Abhishek Mukherjee, in cricketcountry.com, 27 August 2017, with this title: “Lindsay Hassett: Master of strokes, shrewd cricketing brain, terrific sense of humour”
“There are others who have made more runs and taken more wickets [than Lindsay Hassett], but very few have ever got more out of a lifetime.”Richie Benaud.
It would be wrong to think that Arthur Lindsay Hassett did not want to win. Of course he did; everyone playing any sport at any level does; he was as much a professional as any of his colleagues. The War heroes Denis Compton, Keith Miller, Godfrey Evans, Hassett had also probably seen death too closely to give a sport a larger-than-life image.
Jean-Pierre Page, in New Cold War, 27 April 2021, where the ttile runs thus: “The Longer War and Sleepy Joe in Wonderland,”
The Biden Administration appears to be implementing most of the recommendations in the Atlantic Council’s LongerTelegram:Toward a new American China strategy, an important strategic document about US policy towards China published in January 2021.
Anoma Pieris** with an introductory note in response to my invitation that is pertinent & runs thus “Hello Uncle Michael, Nice to hear from you. Afraid you reach me at a time when I am overwhelmed with work, in fact that has been the case throughout the pandemic. I dont know if I have the mental space to address your text but offer instead reflection on my understanding of the theme. Best, Anoma.”
My childhood sensibilities of being Sinhala were formed in two ways which were moral and monstrous: (1) First by being educated in a language stream with specific texts like the Guttila Kavya, Saddharma Ratnavaliya, Ummaga Jatakaya, which being religious texts, educated even a nominally Christian child in a missionary college into Sinhala Buddhist forms of cultural patrimony and morality. But because it was a Christian school the lines between Sinhala and Tamil classes were lightly drawn and we came together for sports activities, and after 1983 for many more subjects, partly due to the depletion of numbers but also a deliberate strategy initiated by our principal Sirancee Gunawardana, who was committed to empathetic coexistence. (2) The second way in which being Sinhala was made evident to me was through the 1983 pogrom when for a short time I volunteered in the camp set up in our school, seeing people like myself from my social background who had been displaced, dispossessed and fearful and witnessing and being made aware of Sinhala identification as behind monstrous acts. It also made me aware that I was part of a Christian minority and that a division was being drawn within the Sinhala community because of our greater empathy for Tamil friends.
That ebullient West Indian singer Lord Superior used to stir cricketing fans with his music — especially his rendering of “Cricket Luv’Ly Cricket.”
And Now we have the topsy-turvy world cricketing mayhem in Sri Lanka’s cricketing adminsistration bested and trumped by a 4th choice left-arm spinner named Praveen Jayawickrema taking six Bangladeshi wickets in his first-ever Test match. ….. And note that Bangaldesh is no pushover on Asian wickets these days and this was a Bangladesh side who scored over 500 runs in the persvious Test match at Pallekelle.
This collection documents the activity of a generation of Sri Lankan radical activists who, in their different ways, attempted to escape the claims of rival ethno-nationalisms and build alternative political and development projects, drawing on Marxism, Christian socialism, and feminism, among other inspirations.
Michael Roberts, reproducing here an old draft that is entitled “Becoming Sinhala” ***
Preamble
The scene is somewhere early in 1984 and the location is the building housing the Social Scientists’ Association on the road to Nawala off Narahenpitiya in Colombo. The late Charlie Abeysekera and the late Newton Gunasinghe are reflecting gloomily on the pogrom of July 1983 that had victimised Tamils living in the capital and elsewhere in the south. Charlie is one of the founder members of MERGE and both are among the few personnel in Colombo who had taken an active stand in public forums against the atrocities that had occurred.* Now, in the gathering dusk, Charlie looks at Newton and asks: “what makes you think that you are a Sinhalese?” Newton immediately grasps the serious import and analytical purpose behind this question. He considers the issue gravely before venturing upon an answer.
Fair Dikum answers CENTRAL ISSUES facing Sri Lanka++
Will SL become a battle – turf for Rising Power China and Ruling Power America?
There is no reason why this should occur. The US is causing problems by meddling as it tries to sabotage China’s relations with all countries for its own economic advantage. If the SL government are wise, they can keep out of it, remain neutral, and prosper in the way Singapore manages it. Singapore is a good case study for how to manage US-China rivalry. They are strong enough to repel US pressure.
“Here, the former economic minister of Greece talks about his experiences negotiating with China and why China is not militaristic, and has never used the Western imperialist approach in dealing with countries in Europe and Africa. This is the narrative absent in the West. He also criticises the Chinese Government, for good reasons, but not in the way the West does.
Yanis Varoufakis has a more balanced understanding of the world the the entire US and UK put together.”
A NOTE from The Editor, Thuppahi
“I have deleted the word “Professor” that is part of the Google description of Yanis Varoufakis.” THAT is part of my general programme. Content not title is WHAT counts.”
Shamindra Ferdinando in The Island, Thursday 29 April 2021 where the title is “China, Lanka in upbeat mood”
China and Sri Lanka yesterday (28) reiterated their commitment to building stronger relations between the two nations, during separate talks the visiting Chinese State Councillor and Defence Minister General Wei Fenghe had with President Gotabaya Rajapaksa and Prime Minister Mahinda Rajapaksa.
