August 24, 2023 · 12:49 am

In Awe of A Richmondite in the International World of Space

HLD Mahindapala writing in 1999, … with this title: “NANDI– The Southern Star in Space,” .… in Mahindapala: From A Scribe’s Pen”

The route from an obscure Sinhala-Buddhist mixed school in Dodanduwa, Sri Lanka to the Outer Space Affairs Office of the United Nations in New York and Vienna was inevitably long, winding, and arduous, with usual quota of diversions and pitfalls on the way. But nothing en route – not even the English alphabet unknown to him in his early education – daunted Nandasiri (known to his friends as “Nandi”) Jasentuliyana. His upward movement from the Sinhala-Buddhist village school in the south to the heights of the Director of the United Nations Office for Outer Space Affairs and Deputy Director- General of the United Nations in Vienna is an untold saga known only to a few who had known him.

 

 

 

 

 

Continue reading →

1 Comment

Filed under art & allure bewitching, cricket for amity, cultural transmission, education, heritage, historical interpretation, life stories, performance, sri lankan society, travelogue, unusual people, world events & processes

August 23, 2023 · 6:52 pm

Eagle & Carp, Elephant & Man …. Remarkable UTube Tales

 

Continue reading →

Leave a comment

Filed under accountability, landscape wondrous, life stories, performance, the imaginary and the real, travelogue, unusual people

August 22, 2023 · 10:32 am

Reflections on Eustace Rulach’s Satire of January 1985

Michael Roberts

On the 27th of January 1985 The lsland newspaper presented a cartoon sketch of a lion being confronted by a cockroach possessing the same physical scale as the lion under the caption “Hoisting the Flag for Lansi Eelam.” The lion denoted the Sinhala people, that is, the Sinhala nation in all its deep history and majesty. The cockroach signified the Burgher people of Sri Lanka, namely the “lansi.” The cartoon was supported by a letter attributed to a “Sharm De Alwis.”

   Voila! So, it has come, but sooner than I expected: the call for a unified Lansieelam.

When I anticipated such a move I did tell a friend that were I the President I’d give the Burghers the Bambalapitiya Flats with the sea frontage thrown in for good measure. They would then be free to harness their intrinsic but long-forgotten skills in reclaiming the sea and build derricks to Mozambique or even Rotterdam.

But what bugged me was when my friend took me at my word and produced the next day the visual of the Lansieelam map. Not that I would have any objections to the apt depiction of the cockroach but that the pest had assumed the same proportions of the Sinhala Lion.

My friend re-assures me that what she has in mind is not a separate state but an isolated plot fully integrated with the Sinhala state and the cockroach, large as it now is, gives ample muscle aid to the Lion to combat other opposing factors.

Sharm de Alwis, 82/1, Kandy Road,, Kiribathgoda

Continue reading →

4 Comments

Filed under accountability, atrocities, authoritarian regimes, centre-periphery relations, chauvinism, communal relations, cultural transmission, demography, devolution, discrimination, disparagement, education policy, Eelam, electoral structures, ethnicity, governance, historical interpretation, Islamic fundamentalism, legal issues, life stories, LTTE, martyrdom, nationalism, politIcal discourse, power politics, prabhakaran, religiosity, security, self-reflexivity, Sinhala-Tamil Relations, sri lankan society, terrorism, trauma, truth as casualty of war, unusual people, vengeance, working class conditions, world events & processes, zealotry

August 20, 2023 · 3:31 pm

Central SL Navy Role in the Defeat of the LTTE, 2007-09

Michael Roberts

In responding to an email note from the Trinitian MOHAN SAHAYAM re another Trinitian TRAVIS SINNIAH, I proceeded to search for my articles on the role of Commodores Wasantha Karannagoda and Travis Sinniah in identifying and sinking the LTTE’s (illegal?) merchant navy supply ships way out in the Indian Ocean and sinking them in 2007 (a central element in defeating the LTTE).

These are some of my chance FINDS.

 

Continue reading →

1 Comment

Filed under accountability, centre-periphery relations, counter-insurgency, Eelam, foreign policy, historical interpretation, Indian Ocean politics, landscape wondrous, life stories, LTTE, military strategy, nationalism, performance, politIcal discourse, power politics, Rajapaksa regime, sea warfare, security, self-reflexivity, Sinhala-Tamil Relations, sri lankan society, Tamil Tiger fighters, transport and communications, truth as casualty of war, unusual people, war reportage, world events & processes

August 19, 2023 · 8:34 pm

The Allure of Pigeon Island near Trinco in Lanka

SHENELLER introduces many tourist sites in Sri La nka ….and in this video-film episode introduces PIGEON ISLAND off Trincomalee‘s Nilaweli Beach in a video entitled “Swimming with Sharks at Pigeon Island” 

https://mail.google.c/u/0/?tab=rm&ogbl#inbox/FMfcgzGtwgkxvGvkShGtfRNZCTMmmdvh?projector=1

Continue reading →

Leave a comment

Filed under art & allure bewitching, cultural transmission, economic processes, heritage, landscape wondrous, life stories, marine life, nature's wonders, sri lankan society, tourism

August 18, 2023 · 1:46 pm

Ceylon’s Sporting Magicians at Cricket from the 1950s & 1960s

This photograph of several sporting personalities in Sri Lanka’s past reached me via Lorenz Pereira this week  — prompting me to locate pictorial ‘grabs’ from their cricketing past from the rambling records of Thuppahi and Cricketique.

Continue reading →

1 Comment

Filed under accountability, art & allure bewitching, centre-periphery relations, cricket for amity, cricket selections, ethnicity, historical interpretation, landscape wondrous, life stories, patriotism, performance, Sri Lankan cricket, sri lankan society, travelogue, unusual people

August 17, 2023 · 3:26 pm

Remembering Lakshman Kadirgamar: Sri Lanka First

DBS Jeyaraj, inDaily Telegraph,16 August 2023 .. where the title reads “Lakshman Kadirgamar’s Jaffna Tamil Christian heritage”

Lakshman Kadirgamar’s 18th death anniversary was observed last Saturday. The former foreign minister fell victim to a Liberation Tigers of Tamil Eelam (LTTE) sniper in Colombo on 12 August 2005. Kadirgamar was one who defined himself first and foremost as a Sri Lankan. This endeared Kadirgamar to a very large number of Sri Lankans. However the fact remains that he was by ethnicity a Tamil and a Christian by religion. His parents hailed from Jaffna. This article focuses on Lakshman Kadirgamar’s Jaffna Tamil Christian heritage.

Continue reading →

3 Comments

Filed under accountability, architects & architecture, communal relations, constitutional amendments, democratic measures, education, electoral structures, ethnicity, governance, historical interpretation, human rights, Indian Ocean politics, language policies, life stories, martyrdom, nationalism, patriotism, politIcal discourse, power politics, self-reflexivity, Sinhala-Tamil Relations, sri lankan society, truth as casualty of war, unusual people, vengeance, world events & processes

August 17, 2023 · 1:33 pm

Matilda’s Defeat & Nostradamus in Adelaide

 

SOME IMMEDIATE RESPONSES

“Amazing that Irene also had a premonition that the Matildas would lose 3-1” …..   Ralph Shlomowitz caressing his partner

“Poor Roberts he was asking for it. Shall I organize some Pretzels 🥨 🥨🥨🥨🥨🥨🥨🥨🥨for the Spectators ?” …. Herbert Perera from Deep in Germany

Continue reading →

Leave a comment

Filed under accountability, art & allure bewitching, atrocities, Australian culture, charitable outreach, disaster relief team, disparagement, life stories, patriotism, performance, self-reflexivity, slanted reportage, taking the piss, the imaginary and the real, trauma, unusual people

August 17, 2023 · 12:42 am

Where Economics alters the Tea Brew

Zinara Rathnayake in NEW LINES MAGAZINE, August 2023, where the title headline read “In Sri Lanka, Economic Crisis Alters the Taste of Tea”

As a child, Sujeewan Sundaralingam woke up to his mother’s tea — thé or théthani as it’s called in Sri Lanka — made with milk powder every morning. It was creamy and thick and had a taste that the 33-year-old said he “just cannot explain.” The two-pound Anchor milk powder tin — a product of Fonterra, New Zealand’s largest company and a $14 billion revenue brand — was his mother’s most precious kitchen ingredient. She used to hide it on the top shelf, and when she wasn’t home, Sundaralingam would scoop out two tablespoons into his palm, mix it with sugar and devour it in one gulp, licking off the last bits.

A man pours tea — thé, or théthani, as it’s called in Sri Lanka. (Nazly Ahmed)

 

Continue reading →

Leave a comment

Filed under accountability, centre-periphery relations, Colombo and Its Spaces, economic processes, governance, heritage, historical interpretation, island economy, life stories, plantations, politIcal discourse, sri lankan society, transport and communications, world events & processes

August 14, 2023 · 7:21 pm

In Appreciation of Dr Susiri Weerasekara, A Servant of Humankind

Arjuna Perera: In Loving Memory of Dr. J. K. S. Weerasekara, a Remarkable Doctor and Beloved Uncle … A Vale & An Adieu in Facebook

With heavy hearts, we bid farewell to a truly extraordinary individual, my wife’s uncle, who departed from us last Monday. As we reflect on his life, we are reminded of his immense contributions as a gifted Orthopaedic surgeon and as an exceptional human being. His legacy as a doctor goes beyond the operating room. Through his expertise and care, he touched the lives of countless patients, providing healing and comfort in their times of need. His dedication to his profession was a shining example of selflessness and compassion.

Continue reading →

Leave a comment

Filed under accountability, charitable outreach, Colombo and Its Spaces, communal relations, governance, heritage, historical interpretation, landscape wondrous, life stories, martyrdom, medical marvels, patriotism, performance, self-reflexivity, Tamil civilians, Tamil Tiger fighters, teaching profession, tolerance, unusual people, welfare & philanthophy, working class conditions, world events & processes