JOURNAL REVIEW TITLE: JOURNAL OF THE ROYAL ASIATIC SOCIETY OF SRI LANKA. NEW SERIES, VOLUME 59, PART I EDITOR : DR. HEMA GOONETILAKE BA (Hons), Phd (Lond) PUBLISHER: THE ROYAL ASIATIC SOCIETY OF SRI LANKA, COLOMBO, 2014 Reviewed by Hemantha Situge

JOURNAL REVIEW

TITLE         : JOURNAL OF THE ROYAL ASIATIC SOCIETY OF SRI LANKA.

 NEW SERIES, VOLUME 59, PART I

EDITOR      : DR. HEMA GOONETILAKE BA (Hons), Phd (Lond)

PUBLISHER : THE ROYAL ASIATIC SOCIETY OF SRI LANKA, COLOMBO, 2014

Reviewed by Hemantha Situge

e-mail : hsituge@gmail.com

blog : Hemantha Situge@blogspot.com

The Royal Asiatic Society of Sri Lanka (RASSL) has released its latest journal, New series, Volume 59, Part I, 2014 this month published by the RAS, SL, Colombo. *

The journal spans into 116 pages with five articles by contributors. The five articles are: viz Assistant Professor of University of Assam, Vinay Kumar Rao’s ‘Some Scenes from the, Life of the Buddha: Sculptural Depiction from Arakan (Rakhine) in Myanmar’ Indira J. Mawelle’s ‘Linguistic Variation on Popular Media: From Theory to Practice’ Kamani Dambawinna’s, ‘Citation Analysis of The Ceylon Journal of Science (Biological Sciences),’ Ven. Olaganwatte Chandrasiri’s ‘The Poetical Works and the Poetic Language during the British Period in Sri Lanka’ and Ratnasiri Arangala’s tribute on ‘Emeritus Professor A. V. Suraweera’

The title of the first article of Rao’s does not portray the contents of the article. The contents appositely  bespeaks of eight sculptural depictions, Why such a wide title? Rao describes eight such reliefs reposed in Museums in Myanmar, Plate I (at page 7) Plate II, III, IV, V, VII and VIII are from (vide: at page 11) Mrauk U. Museum, Myanmar. At page 2 of the JRAS, Rao states

* This review was written by the reviewer when he received the JRAS by   

   post in 2015

that: “Recently, eight numbers of stone sculptures were discovered from Sailagiri”

But Rao does not provide any explanation as to why the relief described as plate VI in page 11 of the JRAS was deposited in the Mrauk U. Museum in Myanmar. All eight sculptures are published without the museum registration numbers which is a sine qua non for publication in a journal of repute. All these eight sculptures are not found in measurements. This is a sheer deviation of the well-acclaimed world standard, scientific practice in academic articles.

The title of the second article of Indira J. Mawelle is in a similar position like Rao’s taking the readers astray. ‘Popular Media’ is it FM or Newspapers or the TV, until the readers peruse the contents of the article the title used in the JRAS has taken the readers into an abyss of despair.

Similarly the title of the third article of Kamani Dambawinna remains too wide as to she has dealt only  on five recent volumes of the said journal. (vide: at page 37 of the JRAS).

The fourth,  has taken the readers into a similar position by Ven Olaganwatte Chandrasiri’s article ‘The Poetical Works and the Poetic Language during the British Period in Sri Lanka’ The most pertinent question arises as to whether these poetical works in the title are Sinhalese or English or Tamil? The most adverse salient feature of the article by Ven Olaganwatte Chandrasiri is that all end notes in which he has quoted he has endeavored to portray that the books he quotes are from the English language texts. The other most predominant feature is that he is unaware or shows a cold shoulder on all English works on Sinhalese poetical books. For instance Emeritus Professor Vini Vitharana’s ‘Muvadevdavata’ published by Godage in 2009 and ‘Sasadavata’ published by Godage in 2013, former RAS President Professor M.B. Ariyapala came out with several such works, translated with Mc Alpine one such was ‘Kavsilumina.’ Eudelin De Jonville’s ‘Kokila Sandeshaya’ in 1802, Charles William Macready’s excellent translation in English ‘Sela Lihini Sandese the Sela’s Message, with notes and a glossary, for the use of students’ in 1865 and Thomas Steele’s metrical version of the ‘Kusa Jatakaya- an eastern love story’ Messers Trubner and co. 1871.

The text of ‘Jatika Kavyya’ cited as an end notes 22, (at pages 102 JRAS) (at page 103) 25 Rev. Chandrasiri renders the readers the readers clueless as to what is this text?

At pages of the JRAS, SL in this article the foot note is found erroneously entered in the foot notes at page 106. In another foot note Bentara Lankara is quoted from Kumaratunge Munidasa instead from its author Albert Silva. The longest article of the JRAS which is from pages 49 to 112 contains- enormous amounts of mistakes bringing JRAS into disrepute.

The reviewer observes that a new trend has emerged in the JRAS to translate Sinhalese articles into English thus this is a malady to be eradicated as these articles have caused a risqué sense of humor to the readers of the JRAS.

Last but least is the tribute by Professor Ratnasiri Arangala on Emeritus Professor A. V. Suraweera as page 114 he writes five novels in English in Italics they are not explained as Sinhalese novels.

The Publication Committee of 2014-2015 headed Dr. Malani Dias is answerable about the pathetic plight of the JRAS of SL 2014 new series, volume 59, part I together with the editor Dr. Hema Goonetilake where the membership has entrusted them with a sacred duty to maintain 170 years old traditions maintained by RAS of Sri Lanka. JRAS of Sri Lanka. is well-known as a anonymous referral, prestigious journal, Are all these articles have undergone the rigid referral process or have they been approved according to the whims and fancies of a few who do not wish to maintain the 170 year old traditions maintained by RAS of Sri Lanka?

Quo Vadis the JRAS of Sri Lanka new series, volume 59, part I? Will the RAS of Sri Lanka established in 1845 (as the cover states) destined or continue to hover in this pathetic condition?? Only time would tell !!