Christopher Ondaatje’s journeys with Woolf in contemporary Ceylon

Gamini Seneviratne reviewing Christopher Ondaatje: Woolf in Ceylon … taken  from The Island, 17 May 2006

Gamini Seneviratne

Gamini Seneviratne

This book runs to over 300 pages–room enough for Christopher Ondaatje to touch on virtually every aspect of Leonard Woolf’s life and work. It would of course be possible to pursue each of them towards a clearer understanding of both (author and subject). In a review of this kind, though, a consideration of what appears to be the author’s view of what Woolf experienced here and in England must suffice.

CHRIS ON 122 It is embellished by many photographs, most of them truly excellent. Some have been drawn from the archives of the Royal Geographical Society and the University of Sussex, many are of Ondaatje’s own making. The author has been to a great deal of trouble researching the people and places mentioned by Woolf in his writings on / from Ceylon: ‘The Village in the Jungle’, ‘Stories from the East’, his letters and ‘Growing’ the segment of his autobiography that covers his stay here, and his ‘Diaries’ as Assistant Government Agent, Hambantota. The writing is lively and lucid, perhaps less so here than in ‘The Man-eater of Punani’; a selection of the photographs in both books merit publication in a separate portfolio. Continue reading

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Land Powers vested in the Provincial Councils: Dayan misses the boat

Gerald H. Peiris, in The Island, 16 October 2013, where the title is “

GERRY PEIRISThe reader of Dr. Dayan Jayatilleka’s ‘Disinformation, Devolution and the Presidency’ (Midweek Review of 2 October 2013) has ample reason to wonder whether the caption refers to the doctor’s own disinformation or to what he has attributed to others. I am not concerned with the mildly amusing autobiographic trivia with which Dr. DJ often finds it necessary to embellish what he has to say on genuinely important issues. My focus here is on his observations on the recent Supreme Court clarification of the limits of the powers over ‘Land’ vested on Provincial Councils through the 13th Amendment to the Constitution, and on the links he has tried to establish between the resurgence of the Tamil National Alliance (a potentially secessionist political force backed by India) and prevarication on the part of the government of Sri Lanka he perceives in implementing to the fullest the provisions for devolution of power to the Provincial Councils. Continue reading

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Chandani Lokuge: how she works

Sachitra Mahendra, in the Daily News, 16 October 2013, where the title is Not ‘poetry’ nonsense…”

CHANDANI 22Playing with words is not everyone’s premises. Only a few could make reading a hobby. Writing is confined to an even lesser crowd. When it comes to writing too, everybody cannot do it strikingly. Not every written piece would make waves. Well, everyone cannot be a wordsmith! There is a term for beautiful writing in French: belles lettre. That is why Professor Chandani Lokuge’s narrative style deserves a benevolent gaze. Three novels so far under her belt (and one short story collection), Lokuge does not trek the trendy path. One would easily feel spent to read a few pages of a novel by her. That’s no easy read, of course, it requires reading between lines — patience, in other words. But it is not short of breath, not short of life. That’s all in, brimming with breaths. Continue reading

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Leonard Woolf speaks and recollects … in 1965

leonard woolf 33 Interview with Leonard Woolf, conducted by Michael Roberts, 22 December 1965 … now digitised by Special Collections, Barr Smith Library, University of Adelaide. Continue reading

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Malala Yousafzai, aged 16, speaks to the World

SEE  Interview with Malala Yousafzai …..

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=gjGL6YY6oMs

http://edition.cnn.com/2013/10/09/world/asia/malala-shooting-anniversary/index.html

PHOTO: Malala Yousafzai addresses hundreds of young leaders at United Nations Headquarters Continue reading

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The NPC election destroys the myth of “no more minorities”

Muttukrishna Sarvananthan, courtesy of Ceylon Today

The Northern Provincial Council (NPC) election that took place on September 21, 2013 was relatively the most peaceful election in the North after the 1977 parliamentary elections, in spite of couple of violent incidences and numerous threats, intimidations, and abuse of public property. The first-ever NPC election was also relatively calmer than the elections in the North Western Province (NWP) and Central Province (CP) that took place on the same day. The government, security forces, Eelam People’s Democratic Party (EPDP), and the Tamil National Alliance (TNA) should be jointly lauded for the peaceful conduct of the elections.

Tamil nationalism was at its peak in 1977 when the Tamil United Liberation Front (TULF – predecessor to the Tamil National Alliance) secured highest number of seats at the parliamentary elections and even more importantly highest-ever share of votes (57%) amidst 84% voter turnout in the combined eastern and northern electoral districts. The landslide victory resulted in TULF becoming the single largest opposition party and hence securing the position of Leader of Opposition in 1977.   Continue reading

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One musical step across the ethnic divide with Tanya Ekanayake of Edinburgh

Laura Cummings, in The Edinburgh News, where the title reads Music fights the ravages of civil war

TANYA PRFILE IT was a conflict that spanned a quarter of a century and claimed the lives of more than 80,000 people. Now, an Edinburgh tutor has helped Sri Lankan children to cope with the aftermath of the island’s civil war through a music workshop. Dr Tanya Ekanayaka, who was born in Sri Lanka and lectures part-time in the music department at the Edinburgh College of Art, staged the event in the northern part of Sri Lanka, which bore the brunt of the 25-year-long conflict. A noted pianist, Dr Ekanayaka is also a composer and linguistic expert. She believes that children in her homeland can benefit from music therapy to help overcome the effects of the civil war. Continue reading

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Wigneswaran, Chief Minister NPC, addresses Sri Lankans: “I Took Oaths A Little While Ago”

C. V. Wigneswaran

WI8GNESWARAN 11

I took oaths a little while ago this morning undertaking to faithfully perform the functions of my office. My office is a gift from my people. They have mandated me to perform my duties on a long term as well as a short term perspective. The former behoves us to confirm our individuality. To do so we have to learn lessons from our struggles of the past, our previous political perspectives and our past experiences and then forge ahead. It is the need of the hour that we remove the misunderstandings and doubts that have crept into the minds of various communities. It is as a part of such an exercise that we decided that I take oaths before the President of this Country. We believe our decision would convey to our brethren our desire to settle our differences within a united Sri Lanka. Our action today buttresses our close–up perspectives too, in that we expect to bring immediate relief to our war affected people. I hope the Sinhala people would endeavour to prod on their political representatives in every manner whatsoever to bring sunshine into the lives of our disturbed and affected Tamil speaking people. I expect my Sinhala brothers and sisters to impress upon their political representatives that internal self determination does not divide the country but facilitate a journey on the path of unity. I sincerely ask the Sinhala people to realize that to the same extent the Sinhala people cherish and respect their language and culture so do the Tamil speaking people cherish and respect their own language and their traditions. There is no place for violence in this realization. None could force such realization. It is such sincere realization that would take us all on the path of peace and brotherhood. Therefore let my simple symbolic act today pave the way for the unity of the people of the two communities in our Island. May Divine blessings be with all of us!

Justice

C.V.Wigneswaran

Chief Minister, Northern

Provincial Council Continue reading

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Remembering and Applauding A. Jeyaratnam Wilson

Laksiri Fernando, courtesy of the Island, 9 October 2013

SJV CHELVA A J WILSON SL TAMIL N'LISM

This tribute is not only from me but also from a friend of mine who had associated Professor Alfred Jeyaratnam Wilson, even more than me, for over two and a half decades very closely even living in his home in Frederickton, Canada, for few years. I am writing this not only as a tribute to this great man and an undisputed silent humanist, Wilson, but also to show how some of the hidden stories of Sinhala Tamil relations could bring certain sanity to the otherwise poisoned atmosphere in Sri Lanka and promote reconciliation and harmony among different communities. Continue reading

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Reflections on the Rise and Fall of Sama Samājism in Lanka

 M. Haris Deen, in Daily News, 10 October 2013

Following my earlier piece, “78 Years of Sama-Samajism – Where Art Thou Now”, there were several letters of appreciation for what I wrote – All bouquets not brickbats. However, one reader, while acknowledging the bottom line that highest number of seats the LSSP were able to secure in any Parliament were 14 pointed to some inaccuracies in my article. The corrections my reader pointed out were that Moratuwa was won by Merril Fernando and Bandarawela elected M.P. Jothipala under the Hammer and Sickle with the embossed No.4 signifying the Trotskyite Fourth International LSSP banner. It was Dr. Hector Fernando and not Hugh Fernando who secured the seat of Negombo for the LSSP. By that time T.B. Subasingha, Philip Goonewardena and Somaweera Chandrasiri having joined the MEP. While thanking the reader who pointed these out, I was actually going to put the record straight in this issue. Continue reading

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