About Sharika Thiranagama ……. Today

Rohan Gunaratna  in  FACEBOOK, August 2025

Rohan Gunaratna

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Congratulations to Sri Lankan-born American Anthropologist, Prof. Sharika Thiranagama, on winning the Davidson Prize at Cambridge University, where she was appointed a Scholar of St Johns.

Winner of Stanford University’s “Lifetime award for Academic achievement in Archaeology and Anthropology”, Sharika wrote “In My Mother’s House: Civil War in Sri Lanka” published by University of Pennsylvania Press in 2011.

Sharika

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The Sri Lanka Diaspora: Demographic Basics … 2009

Courtesy of Sunil Thenabadu  & Keith Bennett

The Sri Lankan diaspora consists of approximately three million Sri Lankans living abroad, significantly contributing to their host countries and maintaining ties with Sri Lanka.

Demographics and Distribution

The Sri Lankan diaspora includes emigrants and expatriates from Sri Lanka residing in various countries, with significant populations in Europe, the Middle East, East Asia, Australia, and North America. An estimate from 2013 indicated that around three million Sri Lankans live outside their home country, with about one million permanently settled abroad. This diaspora is characterized by a diverse mix of ethnicities, including Tamils, Sinhalese, and Burghers, each contributing uniquely to the cultural landscape of their host nations. 

Wikipedia+1

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In Memoriam: Vijaya Kumaratunga

DBS Jeyaraj in 2022 at https://dbsjeyaraj.com/dbsj/?p=67620 where the title reads “Vijaya Kumaratunga: Charismatic Actor-Politician May Have Changed Nation’s Destiny” …… Posted by Administrator on 21 February 2022, 1:11 am

The political landscape of Sri Lanka seems gloomy and desolate. Most of the actors who strut about the political stage posing as visionaries and leaders are in actuality empty vessels devoid of substance. Proverbial wisdom tells us that empty vessels make most sound. This is most apparent in the cacophony of voices currently prevalent in the polity. In the words of William Butler Yeats “ The best lack all conviction, while the worst Are full of passionate intensity.” The positive dream of Sri Lanka evolving into an inclusive, plural nation is slowly turning into a numerical majoritarian hegemonic nightmare.

 Vijaya Kumaratunga in Jaffna

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Sri Lankan Migrants Abroad as Productive Oysters for the Island

Item circulated by Sunil Thenabadu, Keith Bennett and  one Dee de  Silva

The Sri Lankan diaspora consists of approximately three million Sri Lankans living abroad, significantly contributing to their host countries and maintaining ties with Sri Lanka.

Demographics and Distribution

The Sri Lankan diaspora includes emigrants and expatriates from Sri Lanka residing in various countries, with significant populations in Europe, the Middle East, East Asia, Australia, and North America. An estimate from 2013 indicated that around three million Sri Lankans live outside their home country, with about one million permanently settled abroad. This diaspora is characterized by a diverse mix of ethnicities, including Tamils, Sinhalese, and Burghers, each contributing uniquely to the cultural landscape of their host nations. 

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Is Prabakaran NOT a Hitler! …. Goodness Gracious Me!

Shenali D. Waduge, whose slashing sarcastic essay is entitledLet’s Celebrate Prabakaran & the LTTE’s Glorious Achievements!”  ... with the highlighting being that in  the original item

A tribute to the world’s most misunderstood mass murderer and his liberation-through-terror campaign.

They say greatness demands sacrifice—and Velupillai Prabakaran understood this better than most. He wasn’t content with speeches; he offered the world a blueprint: to build a homeland, first destroy the present; to claim justice, first silence every voice—especially your own people’s; to prove your worth, leave no witness behind. For over three decades, he led with unmatched precision: dismantling democracy, eliminating dissent, recruiting children, and bleeding civilians dry—all while demanding the world call it liberation. Some build nations through unity; he built his with bunkers, landmines, cyanide, and the bones of the innocent. And still, they light candles for him. They hold commemorations in universities. UN officials attend. Foreign parliamentarians give speeches. So, in the spirit of glorifying terror, let’s not just mourn Velupillai Prabakaran—let’s celebrate the man who redefined cruelty and called it Eelam, by honoring every child stolen, every right violated, and every drop of blood shed in his name.

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A Tennis Love Match Beyond Imagination

A Web Item sent by one Ramsay and one Eric

They met on the courts, forged in fire and fame. Andre Agassi and Steffi Graf were more than tennis royalty — they were survivors of pressure-packed childhoods, two athletes who’d once been treated more like machines than children. So when they became parents, something shifted. Not just in their lives, but in their hearts. There was a quiet vow between them — a promise not to repeat the past, not to push, not to mold. They wouldn’t raise champions. They’d raise *children.*

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Austalia A Squads for Indian Cricket Tour

Alex Malcolm in ESPNcricinfo, 07-Aug-2025 .. .https://www.espncricinfo.com/story/sam-konstas-oliver-peake-nathan-mcsweeney-in-australia-a-squad-for-india-tour-1498270 …. with highlighting imposed by The Editor, Thuppaho

Ashes hopefuls Weatherald, Harris, Bancroft, Renshaw not included as the squad is a look towards the 2027 Test tour of India, with Connolly, Murphy and Rocchiccioli included as spinners

Sam Konstas drives one in the nets, Australia vs Sri Lanka, Galle, February 4, 2025

Sam Konstas has played five Tests so far  •  Getty Images

Sam Konstas‘ bid to retain his Test place this summer will begin in India as he was named in the 14-man Australia A squad that will play India A in two red-ball four-day matches in Lucknow in September, albeit the squad has been selected with an eye towards Australia’s 2027 Test tour rather than the upcoming Ashes.

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Reflections on the Test Scenario from A Lankan Cricket Aficianados

Errol Fernando’s Email Note to Lorenz  Pereira

Dear Lorenz,
As someone who claims to always support the underdog I was delighted that India won the final Test by 6 runs and made it 2 – 2. Perfect result.  India was playing against a team that has the best ‘first five’ batsmen in the world –  Duckett, Crawley, Pope, Root and Brook.  No one better.  By contrast Australia probably has the WORST first five  –  Khawaja, Konstas and three other jokers. However , the Aussies have the best quartet of bowlers in the world   –   Starc, Hazlewood, Cummins and Lyon with Boland in the wings. No one better.
The 5 India-England Tests were totally riveting, and I couldn’t take my eyes off. High quality stuff.  Captain Gill made 754 glorious runs for the series and Rahul and Pant were also glorious. England’s top 5 were good too.

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Chemmani Graves: The Site Today

Map  and Photos supplied by a friend


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Global Economics & Sri Lanka over the Recent Centuries

Sunil Bastian: “Sri Lankan state in a changing global context”  … a 2025 article presented  here with highlights  imposed by The Editor,  Thuppahi.**

This short article emphasises the need to analyse the Sri Lankan state by placing it in the global context. This means not confining our minds within the borders of the Sri Lankan state. To emphasise this point I would like to point out that the formation of the Sri Lankan state itself was a product of a global phenomenon – British colonialism (see Bastian Sunil (2025) State formation and Conflicts in Sri Lanka. London: Bloomsbury Academic for an analysis of Sri Lankan state formation).

Under British colonialism the entire geographic space of the island was covered by a single unit of territorial power. To administer the territory, the island was divided into spatial units using the directions of a compass. In this way cartography became an instrument of British colonialism. Other techniques of state formation were establishing an administrative structure, a judicial system, a system to collect taxes, regular census and the coercive power of the state to cover the entire island.

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