By Darshanie Ratnawalli –
Darshanie Ratnawalli
YGLs Of South Asia ‘Learn’: Who Established The Sri Lanka College Of Journalism
“Let him take credit for it if he wants. What does it matter?” Waruna Karunatilake told me among other things when I called him to verify if Ranga Kalansooriya was indeed the person who established the Sri Lanka College of Journalism (SLCJ). Dr. Ranga Kalansooriya, a former Director General of the Sri Lanka Press Institute (SLPI) stood up before an audience of Young Global Leaders (YGLs) of the World Economic Forum (WEF) and claimed – I quote verbatim – “I am the person who established the Sri Lanka College of Journalism. But I have to say I am ashamed of the quality of journalism in Sri Lanka as well as elsewhere.”
Kalansooriya made this claim at an informal and niche diplomatic event involving YGLs, a network of achievers mobilized by WEF. He was not challenged simply because there were no veteran journalists in the audience. However journalists albeit of a greener hue were present and that he still decided to make a false claim about a core journalistic institution in Sri Lanka attests to how much he has bought into the theory he articulated several times during his speech; that Sri Lankan journalists have a capacity issue. Finding out who really established the Sri Lanka College of Journalism would be quite beyond the capacity of this lot, Dr. Kalansooriya must have told himself smugly.
Ranga Kalansooriya, Co-ordinator, Sri Lanka College of Journalism shares his thoughts with the Director of Sri Lanka College of Journalism Dr. Uvais Ahamed in 2005
We all bought it, YGLs, green journalists, expert panelists. I must confess that I only have a passing acquaintance with the SL College of Journalism, i.e. I sometimes pass it on my way to the bank. During the refreshment break Asanga Abeyegoonesekera, under whose chairmanship this niche YGL event is being held in Sri Lanka makes a beeline for Ranga Kalansooriya and bears him off to meet the YGLs connected to media in their respective countries, passing me with a dismissive ‘thank you for coming’. How strange, I think, after all I edited this man Asanga’s book, ‘Towards a better world order’ and I am there supposedly to cover the event on his invitation and I and my partner had met him socially just last night. Then I console myself philosophically, after all Ranga Kalansooriya is the person who established the SLCJ, who am I?
When I sent my first article dealing with Kalansooriya ‘Young Global Leaders taste floppy journalism’ to Uvindu Kurukulasuriya, a former convener of the Free Media Movement and now the editor of Colombo Telegraph, he asked me “‘I am the person who established the Sri Lanka College of Journalism’ Did he really say that?”. I replied “yes he did. I recorded his speech.” “That is not true though” says Uvindu. “Listen to the record again and re confirm please” requests Uvindu like the good investigative journalist that he is. “Confirmed. Hear for yourself. It’s between 28.43 and 28.59” I tell him mailing the recording of the entire session to him.
Three days later, in my lackadaisical way it occurs to me that there is a story here. For I am not very dynamic as someone used to tell me often. I email Uvindu; “Dear Uvindu. You said Ranga Kalansooriya did not establish the SL College of Journalism. Can you tell me who established it and who were the people involved and did Ranga Kalansooriya have any role at all in that?” That was the first in a series of questions I asked in my endeavor to unearth the parentage of the Sri Lanka College of Journalism. I discovered that it had a group parentage and that this parent group did not include Ranga Kalansooriya. I discovered that the first batch to be taught by Sri Lanka college of Journalism started their course on 10 May 2004. A few months later in September 2004, the college started a mid-career course for working journalists. SLCJ eventually employed Ranga Kalansooriya as the coordinator of this mid career course. He worked under the first Director of the college Dr. Uvais Ahamed. A Google image search of the name Ranga Kalansooriya throws up a picture. In it Ranga Kalansooriya, Co-ordinator, Sri Lanka College of Journalism shares his thoughts with the Director of Sri Lanka College of Journalism Dr. Uvais Ahamed at a workshop on Advanced Photojournalism entitled ‘Life along the railway Track’ held from 28th November to 02nd December 2005 at the college premises.
Watson if the man was a course coordinator at the college in 2005 how can he claim to have established it? Holmes would have asked. I asked the same question from Manik de Silva.
But before that Uvindu told me “http://www.slpi.lk. Call them and ask the history officially. As far as I remember Ranga joined as a mid career course coordinator much later. When the SLPI DG [Director General, Sri Lanka Press Institute] post was vacant, he applied and got it. I was a director of SLPI as well as PCCSL [Press Complaints Commission Sri Lanka].”
Manik De Silva who were on the boards of SLPI/SLCJ and PCCSL from inception, though not anymore told me “The guy who really started SLCJ was Waruna Karunatilake – but from the board.
I don’t think it was Ranga K. But I’ll get it checked out from the board minutes. There should be a record of an appointment. The best person to ask is Waruna. Being as involved as he was, he should know.”
“Who established SLCJ?” I call up Waruna Karunatilake and ask. He says “Three organizations; the Free Media Movement (FMM), The Editor’s Guild of Sri Lanka and the Newspaper Society of Sri Lanka”
“But persons wise who established it?” I ask impatient to get personal.
“Persons wise, the people who were on the boards of these organizations, Sinha Ratnatunga, Victor Ivon, Manik De Silva, [he mentions a string of names, all of which I don’t catch but deserve to be featured on the SLPI website for posterity’s sake]”
I inform him “Dr. Ranga Kalansooriya stood up before an audience of…”
“Yes I read that article” Waruna Karunatileke says interrupting me. I ask him if he has any idea as to why Kalansooriya should have made such a claim. Karunatilleka denies any knowledge of Kalansooriya’s motives and cautiously says he doesn’t know what was actually said. I tell him the exact words and ask if they are accurate. “A group of people established the college and Kalansooriya was not among that group. He was employed by the college as the midcareer course coordinator. So that is not an accurate claim. But if he wants to say that he helped develop the college both in his capacity as course coordinator and later as DG, Press Institute, he can”.
So there you have it; a common enough story. Give a certain type of man (or woman) a microphone and a green audience and he (or she) will strut. The Sri Lanka Press Institute is the management arm of the College of Journalism and it would be very easy for a DG of the former to convince himself that he established the latter; if not for the memories of men who remember and want to keep the record straight.
“Now I recall that FOJO of Sweden really got the SLCJ going and had a man (Swede who’s name I forget) here who did most of the work to set it up. He was paid by the Swedes.” Manik de Silva informs me. The Sri Lanka Press Institute signed an MOU with FOJO and made it an institutional partner in December, 2003. At this moment let us spare a thought for that anonymous and half-forgotten Swede.
Addendum
https://soundcloud.com/darshanie-ratnawalli/voice-006
It’s a voice cut related to the articles In it a journalist named Ranga Kalansooriya makes the false claim that he established the Sri Lanka College of Journalism. The claim is between 28.43 and 28.59 of the track
@ http://ratnawalli.com / and rathnawalli@gmail.com
Native Vedda / April 24, 2016
Ken Roberts
The child is back after “demolishing” the eminent well respected Archaeologist Sudharsan seneviratne in the Nation.
This time as the investigative journalist.
Do you think we should read this child’s graffiti in this forum?
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Silva / April 24, 2016
The readers/commenters of this forum considered her as a comic relief (a piece of comedy). [Edited out]
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Ranjith Tennekone / April 24, 2016
Didn’t this brilliant lady very recently write a marvelous investigative piece on the Thajudeen Murder calling it all a load of BS because the Narahenpita police oic says so. The man is now in custody spilling the beans. Who is this joke of a journalist. Why is CT degrading it’s standards.
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Hora Ravi / April 24, 2016
@Ranjith Tennekone
Did you say ‘lady’? ………..???????
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Native Vedda / April 24, 2016
Ranjith Tennekone
The child believes she is the greatest expert on many disciplines such as, epigraphy, ancient and medieval history, mythology, etymology, international relation, journalism, ………….
Two old codgers support and admire her.
Please bear with her.
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Old Codger / April 24, 2016
N.V
You must admit the child is much better looking than H.L.D.Mahindapala. For this reason at least we all must tolerate her versions of recent and ancient history.
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Native Vedda / April 24, 2016
Old Codger
“You must admit the child is much better looking than H.L.D.Mahindapala.”
I don’t trust old men with young women.
Please keep an eye on our not so regular fellow commentator the Tamil speaking Sinhalese Jamis Muthu Banda is up to something.
Please note Khushwant Singh and Indian artist M. F. Husain worshiped young beauties.
So you too can admire beauty.
“For this reason at least we all must tolerate her versions of recent and ancient history.”
All right we will.
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Bandu de S / April 24, 2016
Oh! Its this [Edited out]
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kumar Ganeshan / April 24, 2016
The claim by Ranga is bukshit. [Edited out]
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Darshanie Ratnawalli / April 24, 2016
The name of the Swede of fOJO ‘who did most of the work to set the SL College of journalism up and was paid by the Swedes is Johan Romare, Uvindu tells me. Let us remember him.
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Sulaiman / April 27, 2016
Dear Ms. Ratnawalli,
The definition of “establish” includes “to make firm or stable” (see http://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/establish). Why do you presume that Dr. Kalansuriya used it in a different sense? He could have said I “founded” it or “started” it. Instead he used the word “established” it. I think it is possible that he used it to mean that he made it firm or stable. It would have been only fair if you had considered this aspect before you commenced your investigations.
S
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cassandra / April 27, 2016
Sulaiman
In English it’s not only meanings of words, but the word combinations that give the meaning. When someone fluent in English says “I established Institute X”, it’s the meaning ‘To form; to found; to institute; to set up in business’ that applies. This is because it’s practically impossible to use the active verb ‘establish’ in association with an institution, building or organization to give the other meaning of establish ‘To make stable or firm; to confirm’.
This meaning almost always goes with the passive voice. You say “As she got established in society, more and more VIPs accepted her invitations to dinner parties”
You say “I established him in business” and it only means the first meaning- ‘To form; to found; to institute; to set up in business’
But when you use the passive voice and says “As he got established in the business, he was able to obtain better credit facilities from banks” it means the second meaning- ‘To make stable or firm; to confirm’
It’s impossible to give the word’establish’ the meaning ‘To make stable or firm; to confirm’ when it’s used in active voice in relation to an institute.
When you say “I was the person who established the SLCJ”, it can only have the meaning to found, to institute, to start.
And here, we are not talking of a person who is fluent in English. Kalansooriya started in the vernacular press and to this date his English is not fluent, as you will hear if you listen to the track. To him and many like him ‘establish’ has only one meaning that is ‘to found, start, institute’. They have learnt it from school, from reading the school board; X College- Estblshd 1953 .
Smart try to save RK’s bacon. Or not so smart. As it reveals that you (as well as him) learnt English mostly from Dicks and not through wide usage.
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Spring Koha / April 24, 2016
Alas and alack, there are many like Dr Kalansooriya in our midst. Delusions of grandeur, or just largeing it up to impress foreign visitors. Take your pick. As they say down the highways and bye ways of old Bambalapitiya, knowing people know who they are.
The fragrant one is right, of course, to report this transgression. If we are not informed of flights of fancy, how will we know to feign incredulity when faced with the beast?
Keep the flag flying O fragrant One (but please, no more of that racy mythical stuff; my dicky ticker won’t take it).
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amal perera / April 28, 2016
Bookworm,
Whats all that seasonal stuff??
Grilled Pineapple, Hone, Bunny, Nutmeg, Kassipu sauce with Vanilla Ice Cream??
It all sounds like B.O.
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Arjuna Ranawana / April 24, 2016
As a former Director of SLCJ I feel compelled to comment on this article. Dr. Kalansooriya would be the last person to claim that he started the College as he himself joined the SLPI family as an employee of the College. But it must be said that during his tenure as Director General the SLPI flourished and the largest operation of the Institute was the College producing students trained in all disciplines of the profession and in all three languages. Perhaps that is what Dr. Kalansooriya was trying to convey. Members of the Editors Guild, and the other constituent parts of the SLPI were all strong supporters of the college and Varuna Karunatilleke is and has been the guiding hand of SLCJ. It is sad to see the current situation of SLPI in general and the College in particular.
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Native Vedda / April 25, 2016
Arjuna Ranawana
You seem to take this child seriously.
We the readers of this forum collectively agree she should be allowed to write any damn thing or any damn lies in CT or elsewhere and nobody takes her seriously.
You need not to explain anything, simply we understand.
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SJ / April 25, 2016
“We the readers of this forum collectively agree …”
Is that so? When was a vote taken on this resolution?
Don’t be childish.
Back to the play pen.
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Siva Sankaran Sarma- 3 / April 28, 2016
What’s up Purr-fection??
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samare / April 25, 2016
Yes, this so called doctroal student, or whoever always brought supportive documents to MR regime.
Might well be MR et al has already secured her finances from all the fund grabs inclu. 5000 Million dollars of tsunami funds- MARA was above the law interms of abusing even state funds… no shame – as man who could toilett on the street as some far poor men still go to the sea shores near to COLOMBO seen while travelling by rail.
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Old Codger / April 25, 2016
N.V,
The child archaeologist is nor irredeemably bad . Read her views on Sudarshan Seneviratna’s theories about South Indian influence on early Sri Lanka at Ratnawalli.com. Perhaps she is improving with age.
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Native Vedda / April 25, 2016
Old Codger
“Perhaps she is improving with age.”
She is still a child.
Please read carefully the last para where she types as usual:
On receiving this article, the editor who was a Peradeniya alumnus, and had as a student very pleasant interactions with Sudharshan, emailed me: “Out of curiosity, who put you on to Sudharshan Seneviratne?” I replied: “Nobody. He is a hero to Indrapala. So Indrapala is a hero to him. Scratching each other’s backs. Also I noticed that he has the habit of writing reams without really saying anything. Also he is fixated on Tamil Nadu connectivity theories. Also he seems to say that when writing history facts are less important, even dangerous, what matters is promoting inclusivity. I noticed these things by myself. Then I noticed that others had noticed them too and written about them… still I don’t know if you could say that I am on to him.” The editor replied with a smiley icon: “You are spot on about him.” It was a classic example of Sudharshan demonization. I did it because at the time he was an unknown entity, while my editor was simply demonstrating the standard reaction of a Nationalist to Sudharshan Seneviratne. How I stopped demonizing and started admiring him is a story for another day.”
Old Codger
Prof Sudharshan Seneviratne once wrote in DBS J’s web:
History is best left to the experts.
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Darshanie Ratnawalli / April 25, 2016
Arjuna Ranawana you may have been a former Director SLCJ, but you would have been an incompetent journalist and researcher and commentator. Because you base yourself on your asumptions rather than facts. You say “Dr. Kalansooriya would be the last person to claim that he started the College..”, that’s denial born out of a closed mind. SO do spouses keep telling themselves “my spouse would be the last person to cheat” until…
Get some journalistic skills at least now. Listen to this sound track. https://soundcloud.com/darshanie-ratnawalli/voice-006
The grandiose claim “I am the person who established the Sri Lanka College of Journalism” is between 28.43 and 28.59 of the track
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Darshanie Ratnawalli / April 25, 2016
Arjuna Ranawana, you were a former Director of SLCJ. What a pity you never learnt the basics of research. First rule of thumb; you keep your mind open and come to conclusions on facts not assumptions such as;”Dr. Kalansooriya would be the last person to claim that he started the College as he himself joined the SLPI family as an employee of the College.” He did claim it and I have quoted him verbatim. Now draw your conclusions based on that fact.
Still in denial? Listen for yourself
https://soundcloud.com/darshanie-ratnawalli/voice-006
The grandiose claim is is between 28.43 and 28.59 of the track
Journalism is not whom you know and how well you know him it’s about what you know and find out.
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Bunjappu / April 25, 2016
Darshanie,
why not you could busy with supporting current regime or their corresponding men in FCID or other bodies that current work on searching the billions grabed by Rajakshe regime. You as young researcher if my info is right, could later be happy, to have supported the humanity in the clearance process. As Panama and other Foneska institutions revealed them about counterparts of Mahinda Rajapakshes, yours could go viral and your tiles will be done wthin hours. Please join them with your assistance, you the kind of doctoral candidates could do lot more in this regards. Funds alleged to have kept in Seysheles and Dubai to be discovered with facts can help lankens as a whole.
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BBS Rep / April 27, 2016
Got a bit hot under the collar, young lady?
If I remember right you also claimed many myths as truths while justifying the Sinhala hegemony over Tamil lands. You gave a Sinhala twist to Tamil place names willy nilly with scant regard to facts. Your advice to AR ‘First rule of thumb; you keep your mind open and come to conclusions on facts not assumptions”, is quite amusing.
As far as I could see this is a clear case of the pot calling the kettle black.
My advice to you Darshanie, is to back off and keep still or your legacy of opportunistic journalism during the time or MR will surface and bite you.
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Lindsay / April 27, 2016
[Edited out]
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Native Vedda / April 27, 2016
Lindsay
“[Edited out]”
Thanks for keeping it brief. Next time around, please make sure you keep it shorter.
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stop20 / April 28, 2016
Darshanie Ratnawalli,
If your was right. Then the all the akhand bharat maps of VOC (19 trading posts)and EEIC must be wrong.
Only when Queen Victoria took over as Empress of EEIC and its assets did the crown play its part.
Fortunately Sinhala Buddhist cannot lay its hands on Carbon Dating and the best are there.
If you need a copy of all dutch posts in the east please request- and key link can be attached. But I shall not give you more on archaeological findings.
BTW the first ship to arrive from Flanders (1st European trading center, 1st industrialized European nation, 1st catholic university and better oxford and Cambridge) to Asia on behalf of his Flemish mistress (his wife was queen of Spain and he was king of Spain in Spanish Netherlands)was sent by Carlos 1/Charles 5. 4 ships sent to Philippines, and 1 to Indonesia. only VOC came back from the east while portugese british jews, arabs came from west Cochin.
when you study archaeology Speak then till then you are like the Muslim- 2 dimension literature. one 2 thattu, one 2 thattu.
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Darshanie Ratnawalli / April 27, 2016
BBS REP
You said “Got a bit hot under the collar, young lady?
If I remember right you also claimed many myths as truths while justifying the Sinhala hegemony over Tamil lands. You gave a Sinhala twist to Tamil place names willy nilly with scant regard to facts”
Unfortunately you don’t remember right. As Ranga Kalansooriya would say, you have a capacity issue and an agenda issue.
Would you consider a 17 century Dutch map currently in the the Nationaal Archief, Netherlands but which can be viewed online in fairly large size at (beeldbank.nationaalarchief.nl/na:col1:dat516410) a fact or a myth?
Would you consider any conclusion drawn from the well preserved, 400-year-old map of Jaffna a willy-nilly assumption?
Consider my column on 1 July 2012 – ‘Communal claims on a common land’
in the Nation (available online at http://ratnawalli.blogspot.com/2012/07/communal-claims-on-common-land.html) and also on http://www.spur.asn.au/index.php/77-spur/108-communal-claims-on-common-land). It’s entirely based on this map, an undoubted fact.
Rather than claiming myths as truths and paying scant regard to facts, I enshrined and privileged the facts over myths by saying;
“Take a look at that 17th century Dutch map; Kaart van Jaffanapatnam en onderhoorige landen en eilanden (Map of Jaffanapatnam countries and islands and dependencies). The manuscript is in the Nationaal Archief, Netherlands, but you can get a fairly large view at beeldbank.nationaalarchief.nl/na:col1:dat516410. Certain browsers let you translate the web page into English. Get it full screen and start spotting the Sinhala place names.
“The first name to hit you is Welligamo. As one of the four main divisions of Jaffanapatnam, it’s written larger. No big news there. Everyone knows about Valikamam and Weligama, but everyone may not know the transition happened post 17th century. The real revelations are the smaller print locations; Cottiewatte, Watane, Vimangamo, Walandale, Lilagamo, Tangode, Tambale, Batecotte, Anecotte, Naloer(Nal oya), Oergavature, Nagamoene, Tambegamo, Coylacandy (Kohila Kanda), Mepale, Pollopalle, Alipalle, Malwattoe, Anungay, Walewitakepoelo, etc. etc. These are just the ones that stand out without ambiguity to my naked eye on the computer screen. There are more names that are clear like Kenalavil, Ambellipattoe, Inkelampitty, etc.”
This is a simple reiteration of facts based on a valid piece of primary evidence.
Now my advice to you is to train your mind to implement that first rule of thumb-
‘you keep your mind open and come to conclusions on facts not assumptions’
Mind, do not call facts assumptions, just because they may not suit your agenda.
Go also to ‘Gordon Weiss And The Dynamics Of Redemption’ available on CT at (https://www.colombotelegraph.com/index.php/gordon-weiss-and-the-dynamics-of-redemption/) and start ‘fact-spotting’ and ‘conclusion building’. Let me quote from that article;
“A 17th century Dutch mapmaker redeems it by his cartographical representation of Jaffna[i] (held at the Nationaal Archief, Netherlands, but viewable online at beeldbank.nationaalarchief.nl/na:col1:dat516410). He wouldn’t have known that he was being an agent of redemption[ii] when he drew up this map of a Jaffna where Sinhalese and Tamil place names exist side by side. He was just exercising his craft in the service of imperial Holland. To him a Jaffna that could be interspersed with a Cottiewatte, Noenavil game, Watane, a Walandale, Lilagamo, Tangode, a Tambale, Batecotte, Anecotte, Naloer, Oergavature, Nagamoene, Tambegamo, Mepale, Pollopalle, Alipalle, Malwattoe, a Walewitakepoelo, etc. would have been business as usual, with no special significance. The fact that four centuries later, demographic changes both colonial state sponsored and natural, would render a major territorial division of his map Welligamo into Valikamam and leave a Vimankamam in place of his Vimangamo and affect almost total erasure of its Sinhalese names, would have, if known, filled the cartographer with indifference. If told that four centuries of political upheaval would make his map an embarrassing skeleton in the cupboard to a political ideology aspiring to own the SL reconciliation space in the global mind map, the cartographer would have tuned out in sheer incomprehension.”
These are not my facts, mind. These are facts in the public domain that have been used and reused by researchers from way way back. H. W. Codrington said in Chapter VI, ‘Short history of Ceylon’, 1926 (ebook available at http://lakdiva.org/codrington/chap06.html)-
“The place-names in the peninsula indicate that it was held by Sinhala inhabitants at no very remote date, …”
In 1965, PhD student K. Indrapala stressed the “the toponymic evidence involving over a thousand place names of distinctly Sinhalese origin ‘in Tamil garb’” presented by the Jaffna peninsula…”
If you can’t deal with these widely available facts about Jaffna’s pluralistic and layered multiculturistic character, I advice you to go for truth therapy. The ‘truth’ can set you free.
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Native Vedda / April 28, 2016
BBS Rep
Can you be more considerate towards this child?
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stop20 / April 28, 2016
“”Would you consider a 17 century Dutch map currently in the the Nationaal Archief, Netherlands but which can be viewed online in fairly large size at (beeldbank.nationaalarchief.nl/na:col1:dat516410) a fact or a myth?””
It is a map like any other map drawn by VOC:The first multinational Corporation of the world. There is something more to His/Her_Story.
The Judiciary! With the Document being sealed and signed by the then crown it and all is null and void. EEIC and VOC were both in teh sub continent at the same time. There was no nation in the Netherlands due to Catholic/Christian wars VOC was subscribed by even Spanish Netherlands.
Jan Huyghen van Linschoten drew the first map (within 2 years and published it: to go public and trade) while working for the bishop of Portuguese goa. A map of the east trade routes was drawn for the first time in the history of the world. Previously the Arabs did not draw it and explained it in the form of witch craft to the Pagans of Portugal for 800 years. The Portuguese themselves did not draw it but were crusaders Catholica Isabel of Spain.
It takes long to be Young even in the year of the monkey.
yours is a MYTH from when Nira (IMF fiddle) started mucking about- So how is her blouse story??
Try again please.
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BBS Rep / April 28, 2016
Darshanie,
With regards to my capacity issue and agenda issue, I assure you that you may be right. But then we all do, don’t we, you included.
But to purely base your conclusion that all place names shown in an ancient map drawn by not a local but a foreigner working to appease an entirely different agenda as gospel truth is not good research writing. The enunciation or pronunciation of place names in local lingo then written in Latin script with a Dutch twist can also lead to all sorts of errors. Just imagine what twists the place names would have got if the cartographer was Chinese.
And for you to drop such information whether rightly or wrongly concluded, at a time when the Sinhala hegemony of the Tamil polity thrived under a reprehensible MR war hero is highly questionable. What tune you tried to play to appease which agenda is something I will leave to the rational reader to conclude.
In conclusion I must say, no matter how much you howl about the difference between facts and myths, I must reiterate one researchers facts will always remain myths to a great many others, especially when such research surfaces at a time that could be seen as justifying the cause of a warlord.
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Darshanie Ratnawalli / April 29, 2016
So called BBS REP
What fancy footwork is indulged in by some to deny the pluralistic and layered history of Jaffna. The Latin script can be used very effectively to write non European languages. See how it’s used to write Pali and Sanskrit. When it is used to write ‘alien’ languages, it has the added advantage that all spelling conventions of the script associated with its own language are bypassed and words are written as they are heard. In Middle Dutch anyway words were often written as they were pronounced. To suggest that Latin script and Dutch pronunciation and ‘VOC agendas’ rendered Valikamam into Welligamo and Vimankamam into Vimangamo and Vaddukkode into Batecotte, Anaicoddai into Anecotte while somehow retaining Araly, Tondamanar, Copay, Poenale, Ariale, Manipay, Alavetty, Changane, etc is to be so beyond ridiculous.
Also see how all the islands are spelt as ‘dive’ and not ‘tivu’; Mandadive, Neinadive, Caradive, etc, while the ‘tt’ is retained still in Pitty instead of the later substitution of dd’’. Isn’t it heartwarming to anybody with a pluralistic agenda that in the 17th century it was still Inkelampitty, Alepitty, etc, instead of the Tamilised ‘piddy’ .
And are there actual people out there who believe that information, straightforward visual evidence should be suppressed, to promote an ethnic exclusive agenda and thwart a pluralistic recognition of the North’s layered multicultural heritage? Fie fie, or chie chie. How nauseating. Yuck.
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Darshanie Ratnawalli / April 29, 2016
Also BBS REP
In one of my columns ‘A Sri Lankan celebrates Sri Lanka’s Independence from Chechnya’ (The Nation on February 04, 2012) I wrote;
“While a Chechen may have much to celebrate in his historically entrenched, uniform and consistent association with Chechnya, I hold that he is also poorer because he is deprived of the experience of being part of a region with diverse and multi-cultural associations, such as our Northern Province. He will never know the experience of living in a land whose identity exists in layers, where the earlier layer still peeks through the current layer as enticingly as a camisole does through a sheer blouse.”’
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BBS Rep / May 2, 2016
Darshanie,
Who I am is not the issue. What I write is the issue.
Nothing of any substance has been added in your tirade. I have told all what I wish to tell on the subject. I rest my case on the subject.
Furthermore, resorting to statements such as “Fie fie, or chie chie. How nauseating. Yuck.” etc are quite vulgar, coming from a person such as you. Best avoid for credibility’s sake.
Good luck.
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Stungun / May 2, 2016
Darshanie Ratnawalli [Edited out]
“peeks through the current layer as enticingly as a camisole does through a sheer blouse.”’
We have being doing layers while doing extrusions almost 50 years ago and presently printing 3D sofas that goes into use.
Brut means body odour down under its very humid and hot unlike in the west[Edited out]
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Stungun / May 2, 2016
west[Edited out]…. but that is the level of volunteer proof reader and the impartiality
No idea of dance form salsa and the dimension it takes. Well 3rd world attitude and ignorance No? only the eeee mc sq 4th.
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Silva / April 25, 2016
When someone counter argue or make her lose an argument she will lose her temper. [Edited out]
Most of her arguments are based on assumptions rather than facts, the recent one was her wonderful research on the Thajudeen’s Murder case.
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Ranjan B / April 24, 2016
Does this person not have any loved ones who can tell her not to make an ass of herself. She is no journalist, investigative or otherwise. She actually may need some professional medical
assistance.
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manoj rathnayaka / April 25, 2016
Does any one know who she is ?
She said that she is a journalist! her name is Darshanie Ratnawalli,these days she is writing wrong things about the Sri lanaka college of journalism,lol article .I would like to teach you the history well.we are still living here. We are student of the Sri lanka college of journalism.what did you try to tell dear ? I think you are still child. It’s better if you can study about Colombo Declaration . Improve your knowledge.
This is Manoj Rathnayaka (Slcj) #slcj #slpi
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Stungun / May 2, 2016
[Edited out]
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Bodin / April 25, 2016
Most of these commentators are clearly old men fighting their syphilis and
hence driven partially insane. So they rattle out out ever comes to their
crazed minds. One fellow writes “Please note Khushwant Singh and Indian artist M. F. Husain worshiped young beauties. So you too can admire beauty”. The guy doesn’t seem
to know that admiring beauty is not the same as “worshipping” [to render religious reverence and homage, as to a deity]. And why does his mind go to Kushwant Singh or M. F. Usain?
A real bunch of bunch of Weirdos!
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Native Vedda / April 27, 2016
Bodin
Check your dictionary if you have one.
Worship
Verb: to have or show a strong feeling of respect and admiration for God or a god
Verb: to love, respect, and admire someone or something very much, often without noticing the bad qualities of that person or thing.
EG:
Her parents worship her.
As a child, I worshipped my older brother.
http://dictionary.cambridge.org/
dictionary/english/worship
” And why does his mind go to Kushwant Singh or M. F. Usain? A real bunch of bunch of Weirdos!”
You find it too difficult to understand simply because philistines don’t indulge in high culture.
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Renuka Gunawardhana / April 25, 2016
Please note that the first Director of the Sri Lanka College of Journalism was Late Mr. Tilak Jayaratne and not Dr. U. Ahamed.
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amal perera / May 2, 2016
[Edited out].
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Mohamed / June 18, 2016
As a past student of SLCJ i can surely say Ranga is the man who divert this college to success during 2006-2008 period.
. This article or research(?) is unnecessary.
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