September 3, 2018 · 2:41 am

Revelations: Oppression of the Dalits in India via A Family History

Tariq  Ali’s essay entitled THE UNSEEABLES  in the London Review of Books Vol. 40 No. 16 · 30 August 2018   …. reviewing  Ants among Elephants: An Untouchable Family and the Making of Modern India by Sujatha Gidla Daunt, 341 pp, £14.99, May, ISBN 978 1 911547 20 4

  

This is a family biography that encompasses a history rarely told: despite its longevity, caste, and caste oppression, is not a popular theme in India. Sujatha Gidla writes of poisoned lives, of disillusionment, betrayed hopes, unrequited loves, attempted escapes through alcohol and sex. What distinguishes her book is its rich mix of sociology, anthropology, history, literature and politics.

Continue reading →

1 Comment

Filed under accountability, British imperialism, caste issues, centre-periphery relations, citizen journalism, communal relations, cultural transmission, disparagement, economic processes, education, gender norms, governance, historical interpretation, human rights, Indian religions, Indian traditions, Left politics, legal issues, life stories, literary achievements, modernity & modernization, politIcal discourse, power politics, self-reflexivity, social justice, world events & processes

September 1, 2018 · 1:16 pm

Missing Persons: Q and A with Mirak Raheem

Chathusika Wijesinghe, Daily Mirror, August 2018: “Interview with one of the commissioners of OMP Mirak Raheem who touches on challenges this institute faces and the way forward with regard to serving families whose members have gone missing”

The Office on the Missing Persons (OMP) was established by the Government of Sri Lanka in order to end the suffering of victims and their families. Mirak Raheem, one of the commissioners of OMP, in an interview with the Dailymirror said that OMP possesses significant power and that it is open to the advice of others. However, he said that the number one challenge the council faces is the lack of trust people have in this organisation. Raheem also noted that the OMP will be releasing an interim report. Following are excerpts of the interview.    Continue reading →

Leave a comment

Filed under accountability, charitable outreach, democratic measures, governance, historical interpretation, human rights, landscape wondrous, legal issues, life stories, LTTE, politIcal discourse, refugees, rehabilitation, self-reflexivity, Sinhala-Tamil Relations, sri lankan society, Tamil civilians, Tamil migration, tamil refugees, Tamil Tiger fighters, the imaginary and the real, trauma, truth as casualty of war, unusual people, war crimes, war reportage, world events & processes

August 31, 2018 · 7:02 pm

Hot Press: Young Nizamdeen of Lanka arrested on Terrorism Charges in Sydney

I = News Item in NewsCom.au, 31 August 2018, entitled “Sydney man charged with terror offences”

A SRI Lankan man working at a Sydney university has been charged over a document that police allege contained plans for terrorist attacks. Mohamed Kamer Nilar Nizamdeen was arrested by counter-terrorism officers at the University of NSW in Kensington on Thursday. It followed a tip-off from a worker at the university, who police said found a notebook that allegedly named several locations and individuals as “potential targets”. “They are symbolic locations within Sydney,” Detective Acting Superintendent Mick Sheehy told reporters on Friday.

Mohamed Nizamdeen was employed by the University of New South Wales.Picture: FacebookSource:Supplied

Continue reading →

1 Comment

Filed under australian media, education, ethnicity, fundamentalism, historical interpretation, jihad, legal issues, life stories, Muslims in Lanka, politIcal discourse, religiosity, terrorism, the imaginary and the real, world events & processes

August 31, 2018 · 3:23 pm

Imran Khan is Ultimate Hope for Indo-Pak Amity — says Gavaskar

S.  Venkat Narayan, in Island, 21 August 2018 where the title is “Sunil Gavaskar: If “Immy” Khan’t usher in a new eram of friendship between India and Pakistan, nobody can”

Sunil Gavaskar, the Indian cricket legend, friend and rival of Imran Khan during their cricketing years, has expressed the hope that Khan will succeed in improving the strained relations between their nuclear-armed countries.  “Not just Pakistanis but the Indians also want him to take care of the problems between the two countries and bring a new zest to the relationship, for if Imran ‘Khan’t then nobody can!” Gavaskar declared in a special article published in The Times of India today.

Continue reading →

Leave a comment

Filed under Afghanistan, authoritarian regimes, charitable outreach, communal relations, historical interpretation, Indian Ocean politics, Indian traditions, life stories, unusual people, world events & processes

August 31, 2018 · 12:28 am

Nillanthan Maha steps out: Essays in Sinhala on the Sinhala-Tamil Interface

Nillanthan Maha, translated by Jivendran Nadarajah & Athula Vithanage… and courtesy of IDSLANKA.ORG

ONE =නිලාන්දන්: තිස් පස් වසක් රක්නා කළු ජූලියේ උරුමය කුමක්ද?

TWO =නිලාන්දන්: නයාරු ධීවර ගැටුම පිටුපස විජයෝන්මාදයේ සෙවණැලි

Continue reading →

Leave a comment

Filed under accountability, citizen journalism, economic processes, governance, historical interpretation, human rights, landscape wondrous, legal issues, life stories, politIcal discourse, power politics, security, self-reflexivity, Sinhala-Tamil Relations, sri lankan society, Tamil civilians, the imaginary and the real, trauma, unusual people, working class conditions

August 29, 2018 · 4:08 am

Presidency Stakes: A Constitutional Knot that is Gordian as Gordian can be

Neville Ladduwahetty,in The Island, 29 August 2018, where the title runs “Interpreting the 19th Amendment”

The hot topic in town is whether former twice elected Presidents Chandrika Kumaratunga and Mahinda Rajapaksa are qualified to seek reelection under provisions of the 19th Amendment. Dr. Nihal Jayawickrama in a legally well analyzed article titled “Disqualifying Twice Elected Presidents – A Failed Endeavour” (Sunday Island, August 19, 2018) argues that since Parliament did not provide in the 19th Amendment, a disqualification that would apply retrospectively former twice elected Presidents are not disqualified from seeking reelection.

Continue reading →

Leave a comment

Filed under accountability, authoritarian regimes, centre-periphery relations, constitutional amendments, governance, historical interpretation, legal issues, life stories, politIcal discourse, power politics, Presidential elections, sri lankan society

August 28, 2018 · 2:50 pm

“Hitler had …. ball” by Holy Cross College Female Band wins Prize at Malaysian Competition

Holy Cross College, Sri Lanka,International Marching Band competition Malaysia 2018 Bronze Medalist

Continue reading →

Leave a comment

Filed under charitable outreach, commoditification, cultural transmission, education, female empowerment, life stories, sri lankan society, travelogue, Uncategorized

August 28, 2018 · 11:20 am

Amer in India

Amer Fort in Amer, Rajasthan, India

On top of the Cheel ka Teela (or Hill of Eagles) in India’s Rajasthan state is the Amer Fort, a princely marble and red sandstone structure of immense beauty. Roughly four centuries old, the fort was designated a UNESCO World Heritage Site in 2013 along with five other Hill Forts of Rajasthan. Amer Fort is a great attraction for sightseers, and it welcomes thousands of visitors each day during the peak season. The treasures within include doors sheathed in panels of raised silver reliefs (or repoussé), marble carved with botanical motifs, and fantastic ceiling tiles inlaid with thousands of small, glimmering mirrors. A fortress palace fit for a Maharaja, indeed.

Continue reading →

Leave a comment

Filed under architects & architecture, art & allure bewitching, cultural transmission, Indian religions, Indian traditions, landscape wondrous, travelogue

August 27, 2018 · 11:52 pm

Repression of Uighurs in China: Why Islamic States are Silent

Alexandra Ma, in UK Business Insider, 17 August 2018, where  the title runs “Why the Muslim world isn’t saying anything about China’s repression and ‘cultural cleansing’ of its downtrodden Muslim minority”

China’s crackdown on its Uighur citizens, a mostly-Muslim ethnic minority group, has faced heavy international scrutiny in recent months. In August the United Nations said it was “deeply concerned” by reports that China had forced as many as 1 million Uighurs into internment camps in Xinjiang, western China. In April, the US State Department said it had heard of Uighurs who had “disappeared” or were unexpectedly detained.

Meanwhile, Muslim countries have been deafeningly silent.

 Map showing the projects subsumed under the Belt and Road Initiative as of December 2015. Reuters

Continue reading →

Leave a comment

Filed under accountability, centre-periphery relations, China and Chinese influences, commoditification, disparagement, foreign policy, growth pole, historical interpretation, human rights, life stories, politIcal discourse, power politics, press freedom & censorship, transport and communications, truth as casualty of war, world events & processes

August 27, 2018 · 2:49 pm

Sri Lanka’s Ancient Cities in Ultra High Definition Video

Preview YouTube video Ancient Sites in Sri Lanka in 4K Ultra HD

Amazing Places on Our Planet….Published on Aug 24, 2018

The major ancient historic sites in Sri Lanka, all UNESCO World Heritage sites: Sacred City of Anuradhapura and Mihintale, Ancient City of Polonnaruwa, Golden Temple of Dambulla, Ancient City of Sigiriya, Sacred City of Kandy. Anuradhapura was capital of Sri Lanka from the 4th century BCE until the end of the 10th century CE. Anuradhapura and the nearby Mihintale are the birthplace of Buddhism in Sri Lanka. Polonnaruwa was the second capital of Sri Lanka, from 1070 to 1310. The Golden Temple of Dambulla is a cave-temple complex, pilgrimage site for 22 centuries, with beautiful mural paintings and statues. Sigiriya (Lion Rock) is an ancient fortress on top of a 200 meter high rock, capital of Sri Lanka for a short time in the 5th century, and Buddhist monastery until the 14th century. Kandy was the last old capital of Sri Lanka. Temple of the Tooth Relic is a famous pilgrimage site in Kandy, keeping the sacred tooth of the Buddha.

Recorded January 2016 in 4K Ultra HD with Sony AX100. Music: Mike Wall – Passage – 1 – Dawn of Light Licensed via ilicensemusic.com ————————————– Continue reading →

Leave a comment

Filed under architects & architecture, art & allure bewitching, education, Indian traditions, landscape wondrous, sri lankan society, travelogue