September 24, 2016 · 11:37 am

The Rajasingams and Their Profound Legacies

Rajan Hoole, being the text of speech delivered at Trimmer Hall, Jaffna, 22 September 2016… and reproduced in the Daily News with the title “The Rajasingam Legacy: A Quest for Quality”

  rajasinghamsin1990parentsofdrrajani aaa-rajasingambavinck-rajasingham

After nightfall on 21st September 1989, Rajasingam Master called on his bicycle at my mother’s home quite unexpectedly and delivered his pithy message, “Rajini has been shot.” His voice showed no evident emotion. After a brief exchange of words, he turned back. He was stoic, incorruptible, who lived by his strong sense of duty. Master, his wife MahilaAcca, and their daughters, Nirmala, Rajini, Sumathy and Vasuki were familiar to us from childhood days in the St. James’ Church choir. Had Master been more ambitious during his university days, he would have left his mark as an outstanding mathematician in our university. What he did as a school master at Hartley and Jaffna College was no less important. His zeal for catching hold of students who seemed to be in need of inspiration and getting them to work Mathematics problems remained a passion with him to the end of his life.  rajani-t Rajani Thiranagama nee Rajasingam

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September 24, 2016 · 11:01 am

Lakshmi de Silva: An Inspiration as an Academic

KS Sivakumran in Daily News, where the title is  “Lakshmi de Silva – an academic to reflect upon”

aa-lakshmiA remarkable translator, teacher and a poet in English and perhaps in Sinhala too is the unassuming and scholarly Lakshmi de Silva. She is one who had encouraged me to write and was persistently asking me to bring some of my articles in the press to be collected in book form. Last year, Vijitha Yapa Publications published a collection of 26 poems of her under the title Reflections running to only 35 pages qualifying its stature as a booklet. Invariably a printed book should have at least 50 pages according to the National Library Services Board. And yet the quality of her poems is uniquely of a high standard in the classical sense. Continue reading →

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September 23, 2016 · 10:45 am

Iconic Moments … One September Evening at Belair

OLYMPUS DIGITAL CAMERA

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September 22, 2016 · 6:35 am

Discontent and Confrontational Violence in Sri Lanka, 1948-2009

Gerald Peiris, being Chapter 7 from his book Political Conflict in South Asia (2013, University of Peradeniya)  — a chapter based on his previous writings  [1]

 The survival of the principle of representative government based upon universal adult franchise since its introduction to the constitution more than eighty years ago while ‘Ceylon’ was still a colony of the British Empire is a feature often accorded prominence in scholarly discourses on the political history of Sri Lanka. Over the first three decades after independence (1948) the regularity of peaceful transfers of power from one regime to another, based upon the will of the people as expressed at national elections, was also widely acclaimed as a feature that made Sri Lanka unique among the emergent nation-states of the post-colonial era. The radiance of that achievement has, of course, dimmed considerably in the more recent past, due mainly to the violation of democratic norms in affairs of governance, and the intense rivalry that features the sub-national disputes which often find expression in confrontational violence.

1958-riots-22  Scenes in Colombo from 1958 riots after OEG led crackdown1958-getty

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September 21, 2016 · 1:19 pm

A Tea Plantation in Island South Carolina … The Only One in USA

dushy-123Dushy Perera, 20 September 2016, … http://www.ethicalteapartnership.org/inspirational-visit-north-americas-tea-plantation/

I am far away from home, in Southern Carolina, USA, visiting the only tea planation in North America. It’s co-owned by the Bigelow Tea Company, one of our important North American members and I am here at the invitation of Cindy Bigelow of Bigelow Teas. Whilst on a visit to Sri Lanka and enthralled by the beauty of our island nation, Cindy spoke to me about their own southern gem, The Charleston Tea Plantation, which is situated on Wadmalaw Island in South Carolina. Although the Charleston Tea Plantation was only founded in 1987, tea had been grown there previously for a number of years, mainly for research purposes. A third generation tea specialist William Barclay Hall is the man on site and shows me around. He tells me that I’m 9,395 miles away from home in Sri Lanka.

dushy-11

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September 19, 2016 · 2:06 am

Expressions of Tamil Hate in the Diasporic Circuits

Izeth Hussain, in The Island, 19 September 2016, where the title is “Attack on Ambassador Ansar and Tamil Islamophobic Racism”…. with highlighting emphases added by The Editor, Thuppahi

There are some very odd features about the recent attack on Ambassador Ansar at the Kuala Lumpur airport. It took place in a secured area of the airport, probably the result of a bona fide lapse on the part of the Malaysian authorities to which no particular significance should be attached. What is odd is that the attack took place at all. We can safely assume that for twenty five years and more our Embassy officials have been countering LTTE propaganda in all capitals where there is a heavy Tamil presence. There have been demonstrations galore against successive Sri Lankan Governments but – as far as I am aware – no Sri Lankan Ambassador or his officers have been beaten up by the LTTE or other Tamils. It appears therefore that the attack on Ambassador Ansar was odd, uniquely odd.

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September 18, 2016 · 9:27 am

China and Lanka: Silken Threads Past and Present

Ameen Izzadeen, in Sunday Times, 18 September 2016, where the title is “Sri Lanka a pearl in China’s past, present and future”

What have a 19th generation Chinese descendant of a Sri Lankan prince, an 11th century mariner and three key cities in China got to do with 17 Sri Lankan journalists, who have just returned from a ten-day trip to China, courtesy the Chinese embassy in Colombo? The answer: A fine silk thread connecting the ancient Maritime Silk Road with the new Maritime Silk Road that symbolises China’s rising soft power.

As we visited the three cities in our itinerary – first, the capital Beijing in the North-East, then the port city of Quanzhou (pronounced Chanzhou) in the South-East and Kumming the city of eternal spring in the West – the imaginary silk thread attached to us kept extending, just as the real silk thread extended from the boiled cocoon as the spool turned. The imaginary thread spun a tapestry depicting the places we visited, China’s glorious past and its dream for the future, with Sri Lanka shining like a pearl on the Maritime Silk Road – a key component of China’s ambitious One-Road-One-Belt (OBOR) project.

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September 18, 2016 · 3:19 am

Reading “Road to Nandikadal” –- Lalin Fernando

Retd Major-General Lalin Fernando, in The Island and Asian Tribune … with emphasis ivia highlighting imposed by The Editor, Thuppahi

“Great Commanders have mostly been dull writers. Rommel was a born writer as well as a born fighter. The impact that he made on the world with the sword will be deepened by his power with the pen”. (The Rommel Papers- Capt Liddell Hart)….. Major General Kamal Gunaratne ‘s ‘Road to Nandikadal’ is the most comprehensive, credible, incisive, riveting and objective book in English on the entire 26 year old conflict in SL. (It is also available thankfully in Sinhalese and a copy in Tamil would be welcome too). It is the inside story of one who fought the war from its inception to the end and gives an impeccable account of the conflict that took 100,000 lives. While the actions are fast moving and his blunt opinions of various people are delightful, it is the thinking side that is the book’s real value. Frank, with no false modesty but with compelling confidence, what impresses is its highly personal tone. It also describes the many lessons learned which almost all SL political leaders have yet to understand or concede. It is a trail blazing contribution to SL’s Military History.

lalin-www-gemunuesra-lkl Lalin—Pic from www.gemunuesra.lk aaa-kgKamal Gunaratna Continue reading →

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September 17, 2016 · 2:47 pm

Lili Marlene — All about That 1944 Documentary

The True Story of Lili Marlene (1944 documentary) , 23 February 2015

 This is the full version of the famous documentary film laying out the background story of the song ‘Lili Marlene’ which was made in 1944 by Humphrey Jennings using actors as well as authentic war-time footage and personalities with connections to the song. Hans Leip wrote the words of ‘Lilli Marleen’ in 1915 when he was just 22 but the music, by Norbert Schultze, to the poem was not composed until 1938 and the first recording was by Danish singer Lale (pronounced ‘Lahlay’) Anderson in 1939, then titled “The Girl Under the Lantern”, and sung in German. The song was adopted by the Nazis and was broadcast on a propaganda radio programme for some 500 continuous nights and was eventually heard by the Eighth Army who tuned in to the programme having no other entertainment and then adopted it as their own, so it became the most popular war-time song for both sides of the conflict. Arguably the most famous version is by Marlene Dietrich who changed the spelling to her name, but there have been many different lyric versions written in translation… There are interesting clips in the film of Lale Anderson herself singing her famous song, though nowhere is there mention of the poem written by Hans Leip in 1915.

The copyright of this film belongs to the original owners.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=CbnHaOUWE-E

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September 17, 2016 · 2:23 pm

Afghanistan, India, Taliban

Amitava Mukherjee, courtesy of Eurasia Review, 17 September 2016, where the title reads “India’s Military Engagement In Afghanistan Could Ruffle Many Feathers”

The apprehension has come true. The Taliban has now expressed its displeasure over India’s decision to supply arms to the Afghanistan government. New Delhi has already supplied to Afghanistan three Russian made Mi-25 gunship helicopters and the fourth one is likely to be delivered soon. But Afghanistan has requested for more lethal arms of different kinds. There is a buzz in concerned circles that Afghanistan has requested for supply of Mi-35 attack helicopters also.

aaafghan Pic from www.dw.com

This could be a complete departure from India’s earlier policy on Afghanistan when New Delhi chose to restrict itself to giving economic aid only – up to USD 2 billion till now which has gone towards capacity buildings in the field of infrastructure, education, agriculture etc. This apparent change of attitude on the part of India may have been prompted by a sustained deterioration of Pakistan-Afghanistan bilateral relations and rapid spread of Islamic State(IS) influence in the eastern part of Afghanistan.

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