Monday, February 25, 2019
In praise of a great soul Wednesday, February 20, 2019 - 01:00 Print Edition T&C Title: Mahatma Gandhi Lankgamanaya Saha Sri Lankeya Deshapalanaya Author: Sampath Bandara The Daily News Reviewed by Hemantha Situge
In praise of a great soul
Wednesday, February 20, 2019 - 01:00
Title:
Mahatma Gandhi Lankgamanaya Saha Sri Lankeya Deshapalanaya
Author:
Sampath Bandara
The
splendid book entitled: Mahatma Gandhi - Lanka Gamanaya Saha Deshapalanaya
[Mahatma Gandhi visit of Ceylon and Sri Lankan Politics] written by the
well-known writer Sampath Bandara was published by the Sarasavi Prakashakayo to
commemorate the 150th Birth Anniversary of Mahatma Gandhi was released
recently.
The
introduction to this magnum opus states that last November marked the
completion of 90 years on Mahatma Gandhi's visit to Ceylon. On January 30,
2018, was the 70th Death Anniversary.
The
reviewer had the opportunity to read and re-read this book and finds two
momentous incidents to mark Gandhiji's 16-day visit from November 12 to 29,
1927. It requires to be revived.
The
Na tree (Messua ferrea) planted by Mahatma Gandhi remains a protected tree
under the Fauna and Flora Ordinance (Chap 567) N. 2 of 1937. SD Saparamadu, in
his work ‘Sri Lanka, A Wildlife Interlude’ states:
“This
tree was declared a protected tree under Section 43 schedule 6 of the Fauna
Flora Ordinance in 1990.The notification the description: “Tree plant at Kotte
by Mahatma Gandhi visited Sri Lanka in 1929 and the tree evidently planted
during this visit. The department was not able to give any information as to
the location of this tree and whether it is still standing."
Mahatma
Gandhi’s visit to Ceylon is evidently a lapsus calamai or lapsus pennae. The
house that he lived in C Arumugam's mansion named as ‘The Arc’ in Cotta Road,
Rajagiriya. The tree and the house are no more. They were evidently demolished.
A part of it is occupied by garden of the Voet Inn, Sri Lanka Law College
Hostel, 1163B, Cotta Road, Rajagiriya.
This
reviewer could not trace any references in Mahadev Desai's ‘With Gandhiji in
Ceylon’ (published by S Ganeshan, 1920) and Gopalakrishna Gandhi's ‘Gandhi and
Sri Lanka 1905-1947’ about the exact day Gandhi planted this tree at the Arc.
A
political biography titled ‘JR Jayewardene of Sri Lanka 1906-1956’, written by
K M de Silva and Howard Higgins, records, on page 63, an incident that occurred
in December, 1930.
“In
the first of the incident, unveiling of a portrait of Gandhi in the premises of
the Law College, Dick was at the centre of the controversy that erupted.
Considering that the governing body of the Law College consisted of Supreme
Court judges , and most of them British, the decision to unveil a portrait of
the arch-rebel of the raj provocative; it became doubly so, and a calculated
act of defiance, at a time when Gandhi was in jail. The first problem was to
raise funds to pay the artist, David Paynter- a highly regarded Eurasian artist
resident in the island who had been commissioned to do the portrait of Gandhi
in the Law College, this financial support dried up if it did not evaporate
altogether. One result of this reneging on promises of support was an
acrimonious exchange of letters between the head of a prestigious firm of
lawyers - a friend of EW and the Jayewardene family and Dick. Eventually it was
Dick himself who made good the financial loss sustained by the refusal of
established lawyers to keep their promises of money to pay for the portrait. He
had saved a tidy sum of money from his salary as his father's private secretary
and part of this was diverted to this purpose...
EW
was a member of the governing body of the Law College. He was instrumental in
preventing it from banning the unveiling ceremony. Arguing that the rebel of
today is the martyr tomorrow, he pointed out that the law students had not
asked for permission to hang the portrait on the wall of the College, but
merely had invited them to be present at the ceremony. The portrait was
unveiled by Ceylon National Congress Chairman Francis de Zoysa KC. The main
speaker was CE Corea and the vote of thanks was delivered by JR Jayewardene
himself who had relinquished office as his father’s private secretary.
The
magnum opus also states that the portrait itself is an undistinguished piece of
work. Gandhi appears there at prayer as an ascetic. The overwhelming impression
is one of penitence and submission. There is nothing there of other facets of
the man’s personality especially his irresistible vitality.
These
incidents bear ample testimony to the fact that the charisma of Mahatma Gandhi
has made a remarkable impact on Sri Lankan political arena. Sampath Bandara's
book is a befitting true tribute to this unique Indian leader sui generis.
-Reviewed
by Hemantha Situge
WARSHA EKDAHAS ATASIYA HETTEWE MARADANE SIDDAWUNA MARAKKALA HATANE BY NIMESHA THIVANKARA SENEVIPALA REVIEWED BY HEMANTHA SITUGE PUBLISHED BY Samanthi Prakashakayo 2018
BOOK REVIEW
TITLE : MARAKKALA HATANE
NIMESHSA THIWANKARA SENEVIPALA
NIMESHSA THIWANKARA SENEVIPALA
PUBLISHED BY SAMANTHI PRAKASHAKAYO
The earliest reference to the ' Marakkala Hatane " is found in Don Martino De Zylwa Wickremasinghe's Catalogue of Sinhalese Printed Books in the Library of the British Museum London 1901 at page 170 s ( E) as'[ Marakkala hatane a poem on certain riots with the ' Moors' i. e. foreign Mohammadan traders in Ceylon , composed by E .S. and published by P . Fernando] pp12 [ Colombo ] 1891 . This is about a 12 page booklet.
Dr Punchi Bandara Sannasgala in his Sinhala Sahithya Wanshaya -History of Sinhalese Literature- 1964 [at page 593] records the next reference and this event occurred in as in 1876 which is evidently a lapsus calamai or lapsus pennae . He has also stated that this book contains 72 verses.
Prof Tissa Kariyawasam's 'Religious Activities and the Development of a New Poetical Tradition in Sinhalese 1852-1906' submitted to the University of London , School of Oriental and African Studies in 1973 as his doctoral thesis which was subsequently published by Godage International in 2009 provides the third reference on this book Thus: [ from pages 348 to 349 of the book ] Marakkala Hatane of E. Paulis Fernando printed in 1891. ' A young carpenter of the Karawe caste from Moratuwa eloped with a young Muslim girl in Colombo the muslims invaded the in search of the girl , and after hearing the news Muslims in all part of the island were attacked and looted by Sinhalese and the Police had to intervene for peace. The feelings of Sinhalese against Muslims were the results of the nationalistic trade policy of the Sinhalese new rich class and the poet of ' Marakkala Hatanaya' severely criticized the Muslims on this ground.' It is very likely that Prof' Kariyawasam refers to the very same book cited by Don Martino De Zylwa Wickremasinghe above as the year of publisher and his name therein is same.
It is interesting to note that this opus discovered and introduced by Nimesha Thiwankara Senevipala contains 109 verses.
Ven Olaganwaththe Chandrasiri himi in his article titled : ' The Poetical Works and the Poetical Language during the British Period in Sri Lanka " published in the JRAS Vol 59 part 1 2014 pages 49 to 112 in this article the writer refers to two verses at page 95 of the said article where the foot notes 196 and 197 are found at page 111 of the article. Thus ' Marakkala Hatane or Sinhalese marakkala conflict . this book was printed & published in 1870 Colombo Jambu weediya by Paulus Fernando ( composed by E .S .) No 37 Nil Weediya Colombo 1891 34 verse . ' It is per se evident that this foot note is erroneous and replete with a' printer's devil'.The foot note 197 refers to as ' ibid 58 verse ' Is this another's printer's devil ? What this reviewer could glean is that both the verses quoted by the writer of this article vide : at page 95 is found in the Nimesha Thivankara Senevipala's edition published recently This edition verse 34 is verse 33 in Senevipala's book and verse 56 is verse 55 of the same book . On a careful perusal it is evident that a part of Don Martino De Zylwa Wickremasinghe's book is referred to by Ven Olaganwaththe Chandrasiri himi in his foot note of his article.However, this reviewer draws the kind attention of the readers to the scathing criticism levelled by this reviewer on this article in his blog http // Hemantha Situge @blogspot.com Sunday dated 16th April 2017 .
However , Ven Olaganwaththe Chandrasiri himi himself published as a Vijitha Yapa publication entitled : Nineteenth Century Poetical Works and Social Institutions of Sri Lanka " in 2018 . This book clears up the existing situation.According to page 271 of this book the initials E. S. if found in f.n. 128 where within parenthesis Colombo : Lakmini Palaga Press ,1870 is found therein. Page 36 of the said book the author cites V Carolis Appuhamy has published Marakkala Hatana in 1891.The title of the Senevipala's book vide at page 40-1 : Marakkala Hatane hewath Sinhala Marakkala Kolahalaya 1870. The one peruse by the Ven Chandasiri is the British museum copy for his opus. [ Per com with Ven Chandrasiri }
All evidence points out that there are several Sinhalese books of verses as the riots erupted was a popular theme for such composition .
Ven Olaganwaththe Chandrasiri himi in his article titled : ' The Poetical Works and the Poetical Language during the British Period in Sri Lanka " published in the JRAS Vol 59 part 1 2014 pages 49 to 112 in this article the writer refers to two verses at page 95 of the said article where the foot notes 196 and 197 are found at page 111 of the article. Thus ' Marakkala Hatane or Sinhalese marakkala conflict . this book was printed & published in 1870 Colombo Jambu weediya by Paulus Fernando ( composed by E .S .) No 37 Nil Weediya Colombo 1891 34 verse . ' It is per se evident that this foot note is erroneous and replete with a' printer's devil'.The foot note 197 refers to as ' ibid 58 verse ' Is this another's printer's devil ? What this reviewer could glean is that both the verses quoted by the writer of this article vide : at page 95 is found in the Nimesha Thivankara Senevipala's edition published recently This edition verse 34 is verse 33 in Senevipala's book and verse 56 is verse 55 of the same book . On a careful perusal it is evident that a part of Don Martino De Zylwa Wickremasinghe's book is referred to by Ven Olaganwaththe Chandrasiri himi in his foot note of his article.However, this reviewer draws the kind attention of the readers to the scathing criticism levelled by this reviewer on this article in his blog http // Hemantha Situge @blogspot.com Sunday dated 16th April 2017 .
However , Ven Olaganwaththe Chandrasiri himi himself published as a Vijitha Yapa publication entitled : Nineteenth Century Poetical Works and Social Institutions of Sri Lanka " in 2018 . This book clears up the existing situation.According to page 271 of this book the initials E. S. if found in f.n. 128 where within parenthesis Colombo : Lakmini Palaga Press ,1870 is found therein. Page 36 of the said book the author cites V Carolis Appuhamy has published Marakkala Hatana in 1891.The title of the Senevipala's book vide at page 40-1 : Marakkala Hatane hewath Sinhala Marakkala Kolahalaya 1870. The one peruse by the Ven Chandasiri is the British museum copy for his opus. [ Per com with Ven Chandrasiri }
All evidence points out that there are several Sinhalese books of verses as the riots erupted was a popular theme for such composition .
Sunday, February 24, 2019
Monday, February 4, 2019
HUMANITARIAN OPERATION FACTUAL ANALYSIS JULY 2006 - MAY 2009 PUBLISHED BY THE MINISTRY OF DEFENCE JULY 2011 REVIEWED BY HEMANTHA SITUGE
REVIEWED BY HEMANTHA SITUGE
This report was released in 2011 , compels some comments of this reviewer.The report contains no ISBN or ISSN number.
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