Michael Roberts Papers, mainly on Sri Lanka ……MSS 0031 …. AT = University of Adelaide Library………………………………………………. https://www.adelaide.edu.au/library/special/mss/roberts/transcripts%20list
Philip Gunawardena
Edmu
nd R Leach
Category Archives: sri lankan society
From Little Things Big Things Grow: Antonians Who Excelled Beyond Excellence
Bernard Vancuylenburg & Sisira Weragoda
Prologue: As an introduction to the subject of this article I had to choose a title which nails it all in just one line. It is the story of an academic miracle which emanated from a simple school in its infancy, St. Anthony’s College Katugastota, by a group of students who raised the bar of achievement and excellence in the prestigious London Matriculation Examination in 1934, with a 100% pass rate THUS OBTAINING THE BEST RESULTS IN THE BRITISH EMPIRE. It was a path breaking year for the College and a validation of the school’s excellence. Twelve students sat the examination that year of whom six obtained first division passes, and six obtained second division passes. Their names which should be emblazoned in letters of gold in the field of education will be mentioned in this article. Paraphrasing the title of the book by Rubeih Murray James, we should “Carve their names with pride”.
“Our Present and Our Future” –Erudite Reflections on Ceylon’s Situation in 1850
A.C.[1]
“But where the stirring crowd, the voice of strife,
The glow of action, and the thrill of life?”
It may not perhaps be altogether useless to ask, How many of our countrymen have reflected seriously upon their condition and their prospects? How many have cast a thought beyond the events of yesterday or the business of to-day? We fear, not many. We are too content to move in the same mechanical circle of samenesses to-day as yesterday, to square our ideas with those of other men, to believe and to speak according to dictates; that we should entertain the remotest idea of comparing our Past with our Present, so as to arrive at a probable conception of the Future. Our life-time passes with the dreamy knowledge that we are, and but little beyond that. But What may we be? What ought we to be? Are questions which are never engendered in our minds. For any one original thought on the subject which may exist, we may be dwelling in Fairyland.
Filed under accountability, art & allure bewitching, British colonialism, centre-periphery relations, citizen journalism, cultural transmission, economic processes, education, ethnicity, historical interpretation, life stories, literary achievements, modernity & modernization, patriotism, politIcal discourse, self-reflexivity, sri lankan society, unusual people, world events & processes
Revelations within Colonial Photographs of Ceylon: “Veins of Influence”
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
Heavenly Bliss in Sri Lanka: Holidaying in Galle & Colombo, 24 July–4 August 2023
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.
How Collective Belief Heals War’s Hidden wounds
Daya Somasundram, Alvin Kuowei Tay & Rajitha Wickremasinghe, in Cambridge Core Blog, 2 November 2023 ... with the highlights being imposed by The Editor, Thuppahi
The mental and emotional aftermath, particularly from modern warfare that targets civilians, is profound. Civilians suffer alongside combatants, facing deaths, injuries, chronic disability, torture, disappearances, multiple displacements with uprooting of whole communities, loss of homes, destruction of essential services, infrastructure and environment. These traumatic experiences lead to a wide range of mental health issues, from depression, anxiety, PTSD, and substance abuse to family and collective trauma impeding personal and community recovery.
Filed under accountability, centre-periphery relations, charitable outreach, communal relations, democratic measures, economic processes, ethnicity, historical interpretation, IDP camps, life stories, politIcal discourse, reconciliation, rehabilitation, security, self-reflexivity, Sinhala-Tamil Relations, sri lankan society, Tamil civilians, trauma, working class conditions, world events & processes
Obeisance in Asia and the West: The Contexts of Practice … & Thereby Its ‘Weight’
Lorenz Pereira in Email Debate with A Handful of Pals, November 2023 ……… An Exchange that the Editor of Thuppahi deems worthy of public presentation for wider reflection …. & comment
Most enlightening comments from all of you and I am lost for words that my off the cuff, tongue in cheek somewhat flippant comment on the Maxwell/ Tendulkar incident was given such worldwide publicity by Michael Roberts. Nevertheless, thanks heaps Michael. As they say any publicity is a bonus.
Glenn Maxwell’s puja to Sachin –the gesture which led to the THUPPAHI Item that sparked a debate among Lornez and pals …. https://thuppahis.com/2023/11/11/glenn-maxwells-puja-in-sachins-presence/#more-77036
Filed under accountability, art & allure bewitching, charitable outreach, cultural transmission, democratic measures, education, ethnicity, heritage, life stories, patriotism, politIcal discourse, self-reflexivity, sri lankan society, teaching profession, tolerance, unusual people, welfare & philanthophy, world events & processes
Sinhala Monarchical Imagery in Mahinda Rajapaksa’s Past Political Pitch
Michael Roberts .… reproducing an article presented earlier in the COLOMBO TELEGRAPH in the year 2012…. an article bearing a different title: viz. “Populism And Sinhala-Kingship in the Rajapaksa Regime’s Political Pitch” … an article that also appeared under a differeTn title in GROUNDVIEWS in January that year
On 4th December 2011 the Sunday Island carried a headline: “Mahinda ready to meet General Fonseka’s family over pardon” — with a picture alongside showing President Mahinda Rajapaksa seated in an armchair perusing an official document – a document in royal red and marked by a recognisable state seal. It is the juxtaposition of the headline and image that drew my interest. In my reading as an analyst attentive to indigenous cultural threads, this combination suggested several interrelated motifs, namely, that
- President Rajapaksa is the epitome of sovereign power, vested with the rights of clemency on high, just like Sinhalese kings of the past who could be supplicated by condemned subjects who crawled on their knees to the palace gates (mahāvāsala) and begged for pardon for their evil-doings or crimes;[i]
- President Rajapaksa is akin to a manorial lord of the past, a patrimonial figure who is readily accessible on his verandah to subordinate officials, tenants and other people seeking favours from this font of noblesse oblige;
- President Rajapaksa is a son of the soil, native to core. After all, what can be more native than a hansi putuva? He is, therefore, as personable as approachable.
Filed under authoritarian regimes, communal relations, constitutional amendments, economic processes, electoral structures, governance, historical interpretation, landscape wondrous, language policies, legal issues, life stories, nationalism, parliamentary elections, performance, politIcal discourse, power politics, Rajapaksa regime, self-reflexivity, Sinhala-Tamil Relations, sri lankan society
Lakshman Wickremasinghe’s Allround Excellence at Royal College in 1944
Lam Seneviratne: Email Note to Michael Roberts, 12 November 2023
The recent articles by you and Rajiva Wijesinha in connection of the 40th death anniversary of Bishop Lakshman Wickremasinghe are great tributes to him. They speak of him as a Priest, Chaplain and Bishop, his human qualities and how he lived his life as a true disciple of Jesus Christ, touching the lives of many.
The Cenotaph in Colombo: A British Imperial War Memorial
Suren Ratwatte, whose chosen title is “A Fitting Memorial” ... in tracing the history of Colombo’s War Cenotaph built a hundred years ago ... presented on 28th May 2023 … while the highlighting is the work of The Editor, Thuppahi
In 1923 Ceylon was a different place to the Sri Lanka of today. The land was ruled by the Empire’s masters, ensconced in their ‘Britishers Only’ Colombo Club near Galle Face Green. The Ceylonese had, however, formed their own rival Orient Club located near the racecourse.
Filed under accountability, architects & architecture, British colonialism, centre-periphery relations, charitable outreach, cultural transmission, education, Empire loyalism, ethnicity, governance, heritage, historical interpretation, landscape wondrous, life stories, martyrdom, military expenditure, politIcal discourse, self-reflexivity, sri lankan society, trauma, world events & processes, World War II, World War One
