Thuppahi&#039;s Blog

Filed under accountability, american imperialism, authoritarian regimes, centre-periphery relations, charitable outreach, democratic measures, economic processes, foreign policy, governance, historical interpretation, human rights, self-reflexivity, social justice, sri lankan society, truth as casualty of war, UN reports, war crimes, working class conditions, world events & processes

December 29, 2017 · 1:54 am

Geo-Political Power in the Human Rights ‘Órder’

Richard Falk, in Island, 28 December 2017, where the title is “Human rights, democracy & international liberalism””

The liberal exclusion of collective rights should be reviewed, and the tendency to gloss over the existence of poverty and gross inequality endemic in capitalist societies should be subjected to critical scrutiny. As well, the tendency of socialist or state-dominated societies to undervalue civil and political rights of individuals should be equally scrutinized.

Filed under american imperialism, authoritarian regimes, centre-periphery relations, China and Chinese influences, democratic measures, discrimination, governance, heritage, historical interpretation, human rights, terrorism, the imaginary and the real, truth as casualty of war, war crimes, welfare & philanthophy, working class conditions, world events & processes

December 27, 2017 · 3:10 am

A Fateful Day: 26th December Thirteen Years Back

with these images below from Daily News, 27 December 2017, … http://www.dailynews.lk/2017/12/27/local/138327/remebering-their-loved-ones

A ceremony to remember thousands of people who lost their lives to the deadly tsunami that hit the island 13 years ago was held at Pereliya, Galle – the location of the largest single rail disaster in world history. On December 26, 2004, over 1,500 people onboard the Matara bound train were swept away by the deadly tsunami waves at Peraliya — Picture by Wimal Karunatilake

Two boys light incense sticks beside a photograph of their loved ones at a memorial held yesterday to remember those who were killed in the 2004 Boxing Day Tsunami. Memorial events to mark 13 years since the Tsunami were held at Thiruchchenthoor, Dutch Bar, Kallady Mukathuwaram and Navalady in Batticaloa with religious leaders, parents, relations and friends of the departed gathering to pay respects to their loved ones — Picture by Sivam Packiyanathan, Batticaloa Special Correspondent

Filed under cultural transmission, heritage, landscape wondrous, life stories, meditations, religiosity, self-reflexivity, sri lankan society, trauma

December 26, 2017 · 5:52 pm

About Choosing a School. Royalist Sons of Thomian Fathers

Rajakeeya

The perennial debate that sparks off when old Royalists and old Thomians meet often centres around the claim over which of the two schools had a better record in producing successful men. There is no doubt that both schools have produced men of eminence whether it be national leaders, academics, professionals, sportsmen, businessmen or those immersed in the fine arts. One unfailing test of the claim of superiority is to ascertain what eminent old boys themselves look for when choosing an educational institution for their own sons.

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Filed under accountability, charitable outreach, cultural transmission, education, heritage, landscape wondrous, life stories, performance, self-reflexivity, sri lankan society, taking the piss, the imaginary and the real

December 25, 2017 · 5:22 pm

Haallelujah! USA isolated on Jerusalem Issue

Bandu de Silva, in Island, 25 December 2017, where the title is “UN Resolution: US bullying didn’t deter Sri Lanka

Will Sri Lanka joining 127 other countries in supporting the UN Resolution against America’s recognition of Jerusalem as Israeli Capital, in the General Assembly Emergency Session’s vote on 21 December 2017 be a real test of her foreign policy in the wake of new power politics in the world as practised by the US? President Trump threatened to cut off US financial aid to those countries which voted in favour of the resolution, but Sri Lanka voted in favour of the resolution like the other 127 states which did likewise.

Filed under accountability, american imperialism, authoritarian regimes, economic processes, foreign policy, governance, historical interpretation, Indian Ocean politics, island economy, modernity & modernization, politIcal discourse, power politics, Rajapaksa regime, self-reflexivity, sri lankan society, transport and communications, world events & processes

December 21, 2017 · 5:15 am

Jewish-Muslim Amity in Essaouira and Morocco

Item in The Economist Nov 2nd 2017, where the title is Morocco’s little idyll of Jewish-Muslim coexistence: A moment of religious harmony””

ONCE a year the little seaside town of Essaouira, in Morocco, reclaims its lost Jewish community. Sephardic trills echo from its whitewashed synagogues. The medieval souks fill with Jewish skullcaps. Rabbis and cantors wish Muslims “Shabbat Shalom” and regale them with Hebrew incantations. “It’s our culture,” says a merchant from Marrakech, who travelled 200km (124 miles) to hear them this year.

Filed under charitable outreach, cultural transmission, heritage, historical interpretation, landscape wondrous, life stories, self-reflexivity, tolerance, unusual people, world events & processes

December 16, 2017 · 1:27 pm

The Beira Lake in Colonial Times

Shannine Daniel, courtesy of The Roar, 14 December 2017 where the title runs “The Beira Lake and its colonial history”

The man-made lakes—or tanks—constructed in Sri Lanka were built with one purpose in mind: to hold the rainwater which would help with agricultural activities throughout the year. There are several stories related to the history of such tanks, many of which were made by the kings. The Beira Lake, however, located in the city of Colombo, was built for a completely different reason—and not by one of our ancient kings either.

Thr Lake today

see https://www.csmonitor.com/World/Asia-South-Central/2017/1117/Mumbai-museum-challenges-Indians-self-image

Filed under art & allure bewitching, British colonialism, cultural transmission, economic processes, governance, heritage, historical interpretation, landscape wondrous, life stories, military strategy, Portuguese in Indian Ocean, sri lankan society, world events & processes

December 13, 2017 · 2:59 pm

A Historical Exhibition in Mumbai that Challenges the Hindutva

Vaishnavi Chandrashekhar, courtesy of Christian Science Monitor, 17 November 2017, where the title runs “Mumbai museum challenges Indians’ self image

In a dimly lit gallery at Mumbai’s premier museum, visitors admire a 17th-century cloth painting depicting characters from a Muslim court in south-central India. An Ottoman trader feeds a bird; a Central Asian merchant holds a Chinese vase; and in one corner, a yogi sitting cross-legged on a deer-skin contemplates a wondrous new object: a pineapple brought to India from the New World by the Portuguese. Such intriguing juxtapositions, unexpected stories, and global connections form the essence of an ambitious new exhibition that recounts India’s history and its engagement with the world through 200 objects. In doing so, it offers a counterpoint to rising intolerance and nationalism in India and elsewhere.

Filed under communal relations, cultural transmission, fundamentalism, heritage, historical interpretation, landscape wondrous, life stories, meditations, politIcal discourse, reconciliation, self-reflexivity, the imaginary and the real, tolerance, world events & processes

December 13, 2017 · 12:55 am

Germany goes “Batty”: A Plan to Deter Migrants

Stefan Frank, courtesy of Gatestone, 12 December 2017, where the title is “Germany’s Batty Plan to Deter Migrants

Migrants queue in the compound outside the Berlin Office of Health and Social Affairs (LAGESO) as they wait to register in Berlin, Germany, October 7, 2015. German authorities are struggling to cope with the roughly 10,000 refugees arriving every day, many fleeing conflict in the Middle East. The government expects 800,000 or more people to arrive this year and media say it could be up to 1.5 million. REUTERS/Fabrizio Bensch TPX IMAGES OF THE DAY – RTS3DBH

Every German knows that hardly any asylum seekers whose applications are rejected are forced to leave Germany. But if their application is rejected and they do decide to return to their home country, they are rewarded with an allowance of between €1000 ($1,200) and €3000 ($3,600).
This information campaign, however, must have been carefully hidden from the German public — no major newspaper reported it at the time.
“The only authentic and honest thing about this movie were the closing credits….” — Henryk Broder, columnist, Die Welt.

Filed under accountability, human rights, immigration, landscape wondrous, legal issues, life stories, modernity & modernization, politIcal discourse, power politics, refugees, rehabilitation, security, self-reflexivity, tolerance, welfare & philanthophy, working class conditions, world events & processes

December 8, 2017 · 1:59 pm

The Guard Stones Of Ancient Sri Lanka

Shannine Daniel, courtesy of Roar Media, 6 December 2017, where the title is “When Architecture and Buddhism Came Together. The Guard Stones Of Ancient Sri Lanka”

The ruins of Sri Lanka’s ancient kingdoms are a testament to the architectural skill of our ancestors. They have several unique architectural features including intricately carved stairs, the moonstones that lie at the foot of the stairs, and the guard stones that are placed on either side of the stairs at the entrances to these historic and religious sites. Among these, the guard stones, known as muragal in Sinhalese, are particularly fascinating. These features of Sinhalese architecture have both practical and decorative purposes.

Some academics believe that the concept of guard stones found its way to Sri Lanka from India