August 7, 2021 · 1:41 am

Autobiography of a Sri Lankan Priest: Fr. Reid Shelton Fernando

Fr. Reid Shelton Fernando

I was born in November 1943 and baptized by Fr. F.M. Goonetilleke who was responsible for the Holy Hour Prayer book. It was in Nuwara Eliya Church as my father was then working in the Stafford Estate Ragala.  My hometown is Moratuwa and I was a parishioner of the Parish of Willorawatte.

I was ordained as a Catholic Priest of the Archdiocese of Colombo in January 1970. I had my priestly studies in the National Seminary Ampitiya in Kandy from 1962 till 1969. While I had my secular studies at St. Sebastian’s College, Moratuwa till 1957 and joined St. Aloysius Minor Seminary in Borella in 1958.

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August 6, 2021 · 7:36 pm

Adam’s Bridge? Evaluating the Legend

Patrick Ranasinghe, at elanka 2 August 2021, where the title runs thus: “Could This Be The Legendary “Magic Bridge” Connecting India And Sri Lanka? “

eLanka _ Could This Be The Legendary _Magic Bridge_ Connecting India And Sri Lanka_ – by Patrick Ranasinghe – eLanka

Location   The bridge starts as a chain of shoals from the Dhanushkodi tip of India’s Pamban Island. It ends at Sri Lanka’s Mannar Island. Pamban Island is accessed from the Indian mainland by the 2-km-long Pamban Bridge. Mannar Island is connected to mainland Sri Lanka by a causeway.

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August 6, 2021 · 3:15 am

Sinhalaness in Pre-British Ceylon: Issues and Pathways

A Review Essay by Alan Strathern** dissecting a Book by Michael Roberts published in 2004

This item was located by Thuppahi in the web-site Colombo Telegraph on 26 December 2012 (see https://www.colombotelegraph.com/index.php/the-royal-we-sinhala-identity-in-the-dynastic-state/). However, it appeared initially in 2005 in the prestigious journal Modern Asian Studies,  39: 1013–1026.

AN INTRODUCTORY NOTE by Michael Roberts, 7 August 2021

This item is a review essay not a standard review. Alan Strathern is an accomplished historian who happens to be the son of a leading social anthropologist, viz., Marilyn Strathern of ANU and Cambridge University. You will find that his prose is as refined and clear-cut as demanding. After some hesitation, I decided to adhere to my normal policy of highlighting some parts of the text with blue colour – for the benefit of readers facing the difficulties posed by complex issues in historical sociology. On occasions I have also imposed a break in extra-long paragraphs. The illustrations too are my impositions intended to promote reader interest.

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August 5, 2021 · 8:34 pm

From Trent Bridge without Mr Covid as India undermines England

Danny Byrne,** … whose choice of title runs thsu: “India’s bowlers run through the England batting order. Day 1 at Trent Bridge.”

The coach from Victoria travelled along Wellington Road at the back of the Nursery End at Lords as it made its way north and out of London. Two new spaceships had recently crash landed either side of the original press centre since the last time I had visited, and the so-called traditional home of cricket resembled an apocalyptic nightmare with brightly coloured kids queuing up to enter at the North Gate as if they were going for an audition for a role in the latest Star Wars movie. I was pleased to be leaving all that behind and heading towards Nottingham to watch my preferred version of the game.

  It was not the clouds but the green pitch, steamy conditons and Indian seamers who undermined England’s batting side

  Jasprit Bumrah gave India the early advantage at Trent Bridge •  © Getty Images

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August 4, 2021 · 2:04 pm

Armand de Souza: Intrepid Journalist and Editor in Yesteryear

Chelvathamby Maniccavasgar, in an Appreciation presented in the Daily News, 3 November 2012  ... with a different title

The 138th birth anniversary of Armand de Souza, a great patriot and founder of ‘Ceylon Morning Leader’ and its Editor will be observed next week. In fact, he used his column to fight the powerful colonial rulers to replace the farce where the legislative council was loaded with officials for the Governor to have his own way in the administration of the island.

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August 2, 2021 · 2:03 am

Kitulgala and the Classic Movie “Bridge on the River Kwai”

Michael Roberts

Nihal Rajapaksa has sent me three video clips[1] pertaining to that classic film “The Bridge on the River Kwai,” starring actors William Holden (American), Alex Guinness (British) and Jack Hawkins (British) – a film that was directed by David Lean and was shot in Ceylon in 1957  — with local links aided by the collaboration of Chandran Rutnam among other locals. Whatever your age, these clips are a “Must See” category (three specific web-references afe served up below in RED).

Chandran Rutnam and William Holden while shooting The Bridge on the River Kwai.

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August 1, 2021 · 3:21 pm

A Death-Bed Declamation in Grief from Bishop Lakshman Wickremesinghe in September 1983

Text of the final Pastoral Letter written by the Anglican Bishop of Kurunegala, Rt. Rev. L Wickremasinghe, in September 1983 after the July 1983 Violence ……  [Bishop Lakshman passed away some weeks after this on October 23rd 1983] ………….. from http://dbsjeyaraj.com 28 July 2021, 9:28 pm

“The Tragedy is that it is Becoming Harder in 1983 for Sinhala Christians to Acknowledge that what was done is a GREATER Moral Crime than in 1958” …………….. Bishop Lakshman Wickremesinghe

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August 1, 2021 · 1:23 am

Old England Cricketing Mates farewell Mike Hendricks

Courtesy of Dr Sarath Gamani De Silva, a Richmondite

Mike Hendrick, former England and Derbyshire bowler, died at the age of 72. Hendricks was suffering from bowl cancer and was in his last stages. What a farewell.  This get together was taken just ten days ago ………………@ Derby CCC.

John Lever, Ian Botham, Mike Hendrick, Bob Taylor, Geoff Miller. Derek Randall. John Emburey and Geoff Boycott, all gathered to say farewells to Hendrick..

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July 31, 2021 · 3:11 pm

The Taliban Campaign. The West in Deep Shit in Afghanistan

David Kilcullen, in The Australian, 31 July 2021,.  [and  The Inquirer, 31 July ]where the title reads  “Making sense of the Afghan fiasco, and how to fix it” … 2021 and with this byline : “there are four moves that could stabilise the situation long enough to get talks back on track.”

If a gaffe is when a politician accidentally tells the truth, US President Joe Biden committed one a few weeks ago, answering a question about Afghanistan, when he said “the mission hasn’t failed, yet”. That “yet” contains multitudes: a tangle of military and humanitarian factors refracted through political spin and a hyper-partisan US media.

 Afghan militia gather with their weapons to support Afghanistan security forces against the Taliban, in Afghan warlord and former Mujahideen Ismail Khan’s house in Herat on July 9. Picture: AFP

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July 31, 2021 · 2:43 am

President Premadasa’s Gross Failures on the Warfront in the North in 1989/90

 Shamindra Ferdinando, in The Island, 21 July 2021, where the title is “How Premadasa paved the way for first Parama Weera Vibushanaya, posthumously”

One-time Army Commander Gen. Daya Ratnayake (2013-2015) recently joined a special event on Zoom in honour of those who made the supreme sacrifice at Kokavil, 31 years ago. Prof. Raj Somadeva and writer Charith Kiriella delivered special lectures on the occasion. Those who defended the isolated Kokavil base – Officer Commanding, Kokavil transmission complex, Saliya Aladeniya, an old Trinitian who was posthumously promoted Captain of 3 Battalion, Sri Lanka Sinha Regiment (3 SLSR), and his men, perished in the battle. The LTTE didn’t hand over their bodies.

  Aladeniya

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