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Location! Location! …. and Now Renovation! The DBU in Colombo-by Michael Roberts Source:Thuppahis The Dutch Burgher Union’s ‘home’ with a restaurant, bar, billaird tables and meeting rooms has been located centrally in Colombo for over a century at the junction of Bauddhaloka Mawatha (ake Buller’s Rd) and Havelock Rd running south-north across colombo — and thus withina sotone’strow of many faciltiees including the University of colombo, Nomads cricket ground, the SL braodcasting Corporation, Archives, et cetera. I have used it as a meeting spot often and in mid-September 2020 held a THANK YOU party for friends and relatives who had sustained me over a five-month covid-informed stay in Lanka. So, its is a delight to feature its further growth in pictorial form…. Michael Roberts ...

Nov 13, 2022 Posted by eLanka admin In Articles, Michael Roberts Tagged Dr V R Schokman, Dutch Burgher Union’s, Mr. David Colin, Mr. Nigel Austin, Mr. Stephen LaBrooy

The Suriya Mal Campaign of the 1930s and Doreen Wickremasinghe nee Young-by Michael Roberts Source:Thuppahis Doreen Wickremasinghe was a British leftist who became a prominent Communist politician in Sri Lanka and a Member of Parliament (MP). She was one of the handful of European Radicals in Sri Lanka. Doreen & the Rodi lass she ‘rescued’ Doreen Wickremasinghe was the daughter of two British ‘ethical Socialists’. While a student in London in the 1920s, she became involved in the India League and carried out other anti-imperialist work. Here she met Dr S.A. Wickremasinghe, then a radical Sri Lankan moving in Communist and radical circles while a post-graduate student in London. ...

Nov 12, 2022 Posted by eLanka admin In Articles, Michael Roberts Tagged Communist Party of Ceylon, Doreen Wickremasinghe, Wilmot Perera

Reaching Out for Sri Lanka: A Melbourne Gathering – By Michael Roberts Source : thuppahis Dear Sri Lankan diaspora friends and wider friends and supporters of Sri Lanka I ask you to please seriously consider , and further distribute to potentially interested others, two matters: 1) FOR SRI LANKA DIASPORA MEMBERS ONLY – A CALL TO ASSIST SRI LANKA AT THIS TIME OF URGENT NEED THROUGH REMOTE USE OF YOUR AND SRI LANKAN COLLEAGUES’ SKILLS . Full details are immediately below.. 2) AN INVITATION TO ATTEND AND SUPPORT A MELBOURNE-BASED FAMILY FUN DAY , INCLUDING GAMES AND SPORTS, ON NOVEMBER 13 , THIS IS ALSO AN OPPORTUNITY TO HEAR FIRST HAND FROM BRIDGING LANKA’S JEREMY LIYANAGE OF THE SITUATION IN SRI LANKA AND HOW BRIDGING LANKA IS WORKING TO SUPPORT THE PEOPLE OF MANNAR , IN NORTH WEST SRI LANKA., YOU CAN ALSO MEET LAFIR MOHAMED, AUSTRALIAN VOLUNTEERS’ PROGRAM MANAGER FOR SRI LANKA Details ...

Nov 7, 2022 Posted by eLanka admin In Articles, Michael Roberts Tagged Australian Volunteers’ Program, Lafir Mohamed, RI LANKAN COLLEAGUES, Sri Lankan, Sri Lankan diaspora

The Bharathas of Sri Lanka: Roots and Tales-by Michael Roberts Source:Thuppahis India and Sri Lanka are geographically very near, but yet so far in culture, civilisation and genetic diversity. As depicted in the map above, the sub-oceanic existence of the hitherto mystical “Adams Bridge” between Dhanushkodi in India and Talaimannar in Sri Lanka has now been conclusively shown to exist through aerial mapping. It is thus reasonable to conclude that natural movement would have occurred between India and Sri Lanka over the aeons. While there is much documented history about Sinhalese and Tamils, there appears to be a relative dearth of public knowledge of a smaller migrant race called the Bhāratha’s. The writer hopes this compilation will improve the knowledge of this now vanishing group who have unobtrusively and yet so selflessly contributed so much to the history of this Island nation. First documented in Indian literature of Sangam anthology (1) Bhāratha’s originated from ...

Nov 5, 2022 Posted by eLanka admin In Articles, Michael Roberts Tagged Bharathas of Sri Lanka

The Kaffir in Sri Lanka: A Partial Bibliography from Thuppahi-by Michael Roberts Source:Thuppahis The first two photographs provide just a glimpse of their ‘markings’; while the map composed I think by Shihan de Silva Jayasuriya indicates the long history of African migratory flows (sometimes as slaves) to Asian lands. SOME OTHER PICTORIAL ILLUSTRATIONS from modern THESE REFERENCES and the illustrative photographs should be considered with due attention to the literature in English, Sinhala and Tamil that refers to the kaaberi or kaffir. Let me indicate a few such sources, while inviting Shihan and other scholars to send me other references in any language so that this site can provide an amplified bibliography on the topic. Hugh Nevill: Sinhala Verse, Vol. 1, ed. By PEP Deraniyagala, Colombo, Govt Press, 1954, espec. “Kaaberi Kataawe” …. P. 132. Hugh Nevill: Sinhala Verse, Vol. ...

Nov 5, 2022 Posted by eLanka admin In Articles, Michael Roberts Tagged Kaaberi Kataawe, Kaffir in Sri Lanka

A Film that charts New Vistas for Sri Lanka: Malwatu Oya Soyaa-by Michael Roberts Source:Thuppahis Uditha Devapriya, in Newswire, 19 October 2022, where the title reads “Factum Special Perspective: Culture as diplomacy in Sri Lanka” …. with highlighting imposed by The Editor, Thuppahi and the title rendered as a long aa The Malwatu Oya is the oldest and most important of the rivers in Sri Lanka. Its history is woven into the history of the country and its culture. Malwatu Oya Soya, in that respect, is a documentary not merely about the river, but the lives of the people and the society that it touched. Directed by one of Sri Lanka’s leading historians and intellectual voices, Malwatu Oya Soya made the rounds at several film festivals, in Pondicherry, Rome, and the Hague, winning awards and accolades at them all. It will have its first international screening on the 28th of ...

Oct 26, 2022 Posted by eLanka admin In Articles, Michael Roberts Tagged Malwatu Oya Soya, Uditha Devapriya

Sri Lanka at the T20 World Cup Preliminary Matches –by Michael Roberts In forecast to myself I thought that the Sri Lankan Squad that had snaffled the Asia Cup in the Gulf arena would face a difficult situation in Australia notwithstanding the lower-placed teams in their initial round of matches. For one, the Australian playing conditions would be quite different, both in terms of climate, pitch conditions and the size of the playing fields. For another, the Namibian team is made up of tough outback country Boer-types who do not take a backward step; while the Dutch have many experienced campaigners. The Sri Lankans have not been helped by injuries to the promising medium-pacer Madushan and then to Chameera and, now, possibly Pathum Nissanka. This meant that Lahiru Kumara was playing today, the 20thOctober. Bowling the last over with Netherlands last wicket-pair in and the injured Van der Merwe batting, ...

Oct 22, 2022 Posted by eLanka admin In Articles, Michael Roberts Tagged Lahiru Kumara, Pathum Nissanka, T20 World Cup, Van Der Merwe

Oct 22, 2022 Posted by eLanka admin In Articles, Michael Roberts Tagged Dr. SinhaRaja Tammita-Delgoda, Malwatu Oya Soya, Uditha Devapriya

Fighting & Dying FOR Britain during the Two World Wars – By Michael Roberts Source : thuppahis A New Book on The Ceylonese Volunteers in World War I and World War II The reasons for printing the book on the Ceylonese Volunteers in WW 1 & 2 were as follows: to record for posterity the sacrifice, dedicated commitment and volunteerism of over 1500 Ceylonese Volunteers in WW 1 and over 6000 Ceylonese Volunteers in WW 2. Many fell in battle, some were injured and many others sacrificed their youth to serve in the British Forces. Their service and sacrifice needs to be recorded with gratitude which is the sole purpose of the book. It was compiled by a team of retired Tri-Forces officers from available information in the public domain. The book also incorporated over 300 pages of our military history and the formation of the three Armed Forces. The Ceylon Defence Force was the ...

Oct 22, 2022 Posted by eLanka admin In Articles, Michael Roberts Tagged Ceylon Royal Navy, Sri Lanka Air Force, Sri Lanka Army, Sri Lanka Navy Commander.

Shehan Karunatilaka lands on the BOOKER ‘Moon’-by Michael Roberts Source:Thuppahis Sarah Shaffi & Lucy Knight, in The Guardian, 18 October 2022, where the title reads thus: “Shehan Karunatilaka wins Booker prize for The Seven Moons of Maali Almeida” The Seven Moons of Maali Almeida by Sri Lankan author Shehan Karunatilaka has won the Booker prize for fiction. The judges praised the “ambition of its scope, and the hilarious audacity of its narrative techniques”. Karunatilaka’s second novel, The Seven Moons of Maali Almeida comes more than a decade after his debut, Chinaman, which was published in 2011. The Booker-winning novel tells the story of the photographer of its title, who in 1990 wakes up dead in what seems like a celestial visa office. With no idea who killed him, Maali has seven moons to contact the people he loves most and lead them to a hidden cache of photos of civil war atrocities ...

Oct 19, 2022 Posted by eLanka admin In Articles, Michael Roberts Tagged Alain Mabanckou, Shehan Karunatilaka