Category Archives: travelogue

October 24, 2023 · 7:44 pm

Plinio’s Description of “Taprobane”

Piero Perondi, whose chosen title was “THE SPLENDID TAPROBANE ALIAS SRI LANKA””

The main ancient source on Taprobane is the Roman historian Plinio the Old, in his manuscript “Natural History”, which does not fail to briefly retrace the testimonies of previous authors. He states that only in the time of Alexander the Great was it made clear that Taprobane was an island; before it was considered almost another world, the “land of the Antichthone ” (i.e. the inhabitants of the southern hemisphere).

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October 23, 2023 · 7:54 pm

Talking about Oral History Work on Ceylon in the 1960s

Adilah Ismail in the Sunday Times,  7 June 2015,  where the title is “Colourful history of a historian” … with highlighting imposed by the Editor Thuppahi viz, Roberts himself

Looking back on his ‘going-down memory lane interviews’ with retired Britishers and Sri Lankans who served mainly in the Ceylon Civil Service, Michael Roberts who was in Sri Lanka recently, talks to Adilah Ismail about the beginnings of a passion.

In Colombo last week: Michael Roberts. Pic by M.A. Pushpa Kumara
It’s the late 1960s: On most Fridays, Michael Roberts would make his way towards Colombo from Peradeniya, [1]  recording equipment balanced at his feet and his bag filled with assorted clothes strapped to the back of his trusty scooter. Navigating the sharp curves and turns on his two wheeler, once in Colombo, he would spend his weekend sprinting from one interview to another.

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October 18, 2023 · 11:23 pm

‘Knots’ and Disputes in Settling on the Border between Victoria and South Australia

Bob Dunn’s Book on THE DISPUTED COUNTRY. AUSTRALIA’S BORDE , pubd in 2004 and bearing ISBN 0 646 43306 7 serves up an intriguing set of stories amidst fascinating photographs and illustrations. It is yet another insight into the complexities of colonisation in this continent made possible for me by Michael Evans who has lent me the booklet.

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October 18, 2023 · 12:56 pm

Lionel Sirimane at 103: The Last of the Mohicans

Capt Elmo Jayawardena, … AN ESSAY that is borrowed from elanka = https://www.elanka.com.au/the-last-of-the-mohicans-by-capt-elmo-jayawardena/

Lionel Sirimane  … navigator

The lane down Nugegoda which is in the outskirts of Colombo, is named Mudaliar Avenue. Two left turns after that would bring you to number 1/8. This is Uncle Siri’s and Aunty Olga’s domain. Sadly, she passed away. As Uncle Siri says, “she went to heaven in 2021”, a sentiment whispered softly, sounding more like a person finding it impossible to fill the huge empty space she left. Perhaps painful heartstrings may be tugging when he mentions her. 68 years is a very long time to share a blissfully happy life and lose your soul partner.

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October 17, 2023 · 10:58 am

Palestine & the Propaganda War by Video: Issues

ISSUE:  Question from A British-Lankan Friend, 16 October 2023

Hi Michael, I would like to give this video much wider circulation, but I need a link…can’t find one!”  ….  …

,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,, THE REFERENCE BEING = video of Egyptians walking across desert with backpacks of assistance for Palestinians in Gaza …. SEE …. https://thuppahis.com/2023/10/16/support-for-palestine-on-different-scales-in-london-from-egypt/#more-76263

Is this verifiable? There’s lots of fake news being put around by both sides. I would love to give this video wider coverage.

ANSWER from “A Middle Eastern Specialist”

The source for this is Kurdistan24 — a news source based in Iraq with a bureau office in Washington DC.  This video is circulating on many telegram sites, for instance, this one ……………… https://t.me/llordofwar/216918

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October 10, 2023 · 6:51 pm

East Berlin & Check-Point Charlie, 1976 …. The Depth of the Cold War

Michael Roberts

My good friend Lam Seneviratne in Colombo has chosen to insert this comment in response to one of the Thuppahi Items: “In 1972 I had the opportunity to go through Checkpoint Charlie at Freidrichstrase to East Berlin. The contrast was stark, everything was drab and depressing.” … see https://thuppahis.com/2023/10/09/the-berlin-wall-dividing-west-east-berlin-epitome-of-the-cold-war/.

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October 9, 2023 · 11:41 pm

Buddhist Shrines as Weapons of Political Intrusion in the Today

Editorial in Daily FT, 8 June 2023, which is entitled “Archaeology Department must act impartially in N & E” … with highlighting imposed by The Editor, Thuppahi

The past few months have seen several protests held in the North and East over the acquisition of land to construct new Buddhist shrines. It has been alleged that Buddhist monks aided by army personnel have been engaged in these questionable activities with the tacit approval of the Archaeology Department which have led to tensions among the local population and the military.

At a recent meeting with Archaeology Department officials, President Ranil Wickremesinghe weighed in on the issue and chided Department officials for taking money from Buddhist monks to carry out their work and reminded them that they do not work for a private firm but a Government institution that has to act according to the law.

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October 9, 2023 · 10:52 am

Journeys in Cricket: Michael Tissera in Q and A on You Tube

Amitha Abeynaike’s Q and A Video Interview  with Michael Tissera, 23 February 2020, … in #Quadrangle……………………………………………………. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=tkT3zUcWrzs

Michael Tissera in an interview with Amitha Abeynaike

Michael Tissera born on 23 rd March 1939, is a former S.Thomas’ College 1st XI Cricket Captain in 1957 and 1958 and represented the school by the seas for 05 seasons. S.Thomas’ College was Inter Schools Cricket Champions in 1958 under Tissera. He represented N.C.C and Ceylon in Cricket during the 60’s and 70’s. A solid and stylish right-hand batsman and a decent legbreak bowler, Tissera became the youngest Sri Lankan Cricket Captain at the age of 25. He led Ceylon to its maiden victory over a Test-playing nation, India in Ahmedabad in 1965 and also played in Sri Lanka’s maiden Cricket World Cup in 1975 in England. Later he went on to become Sri Lanka Cricket Team Manager between 2005 and 2007.

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October 3, 2023 · 11:34 pm

Ekanayake to Skipper Australian Seconday Schools Rugby Squad

News Item in Rugby.com.au, 27 September 2023 ….. https://www.rugby.com.au/news/australian-schools-u18s-side-named-for-nz-clash-2023927

The Australian Schools side has been confirmed to face NZ. Photo: Rugby Australia. Australian Schools & U18s head coach Shannon Fraser has confirmed his side to face New Zealand Secondary Schools at Viking Park in Canberra on Thursday. NSW Waratahs flanker Aden Ekanayake has been appointed captain for the opening clash of the two-game series, with both fixtures to be broadcast live and on demand on Stan Sport.

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September 30, 2023 · 9:27 pm

Bradman at Brockton Oval in Vancouver in 1932 during Australian North American Tour

VISIT https://fotoeins.com/2020/08/31/my-vancouver-summercricket-stanleypark/

“The Brockton Oval in Vancouver hosts an over-40s league game. Did you know that Don Bradman once described the ground as “without question the most beautiful ground in the world”?” …. https://twitter.com/espncricinfo/status/1034432962530488321

… and, as it happens, one of the Curators at this ground at one point in the ltter half of the 20th century was a Sri Lankan migrant and cricket buff named CJ Van Twest (whose Ceylon news cutting in 1957 have been recently featured in this site: https://thuppahis.com/2023/09/22/cjs-cricket-news-cuttings-in-1957-ceylon-the-cricket-world/

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