The Abeyesundere’s of Galle: Their History

Item in THE ISLAND, November 2025

A book covering the entrepreneurial ability and other matters pertaining to the well-known Abeyesundere family from Galle, Sri Lanka, authored by scientist of repute Dr. Nirmala M. Pieris, will be launched on November 14 at 6 pm at the auditorium of the Sri Lanka Foundation Institute, Colombo 7.

The book traces the 220-year history of the Abeyesundere family of Galle and centres on Pemyano William Abeyesundere, a respected ship chandler, landowner, and philanthropist. It weaves together archival research, family records and oral histories to present a detailed account of heritage and community, the publisher says in a brief write-up.

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A NOTE From Michael Roberts, November 2025

The Abeyesundere  family household in the  mid-twentieth  cenuty was in Kaluwella, the suburb where  St. Aloysius ] College served all and sundry.  Sushila and  Lakshman Abeyesundere both  attended  St. Aloysius and Lakshman played for the  cricket team when I was also in the team. He was  one of our  more fallible fielders, but pulled off two brilliant catches at cover  when we had only three fielders in the off for one of our  left-arm bowlers (Nizam? Vanderputt?) in the course of a strategic bowling programme called “leg-theory!” … a policy which won us that match as far as I can  recall.

Leg-Theory!! Therein lies a MAJOR STORY….. that went into the history of  Aloysian cricket as a team known as “The Invincibles” guided by Marcus  Jayasinghe  and led by Anwer Jawath. lakshman  is  seated on  the Csrl extreme left next  a  bloke named roberts, while anver is seated at centre enxt to our  revered Marcus coach, while Vernon  Regis and Carlyle Rodrigo are seated to his right.

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What IF? A Speculative Question in Sri Lanka’s History from 1956 Onwards

Madhuka Wickramarachchi

“If we assume that in an alternate reality, if then Prime Minister Bandaranaike had not chosen to bring the language legislation in 1956, what could have happened? (suppose that he had chosen the Buddhist agenda, instead) Would the English language ahev continued to dominate throughout or would the natural ecology of languageswould taken place in society and the Sinhala language assumed a dominant position over time?”

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Mongia’s Assessment of the Forthcoming SAF’s Tour of India

Siddarth Mongia in  ESPNcricinfo, November  2025,  where the  sub-title reads;

Big picture: World Test Champions’ toughest test

The variety of conditions Test cricket offers is evident from how the format’s world champions, South Africa, have not been able to even compete in their previous seven Tests in India, the country of their next challenge. They lost six of those Tests comprehensively, and were on their way in the seventh but for the rain.
Even within India, South Africa have struggled in a variety of conditions. In 2015-16, they were outdone by a young side for whom the team management considered raging turners a necessity. Then, in 2019-20, against an established home team, South Africa were blanked by huge margins on good batting surfaces that had nothing for the home spinners, who averaged 27.18 compared to their fast bowlers’ 17.50.

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Syria is A Nonentity Today

Nostradamus II, … with highlighting added by The Editor, Thuppahi

Jolani isn’t as stupid as one might think. Before meeting Trump in the oval office and getting a tour of the Lincoln Bedroom and a state banquet, the former head-chopping Jolani met with Putin and secured Russian support and legitimacy for his presidency, so the Russians will probably support the US resolution at the UN. The Russians are as bad as the Americans, and are just as willing to jump into bed with terrorists as the Americans. Putin has given Jolani his support.  When it comes to Syria, the Brits, Putin, the EU, Trump and Netanyahu are on the same page.

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India vs Safs: An Appraisal

Danny Byrne

Dear Friends, I am in Calcutta for the India vs South Africa Test Series. I have a few issues with technology at the moment as I bought a new laptop a few days ago at the duty-free shop at Panama Airport and the settings for Windows 11 were exclusively in Spanish. Some wonderful friends in the Beehive pub in South London have helped to get a new version installed in English but the keys on the computer are a mess and do not correspond to the symbols displayed in front of me. I cannot find the apostrophe or the question mark and several other useful keys.

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Galle Literary Festival Opts Out in 2026

A GENERAL NOTICE  …. ALAS!

From  The Organisers of the GLF

We have taken the difficult decision this week to postpone the 2026 edition of Galle Literary Festival.We know that this will be disappointing news for many of you, and we can only apologise for the impact this may have on your plans for January.

Since its founding in 2007, the Festival has played a huge part in establishing Galle as a hub for arts, culture, and thought-provoking conversation. We are incredibly grateful to our sponsors, supporters, and the community of Galle Fort for their continued faith in us.

  A Scene from the 2024 Gathering

 

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The Vital Role of the Northern & Eastern Provinces for Sri Lanka NOW

Visvalingam Muralithas   NOW

The Northern and Eastern Provinces of Sri Lanka are historically and strategically important regions that contribute significantly to the country’s economy, social development, and cultural heritage. Despite decades of conflict and disruption, these provinces possess immense potential due to their land resources, human capital, and emerging economic sectors.

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Beauties Contesting MISS UNIVERSE Title in 2025

Item in The Island taken from SEEN AROUND, with  text by Ivan Alvis entitled “Favourites for the title of Miss Universe 2025”

Obviously, right now it’s the guessing game as to who will be crowned Miss Universe 2025 when it all happens on 21 November, 2025, at the Impact Challenger Hall 2, in Bangkok, Thailand.

Representing Sri Lanka at this prestigious contest is Lihasha Lindsay White, while Melloney Dassanayake did the needful last year, in Mexico.

Representing Sri Lanka at this prestigious contest is Lihasha Lindsay White, [pictured below], while Melloney Dassanayake did the needful last year, in Mexico.

There are predictions, from various sources, regarding the final outcome of Miss Universe 2025, and, according to reports, the following are some top contenders:

Miss USA: She’s a strong favourite among fans, exuding confidence, beauty, and intelligence.

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Nailbiter Loss for Lanka in 50-Over Clash in Pakistan

Madushka  Balasuriya in ESPNcricinfo.com,  11 November  2025, where the title reads “Agha, Rauf upstage Hasaranga as Pakistan win thriller to go 1-0 up”

Sri Lanka fought hard through cameos from Samarawickrama, Theekshana and then Hasaranga but had a tall ask and fell six runs short.

Salman Agha got to his century in just 83 balls, Pakistan vs Sri Lanka, 1st ODI, Rawalpindi, November 11, 2025

Salman Agha got to his century in just 83 balls  •  AFP/Getty Images

Pakistan 299 for 5 (Agha 105*, Talat 62, Nawaz 36*, Hasaranga 3-54) beat Sri Lanka 293 for 9 (Hasaranga 59, Samarawickrama 39, Mishara 38, Rauf 4-61) by six runs
Pakistan withstood a valiant all-round display from Wanindu Hasaranga to come away with a six-run victory in the first ODI against Sri Lanka in Rawalpindi, and with it take a 1-0 lead in the three match series.

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Hot Press! Illustrated Talk on Martin Wickramasinghe

By Uditha Devapriya

In 1906, Martin Wickramasinghe prematurely ended his formal studies and arrived in Colombo in search of employment. Eventually, he found work. He then began to explore the city, meeting people and taking part in public discussions. He also began to read widely, and to reflect on what he read. All this laid the foundation for his writing career. The lecture will explore Wickramasinghe’s early experiences in Colombo, focusing on the books and authors he read and the impact they had on him.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

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