March 1, 2024 · 12:29 am

The Roberts Mss at Adelaide University Library

Michael Roberts

Recent Email Exchanges with Jane Russell of UK, who has one foot in England and two feet in island Sri Lanka, and a revived focus on  George E De Silva (1870-1950) reminded me of the George E. Mss Memoirs in typescript which Jane had given me long ago. This led me to a long list which amounts to a treasure trove for those addressing a variety of topics in the history of Sri Lanka. I present the details before. Those wishing to pursue specifics must write to the Head of the Special Collections at the Barr Smith Library Adelaide University, not to me: samantha.farnsworth@adelaide.edu.au

It is my conjecture that the same corpus of material (or parts thereof) will also be part of the Roberts Collection at the National Library Services Board along Torrington Rd (beside the National Archives) in Colombo. They could initially seek specifics from Mr Welimuni Sunil who heads the institution: viz …

Welimuni Sunil … sunilnldsb@gmail.com

Continue reading →

Leave a comment

Filed under accountability, British colonialism, Buddhism, caste issues, chauvinism, Colombo and Its Spaces, colonisation schemes, commoditification, communal relations, counter-insurgency, cultural transmission, demography, Dutch colonialism, economic processes, education, Empire loyalism, ethnicity, governance, heritage, historical interpretation, insurrections, irrigation, island economy, Kandyan kingdom, land policies, life stories, literary achievements, LTTE, modernity & modernization, Muslims in Lanka, nationalism, parliamentary elections, patriotism, photography, pilgrimages, plantations, political demonstrations, politIcal discourse, Portuguese in Indian Ocean, power politics, riots and pogroms, Royal College, Sinhala-Tamil Relations, social justice, Sri Lankan cricket, sri lankan society, suicide bombing, Tamil migration, terrorism, transport and communications, unusual people, war reportage, women in ethnic conflcits, working class conditions, world events & processes, World War II and Ceylon

February 29, 2024 · 8:00 pm

‘Hoisting the Flag for Lansi Eelam! in 1985

Michael Roberts

After several years work in asociation with Ismeth Raheem and Percy Colin-Thome  the book People Inbetween: The Burghers an the Middle Class in the Transformations within Sri Lanka, 1780s-1960s was brought out under the imprint of Savodaya Publishing Services in 1989.**  Its first chapter on “Pejorative Phrases ..” was a central and critical segment of the whole work and included an illustrative çartoon that had been presented in The Island newspaper on the 27th January 1985.

Continue reading →

Leave a comment

Filed under accountability, anti-racism, art & allure bewitching, communal relations, cultural transmission, disparagement, Eelam, ethnicity, heritage, historical interpretation, landscape wondrous, life stories, patriotism, performance, politIcal discourse, press freedom & censorship, self-reflexivity, Sinhala-Tamil Relations, sri lankan society, the imaginary and the real, tolerance, unusual people

February 29, 2024 · 7:49 pm

Fascinating Test Match at Ranchi: An English Observer’s Daily Reviews

Daniel Byrne, … in special reports for the Guy From Galle  … incomplete, alas because of computer problems

DAY ONE in RANCHI: Root’s patient century shows there is a way to succeed in India without risking throwing your wicket away

Two days before the start of the Ranchi Test players and journalists alike questioned the number of cracks already visible on the batting surface. With Jasprit Bumrah rested for the fourth Test many were suspicious that a spin friendly surface would produce a fast-moving contest likely to last only three days or four at most. The England side was revealed a day early as is the way with Stokes and McCullum allowing adequate time for the players to mentally prepare for the challenges ahead. Bairstow retained his place in the batting line up while Bashir took over from Rehan Ahmed as the second spinner. Robinson was selected instead of Wood and Anderson was promoted to bat at Number 10.

List of international cricket grounds in India – Wikipedia

Continue reading →

Leave a comment

Filed under accountability, art & allure bewitching, cricket for amity, cricket selections, cultural transmission, ethnicity, landscape wondrous, life stories, performance, tolerance, travelogue, unusual people, world events & processes

February 29, 2024 · 1:07 pm

Former Military Officers in Political Party Campaigns in Sri Lanka

Shamindra Ferdinando, in The Island, 28 February 2024 where the title runs thus: “National Elections: Ex-military Factor”... with highighting imposed by The Editor, Thuppahi

With the presidential election scheduled for later this year, political parties represented in Parliament have stepped up efforts to forge alliances.

Ex-military personnel at a rally organized by the JVP last year (pic courtesy JVP)

In terms of the Constitution, presidential elections will have to be conducted between Sept 18 and Oct 18, 2024. The last presidential election was held in Nov 2019.

Continue reading →

Leave a comment

Filed under accountability, authoritarian regimes, centre-periphery relations, communal relations, counter-insurgency, disparagement, doctoring evidence, Eelam, ethnicity, governance, historical interpretation, human rights, Indian Ocean politics, legal issues, life stories, LTTE, martyrdom, military strategy, nationalism, patriotism, politIcal discourse, power politics, Presidential elections, Rajapaksa regime, security, self-reflexivity, Sinhala-Tamil Relations, sri lankan society, terrorism, the imaginary and the real, truth as casualty of war, unusual people, vengeance, war crimes, war reportage, world events & processes, zealotry

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

 

Continue reading →

Leave a comment

Filed under architects & architecture, art & allure bewitching, Buddhism, cultural transmission, education, ethnicity, female empowerment, Hinduism, historical interpretation, Indian traditions, Kandyan kingdom, landscape wondrous, life stories, performance, religiosity, travelogue, world affairs

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

Continue reading →

11 Comments

Filed under art & allure bewitching, communal relations, cultural transmission, education, ethnicity, heritage, historical interpretation, landscape wondrous, life stories, literary achievements, paintings, performance, plural society, self-reflexivity, sri lankan society, teaching profession, theatre world, travelogue, unusual people, world affairs

February 27, 2024 · 8:18 pm

BBC on Alexei Navalny’s Death in Russian Custody

TRY https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/alexei-navalny-the-death-of-putins-biggest-critic/id1715473158?i=1000645632931

Russia’s most significant opposition leader for the past decade, Alexei Navalny, has died in an Arctic Circle jail, the prison service has said. What does that mean for the future of Russia, its opposition movement and its leader, Vladimir Putin?

In this special episode of The Global Story, Gabriel Gatehouse speaks to the BBC’s Chief International Correspondent Lyse Doucet, Olga Ivshina from the BBC’s Russian Service, and Francis Scarr, who covers Russian media for BBC Monitoring.

The Global Story brings you trusted insights from BBC experts around the world. We’re keen to hear from you, wherever you are in the world. #TheGlobalStory We want your ideas, stories and experiences to help us understand and tell The Global Story. Email us at theglobalstory@bbc.com You can also message us or leave a voice note on WhatsApp on +44 330 123 9480.

Today’s podcast was made by Peter Goffin and Miriam Quayyum. The technical producer was Mike Regaard. The assistant editor is Sergi Forcada Freixas and the senior news editor is Jonathan Aspinwall.

Continue reading →

Leave a comment

Filed under accountability, atrocities, authoritarian regimes, disparagement, ethnicity, fundamentalism, governance, historical interpretation, human rights, legal issues, life stories, politIcal discourse, power politics, Russian history, self-reflexivity, truth as casualty of war, unusual people, vengeance, war reportage, world events & processes

February 27, 2024 · 12:29 pm

Hasthihailapura or Elephant Rock City in Lanka Today

Text & Pix by Mahil Wijesinghe, at ………..  on 24 February 2024 …with this title “A Journey to the Elephant Rock city”

The stone Bodhigaraya at Nilakgama The stone Bodhigaraya at Nilakgama

Kurunegala, the capital of the North Western Province, (Wayamba) has a historical name ‘Hasthihailapura’ (Elephant Rock City). It was the royal capital of Sri Lanka from 1293-1241 A.D. and is full of legend, romance and history Continue reading →

1 Comment

Filed under ancient civilisations, architects & architecture, art & allure bewitching, Buddhism, cultural transmission, heritage, historical interpretation, landscape wondrous, life stories, self-reflexivity, sri lankan society, tourism, travelogue

February 26, 2024 · 7:54 pm

Tillakaratne Dilshan ‘scoops’ Australian Citizenship

Item in ABP News Bureau conveyed by Victor Melder

Former Sri Lankan cricketer Tillakaratne Dilshan has been granted Australian citizenship, as confirmed by Australian MP Jason Wood in a social media post.

TM Dilshan, renowned for his explosive batting style, played a pivotal role in numerous victories for the Sri Lankan cricket team throughout his career. The 47-year-old’s acquisition of Australian citizenship marks a new chapter in his life post-retirement from professional cricket.

Continue reading →

Leave a comment

Filed under art & allure bewitching, australian media, cricket for amity, economic processes, ethnicity, heritage, landscape wondrous, life stories, patriotism, performance, politIcal discourse, self-reflexivity, Sri Lankan cricket, travelogue, unusual people, world events & processes

February 26, 2024 · 1:35 am

More about “Pissu Percy”

Michael Roberts supplementing KK De Silva’s article with aid from Johnny De Silva in Melbourne (all three of us Aloysians who played cricket in the School XI in the mid-1950s)

“Michael Roberts, writes as follows on his initiation in an article titled ‘Aloysian Identity’ in the Aloysian Centenary Souvenir, 1895-1995: ‘A big cricket match meant cheering parties. Big cheering parties, and sometimes ‘bajau‘ afterwards. These cheering parties were boisterous, rumbustious, inspiring affairs — even when saddened at the end by our team’s effort.”

‘The doyen of cheer leaders in our time [my pre-16 junior days] was Royle Barthelot. And among us learning the trade which has made him famous was Percy Abeysekera, Pissu Percy, as he is lovingly (and not always lovingly), called. It could be truly said that he is one of the most widely known Aloysians of our time, leaving such luminaries as Dr Cyril Ponnamperuma in the shade!

He has also been a good ambassador as I can attest from Australian crowd responses in Adelaide — where I had the privilege of watching a one-day match where, facing an imposing target of over 300, we [the two us] watched Roshan Mahanama and Arjuna Ranatunga lead a magnificent fight back after an initial collapse in a game which we — that is Sri Lanka — lost nobly.

This just goes to show that being Aloysian has been a building block towards being Sri Lankan.’

Continue reading →

1 Comment

Filed under accountability, art & allure bewitching, centre-periphery relations, cricket for amity, cricket selections, cultural transmission, education, ethnicity, heritage, landscape wondrous, life stories, patriotism, performance, self-reflexivity, Sri Lankan cricket, sri lankan society, taking the piss, tolerance, travelogue, unusual people