Category Archives: travelogue

September 24, 2023 · 9:53 pm

Rave Reviews of LAKE BEAUTY from Adelaidians

LAKE BEAUTY – A murder dissolves.

Here’s what readers have to say:

Justin La Brooy: “Lake Beauty is a novel based in rural Australia covering much of the first half of the last century.  It gives an exquisite glimpse into a time and place that has changed out of recognition, though one is left with a sense that the mind-sets and patterns of behaviour may be still with us…. The story grabs the attention of the reader from the beginning and maintains its interest as the plot develops…………………. A great read.”

Continue reading →

Leave a comment

Filed under Australian culture, centre-periphery relations, cultural transmission, heritage, historical novel, landscape wondrous, life stories, literary achievements, performance, self-reflexivity, the imaginary and the real, travelogue, unusual people

September 22, 2023 · 5:49 pm

Scrutinizing Sri Lanka’s Past in ATITA

A New Investigative Website …. https://atita.org/

 

About Atita: Atita is dedicated to the investigation of historical events in Sri Lanka. Taking its name from the Pali word for “past” (atīta), Atita serves to fill in gaps in English-language literature of Sri Lankan history.

All are welcome to read our work, but those already familiar with Sri Lankan history since 1948 will find it the most enriching. Our primary focus is on events from 1948 to 1972, when Sri Lanka was still called “Ceylon.”

Continue reading →

2 Comments

Filed under Aboriginality, accountability, ancient civilisations, art & allure bewitching, Buddhism, centre-periphery relations, economic processes, ethnicity, heritage, historical interpretation, historical novel, Indian religions, Indian traditions, landscape wondrous, life stories, literary achievements, paintings, patriotism, politIcal discourse, religiosity, self-reflexivity, sri lankan society, tolerance, transport and communications, travelogue, truth as casualty of war, unusual people, world events & processes

September 20, 2023 · 12:52 pm

Neil Para’s Marathon Walk to Secure PR in Australia

Item in the DAILY NEWS, 12 September 2023… where the title reads  “SL asylum seeker granted PR after 1,000km walk to Sydney”

As he neared the end of his 1,000-kilometre walk to Sydney to raise awareness for thousands of families living in limbo as they seek permanent residency, asylum seeker Neil Para and his family have been granted theirs.

Continue reading →

Leave a comment

Filed under Australian culture, australian media, ethnicity, immigration, legal issues, life stories, performance, politIcal discourse, travelogue, unusual people

September 19, 2023 · 7:46 pm

Rita Mannella’s Insights on Her Experiences in Sri Lanka

Sanjiva Wijesinha, in Sunday Times & his own website where the title runs  “Twilight Reflections 8 – You Only Cry Twice”

I recently noticed that the outgoing Italian Ambassador to Sri Lanka, Her Excellency Ms. Rita Giuliano Mannella, had made the following intriguing observation.  “When I return to Sri Lanka’ she said, “I cry twice – once when I arrive and the other time when I leave.“

At first I did not quite understand what she meant (Cosa stai dicendo, Signora?) but when I carefully thought over what she said, I realized that her observation made perfect sense.

Continue reading →

1 Comment

Filed under accountability, charitable outreach, cultural transmission, foreign policy, heritage, landscape wondrous, life stories, politIcal discourse, self-reflexivity, sri lankan society, travelogue, unusual people

September 4, 2023 · 7:40 pm

The Lord of Cricketing Gods in India: MS Dhoni

Karthik Krishnaswamy in The Cricket Monthly, 24 July 2023 , where the title reads “MS Dhoni joined the pantheon of mythical Tamil heroes”

Superstars in Chennai emerge from cinema or politics or both. Then came along a cricketer from Ranchi

Chennai: Chennai Super Kings captain MS Dhoni during the IPL 2023 cricket match between Chennai Super Kings and Lucknow Super Giants, at M. A. Chidambaram Stadium, in Chennai, Monday, April 3, 2023. (PTI Photo/R Senthil Kumar)(PTI04_03_2023_000319B)

It begins when he steps over the boundary. A rasping chant. A name.

“Baashha!” A drumroll. “Baashha!” Another drumroll.

There are urgent bars of instrumental orchestration, and as they swell to a crescendo, a voice pierces the air: “Let’s welcome the new batsman, Mahendra Singh… Dhoniiiiiiiiii!”

The timing is just right. The announcer’s voice gives way to the power-packed vocals of SP Balasubrahmanyam.

Hey Baashha paaru Baashha paaru
Pattalathu nadaya paaru
Pagai nadungum padaya paaru
Coatu suitu rendum eduthu
Poattu nadakkum puliya paaru

Behold Baashha
Behold the warrior-like stride
Behold the army that sends
shudders down enemy spines
Behold the tiger in coat and suit

Continue reading →

Leave a comment

Filed under accountability, art & allure bewitching, cricket for amity, cricket selections, cultural transmission, economic processes, heritage, historical interpretation, Indian traditions, landscape wondrous, life stories, LTTE, martyrdom, nationalism, performance, photography, politIcal discourse, power politics, propaganda, refugees, rehabilitation, terrorism, the imaginary and the real, travelogue, truth as casualty of war, vengeance, war reportage, welfare & philanthophy, world events & processes, zealotry

August 31, 2023 · 11:23 am

Placing Valentijn’s Book in Its Context

Chandra R De Silva

We should welcome the efforts of Thiru Arumugam to draw attention to the Description of Ceylon by François Valentijn ……………….  (see ……………………. https://thuppahis.com/2023/08/27/francois-valentijns-description-of-ceylon/#more-74805).  That work is a valuable source of Sri Lankan history,  and as Sinnappah Arasaratnam has pointed out, his work has been used by many subsequent writers. However, Valentijn’s work needs to be used with caution. When Arasaratnam writes that ‘Valentijn’s is one of the most accurate accounts of the pre-European period of Ceylon history up to his time’ (p. 33), he is comparing Valentijn’s work only to those of other Europeans. Despite their defects, Sinhalese and Pali historical works written before Valentijn (from which European writers drew information) were certainly more comprehensive on that subject. As Arasaratnam himself comments, ‘it was noted that Valentijn often had only partially published his source and that he was not always the best judge of what was important. . .’ (p. 43).

Continue reading →

1 Comment

Filed under accountability, ancient civilisations, centre-periphery relations, historical interpretation, life stories, literary achievements, politIcal discourse, Portuguese imperialism, Portuguese in Indian Ocean, power politics, sri lankan society, transport and communications, travelogue, world events & processes

August 30, 2023 · 10:21 pm

Dilmah Tea & Barossa Wine in Perfect Match in Adelaide

Glam Adelaide, with this title  “Dilmah joins forces with University of Adelaide expert to refine tea and wine production” …. & with highlights imposed by The Editor, Thuppahi

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Dilhan C. Fernando, Dilmah Tea’s Chairman, is in Adelaide to explore the synergies and opportunities between South Australian wine, and Sri Lankan Tea.

In a pioneering venture that fuses the world of tea and wine, Dilmah, a globally-renowned tea brand, is collaborating with Associate Professor in Oenology and Sensory Studies Sue Bastian from the University of Adelaide. Their shared mission? To hone and perfect the way Sri Lankan tea and South Australian wine are crafted, emphasising the profound impact of climate, soil, and geography on their distinctive flavours.

Continue reading →

3 Comments

Filed under accountability, art & allure bewitching, Australian culture, australian media, commoditification, cultural transmission, economic processes, heritage, island economy, life stories, modernity & modernization, performance, sri lankan society, travelogue, unusual people, world events & processes

August 29, 2023 · 1:32 am

Charles Dickens and Ceylon

Raja Bandaranayake, in THE CEYLANKAN vol 26/3, August 2023, where the title runs “Charles Dickens on Ceylon”

Introduction: An anthology by Charles Dickens entitled Sunshine on Daily Paths (or the Revelation of Beauty and Wonder in Common Things,1 picked up in an antiquarian bookshop in the UK, included six of its forty-five chapters on different aspects of life in Ceylon, all written in the first person. I asked myself the question: Did Dickens really visit Ceylon? If he did, why is there no record of the visit of such a famous person in our 19th century history? Could he have visited Ceylon incognito? If he did not visit, how did he write so accurately, and in such detail, about the places visited?

I decided to investigate these questions.

Continue reading →

14 Comments

Filed under accountability, art & allure bewitching, British colonialism, cultural transmission, education, historical interpretation, historical novel, life stories, literary achievements, sri lankan society, travelogue, unusual people, world affairs

August 27, 2023 · 11:29 pm

François Valentijn’s Description of Ceylon

Thiru Arumugam in The Ceylankan Vol 26/3, August 2023, where  the title reads “François Valentijn wrote a 462 page ‘Description of Ceylon’ 300 years ago … Part 2” ……… Part 1 having appeared in The Ceylankan J 102 Vol 26(2) May 2023, pp 24-25. …..  also by Thiru Arumugam

First and Second Chapters [Geography] For his sources of information about the geography and history of Ceylon up to the Portugueseperiod, Valentijn relies on the Portuguese writer Diogo do Couto’s Ceylon section of his books Decadas da Asia (Decades of Asia)5. Couto was Chief Keeper of the Records in Goa from 1595 to 1616. Goa was the Asian headquarters of the Portuguese. Valentijn also took information from the Dutch writer Father Philippus Baldeus6, who lived in Jaffna from about 1656 to 1665. For the description of the interior of Ceylon he relies on Robert Knox7, as the Portuguese and Dutch had limited access to these areas. There was a pirated Dutch translation of Knox’s book by S de Vries published in Utrecht in 1692 and Valentijn would have used this translation. Valentijn plagiarised freely, sometimes copying entire sections from these books. In those halcyon pre-copyright days, the printed word was considered public property!

Continue reading →

4 Comments

Filed under authoritarian regimes, centre-periphery relations, Colombo and Its Spaces, Dutch colonialism, economic processes, ethnicity, heritage, historical interpretation, Indian Ocean politics, island economy, landscape wondrous, life stories, military expenditure, politIcal discourse, sri lankan society, transport and communications, travelogue, unusual people, VOC, world events & processes

August 27, 2023 · 3:28 pm

Balls Tampered With …. An Aussie At It

Leave a comment

Filed under accountability, Australian culture, doctoring evidence, landscape wondrous, life stories, the imaginary and the real, tolerance, trauma, travelogue, world events & processes