Prof. S. Ratnajeevan H. Hoole
Professor Murugesu Sivapalan and Professor Nishan Canagarajah at JUICE
Sept. 27, 2018 saw the start of JUICE (Jaffna University International Conference), a Biennial Conference going on since the war. It is intended to revive science in Jaffna. Professor Murugesu Sivapalan the most eminent water expert today and Prof. Nishan Canagarajah, Pro Vice-Chancellor at Bristol University are products of Hartley and St. John’s, respectively, who are internationally renowned and came as Guests of Honour to share their thoughts and help as they are able.
Professor Sivapalan
Graduating from Peradeniya in 1975, Sivapalan has risen to be one of the foremost engineer-scientists in the world. His PhD is from Princeton. He is Helen Siess Endowed Professor of Civil and Environmental Engineering and Professor of Geography and Geographic Information Science, at the University of Illinois, Urbana-Champaign – ranked No. 1 in Civil Engineering. He is the recipient of the European Geosciences Union’s Alfred Wegener Medal, the International Hydrology Prize of the International Association of Hydrological Sciences and the Robert Horton Medal of the American Geophysical Union. In 2018 he was named a recipient of the Prince Sultan Bin Abdulaziz International Prize for Water (Creativity Prize) for his role in developing the new field of Socio-hydrology. This prize he will share with Sir Andre Konstantin Geim, Nobel Laureate in Physics.
Water Problem of Jaffna
In Jaffna we are facing a drought. At home I switch on my water pump and stand by the well to ensure that the water level does not fall below the foot valve. In amelioration, the government has a huge scheme to transport water from Kilinochchi. But an MP there is objecting legitimately, saying his people would be without water, and to appease him we are going to use expensive reverse osmosis to clean up salt water at great cost. The Water Board assures us that the cost will be borne by all Water Board customers and Jaffna customers will not be charged more.
Sivapalan Identifies the Problem
Sivapalan says engineers have big engineering schemes as solutions. Irrigation engineers are trained to lay pipes and channels and pump water across. And they can do it well he says. The costs are no issue for the government which will spend the money and ask for our votes. Sivapalan cited Peter Gleick, an eminent American water scientist as saying there is about a 15% kickback in these projects to make engineers and politicians push for the most expensive solutions.
Prof. Murugesu Sivapalan
The Mahaweli does not have enough water for the North as was promised in the late 1970s. Lying is endemic to our leaders, both political and technical. The people in the South will not tolerate – at least not for long – their being charged for water to supply Jaffna. Nor will they tolerate the extra cost of electricity to clean up water for Jaffna.
My own experience is that the Water Board is already lying. Neighbours – two elderly ladies in particular – whom I convinced to allow the Water Board to lay pipes after they promised me that they would leave everything the way it was, find that the Board has reneged on that promise. The ladies have had to repair their interior pavement which was ripped part by the Water Board Deputy General Manager and his team.
Do we have electricity to clean up our water when the south is already having electricity shortages? Will our water rates be kept the same as the rest of Sri Lanka? If we put up generators to clean up our salt water, will we encounter the same corruption that brought the Northern Provincial Council to a standstill over dumping oil in the groundwater?
I no longer trust anything our politicians and engineers say, especially after they decided on pipe-borne water for Jaffna without the required social impact assessment. Who is approving all the sewerage and water works for our new multi-storey buildings? Are there approved plans? It turns out that when they promise water for Jaffna, they mean water for Jaffna town and the islands. We have been played for suckers. The solutions often espoused by our big spenders are not sustainable.
Sivapalan’s Solution: Restructuring the Economy
A startling feature of the water problem as described by Sivapalan is that the water need per person per year is 1 m3 for drinking; 1×10 = 10 m3 for domestic water use (cooking+bathing+sanitation); 10×10 = 100 m3 for industrial water use, e.g., water for energy; and 100 x 10 = 1000 m3 for agricultural water; for a total of 1111 m3/year/person. His conclusion is that the problem is not our lack of drinking water needs, a mere 1 m3 per year per person, but the water for our agriculture and perhaps for energy.
Sivapalan suggests just two solutions that he can, impromptu: shifting Jaffna’s agriculture to the Vanni and doing some kind of industrialization in Jaffna freeing up all the agriculture water used in Jaffna. The 1 m3 per person per year for drinking is no issue. He says this is not for him to say or for professional engineers or politicians to advance their self-serving solutions. He argues for multidisciplinary teams to be set to work. Going bottom-up: University of Jaffna must involve young people (High Schools), Community (at all levels), NGOs, etc. Going top-down, we must involve Central, Provincial and Local Governments, offering major infrastructure solutions and make data available, putting in place social infrastructure, institutional arrangements (e.g., rules and regulations to guide water extraction and use).
His take home message: it is going to be a protracted, complex mix of solutions. This is too serious a problem to be left to the experts. Everybody should get involved at all levels. Focus on the process, not just the product!
Professor Nishan Canagarajah
Canagarajah went straight to Cambridge from St. John’s earning his degrees there, and rose to be one of the Pro Vice-Chancellors at Bristol. His father, Walter Canagarajah Hitchcock, was my English- and class-teacher in Grade 8. He confessed to our class that he changed his name to W.H. Canagarajah because his initials were used to taunt him as Water Closet as toilets at railway stations were signed as WC in his time. But the Hitchcock heritage made Nishan and his two brothers reach great heights in their university and World Bank positions.
Prof. Nishan Canagarajah
Canagarajah spoke on how Jaffna can collaborate with Bristol and other universities through exchanges. He warned that the exchanges must be sustainable – that is, after him, his successor must see value in the exchange to continue it.
The discussion was exciting. As a young scientist complained about waiting for months for an order of chemicals to arrive, Canagarajah said that ordering protocols were necessary and I added that when a Rs. 300 million order for computers was abused as found by the Auditor General, such protocols were essential. In that case, the then medical dean had ordered computers exceeding her authority, authorized payments without any documents and then the price was halved when questions were raised.
In response to the impassioned plea for all to work together, I asked for the Sinhalese present to identify themselves. No one did. Not everyone is being included. It is on record in a letter from the UGC Chairman to Chandrika Bandaranaike Kumaratunga quoting the last VC that Christians are not welcome in Senior positions. I pointed out that a professorial application takes 3 years and more to process. There is no academic of standing who will wait that long for an answer.
The University Challenged: Examining Theories for Consistency
As envisaged by both Sivapalan and Canagarajah, the University is called upon to train new graduates who can think; and not in just engineering but in the social sciences too. That involves looking for consistency in our ideas; and, where we see inconsistencies, revising our theories.
There are many Sinhalese students in Jaffna. As noted they were nowhere to be seen at the opening ceremony, or at the presentations of the key-note speakers, although more than half the papers were by Sinhalese.
Are we recruiting the best? The game of delaying processing of applications till two days before the expiry of an advertisement and then presenting a negative recommendation to the Council after the expiry that Council cannot reverse is a polished art at the university.
That game seems to be being played now for the post of Senior Lecturer in Sociology. The details are:
Approved cadre by Treasury informed by the UGC to the university on 17/03/2017. Advertisement placed by the university on 07/11/2017 although vacancies need to be advertised as soon as they are known of. Deadline for applications was 08/12/2017 so the deadline for a decision is 08/12/2018. Although Head/Sociology cleared the file on 08/05/2018 taking 5 months, the Registrar is sitting on the file. It seems a clear ploy to not recruit a brilliant sociologist who has applied.
What is the status of English at the University which is so essential to international scholarship? (Dr. (Miss.) Shivatharsiny Rasalingam who competently and smoothly made all English announcements at JUICE seems a rarity at Jaffna). An indication of the status of English is how Sivapalan was introduced by a Dean in terrible grammar in a written down speech, and in addition repeatedly pronounced Australia as Avusthralia. I fear that Jaffna’s engineers will pick up the grammar and the laziness in being unable to write down a speech correctly with months to do that. Worse, and rather surprisingly, the Guest of Honour, despite years on the Supreme Court pronounced pharmacist as “farmakist” – making an academic rather proud of Royal College where her brothers studied feel let down. A medical Dean speaking later first said farmasist and then said farmakist, showing how infectious bad English is.
Even worse, after years of abject suffering by the Council whose meetings were conducted by a rogue minister who took control of the university, politicians had pride of place given to MPs, a Deputy Minister and Provincial Council Ministers on the first row with liberal references to Honourble so and so. They did not know how to read the scripted speech that an assistant had written for them.
Politicians have become gods at the university. The academic guests of honour like Sivapalan were put behind them and not even referred to until the Vote of Thanks. This culture of begging uneducated politicians, gives little hope for the university through self-respecting academics generating ideas. The little respect that politicians have for universities is revealed by Wigneswaran asking for his speech to be moved up and vanishing straight after it. Some MPs came very late and left in a few minutes. Why did they even come if they were not interested in the proceedings? In the hundreds of conferences I have attended abroad, I have never seen a central role like this given to politicians.
A university must be critical of all ideas to refine them. In announcing a dance on Thirukkural, the claim was made that it is 2000 years old. Right or not, some eminent academics date it as late as 900 AD. Should a university worthy of its name make nationalist claims like this with certainty?
The worst is all attendees being offered holy ash at the entrance to the compound and again to the hall named after Professor Hoover. I asked the young lady offering it to me, “Is this a Saiva University for Saivites? If so, tell me and I will go away?” She merely smiled in embarrassment. I complained to the VC. I do not think he saw my point. When I went to the vegetarian line for my meal, a Dean asked me, “Oh are you Chaivam?” (Are you a Saivite?). I replied “No, I am Vetha Marak-curry” (I am a Christian vegetarian).
Anbini’s Perceptiveness Escaping Academics
My daughter Anbini seated next to me during the cultural show (6:30 pm 28th) was aghast at a dance. Lord Krishna was flirting with several girls as they ogled over him. She said, “Appah look! Krshna can flirt with and touch girls. But the actual dancers cannot touch a man so we have a girl acting for Krishna! What a hypocritical country you have brought us back to from America!” Why are academics unable to see our contradictions that a young woman can?
To solve Jaffna’s problems, we must first recover the university.
Anpu / October 1, 2018
Father like daughter.
Thank you for the article.
/
Uthungan / October 1, 2018
The author is agonising about holy ash in the hands of a young lady.
Ideally religion has nothing to do with a university event let alone education.
It should have been left to the privacy of one’s home.
But he should be thankful that at least there was no Kandyan dancing and Prith chanting yellow robes as yet.
What will he do when that occurs very soon in the future?
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Kettikaran / October 1, 2018
Prof Hoole,
You are taking your inherent anti-Hindu prejudice too far. You are capable of quality and sensible writing but often, in your articles, you stray away to feed your religious prejudices. You know the old Tamil saying there is a place and time for everything. I don’t deny there are weaknesses both in matters Hindu and Christian in the life of the North but this must be addressed in a different fora.
I respect your learning, your excellent English and your duties to society as a responsible citizen. Members of your family have served society and the country with much distinction. But, forgive me, I believe matters parochial should be separately dealt with in as much a non-controversial manner as possible.
Kettikaran
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Jaffna Citizen / October 1, 2018
The primary responsibility for the abject state of the University rests with the TNA and the UGC. The TNA hopes to get more votes by palavering mediocre academics. Where the UGC is concerned, keeping the University in its present state makes it easier to suppress the Tamils. Remember, it is the UGC that sabotaged the University getting an accomplished overseas academic Prof. Thiagalingam as vice chancellor, and deliberately ignores reports of institutional corruption in the University. Why take the trouble to master English when one could get ones promotion by writing papers in Tamil or presenting them in fora that are counted for publications but hardly make any impact?
There are more cases where the applications of competent scholars are being deliberately held up. After trying to ditch a very accomplished candidate for Financial Management, whom the Head supported, the Administration is trying to deliver its final blow by changing the Head. Again, a candidate with a British PhD, who has written widely and has been active in the field of Economics for many years and was chosen by the selection committee, is being challenged by insiders over his first degree. The situation in 1983 was such that many Tamil students had to go to India to do or finish their degrees. The Sociologist mentioned by the writer is highly accomplished besides in the areas of Engineering, Finance and social activism in the USA, and has researched and written widely in Sri Lanka.
If such people are recruited the standard of English and exposure of the staff would improve rapidly. Here too the trick seems to be to delay the long delayed interview until the Head could be changed. The talk is that a former sociologist and vice chancellor who got the SAR Academic to drop Siddharthan Managuru, PhD Johns Hopkins, is now working on the present SAR Academic to drop the current candidate. Life is easier among dogs in the manger.
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Kumar R. / October 3, 2018
Jeevan,
Anpu possibly hit the nail on the head.
Given that your infantile attempts to leverage every available opportunity to see if you could wangle an open door to the University is getting very tiring. However, let me not address that as many others have pointed out your silliness, the educated foolishness, if you must. See the “laughing stock” comment or even Sinhala-Man’s explicit reservations despite his compulsive desire at fawning any time he sees your name.
Instead, I would address your dilemma in not being able to explain something quite basic to your daughter, Anbini. From the question I would surmise that the question reflects a typical pre-pubescent mix of innocence, curiosity, the need-for self-assertion and independent thought as a pre-teen as well as that loving desire for a congratulatory pat on the shoulder from the unchallenged-hero, Appah! I could of course be wrong about Anbini’s age, especially if she takes after you, given that Sinhala Man has repeatedly described you as the “over grown school boy” pushing 70!
First let me ask you – can you explain to Anbini why Christian establishments all over the world are distinctly and continuously under very dark clouds on the subject of child sex abuses, despite preaching so profusely against all sins, and despite at least some segments of the churches going as far as preaching and claiming celibacy? That hypocrisy, don’t you think, is way more at ground level than trying to solve a mystery of some ancient myth about Krishna or God’s in general for that matter.
To be continued in part 2.
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Dr. Strange Love / October 5, 2018
Kumar R(etard?)
–
Dr. Annahl Anbini Hoole (MD) like many other members of the Hoole clan has published articles on CT and elsewhere. Are you not embarrassed to show your ignorance? I did not see your name during some time and was hoping that you have in one way or other left CT.
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Native Vedda / October 5, 2018
Dr. Strange Love
–
” I did not see your name during some time and was hoping that you have in one way or other left CT.”
–
Else are you going to switch on the doomsday machine?
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Kumar R. / October 5, 2018
Dr. Strange Love,
You just proved both Sinhala_Man and Anpu right. Jeevan is an overgrown school-boy pushing 70, and like father like daughter!!
Thank you. Sinhala_Man thanks you too, I suppose.
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Kumar R. / October 6, 2018
Dr. Strange Love, Jeevan, Anbini,
May be Anbini the MD can explain then why the “Krishna inconsistency” is of grave concern to her, but the inconisitencies in God fearing Christian missions sex scandals or Appah’s chauvanism in championing women’s rights and still supporting the “cultured Tamil intellects” who impregnated poor, illiterate, sinhala girls are not of her concern!
If you and Jeevan want to repeatedly drag in Anbini into the discussion, you owe the responsibility for that choice. Please check with Anbini’s mom on the wisdom of that, if you two (or just one!) guys cannot figure that..
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Kumar R. / October 3, 2018
Part 2:
Jeevan
You may also want to explain to Anbini and perhaps to even your wife why you, while championing for Women’s rights, saw it fit to write that when you see Hindu temple dancers you visualize them as seeking sexual -ecstasy? Or, why you thought it fit to sympathize with the “intellectual, cultured, Tamil students” when they impregnate the poor, uneducated, village girls at Katubedda? Is it because they were poor, or because they were illiterate, or that they were mere girls, or perhaps on account of them being Sinhala? Would you say that when Tamil girls get impregnated by Sinhala officials or students in the North?
Once you figure out a way to explain these ironies and inconsistencies, you will have all the enlightenment you need to explain the Krishna mystery to Anbini! If you still have difficulty finding the answer, either you or Anbini can ask me, and I will be more than happy explain . In fact I am certain that even Sinhala-Man can help you answer that.
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Sinhala_Man / October 6, 2018
Dear Kumar R,
.
Thank you for referring to me so often; however, I must point out these differences between you and me, which distress me:
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1. You write write nasty things about Prof. Hoole, anonymously. I take great pains to clearly identify myself every once in a way; I write about things happening in Jaffna so as to promote harmony. Admittedly, I sometimes make a mess of it all.
.
2. You seem to have what amounts to almost hatred of Prof. Hoole, and you don’t seem to realise what a lot of good he does. I think Prof. Hoole a great and good man, although all humans may have some failings. He is an absolutely honest man, and one who has done this county and the world a lot of good.
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3. Some things that he says may sound inappropriate, and they possibly are. However, he says these things only because he’s absolutely honest even with himself.
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4. You do immense harm through what you say – never anything good. What good have you ever done anyone? Prof. Hoole (like humble me!) may sometimes say things which are better left unsaid, but he says or does so many things of great value (I can rarely make such claims for myself).
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Josh Babu / October 1, 2018
Anbini needs to be more careful. This is Sri Lanka and not US. In Sri Lanka she must learn to think Sri Lankan way, also, must know she cannot single handedly change the world – make everything feminist she wants.
Unlike Christians, for us Thamilans, Krishna is sacred and living.
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Mavil Murgesu / October 1, 2018
Leaving Sivapalan aside Canagaraja Hitchcock is known to us many Tamils here in Manchester. The Hitchcocks are synonymous with water in UK, in 2011, the Manchester Water main building WC was renamed as Canagaraja Hitchcock by the Lord Mayor. I did not see Nishan at the ceremony, but the brother came from US.
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Agnos / October 2, 2018
Mavil,
Do you mean an earlier generation of Hitchcocks? The St. Johns teacher that S.R.H. Hoole refers to and his sons, have nothing to do with any water-related sciences. Are you talking about their grandfather or great grandfather?
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Agnos / October 8, 2018
Mavil Murugesu,
I didn’t pay much attention to what is meant as ‘WC’ initially, but once I read it, it became clear you were writing satire and making fun of the family. Liar.
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Roy Gnanapraksam / October 1, 2018
Killinochchi to Jaffna Water is Mavil Senathirajah project. Wigneswaran miserably failed and MUST go
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Ramany K / October 1, 2018
Professor Hoole,
//This culture of begging uneducated politicians, gives little hope for the university through self-respecting academics generating ideas//..
Yes professor ,you are right !. Thank you for showing your colour nakedly . Its a SHAME on those who beg the politicians for their own benefits/advancements. Still WORSE is ,those who call themselves academics beg politicians for VC posts, professorships, posts in election commissions etc.etc.
I know a professor who always boasts that he is the most educated in SL,he hails from the VELLALA cast , was hell bent on getting the VC post.To get the VC post ,he returned to SL and didn’t have any compunction going after uneducated politicians .The black pot called the kettle black.
Shame on you , who laugh at and look down upon people “mispronouncing “ a foreign language. You are discouraging others to improve their English.
I don’t think that even your clan members would agree with your utterences.
Please ..please pardon for any grammatical or spelling mistakes.
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S.R.H. Hoole / October 1, 2018
My apologies. A friend present at the JUICE opening has corrected me. The person concerned pronounced the word pharmaceutical as farma-ki-ootical instead of farma-si-ootical; and not the word pharmacist as farmakist. This is in reference to the rule that the letter c followed by e or i (or y, the French ee-grek, which is a French i) is pronounced like the letter s.
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Jaffna Citizen / October 1, 2018
The primary responsibility for the abject state of the University rests with the TNA and the UGC. The TNA hopes to get more votes by palavering mediocre academics. Where the UGC is concerned, keeping the University in its present state makes it easier to suppress the Tamils. Remember, it is the UGC that sabotaged the University getting an accomplished overseas academic Prof. Thiagalingam as vice chancellor, and deliberately ignores reports of institutional corruption in the University. Why take the trouble to master English when one could get ones promotion by writing papers in Tamil or presenting them in fora that are counted for publications but hardly make any impact?
There are more cases where the applications of competent scholars are being deliberately held up. After trying to ditch a very accomplished candidate for Financial Management, whom the Head supported, the Administration is trying to deliver its final blow by changing the Head. Again, a candidate with a British PhD, who has written widely and has been active in the field of Economics for many years and was chosen by the selection committee, is being challenged by insiders over his first degree. The situation in 1983 was such that many Tamil students had to go to India to do or finish their degrees. The Sociologist mentioned by the writer is highly accomplished besides in the areas of Engineering, Finance and social activism in the USA, and has researched and written widely in Sri Lanka.( to be continued)
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Jaffna Citizen / October 1, 2018
The primary responsibility for the abject state of the University rests with the TNA and the UGC. The TNA hopes to get more votes by palavering mediocre academics. Where the UGC is concerned, keeping the University in its present state makes it easier to suppress the Tamils. Remember, it is the UGC that sabotaged the University getting an accomplished overseas academic Prof. Thiagalingam as vice chancellor, and deliberately ignores reports of institutional corruption in the University. Why take the trouble to master English when one could get ones promotion by writing papers in Tamil or presenting them in fora that are counted for publications but hardly make any impact?
There are more cases where the applications of competent scholars are being deliberately held up. ( (Contd.) After trying to ditch a very accomplished candidate for Financial Management, whom the Head supported, the Administration is trying to deliver its final blow by changing the Head. Again, a candidate with a British PhD, who has written widely and has been active in the field of Economics for many years and was chosen by the selection committee, is being challenged by insiders over his first degree. The situation in 1983 was such that many Tamil students had to go to India to do or finish their degrees. The Sociologist mentioned by the writer is highly accomplished besides in the areas of Engineering, Finance and social activism in the USA, and has researched and written widely in Sri Lanka.
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Sinhala_Man / October 1, 2018
Thanks for the article, Prof. Jeevan Hoole.
.
I’m sure that it will lead to much valid discussion of subjects like water for Agriculture. Nowhere in the world can you provide potable quality water for growing crops. In Australia, I think that they talk of “grey water” for some uses that don’t require water of the highest quality.
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For me, over-population seems to be the reason for many of our ills – but not of Jaffna necessarily. Your population has actually come down, and it’s nice to think that your best sons are now returning for holidays at least. In Bandarawela, we are sent water only once in 15 days (in the wet season it may be better) . Only for domestic use, they say. Also, we’ve begun to allow the state to decide too much for us.
.
I like it that you have avoided some subjects that you are usually prone to dealing with. Only Anpu’s eight word comment is visible to me at this moment, but I fear that you will receive some flack for those Christianity vs Hinduism comments. Also that digression in to the “Hitchcock” surname. We hope that the trolls will keep away, but those vultures seem always to spot a bit of weakness.
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Please see this article as well; it is guaranteed to bring joy to all:
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https://www.colombotelegraph.com/index.php/the-broken-palmyra-under-the-broken-chair/
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I mean it: a remarkable article.
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Lone Wolf / October 2, 2018
Sinhala_Man,
¤
“For me, over-population seems to be the reason for many of our ills – but not of Jaffna necessarily. Your population has actually come down, and it’s nice to think that your best sons are now returning for holidays at least.”
¤
The population of Jaffna has decreased but the idea of the reverse osmosis plant and rest of Jaffna-Kili water project were sold to ADB based on claims that the population will drastically INCREASE during the next years. I never found out who was behind this claim. There are less people than before but after the war more water is being extracted by more efficient pumps. There are plans to plant coconuts and agro and other industries that need lots of water. The water for these political pet projects does not exist. Probably corruption plays a role in these surrealistic plans.
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Sinhala_Man / October 2, 2018
Dear Lone Wolf,
,
I find you devastatingly honest. Sr Lanka could once more be a paradise, if there were more people like you.
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Laksiri Fernando / October 1, 2018
No difference in the North and the South. I attended only one public event during my recent visit to Colombo, a journal launch. There was a Minister. All academics were addressing the Honourable Minister even before acknowledging the Chair! Thanks for the article.
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Ajay / October 1, 2018
A fine display of Jaffna middle class petty-mindedness. Very juvenile and silly. Prof. Hoole, it is you who are becoming the laughing stock by your constant harping on about trifles. A truly educated gentleman would overlook the silly things you belabour so much. You seem to have a need, a compulsion, a fixation to broadcast to the world constantly that you are better than others, that you are a smart ass. Actually you should have learned something from the two distinguished scholars from the west who were visiting. They were serious-minded individuals. So they used the opportunity to observe and learn about the social practices, and how things are done, in their ancestral land. They have learnt to respect the different cultures and traditions that they encounter. So they were not looking to pass judgements. But your writing reeks of cultural arrogance and insult. You seem to be stuck with the adolescent complex of a bully. “Saivam” also has the connotation of vegetarianism in local parlance. Avusthralians don’t know how to pronounce Sri Lanka. They say “Sera Lanka.” There is no one “correct” way of pronouncing English words. So making a mistake is no big deal. Native speakers of English don’t make a fuss as long as they can understand what is being said. Only the middle class postcolonials who suffer from status-anxiety use ‘correct’ pronunciation as a weapon to put people down. The Japanese, Chinese, and Koreans are on top of the world today by using English efficiently as a tool of communication minus the colonial frills and baggage. That is what you should encourage if you want to help improve English in Jaffna University, rather than showing off your ‘superiority’ and trivializing the whole issue.
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Judy / October 3, 2018
Well said. Keep correcting the scholars who are defeating the purpose of being a scholar. ‘Error is human’!
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Pranan / October 1, 2018
Hoole is a fool. Who shows his foolishness when ever he writes. He is a chap who whitewashed MR in Oxford union fiasco hoping that he will be able to score some marks with MR to secure VC post in Jaffna.
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vaan Koli / October 1, 2018
You never went to college right? It is showing.
In any university worth it’s name, even MR, Gotta, Hitler and Hitler
and their like must be heard and their position debated and shredded to pieces by students and professors. That is how learning occurs.
Turkey comments on a peacock.
It only shows that Vice Chancellor Hoole is a true academic.
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Kaveri / October 1, 2018
The water problem has reached scary proportion s in all the Tamil areas. It is a matter of survival for the sons of the soil who did not jump ship.
But as usual the comments from this group of stripes are of no help and defeatist. Their noise always drowns the ideas of the wise.
CT should publish only the helpful comments on such a vital issue and not such idiotic quips by people still in denial that Hoole was indeed VC Jaffna.
Such looser pre 2009 politics has made us all at risk.
I hope people with useful water ideas will share them here. It is vital to our survival
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Sam / October 1, 2018
Mr.Hoole
Poor and ordinary people going after the politicians looking for jobs,grants, transfers etc. etc can be accepted. But ,the academics who should set an example to the society , begging the politicians for VC posts,promotions etc. etc. is totally unacceptable.
Prof.,what do you think about some power greedy academics who will stoop to any level , begged and got the VC posts from the rogue politicians and at the same time , attacking other academics for going after the politicians?
Is it possible to get a position in the election commission like the one you are holding,without begging the parties like TNA ?
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Sri-Krish / October 1, 2018
Professor Hoole,
Primarily, the focus of your article was on two eminent sons of Jaffna visiting Jaffna,
The first part was splendid and brought justice to the two eminent personalities with their novel ideas that challenged the traditional thinking and could have generated healthy discussion.
However towards the middle you changed course and started on your pet themes and betrayed your academic credentials.
The commentators also followed suit and rather the addressing the key innovative points raised by the two academics that could have opened space for innovative ideas, they too concentrated on trivial sociological issues that plagued Jaffna for generations and others remained silent.
The sileent majority!
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Sinhala_Man / October 2, 2018
Thanks, Sri-Krish,
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How many of us, how many times, have we told the brilliant professor this truth.
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What memories are Profs Sivaplan and Canagarajah going to take back to their adoptive homes with them? Lots of squabbling among us.
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So unnecessary! I must go up to the place where Jeevan has actually intervened with a comment. Brilliant he may be, but also an overgrown school-boy. Couldn’t he have stopped after the first part, and then told us about the elections in the Maldives, where he may have played a major part in unrigging a rigged election? Such work is heroic.
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And when we need to have elections here, I’m sure that those experiences will prove invaluable in ensuring that some, at least, of the rogues are kept out.
.
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How sad I don’t teach regular students any more. Jeevan Hoole articles are perfect examples of descent from the sublime to the ridiculous. I wonder if Jeevan has understood the word “bathos”? Oh, I’m sure that knows the word – he knows almost everything – and I find him a lovable guy; the question is, has he got experiential knowledge?
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Peradeniya graduate / October 2, 2018
If a person as able and super qualified as professor Hoo le with D. Sc and UGC and international fame has to ask the Ducklass Thevanantha to become Vice Chancellor over a person holding only an unknown home science degree programme from a hindu pirivena in India unable to get into university in Sri Lanka, aiyo for Jaffna people. Why would a person who stole million on student computer deal at medical faculty without inquiry by council into fraud and degree cheating on application for vcbe made Vice Chancellor Jaffna.. It is clear to all well born people what is happening at Jaffna University.
You must be having deals of Vasanthi Arsaratnam to defend her appointment by no OL pass Ducklass. Her corruption stinks. Why anybody need to clear with Ducklass before standing for VC elections. Is he Nakkeeran Or some demon.
By the honest old way of pure merit and not cheating by council to cover up their corruption, predatory journal professorships. Better people would have become vice chancellors and Jaffna uni varsity would be rated university.
Ketta kudi kedum.
There is rot in Jaffna University.
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tamil / October 1, 2018
Sir, just two simple questions.
1.When you were craving for the VC post, didn’t you seek the recommendation of Mr.Douglas Devananda, Prof.Carlos Fonseka,Mavai et al?
2.If you can beg the politicians,why cant others?
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Dushmantha / October 2, 2018
Murugest
I think Manchest Water was insulting Hitchcok family by naming their WC after the name. Why did they not name the main Manchester Water builing after Hitchcock?
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Romane Nallathamby / October 2, 2018
There is a talk here in Sanfransisco where I live that Walter Canagarajah when young was a loyal domestic to Alfred Hitchcock at his Holiwood home and obtained Hitchcock name after the demise of the colossal Alfred.
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SJ / October 2, 2018
RN
The talk is probably as accurate as the spelling “Holiwood”.
CT
Cannot this space do with a little more decency in reference to individuals?
*
As for the article, is one surprised?
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S.R.H. Hoole / October 2, 2018
Whenever someone from the Tamil community does well, stories like this are created to belitte him/her.
The Hitchcock name is the proud family name of one the older Tamil Christian families in Jaffna. dating from the 19th century. These names like Hitchcock and Hoole were adopted from the names of great missionaries or those who supported them.
If Hindus can (legitimately) choose previously unknown names with sh and psh and ksh to suit their faith in numerology, or adopt the name of Middle-eastern or North-Indian gods like Mithra and Rama — none with a basis in the Tamil langauge — with no one making a joke of it, why will you not let us Christians do the same?
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Sinhala_Man / October 2, 2018
Why, Jeevan?
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It is WW.
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In Pera University slang in my time it meant “wedi weda” – unnecessary extra work, which ruins all that has been achieved.
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Are you more interested in proving yourself right at any cost, or would you like peace, harmony and good will to prevail?
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The answer to that, I guess, depends on your world-view.
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I suppose that you will always be trying to proselytize. But judge for yourself the results. Ask brother Rajan to use Scientific Method, or Symbolic Logic (a-la Russel & Whitehead) or even Aristotelian Logic (it’s all equally Greek to me!) to show you where all these digressions are heading.
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When I could see only Anpu’s comment, I told you that the article was good, but unfortunately my prophesy has also been proved true.
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Era Soysa / October 2, 2018
Dushmantha,
You are spot on.
Noone names a toilet after another. Was this to disgust the then dead Alfred Hitchcock as it now reveals Canagasabi was his domestic?
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Sirimevan Bibile / October 2, 2018
Murugesu Sivapalan was a fella who diehardly fought for the diversion of Mahaweli to the North. The governments (Sirima and JR) heeded and did it at a massive cost to the southern tax payers. The Mahaweli in the south became dry and Northern and Eastern Tamils are getting the water in plenty. How come Sivapalan and Hoole now say there is no Mahaweli water in North and East now. Hypocrites!
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S.R.H. Hoole / October 2, 2018
CT is a free forum for defamation.
Sivapalan graduated as an engineer in 1975 when Phase I of the Mahaweli scheme was completed. By the time the accelerted Mahaweli Scheme began,Sivapalan was out of the country as a graduate student.
May i suggest a piece of advice to CT readers? If you do not know the fellow writing here, do not believe him. If you know him, judge him by what you know of him.
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SJ / October 2, 2018
“CT is a free forum for defamation.”
Very true, and I have drawn attention to it for a long time.
Sadly it is noticed only when one’s interests are affected.
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Kumar R. / October 3, 2018
Jeevan,
You are right — “If you know him, judge him by what you know of him.”
Please read the exhaustive comments Jeevan made sympathizing with Tamil, cultured intellectual boys from the North impregnating Katubedda girls, then you would really know who Hoole is. Is he a racist, is he a chauvinist, is he an elitist? Most of all is he truly an intellect worthy of the educational credentials he has amassed? There are many educated idiots.
Jeevan’s comments on Katubedda (Katu paththai, he called it) girls (even married women, he said) will be full disclosure of this man. No one else need to tell you about bJeevan annonymously or otherwise! Directly from the proverbial “horses mouth”!!
If anyone needs the link, please ask.
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chik nuegera / October 2, 2018
Was Canagarajah at St John’s and Panudevan (Panuwa) was his classmate? Were both sacked from St John’s at different times?
What a coincidence.
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Kudu Kedu / October 2, 2018
Hoole and so called scientists are lying North has no drinking water, there is plenty.
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Dilan / October 2, 2018
Taking water from Kilinochchi to Jaffna is so expensive and beyone our means. Surely the southerners ccannot subsidise the northerners anymore. In the south we are suffering more.
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FUTA ExCo Member, 2015 / October 2, 2018
I respond to Sam above.
After the 19th amendment, there has been no need to go after politicians for positions like Prof. Hoole’s on the Elections Commission.
The Constitutional Council in 2015 called for nominations for the nine Independent Commissions established under the 19th amendment, including from Unions. We at FUTA (Federation of University Teachers’ Associations, a national organization of academics), nominated Prof. Hoole for the Human Rights Commission. We do not know for what reasons, but he was appointed to the Elections Commission. I presume that the Constitutional Council already had people for the HRC, recognized our nomination, and recommended Prof. Hoole for the Elections Commission.
It was a fit recognition of Prof. Hoole’s integrity and professionalism.
When the government was new, it acted properly. I trust it will continue to do so. The Commissions with three year appointments (like the HRC) are lapsing. I look forward to the Constitutional Council using the same effective procedure it used last time. I think all will agree that the appointments were sound.
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SAM / October 2, 2018
The cat is out of the bag now! Let me believe(?) that FUTA (there are many FUTAs for JU dons also) nominated Prof.Hoole for the time being. Even if it is true,it was the Constitutional Council which recommended him for Elections Commission.
You are bragging about Prof.Hoole’s integrity and professionalism.
Would a person with integrity and professionalism
-Go after Mahinda when he was the president, begging for VC post ?
-Go after Prof.Carlo Fonseka begging for recommendation?
-Go after Douglas Devananda begging for VC post?
-Go after Mavai begging for recommendation ?
From his past history, would some one believe that he didn’t go after the Constitutional Council members seeking recommendation? Definitely he would have sought the recommendation of the Constitutional Council members.
The power greedy professor who begged the politicians , has no moral rights to criticize others for begging the politicians.
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Sam / October 3, 2018
To FUTA ExCo Member(?), 2015 / October 2, 2018
The cat is out of the bag now! Let me believe(?) that FUTA (there are many FUTAs for JU dons also) nominated Prof.Hoole for the time being. Even if it is true,it was the Constitutional Council which recommended him for Elections Commission.
You are bragging about Prof.Hoole’s integrity and professionalism.
Would a person with integrity and professionalism
-Go after Mahinda when he was the president, begging for VC post ?
-Go after Prof.Carlo Fonseka begging for recommendation?
-Go after Douglas Devananda begging for VC post?
-Go after Mavai begging for recommendation ?
From his past history, would some one believe that he didn’t go after the Constitutional Council members seeking recommendation? Definitely he would have sought the recommendation of the Constitutional Council members.
The power greedy professor who begged the politicians , has no moral rights to criticize others for begging the politicians.
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Sinhala_Man / October 7, 2018
Dear FUTA ExCo Member,
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You can say that again! So little seems right in Sri Lanka. The Elections Commission has been doing a wonderful job. Some of the Election Results may not be to our liking, and with Mahinda Deshapriya and Prof. Hoole so often being frank with us, and allowing us to see in to their thinking, I feel that they too may be disappointed that we don’t end up having more decent representatives in parliament.
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But that must be because they are so objective in their work, and have such a professional approach. The third member, Mr Nalin Abeysekera, also deserves our gratitude. They know that theirs is the limited job of ensuring that we are allowed our, often foolish, say. They are obviously a balanced team, and let us hope that the same sound appointments are made again.
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S.R.H. Hoole / October 2, 2018
Sri-Krish says I referred to trivial sociological issues. To him (as a Hindu as I presume him to be) making Jaffna a Saivite University, and admitting Sinhalese students and keeping them out of university events, may be all betrivial. For me, it is matter of life and death. It questions my right to be a Jaffna Man.
Uthungan while trivilizing the offering of holy ash to all conference attendees, warns of the day that pirith chanting and yellow robes will be on campus. Yes, we must be ready for that but to be prepared to oppose that credibly as a matter of principle upholding Jaffna as a university for all communities as any decent university should be, we must not be seen doing the same thing today. What is sauce for the goose is sauce for the gander, as they say.
It was only recently, in the decades preceding 2009, that all non-majoritarin views were suppressed. When I was appointed VC, all kinds of unheard of organizations wrote objections in the press We seem to be returning to those days as the voices of those suppressing minorities are rearing their demonic heads again.
Just as the historic and useful event of JUICE was ruined by imposing religion and keeping out minorities, the ongoing Jaffna Film Festival is being ruined. It has been ongoing for some years now and brings in films with useful or contrarian views. An unheard of organization calling itself the Community has objected to the film Demons in Paradise on the war and it has suddeny been suppressed without any explanation after advertising it. The movie premiered as part of the official selection at the Festival de Cannes in 2017 where it was nominated for Camera d’or (Golden Camera) and L’oiel d’or (Golden Eye). Since premiering in Cannes, the film has travelled to many film festivals around the globe and won several awards.
Are we reurning to our old ways. forcing dissident-view-holders to shut-up and put-up in the name of the community and unity?
Here is what I heard from the director, Jude Rutnam (who I believe is the son of eminent historian James Rutnam after whose wife Jaffna has name a library next to the university and whom we love to quote for his research showing the Tamil side of JR Jayawardene’s and Solomon Banadranaike’s ancestries):
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K.Pillai / October 2, 2018
Professor Murugesu Sivapalan and Professor Nishan Canagarajah earned their status in science because they were Murugesu Sivapalan and Nishan Canagarajah.
Certainly not because of the schools they went to (Hartley College or St John’s College)
and NOT because of where they pursued under-graduate and post-graduate studies.
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About 20% of the first half of the article makes sense if one looks hard. The second half is the whinge about how bad everyone (CM downward, inside out of Univ of Jaffna, etc) in Jaffna is. His reference to the Krishna drama says a lot. This is folklore and several Bharathiar songs have the same back ground – he should ask Dhusyanthi.
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SRH H has boring the ‘Fat-lady song’ woven in.
PS: Please leave Anbini out of this. Leave her to be herself.
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Rosemary / October 2, 2018
I am confused, Mr. Sinhala_Man. You characterize the Professor as an overgrown schooboy lacking in experiential knowledge. You also say his writings descend from the sublime to the ridiculous.
I totally disagree with you.
However, I am writing this comment because I am concerned about your objectivity and balance. In contrast to your comments here that I am responding to, somewhere at the top you started with another comment thanking Prof. for the article. Now you want what you call a man with no experiential knowledge who descends into the ridiculous to write on the Maldivian elections. In point of fact you have been egging him on in the past few months to write on the Maldives. Do you have an interest there? I saw that repeated expectation of an article on the Maldives as immaturity on your part, telling him how to observe elections and what to write here.
Imagine the chaos if a person whose writings descend into the ridiculous writes on the Maldivian elections after going there as a guest of the state, and you respond to that article with your mixed up thinking to make your preconceived points! There are others here who will find fault with anything Prof writes. Do we really want a diplomatic incident with the Maldives?
I hope that Prof with his wide experiential knowledge (which you deny but still want him to deploy here) will not take your advice and keep off matters of state that should never be discussed on CT where discussions like here do descend to the ridiculous as you have shown.
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Sinhala_Man / October 3, 2018
Dear Rosemary,
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Thanks for your well-reasoned observation. Prof. Hoole (like many of us perhaps) is an enigma. Also, it may be that I try to comment on too many things.
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When I first read this article, I saw that its main thrust was excellent. I also didn’t notice that there was a little too much resentment of holy ash etc. On just a few occasions in my life I’ve had such things, and some moist reddish stuff ( I guess that they become pottus) put on me, with every appearance of goodwill. I have accepted it in good humour – why get everybody mad by protesting? It may be that Prof. Hoole is surrounded by Hindus, and objects because he better knows the significance – but for me good will seems more important.
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As for the Maldives, Prof. Hoole does certain things very well; I expected that after his comments on Afghanistan, a country I don’t know at all, he’d be sent to the Maldives (where I have lived for three years – and I know the place pretty well.) Then I had confirmation that he had indeed been sent. I knew the incumbent to be terrible. The result was what it should have been had voting been fair. It may be that there will be a time frame for reports and the like. Let’s be patient.
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Having said all that, I’ve now noticed a few other unfortunate digressions in this article. It may take some time to comment, but rest assured I have the highest respect for Prof. Hoole.
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Vishwa / October 2, 2018
We never had Hitchcocs in Sri Lanka. It is a US name and even there it is Alfred Hitchcock and his family. Romane Nallathamby ‘s statement is correct and readers should believe her
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Manimekalai / October 5, 2018
Nor did the True Tamils have the names Vishwa and the like which do not occur in our classics. Tamil men were intellectually subjugated by Brahmins originating from Syrian Mittani and Persian people and we took Sanskrit names. Tamil went through it’s dark ages destroying the Thirukkura, chulamani etc when Brahmins were destroying Buddhist and Jaina texts. Yet we have Shankars, Rama who killed the good Tamil king Ravenna etc.
At least the missionaries did not kill us Jaffna Tamils but uplifted us with all their strength. G. U. Pope and others brought out what was hidden and left to rot among the Tamil works. Unlettered people have their own world view.
If not for Christian Mission schools where would Jaffna be? Plain losers as before..
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Rajash / October 3, 2018
Hoole “…The worst is all attendees being offered holy ash at the entrance…”
Prof. S. Ratnajeevan H. Hoole are you certain that only holy ash was offered at the entrance.
can you please confirm the holy ash was in a “pod” on a silver tray together with santhanam and kunkummam. and perhaps sugar candy.
can you also confirm the young lady was dressed in traditional Tamil attire and had flowers decorating her hair do.?
This is traditional Tamil culture in any events. I guess there was also nerai kuddam at the entrance in its glory on a bed of nellu spread on banana leaf.
what was your daughter wearing ?
ripped off jeans?
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Non-Hindu / October 3, 2018
Rajash, Thiruneeru was there. Period.
What place do non-Hindus have in your vision for Jaffna University? Are we there only to get the per-head grants to the university?
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Rajash / October 3, 2018
Hello
I am a Hindu my son is married to a christian.
And we embrace each other’s religion. Period.
My daughter in law has no hesitation in adorning holy ash and observing Hindu traditions and we reciprocate by going to church and carol service during Easter and Christmas.
It is a Tamil Tradition to welcome visitors with traditional Tamil Tray as I explained in my post above.
The young girl was not holding a whip forcing every one to wear holy ash. All you have to do is pass a complimentary comment to the young girl and politely refuse.That would have made the young lady’s day.
For you to write in a degrading language about the episode reveals a sick mind.
what do you expect ? ….a young lady to carry a tray full of cross at the end of a string for Christians to take and wear around their neck?
what the hell are you doing living in Jaffna if you are not willing to embrace Tamil culture at Tamil events.You have no place there.
you failed to answer if your daughter was wearing ripped off jeans ?
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Siva / October 5, 2018
Tamil = Hindu?
As a Hindu I am ashamed of many of these comments. You are proving Hoole’s point that we are as bad as the Sri Lankan state.
We who are privileged to live in the West and enjoy the freedoms must rise up to set better secular standards for Jaffna.
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Dilum / October 3, 2018
Hoole a Karawe clan originated from Valvetithurai, same village as Prabhakaran. They took this Parangi name for favours received from Parangi and also that their original Karawe name was then erased off. That’s fine. But Hitchcoks have never originated in Sri Lanka. even in US confined to Alfred H clan. So Canagasabi must have been given the name by them (Alfred Hitchcock clan).
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S.R.H. Hoole / October 3, 2018
I thank Dilum. I love his kind of criticism.I need not argue because he exposes the intellectual and social quality of those who disagree with the article.
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Rajash / October 3, 2018
Mr.S.R.H Hoole
so what you are implying is that every one who disagrees with you are of what ever you think they are?
on what planet are you living?
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