28 March, 2024

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Attack Of The Mutants: ICES (Colombo) And Other Accidents

By Darshanie Ratnawalli

 Darshanie Ratnawalli

Darshanie Ratnawalli

Where the mainstream academics are not very alert, discerning or prolific, the lunatic fringe will soon grow like a cancer and outweigh them in respectability. This happened in Sri Lanka to an unbelievable degree across a wide swath of social sciences including history, linguistics and anthropology. The mainstream was not vigilant enough in watching out for the mutant. Maybe there were just too many mutants. Mutants backed by other mutants, who fronted for yet bigger mutants.

In the 1990s, which was much more the day of the mutants than the 2010s can ever be, International Centre for Ethnic Studies (Colombo) engaged on a project to promote the official languages provisions in the 13th and 16th amendments to the constitution. They organized workshops in collaboration with the Department of Official Languages, made some films and last but not least, commissioned a study[i] by Mr. Theva Rajan, who now enjoys the distinction of being one of the two elected members allocated to New Zealand in the Transnational Constituent Assembly of Tamil Elam. ICES (Colombo) published Mr. Theva Rajan’s study (text) with a foreword by ‘Editor, ICES (Colombo)’, a ghost title[ii].

This study deals with the important subject of Tamil as official language. In its early pages, it manipulates ancient linguistic history to ruthlessly edit out the Sinhalese language from the equation. Clearly, ICES (Colombo), which was then going through its mutant phase,[iii] felt that such an enterprise deserved support and placed their institutional resources and reputation behind it. Nothing is more gallant than the way Mr. Theva Rajan acts to defend the honour of Tamil whenever Sinhalese obtrudes historically to an unpleasant degree. To appreciate how gallant he is being, let me give some background.

The earliest extant texts of this country, written on stone in the Brahmi script, dated from 3rd century BC onwards are in Sinhalese. Sometimes, a medievalist will feel compelled to explain; “Er.. by Sinhalese, I don’t mean “Sinhalese Sinhalese” but the Middle Indo Aryan (MIA) phase of Sinhalese.” A classic example is Charles Hallisey in Works and Persons in Sinhala Literary Culture, 2003[iv];

“There is evidence for the documentary use of the Sinhala language (or, perhaps more accurately, a Sinhala “Prakrit”) in inscriptions from as early as the third century B.C.E., but none are literature by any definition of the term, as a single example can make clear: upasaka devaha lene, “the cave of the lay devotee Deva”…”.-( p721, fn. 117)

Behind that bashful, skittish parenthetical clause; “or, perhaps more accurately a Sinhala “Prakrit”” lurks the belief that the name Sinhala is only kosher for the New Indo Aryan (NIA) phase of the language and not so much for the MIA phase. It is ignorance, which causes that belief. We do know that the language was known as Sinhalese even during its MIA phase (3rd century BCE to 8/9th century AD) because Buddhaghosa writing in the early 5th century AD calls it Sihala Bhasa[v]. More importantly, the term “Sihala Bhasa” is used by this monk not only for the language at his own point (5th century AD) in the time stream. When he says (K. R Norman: 1978, p32, full text) that his commentaries are based on the commentaries which Maha Mahinda brought to Sihaladipa and put into Sihalabhasa for the benefit of the Dipavasin, Buddhaghosa is using the term Sihala Bhasa in such a way as to be applicable to a long stretch in the time stream extending from his own time (500 AD) to the time of Maha Mahinda (300 BC).

The worst faux pas anyone can commit is to mix up the terms modern linguists use to distinguish the different phases of a language with the names used for that language by its speech community. For example, no competent linguist would want to time travel into the 5th century AD, and tell Buddhaghosa: “Don’t you get it? You can’t call it ‘Sihala Bhasa’ yet. Call it Proto Sinhala, because it’s still a MIA form or a Sinhales Prakrit”. Linguists (and most historians) can switch easily between the artificial names such as “Sinhalese Prakrit”, “Proto-Sinhalese”, “Sinhalese Proper”, coined for periodization purposes and the real names of the Sinhalese language without falling into absurdities.

For example take D.E Hettiaratchi. As R.A.L.H Gunawardana noted in ‘Historiography in a time of Ethnic Conflict[vi], p13-14, this linguist accepted the Geiger-Jayatilaka periodization, reserved the term “Sinhala Proper” only for the third stage (between the 8th and 13th centuries AD) of the scheme, and carefully emphasized the distinction between Sinhala Proper and the preceding state by consistently using the term “praksimhala yugaya” or “the Period of Proto-Sinhala” for the latter. But (as R.A.L.H typically did not note) Hettiaratchi also had no trouble in stating in Current Trends in Linguistics[vii], 1973, page736 (go to page ):

“Sinhala possesses besides literary works dating from about the 10th century A.D, a wealth of lithic records from about the 3rd or the 2nd century B.C., enabling us to trace the development of Sinhalese from century to century.”

Another example of the striking limberness with which linguists switch between artificial and real names for Sinhalese is afforded by K. R Norman: 1978[viii], p33;

“…An examination of the Asokan inscriptions shows that the Sinhalese inscriptions are written in a Prakrit which does not agree with any of the extant Asokan dialects, but which seems to have deviated much more from the norm of Sanskrit than any of them…”

R.A.L.H was utterly unable to grasp this distinction. He was a man who would have seen no absurdity in taking a time machine to the 5th century AD Lanka, cornering Buddhaghosa and shouting in his face;

 “Monk, regarding your careless use of the term ‘Sihala Bhasa’, listen to this passage from my ‘Historiography in a time of Ethnic Conflict’-  “Geiger and Jayatilaka (1935:xxiv – xxix) characterized the period from the third or fourth century to the eighth century AD as one of transition from the Prakritic genre to Sinhala. It is important to note that the two scholars carefully refrained from calling the language of this period Sinhala: instead they chose the term “Proto-Sinhalese.” Got that? Geiger and Jayatilaka carefully refrained from calling the language of the period- from the 3/4th to 8th centuries AD (that’s your period monk) – Sinhala. Who are you to counter them and call it ‘Sihala Bhasa’. I suggest you start calling it Proto-Sinhala pronto monk, without becoming the laughing stock of the academic community of all time”

I have often fantasized about this hypothetical time-travel scene. What a delightful learning experience it would have been for R.A.L.H. “Who” Buddhaghosa would have demanded drawing himself up haughtily “are Geiger and Jayatilake to call my Sihala Bhasa ‘Proto-Sinhalese’? You can tell them (if such beings as Geiger and Jayatilaka actually exist outside your imagination) that for me ‘Sinhalese Proper’ is the Sihala Bhasa of my time. I will probably use a term like ‘Post-Sinhalese’ or ‘Future Sinhalese’ for their Sihala Bhasa. Not that I actually blame them for calling their Sihala Bhasa ‘Sinhalese Proper’ while relegating my Sihala Bhasa as ‘Proto-Sinhalese’. And I am sure they will not blame me for calling my Sihala Bhasa ‘Sinhalese Proper’ while, relegating their Sihala Bhasa as ‘Post/Future Sinhalese’. Not if they have any sense of subjectivities of perceptions, which you, my man seem to lack completely. What did you say your occupation was in the land of ‘Post/Future Sinhalese’?”

That a credentialed historian ever came to that state is dismal. Still, R.A.L.H is a far cry from the dismality of the lunatic fringe represented by Theva Rajan and endorsed by the mutant ICES (Colombo). To summarize the Theva Rajan credo given in p1-2 of his study; ‘The Brahmi inscriptions of Lanka are in Prakrit. The term rather than denoting a particular language just means ‘Old Language’. The ‘Old Language’ of Lanka is a mixture in the very least of Tamil, Dravidian or Proto-Dravidian languages and testifies to the popular use of Tamil in 3rd Century BC, if not earlier. Velupillai has skillfully demonstrated the influence of Tamil even on the linguistic aspects of this Old language’. Doesn’t this deserve a unique place among ICES commissioned papers’ hall of fame?

 @ http://ratnawalli.blogspot.com/  and rathnawalli@gmail.com


[i] Foreword of Mr. Theva Rajan’s paper; “Tamil as Official Language, Retrospect and Prospect, First Edition 1995, Second Edition 1998, ISBN- 955-580-006-5

[ii] See last week’s “When ICES Colombo made excursions into the lunatic fringe”

[iii] During this phase ICES (Colombo) was under the stewardship of Dr. Radhika Coomaraswamy

[iv] Literary Cultures in History: Reconstructions from South Asia. Edited by Sheldon Pollock. University of California Press, 2003

[v] “Sīhaladīpam pana ābhatā’ tha vasinā Mahā-Mahindena thapitā Sīhalabhāsāya dīpavāsīnam atthāya”- See K. R Norman:1978, p32- full text here and Dharmadasa: 1992, p40- full text here

[vi] Historiography in a Time of Ethnic Conflict, Construction of the Past in Contemporary Sri Lanka”, R.A.L.H. Gunawardana, Social Scientists’ Association, Colombo, 1995.

[viii] Norman, K. RThe Role of Pāli in Early Sinhalese Buddhism” in Heinz Bechert (ed.): Buddhism in Ceylon and Studies on religious syncretism in Buddhist Countries, Göttingen, 1978, p28-47- (Full text)

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Latest comments

  • 4
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    Ken

    Are you still there

    • 3
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      Dharshinie – “a great many people think that they are thinking when they are actually re arranging their prejudices”.
      This is an apt saying as far as your ‘work’ goes!

      The past is another country and there will always be MULTIPLE INTERPRETATIONS because fools like to project their prejudices back into the Past.
      This is what theorists of history call PRESENTISM.
      You need to read theories of history and understand that there is NO TRUE VERSION of the deep past – only multiple truths and interpretations, because the past over which many WORD GAMES (Wittgenstein) are played by fools who think they are historiographers and can know a singular truth. Sri Lankan history has always lacked theory except for a few greats like RHL! You are indeed Foolish!

      • 2
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        Dude, You have wasted five minutes in your life in vain.
        I would rather read a fortified 007 Banda copy of Deeman Ananda.

        Nice to see NV on top and Ken below.

        • 3
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          or else Anura Wijewardane’s Mr.Shock 909.

      • 1
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        Because complete information is lacking, you can have different models (theories) that fit the limited data. Also, even when a complete body of data is available, we still get different perspectives. For example, if you look at a cone and take different looks (or cuts), you get what are known in geometry as conic sections (point, as seen head on, circle, parabola, hyperbola, two intersecting straight lines etc). So what is the “truth”?

        The truth is that unique model which fits all facts. Are there cases where there is no unique model? In practice, NO, since there is symmetry breaking in all but systems with no distinguishing features.

        So, contrary to what Dude says, good scholarship puts weight on empirical data, rather than ideology. But most historians do not come from an empiricist background. They come with baggages of “doctrines about history”, now further afflicted with post-modernist merde. Dude is pushing Presentism, and it too is one such ideological bit of merde. Historical materialism is another, and it affected Leslie Gunawardena and Regie Siriwardena in various ways. Tamil Eelamist Nationalism is another, and has affected many Jaffna University academics and the writings of individuals like A. J. Wilson from 1970 onwards. Similarly we have Sinhala nationalism, or interpretations of history in terms of the God-Mammon fight when we go to the global arena. Christian Fundamentalists and George Bush versus Bin Laden et al invoke such an ideological view of history. When the ideologist controls the war machine and the money, there is war.

        Different “ideologies” will give different views, even starting from THE FULL PICTURE. But if we had the full picture, these different views will be consistent with each other, in the same way as all conic sections are consistent with the geometric figure of a cone which is the real thing (“ding an sich” auf Immanel Kant!).

        Linguists may worry about different phases of the growth of a language, and give names to them. But the existence of a language is not identical with the coming into being of an ethnic consciousness. Sometimes historians are more worried about the latter. Dharshanee R has also sometimes failed to distinguish between the presence of a language, say, Sinhala, and the existence of a sinhala consciousness. The latter usually happens only when an ethnically unifying/identifying series of events occur – such a thing happened in the 1956-1960 period to both the Sinhalese, and the Tamils. But its roots go into events well before independence. The same probably applies to the era of the Dutugamunu-Ellalan war.

        In discussing the ICES, and its “lunatic fringe”, Darshanee R has one more article to write, i.e., about the ejection (as persona non grata) of a french “social scientist” who was recruited by various people to run the ICES and get Gareth Evens (the R2P man) to set up an R2P cell at the ICES. Interestingly enough, it was a highly respected anthropologist – viz., Gananath Obesekera – who came up with an attempt to buttress and shore up the ICES. Radhika Kumarasawamy’s role in it would also be of sociological and anthropological interest. Clearly, these social scientists are not just interpreting events, but also aim to alter events, both in the past, and in the future.

        But then, Dharshanee R is only interested in linguistic lunatic matters?

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          Kautilya
          Thank you for your interesting comments on interpretation of history and the role of ideologies influencing the historians. It important for us to choose a middle pathway to prevent the idiotic thinking of uniformity and antiquity based on false interpretations. I do not think the common man is smart enough to understand the machinations of cheap politicians on both sides who dwell on these artificial divisions of our country

          Further more it is worrying that you do not want to criticise the constant mudslinging by Dharshanie on a late learned professor who has been respected across the the divide.
          ken

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            ken robert

            “late learned professor who has been respected across the the divide”

            And across the world by eminent historians including those Sinhala/Buddhist academics who challenged his interpretation of history.

          • 0
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            Indeed, I do nto agree with DarshaneeR’s personal-atatck journalism that attacked not just LeslieG, but also KarthigesuIndrapala, Chandre Dharmawardana, LeslieGunawardana, Sitrap.. etc., etc., wherein, anyone who holds a position different to her own Gurus are regarded as not just wrong, but dishonest, or totally ignorant.
            Even if you recognize that some scholar is totally ignorant in normal academic parlance you assume that your opposition is competent, and push the discussion so that the errors are self-exposed, rather than going and just pulling at the underwear. However, DarshaneeR has exposed some sloppy writing by our “learned pundits” from Indrapala to LeslieG; and that is a good thing.

            As for LeslieG, (and some Jaffna Academics, as well as some southern academics like, say, Nalin de Silva), facts have to be “interpreted” according to the ideology (in his case, historical materialism), and facts are interactive elements that have to also be instruments of social change, instead of being mere static empirical entities. as envisaged by Darshanie R. I also think past-facts are mere static entities where the deed is done, but their implication for the modern world is in assessing their current import. DarshaneeR does not distinguish carefully between these epistemological and socio-political issues.

    • 3
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      N V and Amarsiri,

      [ But I think You both are the same person].

      You all wants to The Para-Sinhala and Para-Tamils to go away from Sri lanka.
      Malabari Jara Passa Clan wants to exterminate,, Tamils Muslims, Christians and Other Minorities.
      Be Badu Seana wants only Another cult called Sinhala Buddhists to Rule Sri Lanka.
      Pirabaharan and His Backers wanted all the other races to push to the sea from north and east of Lanka. and Still Trying.

      Muslims like Taliban, Al Qaida wants a Jihad,to other believers to be killed and Sweep from Earth.

      But Don’t You Guys and Girls, ALL THINK THAT,
      ANY HUMAN BEING BORN IN THIS WORLD IN THIS PLANET. DESERVED THEIR RIGHTS TO LIVE, ANY WHERE THEY WANTS.?????????????
      Don’t you think So???????.

      As Buddhist, I have no Any Other Alternative Idea.

      • 1
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        JULAMPITIYE AMARAYA

        “N V and Amarsiri, [ But I think You both are the same person].”

        No. Amarasiri is a different independent person.

        Amarasiri is an Egalitarian Agnostic. All the Para are guests in the Land of Native Veddah. They are expected to behave as guests in a civilized manner in keeping with the Egalitarian Ethics and traditions of the Native Veddah.

        However, the Para’s have become racists, killers and width their Para-beliefs, contrary to the ethics and traditions of the Native Veddah.

        That is why, the paras are requested o get back to South India., your native land as shown by the DNA in the paras bodies.

        You say : The Answer is Above:

        “But Don’t You Guys and Girls, ALL THINK THAT, ANY HUMAN BEING BORN IN THIS WORLD IN THIS PLANET. DESERVED THEIR RIGHTS TO LIVE, ANY WHERE THEY WANTS.????????????? Don’t you think So???????. :

    • 0
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      Native

      deciphering the attack on Mr Dewarajan

      DR finds fault with Mr Devarajan
      “Behind that bashful, skittish parenthetical clause; “or, perhaps more accurately a Sinhala “Prakrit”” lurks the belief that the name Sinhala is only kosher for the New Indo Aryan (NIA) phase of the language and not so much for the MIA phase. It is ignorance, which causes that belief”

      In layman’s english, Mr Dewarajan may have argued ( I did not read his essay in detail)that sinhala is a new indo european language and did not have Middle indo aryan period of development. DR counters this argument by stating history, on the seminal works of Monk buddhagosha in the fifth century

      However, Buddhaghosha himself did not mention this in his books, the commentaries ( ie Tika) on Buddhaghosa’s work mention it and I believe these commentaries( risen after tenth century) could have been made with an ulterior motive.

      More importantly, DR draws the attention of Indo european scholars, who argue that sinhala did have a middle indo european phase,

      Prof Norman argues his case by stating
      “An examination of the Asokan inscriptions shows that the Sinhalese inscriptions are written in a Prakrit which does not agree with any of the extant Asokan dialects, but which seems to have deviated much more from the norm of Sanskrit than any of them”

      Although this is correct, brahmi letters found in the inscriptions in pot sherds in adichanallur suggest tamil brahmi and sinhala brahmi are similar in nature. Furthermore tamil brahmi letters were discovered in thailand recently and this was dated to 2nd century AD.

      Hearing this discovery, Prof Richard Saloman one the doyens of Indian Epigraphy supposed to have said the following

      “I am happy to hear that the inscription in question is in fact Tamil-Brahmi, as I had suspected. This is important, among other reasons, because it presents a parallel with the situation with Indian inscriptions in Egypt and the Red Sea area. There we find both Tamil-Brahmi inscriptions and standard-Brahmi inscriptions; and we now see the same in Vietnam and South-East Asia. This indicates that the overseas trade between India to both the West and the East involved people from the Tamil country and also other region”

      DR’s Argument on sinhala language has unique linear connection with Indo European languages seems flawed, because it is clear sinhala language was influenced by tamil and language of veddas from pre christian era, in fact there is evidence to say that ancient dravidian words are present in old indo european languages as well.

      In summary, historolingiustics needs to analyzed in the context of its people and its neighbours, geography as well as rules of histolinguisitcs ( which I am not familiar with)

  • 1
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    Attack Of The Mutants: ICES

    If certain non variants (non mutants)have myopic view on history, mutant should be used to change this anomaly.

    I believe non mutants used the mutants for their advantage, and Lately non mutants were engulfed by their dark side.

    Bemoaning on perceived misconceptions of certain Tamil scholars could be useful way to analyse the development of a language. However I will expect a reasonable student of linguistics should also question the intentions and conclusions of Indo Aryan scholars.

    Mahavamsa and the chronicles of second millennium mention on the divisions and unity of various tribes, Monks of yesteryear were respectful of the sister languages and its scholars. However I see derogatory remarks on certain authors without analysing the context of their uttering of srilanka
    Ken

    • 2
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      ken robert

      “Bemoaning on perceived misconceptions of certain Tamil scholars could be useful way to analyse the development of a language.”

      While Irrathinavalli is groaning, this is what R A L H wrote about the rich culture of medieval times, at least among the few. Please read the excerpts:

      Evidently, this was a period of cosmopolitan culture when fluency in six languages was considered to be a desirable accomplishment by Sinhala scholars. The hierarchy of the Galaturumula fraternity who lived at the end of the thirteenth century or the begining of the fourteenth century was the first person to be referred to by the title sadbhasa paramesvara ‘the lord of six languages’. The reign of Parakramabahu VI marks a high point in the development cultural contact between Sinhala and Tamil linguistic communities. Nanurutun Minisannas, a Tamil prince who was married to a king’s daughter, composed the Sinhala lexicon Namavalia. It is clear from this scholarly work that the author had attained high level of proficiency in the Sinhala language. The authos of Kokila Sandesa spoke of his ability to preach in both Sinhala and Tamil. It was also a period when Tamil poems and songs were popular among the Sinhala community. According to Kokila sandesa, poems composed in Sinhala, Tamil, Pali, and Sanskrit were recited at the court of Parakramabahu VI. Maha Valigama was described by the same poet as a place where Tamil songs were sung, and his description clearly reveal an appreciation for this genre of music. The popularity of cults of Ganapati (Ganesa) and Pattini was a factor conducive to the expansion of Tamil cultural influences among the Sinhala. The Parevi Sandesa written in the middle of the fifteenth century by Totagamuve Rahula, refers appreciatively to Tamil songs being sung at the temple of Ganapati in southern Sri Lanka. The Vayantimalay, a poetical work on the goddess Pattini which has been assigned to the period of the Kotte kingdom, was a translation of a Tamil work.

      The interest of the Sinhala literati in Tamil literature persisted during the period of Kandyan kingdom, when a significant number of Tamil works were translated into Sinhala. Some of these, like the Mahapadaranga Jataka, were Buddhist works and point to the prevalence of Tamil literary works of Buddhist inspiration even at this late date. Kirimatiyave, the scholar responsible for some of the translations made during this period speaks of his knowledge of the Tamil and Grantha scripts. South Indian scripts were used at times even to write Sinhala language. It is particularly interesting to note that some leading Sinhala officials in Kandyan kingdom used the Grantha and the Tamil scripts in their signatures.

      …..
      The People of the lion: the Sinhala identity and ideology in history and historiography

      R A L H Gunawardana

      Sri Lanka, History and Roots of Conflict
      Edited by Jonathan Spencer

      • 2
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        Native

        I have a basic question regarding discussing the antiquity sinhala race and sinhala language?
        Why bother as one of the commentators wrote ” who cares ? respect each others languages. trying to find a link between these languages is I think is idiotic. leave Sinhala scholarship to Sinhalese and tamil scholarship to tamils – if linked who cares and if not again who cares really ?

        Who is the main beneficiary of this division, Is it the rulers? venerable and not so venerable monks? or the sinhalese people?

        Prof Gunawardana being a historians’ historian cared about it when he wrote the essay “The People of the lion: the Sinhala identity and ideology in history and historiography”

        Even Prof Michael Roberts (in his book on sinhala consciousness in kandyan period) identified the needs of such essay and he felt this was shaped by the 1983 July pogroms and leftist leanings of Prof Gunawardana.

        I think the need to prevent cheap polemics running away with the idea that sinhala race was 2500 years old in language and culture was felt even by biased historians. Stephen Berkwitz analyses the importance of the work of Prof Gunawardana in his book called buddhist history in the vernacular, the power of the past in late medieval Srilanka (2004). He argues the communal overtones of authors in nineteenth and twentieth century shaped the thinking of modern sinhalese.

        Obviously sinhala sentiment was deeply hurt by the writing of Prof Gunawardana. Here is an argument for antiquity sinhala by Prof K N O Dharmadasa.
        http://infolanka.com/org/srilanka/hist/hist18.html

        Prof Roberts stoops below ratnawalli’s standard by calling Prof Gunawardana is a cheap polemic in his book on sinhala consciousness in Kandyan Kingdom (pg 56), I feel I am beginning to understand the dark side senators (AKA star wars) helping this poor damsel.

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          ken robert

          The people of the lion : ethnic identity, ideology and historical revisionism in contemporary Sri Lanka, Dharmadasa, K. N. O.

          can be accessed from

          http://www.dlib.pdn.ac.lk/archive/handle/123456789/2072

          • 0
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            Native
            Thanks for the reference
            ken

  • 1
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    Dear Darshanie Ratnawalli –

    RE: Attack Of The Mutants: ICES (Colombo) And Other Accidents

    “Where the mainstream academics are not very alert, discerning or prolific, the lunatic fringe will soon grow like a cancer and outweigh them in respectability. This happened in Sri Lanka to an unbelievable degree across a wide swath of social sciences including history, linguistics and anthropology. The mainstream was not vigilant enough in watching out for the mutant. Maybe there were just too many mutants. Mutants backed by other mutants, who fronted for yet bigger mutants.”

    Interesting. The Para-Sinhala and Para-Tamils in the Land of Native Veddah are mutating.

    Darwin’s theory of Natural selection is based on mutations due to environmental factors. However, the biological mutation pf the para-Sinhala and Para-Tamils takes thousands of yeas. Therefore, the time period is not long enough to differentiate the Paras in the Land of native Veddah, Testing of the DNA of the Pars will most likely confirm that.

    However, the fact remains,, based on climatic and DNA data, that the Sinhala, Tamils and others are Para in the Land of Native Veddah, when the Native Veddah walked well over 25,000 years ago when the sea levels were as low as 120 meters.

  • 4
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    Dear Learned Ratnawalli,

    Are not the Sinhalese according to Mahawamsa mutated already ? Remember there was a Lion involved at the very beginning. Global TV coverage of Sinhalese behavior gives credence to this fact – authenticating what was considered a myth by many.

    In this context, would not some additional re-mutation do them good, as it would increases their chances of becoming human again ?

    • 1
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      Kiri Yakka,

      “In this context, would not some additional re-mutation do them good, as it would increases their chances of becoming human again “

      Due to advances in Science, it is rather simple these days to identify those Para-Sinhala who may have Lion genes, DNA, from the ancient lions from Kalinga-Orissa region of India.

      https://genographic.nationalgeographic.com/

      Since its launch in 2005, National Geographic’s Genographic Project has used advanced DNA analysis and worked with indigenous communities to help answer fundamental questions about where humans originated and how we came to populate the Earth. Now, cutting-edge technology is enabling us to shine a powerful new light on our collective past. By participating in the latest phase of this real-time scientific project, you can learn more about yourself than you ever thought possible. You will also help support the Genographic Legacy Fund, which works to conserve and revitalize indigenous cultures around the world.

      http://shop.nationalgeographic.com/ngs/browse/productDetail.jsp?productId=2001246&gsk&code=MR20944

      Geno 2.0 – Genographic Project Participation and DNA Ancestry Kit
      Introducing the next generation of our Genographic Project Participation Kit. This new DNA test uses cutting-edge technology giving you the richest ancestry information available

      • 1
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        Dear Amarasiri,

        Please note that the Genetic detecting non homosapien animal genes cost 127$ extra.

        Could you please send one of those DNA Kits to Ratnawalli. So that that she can come to terms with her real make up and relieve her of her mental misery.

        Thanking You in advance.

        • 2
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          I really dont think that the know how need to have even if the kits are sent to her, she would ever have. She is not coming from science background. So that is the reason her to raise this kind of questions. We belong to mixed communities at least partly, be us srilankens, indians, americans, Germans or any others.

        • 1
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          Kiri Yakka,

          “Could you please send one of those DNA Kits to Ratnawalli. So that that she can come to terms with her real make up and relieve her of her mental misery.”

          Thank you for your suggestion, but Amarasiri respectfully declines as Ms. Ratnawalli is a grown up.

          However, Ms. Ratnawalli has the information and order the DNA testing kits for herself and any closely related lions.

          Since each kit costs money, and the DNA testing tests for the Y Chromosome from the father and mDNA from the mother, and Ms. Ratnawalli being a women does NOT have the T chromosome from her father. Therefore she needs to send the DNA samples of her brother. If no brothers, can send the DNA sample of her father.Then she needs to send DNA samples from her mothers side, preferentially her maternal uncles.

          DNA Samples for Lions and testing is a different story.

          What will Ms. Ratnawalli do with the results? Will she write about the results, or will she attack science as coming from the Mara and the Devil, as some Christian and Muslim Preachers did and are doing with Darwin.

          In the meantime, the Earth rotates on its own axis, moves around the Sun in a elliptical orbit like the other planets, as sorted out by Copernicus, Galileo and Kepler with the phases of Venus and the transit of Venus.

          • 1
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            Amerasiri, perhaps there is no need for DNA testing. Ratnawalli has disclosed in her blog the sources of her mutation.

            “My mother and father are first cousins, my paternal grand parents were also first cousins and at least one set of my great grandparents were first cousins. If I could be said to have a borderline personality disorder I have come by it legitimately. But it’s mostly under control”

            http://ratnawalli.com/about/

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      Dear Learned Ratnawalli,

      https://genographic.nationalgeographic.com/human-journey/

      THE HUMAN JOURNEY: MIGRATION ROUTES

      What stories are waiting to be told in your own DNA? Om Para-Sinhala, on Para Tamils and other Paras. Looks like Native Veddah arrived in the Land of Native Veddah, 30,000 to 40,000 years ago.

      When humans first ventured out of Africa some 60,000 years ago, they left genetic footprints still visible today. By mapping the appearance and frequency of genetic markers in modern peoples, we create a picture of when and where ancient humans moved around the world. These great migrations eventually led the descendants of a small group of Africans to occupy even the farthest reaches of the Earth

      Our species is an African one: Africa is where we first evolved, and where we have spent the majority of our time on Earth. The earliest fossils of recognizably modern Homo sapiens appear in the fossil record at Omo Kibish in Ethiopia, around 200,000 years ago. Although earlier fossils may be found over the coming years, this is our best understanding of when and approximately where we originated.

      According to the genetic and paleontological record, we only started to leave Africa between 60,000 and 70,000 years ago. What set this in motion is uncertain, but we think it has something to do with major climatic shifts that were happening around that time—a sudden cooling in the Earth’s climate driven by the onset of one of the worst parts of the last Ice Age. This cold snap would have made life difficult for our African ancestors, and the genetic evidence points to a sharp reduction in population size around this time. In fact, the human population likely dropped to fewer than 10,000. We were holding on by a thread.

      Once the climate started to improve, after 70,000 years ago, we came back from this near-extinction event. The population expanded, and some intrepid explorers ventured beyond Africa. The earliest people to colonize the Eurasian landmass likely did so across the Bab-al-Mandab Strait separating present-day Yemen from Djibouti. These early beachcombers expanded rapidly along the coast to India, and reached Southeast Asia and Australia by 50,000 years ago. The first great foray of our species beyond Africa had led us all the way across the globe.

      Slightly later, a little after 50,000 years ago, a second group appears to have set out on an inland trek, leaving behind the certainties of life in the tropics to head out into the Middle East and southern Central Asia. From these base camps, they were poised to colonize the northern latitudes of Asia, Europe, and beyond.

      Around 20,000 years ago a small group of these Asian hunters headed into the face of the storm, entering the East Asian Arctic during the Last Glacial Maximum. At this time the great ice sheets covering the far north had literally sucked up much of the Earth’s moisture in their vast expanses of white wasteland, dropping sea levels by more than 300 feet. This exposed a land bridge that connected the Old World to the New, joining Asia to the Americas. In crossing it, the hunters had made the final great leap of the human journey. By 15,000 years ago they had penetrated the land south of the ice, and within 1,000 years they had made it all the way to the tip of South America. Some may have even made the journey by sea.

      The story doesn’t end there, of course. The rise of agriculture around 10,000 years ago—and the population explosion it created—has left a dramatic impact on the human gene pool. The rise of empires, the astounding oceangoing voyages of the Polynesians, even the extraordinary increase in global migration over the past 500 years could all leave traces in our DNA. There are many human journey questions waiting to be asked and answered.

      What stories are waiting to be told in your own DNA?

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        Why do you address her as ” Learned Rathanawali”. I would put it like that ” she is still learning”. Not learnt ones would even raise this question.

        As I see it we are all mutants somehow. Going to back DNA technologies we could prove this easily.

        But the fact that japanese living on Hawai are totally different from their behaviours in the main islands of Japan that not only gentic changes but the eco changes make someone like what he or she is.

        Had our bugger in lanken leadership been well educated, and the chance to get on with all nationalities by coming to Europe for studies or other purposes, he would surely have behaved somewhat seelachara civilized.
        What matters is the background the candidates are coming from. I dont think any other leaders except Premadasa had uncivilized backgrounds.

        Alone to celebrate the victory to the manner he did it yestreday should be the reason many to reject the man.

        Anyway, it would take many more months until people – bahutharaya would get this really.

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          Desperate,

          “Why do you address her as ” Learned Rathanawali”. I would put it like that ” she is still learning”. Not learnt ones would even raise this question. “

          Yes. You are correct. Amarasiri used what Kiri Yakka did.

          So should have used Still learning Ms. Ratnawali.

          In a sense we all are still learning, including Ms. Rathanawali and not Learned.

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      The Tamil Hyenas evolved to be a Ninja Hurtles while the Sinhala Broodism become the Ganja Scruples.

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    who cares ? respect each others languages. trying to find a link between these languages is I think is idiotic. leave Sinhala scholarship to Sinhalese and tamil scholarship to tamils – if linked who cares and if not again who cares really ?

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    RALH Gunawardhana was a distinguished scholar. This writer has every right to disagree with him. But she has no right to call him names. This is not the first time this writer conflates criticism and calling names.

    Sinhala is a small scale language, and like the general Sinhala culture, pales in comparison to the Tamil language and culture. This has led to an inferiority complex in the champions of Sinhala culture. It is this inferiority complex that makes this writer go overboard and make exaggerated claims for what essentially is a tribal language of dubious history. If not for its enrichment by Tamil, Sinhala would have been even more tribal and insignificant than what it is today. If the Sinhala people are to become civilized they must learn Tamil, and it should be taught as a compulsory second language to every Sinhala child.

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      scott

      “RALH Gunawardhana was a distinguished scholar. This writer has every right to disagree with him. But she has no right to call him names. This is not the first time this writer conflates criticism and calling names.”

      On the other hand Radhika Coomaraswamy thinks otherwise, she for instance believes Irathinavalli should not be criticised for being a a girl and a child.

      This is what she commented under another thread.”However I do believe that the references to Ms. Ratnawalli’s age and sex are quite unnecessary for this debate which has gone on for over two centuries.” Radhika Coomaraswamy could only defend Irathinavalli on the basis of political correctness. Age matters.

      Many in this forum could only point to Irathinavalli’s childish behaviour and tantrum that so often she displays in her “Academic Papers”.

      There is no competition between Tamil and Sinhala as languages need not to prove their ancientness. Latin and Sanskrit are two ancient languages which do not have any practical use today except in temples and churches but both are considered almost extinct.

      One should question the intentions of those old codgers who are suspected of grooming this child.

      As to Radhika Coomaraswamy’s concerns about this child’s welfare, I can only say “when a child behave badly elders beat them up” at least in this island.

      She and her supporters should not expect kindness and lavish praise in return when she continues to throw her tantrums at historians, thrives on her ignorance, …………….

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      Like the compulsory Urdu for the everboasting Hindi, for rhyming in poetry is not feasible with the limitation in hindi words. Like the word “Prem” does not any rhyming or a synonymous word for which they opt to Urdu to borrow “Ishq” (The origin mentioned by traditional Persian lexicographers for ešq is the Arabic ‘išq), from ‘ašaq “to stick, to cleave to”. The latter is itself derived from ‘ašaqa the plant commonly called lablâb (“a kind of ivy”), because it twines upon trees, and cleaves to them ), & “Pyaar” (from Pers.), & “Mohabbat” (from “Muhibba” (Ar.)),

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    Oh God she is back again. Pray what is a “mutant” in the context of linguistics. Where did this lady get her PHD?

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    Scholars on Theravada Buddhism in middle of the first millennium

    Prof Indrapala claims there were three Buddhist scholars of significance in that period, They are namely Buddhaghosha, Buddhadatta and Dhammapala. He asserts that Buddhadatta and Dhammapala were Tamil Buddhists.

    It would be interesting to track the trail of Buddhism from India to Srilanka then compare it to the chronicles of Mahavamsa. I know Prof S J Thambiah has done seminal work on Theravada Buddhism,

    I have observed several similarities between the sinhalese alphabet and Telugu alphabet and recently Dr R Narendran wrote an essay comparing the alphabets of various south Indian languages including ancient languages and sinhalese in Colombo telegraph. He observed similarities between various scripts.

    I think the last robust linguistic study looking at sinhala with other Indian languages was done in late seventies by Prof Gair in association with Prof W S Karunathilaka and Prof Suseenthirarajah. Late Prof W S Karunathilanka was an expert in this field. He has written a book on historical linguistics called in Aitihasika Vaagvidya Pravesaya (1984), apart from this another important book called LINK discusses development of sinhala language on phonological, morphological and syntactical basis. I have bought this book in addition to the Demala Sinhala akaradiya by Prof Karunathilaka on the advice of native vedda. But these works are beyond my comprehension.

    Prof K N O Dharmadasa ( Prof of sinhala) critically analyses the influence of Dravidian languages ( Tamil) on sinhala on his review of the book Link

    http://www.island.lk/index.php?page_cat=article-details&page=article-details&code_title=51972

    Coming back to the people in 500 AD,I think languages of multiple tribes in that period, be it Naga, people of Rohana or Yaksha can not be the same. The influence of Pali which was the scholarly language at that time was probably a uniting factor in converting them into Buddhists as in the case of Nayanmars’s Thevaram, Thiruvasagam, Thiruvissaippa and Thirupuranam for Hindus.

    In conclusion I suggest Seminal studies on historical linguistics by Tamil and sinhalese scholars in conjunction with western scholars is paramount to prevent cheap journalists filling the space.

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    ken robert

    “In conclusion I suggest Seminal studies on historical linguistics by Tamil and sinhalese scholars in conjunction with western scholars is paramount to prevent cheap journalists filling the space.”

    I am in complete agreement with you.

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    People are fed up with this bullshit ! I assume not even 5% are reading the article, most are coming for the comments even that is getting saturated now.
    DR is nothing but another form of BBS/RB/SR

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    DR is “the mainstream being prolific”- calling any different opinion “mutant” or “cancer” – says something about the academic mainstream. Perhaps she got her PHD in cancer research.

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      Her name [Edited out]

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        [Edited out]

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    DR is very silly but the comments are really interesting so perhaps we should thank her for generating them and proving the opposite of her point- we are all mixed and our history and civilization is rich and diverse- something ICES Colombo under Tiruchelvam and Coomaraswamy would have appreciated,

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      But the Kumasamy is not a matter to appreciated of, for her involment in this circus is but a matter of cloudy chance.

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