March 6, 2015 · 4:47 am

General Daya Rathnayake in Forthright Q and A with Hafeel Farisz

HAFEELHafeel Farisz in Daily Mirror, 4 March 2015, where the title is: “The Army was never politicized.”

General Daya Rathnayake, the former Commander of the Sri Lankan Army, is the most decorated military officer in the history of the security forces, speaks to the Daily mirror on a wide range of topics in a candid, no holds barred interview.

Q — As the former Commander of the Army whose career within the military spanned three decades, what does it feel like to have finally hung your boots? I feel very happy and content. To have joined the army as an officer cadet 36 years ago and to have risen up the ranks to the position of Army Commander is an achievement in itself. The experience and exposure I gained during the years as a soldier and an officer only make me proud. When you leave the Army, there is of course a sense of nostalgia that takes over, it is only natural that you feel that, and I’m sure that I will get over that. Today, I am a very proud man who has realized self- actualization.
DAYA RATH 22 Continue reading →

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March 6, 2015 · 4:27 am

The Ceylonese Origins of Sri Lankan Cricket

Michael Roberts, courtesy of Himal Southasian where it appeared in Vol. 20, No. 7 in 2007

Modernity took firm root in Ceylon under the imperial aegis of Britain. British rule ushered a considerable transformation in the political economy of the island, a revolution in the communication system, the administrative unification of the country and the emergence of new (capitalist) class forces. English became the administrative language, leading to the development of an indigenous socio-political elite – referred to locally as the “middle class” – whose mode of domination included a facility in both the English language and lifestyle.

palm frond cricket 22 … Pic from John Ferguson, Ceylon in 1903, between pp. 132 & 133 

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March 5, 2015 · 1:08 pm

Nanda Godage castigates the Abuse of Diplomatic Passports in Recent Past

K. Godage, courtesy of the Daily News, … http://www.dailynews.lk/?q=features/scandalous-abuse-diplomatic-passports

There has been a shocking and absolutely scandalous abuse of this privilege by the last government, surely persons such as then Secretary to the President at least should have known better; or was it that even he merely carried out orders; whatever it be they have brought down our image and no wonder that we have been referred to as a ‘Banana Republic’. The Karuna Amman case cited in an article in a Sunday Paper by a respected senior journalist is quite unbelievable. There is said to be one thousand eight hundred and forty five (1,845) Diplomatic Passport holders in the country today; it has been stated in Parliament that no less than two thousand eight hundred and seventy two (2,872) Dip Passports had been issued in the past ten years!!

PASSPORTS

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March 4, 2015 · 1:46 pm

Sangakkara’s Run-Out Madness! A Reformation Required

 Michael Roberts, courtesy of Island Cricket on 3rd March 2015…. where the early bloggers were aroused and up in arms. Different images (mostly) are deployed in this version while a Bibliography and EndNotes embellish the work. Readers are encouraged to pursue the hyperlinks and the Bbbliographical references.

Kumar Sangakkara is an ecumenical Sri Lankan and an exemplary icon for all and sundry. As a cricketer he stands among the best the world has seen — yesterday as well as today. Yet he is also a PERIL — to himself, the other batsman with him in the middle and thus to Sri Lanka as a whole. His running between the wickets is bloody awful.[1]

This is a pity. He is such a talisman for most Sri Lankans of all ethnicities and religious faiths. When the tsunami wrought havoc along the coasts of the island in late 2004, he joined Murali, Mahela, Charlie Austin and others in relief efforts in the eastern littoral. Continue reading →

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March 2, 2015 · 3:18 pm

Exploring Leslie Gunawardana’s Erroneous Pathways with KNO Dharmadasa — Part One

Darshanie Ratnawalli, courtesy of  The Nation (print edition here) on Sunday,15th February 2015 here the title was “Revisiting the sins of – Leslie Gunawardana with KNO Dharmadasa (Part 1)”

kno Pic by Chandana Wijesinha

Professor KNO Dharmadasa, the present Editor in Chief of the Sinhala Encyclopedia goes down in history as mounting, to date, the only direct, authoritative academic challenge to Professor Leslie Gunawardana, an ancient period historian of Sri Lanka who became a darling of certain social anthropological circuits through his “The People of the Lion: The Sinhala Identity and Ideology in History and Historiography”– (1979) and “Historiography In a Time of Ethnic Conflict, Construction of the Past in Contemporary Sri Lanka”– (1995). Professor KNO opened up to Darshanie Ratnawalli about this debate and its repercussions.       

DR– I am sure there are many subjects I could talk to you about. But my main interest is in your debate with Professor Leslie Gunawardana. I think it was one of the high points of interest in Sri Lankan studies in the 1990s. What struck me about the whole exchange was how little you were challenging him on linguistic grounds. I felt that even though Professor Gunawardana was making many linguistic gaffes, you missed them because you were concentrating too much on historical narrative and interpretation.

KNO– For example?

DR– For example, on p11 of his 1995 work “Historiography in a Time of Ethnic Conflict”, which was sort of a response to your 1992 paper, Prof. G is discussing the Vallipuram inscription. He says;  “The identification (by Paranavitana in 1939 in Epigraphia Zeylanica, Vol. IV, pp.229-237, my parenthesis) of the language of the inscription as Sinhala runs counter to opinions which have remained dominant in the field of historical linguistics for more than half a century”

KNO– This is bullshit. It’s no such thing. Actually it goes fully with the dominant view. Continue reading →

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Aside

Appreciating a Towering Figure in ‘Peradeniya School’ as he reaches Ninety

K. N. O. Dharmadasa, courtesy of The Island, 27 February 2015, where the title is slightly different**

It is a well known fact that the 1950s and 1960s were a period of intense activity in the field of Sinhala literature. A prominent factor in this activity was the so called ‘Peradeniya School’ which upheld a modernistic outlook revolutionising literary and artistic creativity. The novelists, poets and literary critics who represented the ‘Peradeniya School’ were an avant garde boldly challenging established norms and advocating a freedom of expression untrammelled by traditional constraints.

SIRI GUN- Sat mag Continue reading →

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March 2, 2015 · 3:09 pm
March 2, 2015 · 3:09 pm

Siri Gunasinghe’s Sinhala Poems in English — Just Three

RANJINI obey 22Translated by Ranjini Obeyesekere, in The Island, 25 February 2015

  1. The Water Buffalo

My beard on fire

in haste, I was running, running down in the dawn,

bearing the burdens of life

all on my back;

at the edge of the road, in a large clump of grass

like a fat merchant spread eagled on his easy-chair

I saw you lie. Continue reading →

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February 28, 2015 · 12:44 am

Sri Lanka’s Balancing Act between India and China

Sudha Ramachandran, courtesy of The Diplomat, 26 February 2015,  where the title is “A New Era for India-Sri Lanka Relations?‘ followed by the line: “A recent visit has encouraged optimism, but India will struggle to counter China’s influence.”

Sri Lankan President Maithripala Sirisena’s recent visit to India was aimed at mending bilateral relations that had deteriorated under his predecessor, Mahinda Rajapaksa, on account of the latter’s close embrace of China. During Sirisena’s visit, India and Sri Lanka signed four agreements that are expected to strengthen bilateral co-operation. However, whether these can counter effectively China’s enormous presence in the island seems doubtful. India is still a long way from matching or reducing China’s role in Sri Lanka.

SIRISENA MODI

Of the four agreements, the most significant is that on civilian nuclear co-operation, which envisages an “exchange of knowledge and expertise, sharing of resources, capacity building and training of personnel in peaceful uses of nuclear energy.” Other agreements deal with co-operation in the fields of culture and agriculture, and will enable Sri Lanka to participate in the Nalanda University project. The two sides also agreed to expand defense and security co-operation. Continue reading →

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February 27, 2015 · 11:21 am

An Ordinary Tamil Man addresses the People of Lanka earnestly

His chosen title is “A message from an ordinary Sri Lankan Tamil” … and the ‘LETTER’ can be found at http://www.padalay.com/2015/01/a-message-from-ordinary-sri-lankan-tamil.html. There are a few brief approving comments  from mostly Tamils.

Dear Sri Lankan Sinhalese,
In the last few days, especially after the election result day there are two common opinions spreading across among my Facebook friends circle.
One is largely from Mr Mahinda Rajapaksa’s supporters, who now think Sri Lankan Tamils and Sri Lankan Muslims have voted out their favorite leader and LTTE has just realised its dream. Even Mr Rajapaksa echoed the same sentiment. While it may be true that the overwhelming votes of Tamil speaking people ousted Mr Rajapaksa from the top seat, one shouldn’t forget that Tamil speaking people still didn’t choose to boycott the election like they did in 2005 (following the instruction from LTTE), but voted for another Sri Lankan Sinhalese person Mr Sirisena.

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February 27, 2015 · 10:57 am

Pope Francis’s fervent address to the FAO in November 2014 on Behalf of Those Marginalized

Alex Arkadie

“I am honoured by your invitation and rejoice in your decision to convene this conference of representatives of States, international institutions, and organizations of civil society, the world of agriculture and the private sector, with the aim of studying together the forms of intervention necessary in the fight against hunger and malnutrition, as well as the changes that must be made to existing strategies.” … said the Pope

POPE FRANCIS - www.unmultimedia.org Pic from www.unmultimedia.org

Pope Francis observed that ‘development plans and the work of international organizations must take into consideration the wish so frequent among ordinary people, for respect for fundamental human rights and, in this case, the rights of the hungry.  “Every woman, man, child and elderly person everywhere should be able to count on these guarantees. It is the duty of every State that cares for the wellbeing of its citizens to subscribe to them unreservedly, and to take the necessary steps to ensure their implementation. This requires perseverance and support.” Continue reading →

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