David Sansoni, in The Sunday Observer, 22 January 2023, where the title reads “Peter Colin-Thome: A Multi-faceted Personality”
Peter Colin-Thomé was a buddy of my cousin Dominic Sansoni and of a few of my friends and acquaintances. It was at Dominic’s home, on Anderson Road, Bambalapitiya, we first met, circa 1973.
Peter immediately made an impression. Tall, well-groomed and well-spoken – that sonorous Bass voice. His father, Percy, was a ‘name’ in Colombo circles, as was Peter’s mum, Moira.
Rohan Pethiyagoda to speak on “Serendipity: The Discovery of Sri Lanka’s Biodiversity Heritage” … in The Roland Silva Memorial Lecture for the National Trust of Sri Lanka, 26 January 2023, ... 6.00 pm … on Zoom https://us02web.zoom.us/j/81249396683
Sri Lanka’s natural wealth—its species, landscapes and ecosystems—are justly celebrated in it being recognized as part of a Global Biodiversity Hotspot. Yet, we rarely stop to wonder how this incredible heritage came to be discovered. This lecture tells the tale of this voyage of discovery: the doctors and the housewives who became botanical explorers; a village lad who rose to number among Asia’s most famous illustrators; a tea planter who went on to become president of the Royal Entomological Society... In the course of his career, the speaker has delved into archives in both Sri Lanka and Europe to piece together the life stories of these remarkable men and women. In this lecture he celebrates their achievements and their all too human foibles: their rivalries, jealousies, eccentricities and not least, their genius. Richly illustrated with portraits, works of art and anecdotes, the lecture will relate the story of the explorations that led to the discoveries that in turn gave rise to the literature upon which knowledge of our living island is based upon. In short, the speaker explains how deserving it is that the phenomenon of serendipity takes its name from the classical moniker for Sri Lanka.
Filed under art & allure bewitching, biotechnology, cultural transmission, education, heritage, historical interpretation, island economy, landscape wondrous, life stories, nature's wonders, performance, photography, self-reflexivity, sri lankan society, travelogue, unusual people, world events & processes
Sachchitra Samarawickreme, in The Island, 7 January 2023
We owe our existence to a string of unforeseeable events, repeated arbitrary fortune. My father was born in a rural part of the country. He was the eldest of ten siblings, who survived the circumstances and transitioned out of the village. The privileged upbringing and opportunities I had stand in stark contrast to his experience. That I exist is a tribute to his journey.
Filed under art & allure bewitching, cultural transmission, economic processes, education, heritage, historical interpretation, island economy, landscape wondrous, life stories, meditations, modernity & modernization, performance, self-reflexivity, sri lankan society, travelogue, unusual people, world events & processes
Michael Roberts
I was privileged to witness a striking win by the ADELAIDE STRIKERS at Adelaide Oval on the 5th of January 2023, where the Australian world witnessed the highest ever run chase in its BBL history. The Hobart Hurricanes had batted first and muscled a massive total: all of 229 runs. When the 19th over commenced with Nathan Ellis given the ball, The Strikers needed 25 more runs then and at the 20th with Faheem Ashraf given the ball they needed 11 runs to tie and 12 to win. 
Matthew Short Celebrates winning hit
Features presented in the book VOLUNTEERS fROM CEYLON (2022) … supplemented by additional tit-bits from Richard Dickie Hermon of Trinity College who is now resident in Melbourne, Australia
Filed under accountability, Britain's politics, British colonialism, centre-periphery relations, communal relations, cultural transmission, economic processes, education, Empire loyalism, ethnicity, heritage, historical interpretation, island economy, landscape wondrous, life stories, martyrdom, patriotism, performance, plantations, politIcal discourse, self-reflexivity, sri lankan society, travelogue, unusual people, war reportage, world events & processes
Wikipedia on Daisy Rasammah Daniels or Rukmani Devi … at … https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Rukmani_Devi
Daisy Rasammah Daniels, known popularly as Rukmani Devi (15 January 1923–28 October 1978: Sinhala: රුක්මණී දේවී) was a Sri Lankan film actress and singer, who was often acclaimed as “The Nightingale of Sri Lanka“.[1]
She made it to the silver screen via the stage and had acted in close to 100 films at the time of her death. Having an equal passion for singing as well as a melodious voice, she was Sri Lanka’s foremost female singer in the gramophone era.[2] After her death, she was awarded the Sarasaviya ‘Rana Thisara’- Life Time Achievement Award at the 1979 Sarasaviya Awards Festival.[3]
Filed under art & allure bewitching, commoditification, cultural transmission, economic processes, ethnicity, heritage, historical interpretation, Indian traditions, landscape wondrous, life stories, patriotism, performance, plural society, self-reflexivity, sri lankan society, travelogue, unusual people
Jan Kok, Luc Bulten and Bente M. de Leede:
“Persecuted or permitted? Fraternal Polyandry in a Calvinist colony, Sri Lanka (Ceylon), seventeenth and eighteenth centuries,” a work published by Cambridge University Press, 2022 … presented here in Thuppahi in synopsis
Abstract: Several studies assume that Calvinist Christianity severely undermined or even persecuted the practice of polyandry in the Sri Lankan areas under Dutch control. We analyze Dutch colonial policy and Church activities toward polyandry by combining ecclesiastical and legal sources. Moreover, we use the Dutch colonial administration of the Sinhalese population to estimate the prevalence of polyandry. We conclude that polyandry was far from extinct by the end of the Dutch period and we argue that the colonial government was simply not knowledgeable, interested and effective enough to persecute the practice in the rural areas under its control.
Filed under accountability, authoritarian regimes, British colonialism, centre-periphery relations, commoditification, cultural transmission, disparagement, economic processes, ethnicity, gender norms, heritage, historical interpretation, island economy, Kandyan kingdom, landscape wondrous, life stories, modernity & modernization, politIcal discourse, religiosity, self-reflexivity, sri lankan society, travelogue, unusual people, world events & processes
Chandra R. de Silva
It is likely that the paravas (also known as Bharathas in Sri Lanka to indicate their Indian origin) were working as fishermen and mercenaries in South India and the north western coast of Sri Lanka well before the sixteenth century. Tradition links them to the evolution of the catamaran (a small craft with two hulls) and with a major role in pearl fishing in the Gulf of Mannar. They were also proficient in chank (turbinella pyrum) fishing: chanks being seashells that were used to make ornaments and drinking vessels. The coming of the Portuguese to the region in the sixteenth century provides us many Portuguese records that illuminate the history and seafaring skills of this community.. Historian Jorge Manuel Flores, for example, quotes a mid-sixteenth century Portuguese document which records thanks to a parava convert named Duarte de Miranda for assistance in navigating the seas off South India.
Filed under authoritarian regimes, centre-periphery relations, communal relations, cultural transmission, economic processes, ethnicity, governance, heritage, historical interpretation, Indian religions, island economy, landscape wondrous, life stories, Portuguese imperialism, Portuguese in Indian Ocean, religiosity, sri lankan society, transport and communications, travelogue, unusual people, working class conditions, world events & processes
Sujith Silva in an exclusive Interview with Clive Inman for Quadrangle ….. The Scoop
Clive Clay Inman (born 29 January 1936 in Colombo died 07th December 2022 in England) former Ceylon Cricketer, represented N.C.C in domestic Club Cricket and later played in English Country Cricket representing turned out for Leicestershire & Derbyshire. He captained his alma mater St Peter’s College, Colombo 04 in 1954 and 1955 and won the Battle of the Saints Big match against St. Joseph’s College Colombo in 1955. He comes from a family of cricketers. His father Harry Inman played for Ceylon teams as an all rounder. Clive had four brothers all cricketers of which Roger played and captained S. Thomas’ College in 1952 (Clive played against him for St. Peter’s College). Clive was a prolific Left-hand batsman and also a right arm off break bowler who excelled during his school career, later on, built a name for himself as an outstanding batsman for Ceylon and English Country Leicestershire during the 60’s.
Filed under accountability, art & allure bewitching, centre-periphery relations, cricket for amity, cricket selections, cultural transmission, heritage, historical interpretation, life stories, patriotism, performance, self-reflexivity, Sri Lankan cricket, sri lankan society, travelogue, unusual people, world events & processes
Padraig Michael O’Leary Colman, in The Sunday Island on November 27, 2022, where the title reads “The Monk and Me”
On October 13, 2017, we heard the sad news of the death of our very dear friend, the Most Venerable Meeriyabedde Upananda Mahanayaka Thera, the Mahanayaka of Uva Amarapura Nikaya. We knew the Most Venerable Upananda for a long time before we realized how eminent he was. We just knew that he was a special human being. As well as being the High Priest of the Pelgahattene temple, he was also responsible for 56 other temples.
Filed under accountability, anti-racism, art & allure bewitching, charitable outreach, cultural transmission, economic processes, education, ethnicity, heritage, historical interpretation, island economy, landscape wondrous, life stories, meditations, performance, politIcal discourse, religiosity, self-reflexivity, sri lankan society, travelogue, unusual people, world events & processes
thuppahi
