Category Archives: world affairs

July 21, 2024 · 8:16 pm

Rare CEYLONIANA in the Roberts Study: Issues for the Future

Hallo to Those Attached to “CEYLONIANA” and Valuable Lankan Artefacts & Books

…………… Way back I took steps to catalogue and transport my Oral History tapes and other valuable material to Sri Lanka with the assistance of Jitto Arulampalam in Melbourne, several Adelaidians and VERITE RESEARCH in Colombo (a prolonged and massive set of operations). That stock in now available to the public at the National Library Services Board in Torrington Avenue, Colombo.[1]

Now: as my wife and I age and enter the last phase of our lives, we face the issue of the stock in my study. This includes:

  1. many-many-many off-prints of articles on Sri Lanka and world politics;
  2. books under my name;
  3. books on Sri Lanka and/or world politics (including Marxist fare);
  4. Sessional Papers and Census publications from official stock in Sri Lanka …in largish foolscap size bound copies ….;

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July 21, 2024 · 8:30 am

The International Centre of Ethnic Studies in Sri Lanka: Its Genesis in 1981-83

Kingsley M. De Silva …. a summary memo drafted way back by Professor Kingsley M. De Silva and sent to me in July 2024 by Iranga Silva of the ICES in Kandy[1]

Early in 1981, I had two American visitors, one of whom, Professor Donald Horowitz, I had known since the late 1960s when he visited the island for research on the abortive coup d’état of 1962 in the island. The other was Robert Goldmann, a programme officer of the Ford Foundation in New York. They had come to Kandy to invite me to a Ford Foundation-sponsored conference to be held in August 1981 at the Taita Hills Game Park about 200 km from Nairobi, Kenya, where a group of scholars and administrators—from governments and the private sector—from many parts of the world would discuss the theme of ‘Ethnic Problems in the Developing and Developed Worlds’. A record of the proceedings of this conference—including most of the papers presented—is available in the library of the ICES in Kandy.

Prof. Goldmann

to be presented one of Prof. Horowitz

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July 15, 2024 · 4:19 pm

Facing the West: Three Strands of Russian Thinking Today

Observer in a Black Sea Port, …. with highlighting mpasis imposed by Thuppahi

Broadly speaking, today, there are three types of Russians as follows, 

1) Pro-Western Russians. This group love the West, want Russia to be fully integrated in the West, and believe that can only happen if Putin is killed or removed. They use words like “fascist”, “tyrant”, “bloodthirsty”, “war criminal”, and “genocidal maniac” to describe Putin. All of this is dangerous hyperbole because they don’t appreciate that if Putin were removed, a hardcore nationalist would likely replace him — which will be far worse than Mr. Putin. Continue reading →

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May 30, 2024 · 1:52 pm

A Classic Painting: Donald Friend’s ‘Reading’ of the Bandaranaike Legacy

https://thuppahis.com/2020/07/20/donald-friend-assessed-by-venerable-bhikkhu-dhammika-in-2003/Helene De Rosayro

This is an artwork seen at Retford Park, Bowral NSW,  hung on the wall of the residence of James Fairfax former owner of Fairfax Media. It is one of many paintings hung in his dining room where he had entertained many, including Heads of State and guests .

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February 28, 2024 · 3:33 pm

Lecture on Buddhist Temple Paintings durng the Colonial Period

Prof. Chandanie Wanigatunge will be delivering a National Trust Lecture on “Temple Paintings during Colonial Period” ….. at 6.00 pm, Thursday, 29th February 2024 ………. The Auditorium of the College of Surgeons of Sri Lanka, No. 6, Independence Avenue, Colombo 7….. accessible on You Tube: https://www.youtube.com/@ntsl9627

Degaldoruwa Temple

 

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February 28, 2024 · 12:20 am

Legacy of an Artist and Musician … George de Niese & His Descendants

Premila Thurairatnam …. Review of a presentation at the meeting of CSA (Melbourne Chapter) held on Sunday 12th Nov 2023 by Alan de Niese … with highlighting imposed by The Editor, Thuppahi

Melburnians gathered at Ashwood Hall on a beautiful spring day to listen to 3MBS presenter of ‘Wednesday Night at the Opera’ Alan de Niese. In his natural, engaging, manner he related his ancestors’ history, in particular, of George de Niese who was a well-known painter and musician in Ceylon. Alan’s Dutch ancestry dates back to 1730 when Benjamin de Niese was born. He was a soldier with the Dutch East India Company and a Scriba of the Land Court of Jaffna. George de Niese (1884–1954) was his great-great-great grandson making him the sixth generation to be born and live in Jaffna. His father James was a recognised artist in Jaffna. He was also a jack-of-all-trades who was known to be a good tailor and cobbler.

   George de Niese — a self-portrait in 1944

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January 8, 2024 · 8:55 pm

Remembering Ian Goonetileke: A Doyen of The Arts & Sri Lankan Publications

Gamini Seneviratne, in a set of profound reflections entitled “Ian Goonatileke, A Memory” and presented previously …. but now subject to a change of title and highlights imposed by The Editor, Thuppahi

 

Browsing through various writings that had to do with Ian, I came upon the following paragraphs that seem to merit a fresh airing in the light of the literary awards recently made under the Gratiaen Trust. Regardless of his spell of scepticism (as mentioned below) that made him turn away from his commitment to advancing his friend Michael Ondaatje’s hopes and intent in funding that Trust it came to establish another award in Ian’s name, one for translation.

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January 1, 2024 · 3:31 pm

JLK Van Dort’s Vibrant 19th Century Sketches of British Ceylon

Ismeth Raheem, in  the Sunday Times, 24 December 2023, where the title reads “A Christmas sketch among the many 19th century social events captured by J.L.K. Van Dort”  . … An Item conveyed to me by David Sansoni of Sydney  and now sibject to my=highlighting emphasis (Editor, Thuppahi)

J.L.K. Van Dort who flourished in the latter half of the 19th century in Sri Lanka could well be described as the ‘Hogarth of Ceylon’. He was undoubtedly the best-known painter and illustrator working in the country at the time. From 1850 up till to his death in 1896, he recorded almost every social event of importance with his deft quick sketches, including religious festivals like Christmas.

 

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December 24, 2023 · 12:01 am

A Suppository FOR An Innocent’s Arse in England

A Suffering Ignoramus

About half a century back I was driving with my wife to Bath when I found myself struggling to breathe. We drove immediately to the Bath hospital where I joined the Emergency queue. The same problem persisted: fit and well but couldn’t breathe! I quickly saw that the others in the queue were far worse off than I was. One had a deep gash in his neck; another a badly wounded arm, etc, etc. My non-breathing was trivial to everyone except myself!

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November 11, 2023 · 6:30 pm

Glenn Maxwell’s Puja in Sachin’s Presence

After a remarkable feat of batsmanship on one leg that brought him 200 runs and secured an Australian victory against Afghanistan at the World Cup match in Mumbai, Glenn Maxwell went on his knees in puja to the all-time Indian great Sachin Tendulkar ……    

 

 

 

 

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