Category Archives: sri lankan society

April 10, 2014 · 6:24 pm

The Federal Party emerges seeking self-determination, 18 December 1949

Inaugural Meeting of the Ilankai Tamil Arasu Kadchi, Colombo, 18 December 1949 … with Presidential Address by SJV Chelvanāyakam and Editors’ Preface by EMV Nāganāthan and V Nāvaratnam [1]

ITAK (1)                                      

EDITORS’ PREFACE

The Editors of the I. T. A. K. Publications make no apology for placing this booklet (the first of a series to be established in Tamil and English) before the public for the expression of its opinion on a matter which is as fundamental to the cause of democracy and freedom as it is vital to the existence of the Tamil-speaking nation in Ceylon as a free and self-respecting people in this their Island home, to which they have at least as good a claim as their Singhalese-speaking brethren. Continue reading →

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Filed under British colonialism, centre-periphery relations, ethnicity, governance, historical interpretation, legal issues, life stories, nationalism, politIcal discourse, power politics, Sinhala-Tamil Relations, sri lankan society, the imaginary and the real, TNA, unusual people

April 9, 2014 · 11:51 am

What I learnt at Peradeniya University

Tissa Jayatilaka

TISSA JAYATILAKAGood Morning, ladies and gentlemen. Firstly my thanks to Prof.  Kumar, President, and to her colleagues on the committee of the Alumni Association of the University of Peradeniya (AAUP) for inviting my wife Lilani and me to join you on the occasion of the 25th Annual General Meeting of the AAUP.

Lilani and I consider our years spent in ‘Peradeniya’ (I refer here to the institution as much as to its ambience) among the most enriching and enjoyable of our lives to-date. Each time we return to these idyllic surroundings, we re-live our warm and fond memories of times spent by the banks of the Mahaweli. We both were not only students here but had the good fortune to also be attached to the academic staff for a while. As I face the audience before me today, I recognize many a familiar face and my mind’s eye instantly transports me to certain shared pleasures of ‘time past’. And I know that these memories will continue to sustain me through good times and bad, as they have done in the past, until the end of my days. Continue reading →

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Filed under cultural transmission, education, heritage, meditations, politIcal discourse, sri lankan society, tolerance, unusual people

April 5, 2014 · 3:58 pm

Thuppahi enters the august portals of the National Library of Australia

Thuppahi’s Blog

Thuppahi’s Blog was selected for preservation by the National Library of Australia. This title is scheduled to be re-archived regularly. The publisher’s site may provide more current information. Archived 20 Feb 2014 14:58

VISIT http://www.nla.gov.au/ National_Library_of_Australia -commons wikimedia Pic from commons Wikimedia Continue reading →

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Filed under accountability, asylum-seekers, Australian culture, australian media, cultural transmission, governance, heritage, historical interpretation, life stories, LTTE, photography, politIcal discourse, sri lankan society, world affairs

April 4, 2014 · 6:29 pm

Sri Lankan Navy is being re-shaped says Vice-Admiral Columbage

Tim Fish for Jane’s Defence Weekly

After more than two decades of fighting the Liberation Tigers of Tamil Eelam (LTTE) at sea, the Sri Lankan Navy (SLN) is being reshaped to prioritize maritime security for the nation. This new phase of development, which will enhance the Navy’s blue-water capabilities as well as maintain its existing expertise in brown water counter-insurgency operations, is being led by Vice Admiral Jayanath Colombage. Continue reading →

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Filed under governance, Indian Ocean politics, military strategy, patriotism, security, sri lankan society, transport and communications

March 30, 2014 · 5:38 pm

Chris Panabokke, exemplary soil scientist, turns 88

Ranjit Mulleriyawa, in The Nation, 3 March 2014

CHRIS PANABOKKEMention the name CR Panabokke, and the first thing that comes to one’s mind is soil science. Indeed, he is unquestionably the foremost soil scientist produced by our country to date, as well as one of Asia’s most renowned soil scientists. He has authored many books and published over 30 research papers in reputed International journals in addition to presenting 35 scientific papers at national and international workshops/conferences on: Soils of Sri Lanka and fertilizer use, groundwater conditions in Sri Lanka, small village tank systems, and agro-ecological environments of Sri Lanka. Continue reading →

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Filed under environmental degradation, life stories, sri lankan society, unusual people, world events & processes

March 30, 2014 · 4:49 pm

Desmond Kelly airs and pictures an Aussie twist on Hai Hoi Babiachchigey bicycle-eka

SEE http://safeshare.tv/w/fcFIDmjYCv

DESMOND KELLY 22  Continue reading →

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March 26, 2014 · 12:50 pm

Dharmasiri Bandaranayake’s Drama crosses divides and inspires exchanges

Asoka Randeniye, in Daily News, 26 March 20i4

Dharmasiri Bandaranayaka.- DN Pix by Roshan Pilipana

Roshan Pitipana

No theatre- lover worth his salt would need an introduction to the great actor/director Dharmasiri Bandaranayaka. Ever the voice who questions the accepted, the safe and the prescribed, Dharmasiri Bandaranayaka is the director of five thought- provoking, discussion- inducing political plays: Ekadipathi (The Dictator) in 1976, Makarakshaya (The Dragon) in 1985, Dhawala Beeshana (Men Without Shadows) in 1988, Yakshagamanaya (Resistible Rise of Arturo) in 1994 and Trojan Kanthavo (Trojan Women) in 1999.

In January, Dharmasiri Bandaranayaka and the cast and crew of Trojan Kanthavo participated in the Bharat Rang Mahotsav (International Theatre Festival) in New Delhi for the third year running. Previously, he applied for and was selected by the festival committee to perform Makarakshaya in 2012 and Dhawala Beeshana in 2013. This year, he was among the six countries which were represented at the festival. Daily News caught up with the maestro at the Trikone Cultural Foundation in Rajagiriya, which documents for posterity the Sinhala and Tamil dramas and other art forms hidden within our country.

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Filed under cultural transmission, landscape wondrous, Left politics, life stories, literary achievements, reconciliation, sri lankan society, tolerance, unusual people, world affairs

March 19, 2014 · 2:26 pm

The Forgotten History of Richmond rolls the years back — courtesy of Ananda Dias-Jayasinha

1 Presentation of the first copy of a new publication “Forgotten History of Richmond College – A documentary survey“, to HE the President Mr. Mahinda Rajapaksa and the Hon. Speaker Mr. Chamal Rajapaksa two distinguish old boys of Richmond by the author Ananda Dias-Jayasinha, marking the bicentenary (200 years) falling on 25th July 2014, of the first Methodist Mission School in Sri Lanka and Asia now known as Richmond College, Galle. Continue reading →

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Filed under education, historical interpretation, life stories, sri lankan society, unusual people, welfare & philanthophy, world affairs

March 18, 2014 · 2:26 am

Ruki Fernando apprehended: many issues … and unfolding events

RUKI FERNANDO   Ruki Fernando has been an assiduous researcher and civil rights worker for several years. Associated formally with the National Peace Council and often publishing citizen articles in Groundviews, the web site of the Centre for Policy Alternatives, he has used the Catholic networks and circuits to range beyond the bourgeois lounges of Colombo and unearthed data of both social and political relevance. Needless to say, all such ventures involve interpretations and weightages and should be subject to critical review (as indeed, they are in blog commentary of varying perceptiveness). I note some illustrative examples of his investigative work.

Ruki Fernando, 2012, “Sri Lanka: When one goes missing every five days,” http://www.jdslanka.org/index.php/2012-01-30-09-31-17/human-rights/212-sri-lanka-when-one-…

Croos, Fr. J., Deanne Uyangoda  & Ruki Fernando 2011 “Threats, Harassments and Restrictions on Former Detainees and Their Families in Vanni,” 11 May 2011, http://www.globalpeacesupport.com/ globalpeacesupport. com/post/2011/05/14

Ruki [Fernando] 2o10 “Vanni in the year after war: Tears of despair and fear,” 26 May 2010, http://groundviews.org/2010/05/26/vanni-in-the-year-after-war-tears-of-despair-and-fear/

Ruki [Fernando] 2o10 “Menik Farm: The tragic end of a bitter saga, from detention to forced relocation,” 2 October 2012, http://groundviews.org/2012/10/02/menik-farm-the-tragic-end-of-a-bitter-saga-from-detention-to-forced-relocation/

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Filed under accountability, nationalism, politIcal discourse, propaganda, reconciliation, security, Sinhala-Tamil Relations, sri lankan society, Tamil migration, terrorism, truth as casualty of war, unusual people, welfare & philanthophy, world events & processes, zealotry

March 12, 2014 · 8:32 am

Boat People: cannot flee, cannot stay?

Courtesy of Emily Howie

A new report has found that Australia’s cooperation with Sri Lanka to prevent would-be-refugees from seeking protection is riddled with human rights risks and should be stopped immediately. The report, Can’t flee, can’t stay: Australia’s interception and return of Sri Lankan asylum seekers, which is based on interviews with government officials, information obtained through freedom of information requests and statements from the public record, reveals a deeply flawed suite of policy measures and practices. as -seekrs Transcurrents

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Filed under accountability, asylum-seekers, economic processes, historical interpretation, life stories, politIcal discourse, Sinhala-Tamil Relations, slanted reportage, sri lankan society, Tamil migration, the imaginary and the real, welfare & philanthophy, world affairs, zealotry