc

Marga 2014 Issues of Truth and Accountability. The Last Stages of the War in Sri Lanka, https://www.dropbox.com/s/tdxwntf7wu5andq/The%20Last%20Stages%20of%20the%20war%20in%20Sri%20Lanka.pdf?n=66191473

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August 21, 2018 · 3:29 pm

Sri Lankan Baila: Its Roots and Variations

Shihan de Silva Jayasuriya, courtesy of THE CEYLANKAN, Vol XXI, No 3, August 2018 … with highlighting emphasis added by The Editor, Thuppahi

The extraordinary love of the Portuguese for music is epitomised at El Ksar el Kabir in Morocco, in 1578, where 10 000 guitars lay on the battlefield, near the dead Portuguese soldiers. The Portuguese took guns and guitars to battlefields! Is it surprising that the Portuguese presence is vibrant through Sri Lankan popular music – Baila?

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August 20, 2018 · 4:06 am

Digs for Ancient Chinese Artefacts in Jaffna and South

Zhang Kun, in China Daily … taken up by News-in-Asia, 16 August 2018, where the title is “Sino-Lankan archaeologists look for Chinese artifacts buried in Jaffna”

Archaeologists from the Shanghai Museum embarked on a 40-day excavation mission to Sri Lanka on Monday. The group will be working in ancient ruins in Jaffna alongside representatives from the Central Cultural Fund and a local university in Sri Lanka.

the archeologists’ team from the Shanghai Museum

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August 20, 2018 · 3:24 am

Impressive India House Ceremony in Colombo on 15th August

Editor, News-in-Asia, 15 August 2018, where the title runs “Large attendance marked India’s 71 st. Independence Day celebrations in Colombo”

An impressively large number of resident Indians and Sri Lankans braved inclement weather to attend the Indian Independence Day flag hoisting ceremony held at ‘India House’ here on Wednesday. Men, women and children dressed in their best, turned up to  express their joy over India’s turning 71,  and to show their solidarity with a resurgent India.

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August 20, 2018 · 3:16 am

New Constitution opens door for CBK and Mahinda to enter Presidency Stakes

EDITOR, News-in-Asia, 19 August 2018, where the title is “No constitutional bar on becoming Lankan President more than twice, says constitutional expert Prof.G.L.Peiris”

Prof. G.L.Peiris, a former Sri Lankan Minister for Constitutional Affairs who is currently one of the leaders of the Joint Opposition (JO), has said that there is no constitutional bar against any person being President of Sri Lanka more than twice, even though the 19 th.Amendment (19A) enacted in 2015 says that a person cannot be President more than twice.

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August 19, 2018 · 10:35 am

Dharmapāla’s Seminal Moment at Buddha Gāya in 1891: An Anagārika for the Universe

 Michael Roberts, courtesy of  The Island and Sunday Times and with thanks to Sasanka Perera & Steve Kemper

Sasanka Perera has recently introduced readers to a new book by Steven Kemper entitled Rescuing Dharmapala from the Nation (University of Chicago Press, 2015) – a book which surveys the socio-political activities of the Anagarika Dharmapala in a refreshing manner. I have yet to get hold of the book, but Sasanka provides enough commentary to provoke a discussion.

 Dharmapala in USA –probably at the World Congress of Religions 1893

Within a context where Dharmapala aka Don David Hewavitarne is regarded as an influential Sinhala Buddhist chauvinist by many social scientists analysing Sri Lankan history and politics, Perera indicates that Kemper provides broader dimensions by re-situating Dharmapala “within the Buddhist world of his time by … focusing on his international activities in aid of Buddhist causes and cross-faith discussions.” Kemper’s new work, therefore, is a modification of the Protestant Buddhist thesis popularized in social science circles by Gananath Obeyesekere’s writings in particular. Continue reading →

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August 15, 2018 · 8:27 am

Hardy Women: Yesterday’s Africans in Today’s Lanka

African sisters in Sri Lanka

On the road to Sirambiyadi

On the road to Sirambiyadi

In every culture family is an important element of human life. For centuries Ceylon had been a maritime domain for foreign traders, defiant conquerors and zealous missionaries. All these foreigners left behind their ancestors, who with time, integrated into our society. There were many nationalities who lived here in those ancient times – Arabs, Europeans, Indians and Africans. Much focus has been given to the various ethnic clans, but, people of African origin domiciled here were marginalised. Once in a while, these African-Sri Lankans would capture our attention via a youtube song video. One of the last such families of direct African origin live in Puttalam. The name Puttalam, is believed to be derived from the Tamil word “upputhalam” – uppu meaning salt and thalam meaning area of production, thus Puttalam is still famous for salt.

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August 14, 2018 · 10:03 am

Chinese Alibaba to retail Sri Lankan Tourist Potential in China

Editor, NEWS-in-Asia, 13 August 2018, whose title is “Sri Lanka to ink agreement with China’s Alibaba to attract more tourists“

Colombo, Aug 14 (newsin.asia) – The Sri Lanka Tourism Promotion Bureau (SLTPB) will ink an agreement with Alibaba’s travel arm, Fliggy, to bring down 1,000 travelers weekly to Sri Lanka in order to expand the island’s growing tourism sector, Daily FT quoted Tourism Minister John Amaratunga on Tuesday.

high jinks at Bentota beach

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