Features
DON WHO TOUCHED LIFE AT MANY POINTS
by ECB Wijeyesinghe
When J.L.C. Rodrigo died about six years ago, one of his admirers said that he “wrote like a gentleman”. Besides being a tribute to the dear, departed don who touched life at many points, it was a potted criticism of the carping Spirit of the Age.
Tomorrow is the 83rd anniversary of Rodrigo’s birthday. Generations of boys and girls who came under the influence of this genial Professor of Western Classics at the Ceylon University will recall with nostalgia the memory of a man whose learning sat lightly on the prematurely grey hairs of his enormous head.
Joseph Lionel Christie Rodrigo – to give him his full name – was one of the most distinguished products of Royal College. But, as in the case of L.M.D. de Silva, K.C. it was Trinity College, Kandy, that gave him the finishing touches which helped him to win the academic crown. And finally at Oxford he captured that indefinable something which only Oxford can provide. There are many famous Colleges in Oxford University, made still more famous by Ceylonese alumni. For example, Lalith Athulathmudali ascended the gadi of the Union from Jesus, while S.W.R.D. Bandaranaike rose to eminence from Christ Church.
PRESTIGE
There is, however, one College in Oxford that has acquired a prestige second to none, chiefly owing to the work and wisdom of a scholar named Benjamin Jowett whose mastery of the Classics made him a legendary figure during his lifetime. The College was Balliol where Dr. Jowett, after being a tutor for 28 years, was appointed Professor of Greek. When he assumed the mantle of Master of Balliol, his name was famous in the four corners of the academic world and was immortalized in this bit of doggerel:
My name is Benjamin Jowett,
I’m Master of Balliol College
Whatever is knowledge, I know it,
And what I don’t know isn’t knowledge.
Dr. Jowett’s magnum opus was his translation of Plato. It is the bedside book of local Classical scholars such as V.L. Wirasinghe, Sam Wijesinha and Ronnie Abayasekera. There are many other translations of Plato, but this one, it is said, has been unsurpassed for inducing sleep. At the end of the last century the name of Jowett was as celebrated as that of Plato and it was the ambition of every student addicted to Greek and Latin to get immersed in the culture that was bubbling at Balliol.
In this process some students were drowned while the survivors made their mark in various fields. Men such as Asquith, Hillaire Belloc and Curzon probably owe their greatness to having come under Jowett in their impressionable years and acquiring “a tranquil consciousness of effortless superiority.” This consciousness is supposed to be the most valuable attribute of Balliol men.
Rodrigo appears to have had many distractions at Oxford. All his friends and relations expected him to romp home with a First Class in Greats. But he did not. J. L. C.’s trouble was that he would not confine himself entirely to his books. He was interested in everything about him from debating to dancing and from cricket to croquet, which is essentially a ladies’ game, but in which Rodrigo took more than an academic interest.
S.W.R.D. Bandaranaike writing 50 years ago in the now defunct “Causerie,” recalls that J.L.C. was already an outstanding personality at Oxford when he went up there. He was President of the Balliol and his popularity was due to the fact that he combined a charming personality with an ability to talk intelligently on a wide range of subjects.
To quote Bandaranaike: “J.L.C. was an especial favourite with the undergraduates, a fact which certain envious persons attributed to his grey hairs, which encouraged them to think of him as a kindly uncle.” Later he put his persuasive powers to good use when he met Evelyn, one of the daughters of the late Dr. and Mrs. Solomon Fernando. They were betrothed in double quick time. It was an ideal match.
Dr. Solomon Fernando was perhaps the first Sinhalese to acquire Western medical qualifications.
He was also a patriot and unwittingly laid down his life for his country when in the midst of a fervent appeal for freedom and unity at a crowded public meeting, he collapsed and died. His wife was the eldest daughter of the great philanthropist, C. H. de Soysa, so that Evelyn had not only vast estates and houses in Colombo 7, but what is known as background.
Two sons and three daughters came as a result of this union and JLC was happiest when he was in the bosom of the family. One of JLC’s sons is a doctor. Owing to the early skills he displayed at the Medical College his Professors suggested he should specialize in Obstetrics and Gynaecology. The women patients at Castle Street Hospital are now getting the full benefit of Dr. J. N. Rodrigo’s kindly treatment.
The face of the son, Lalith, also an Oxford man like his father is familiar to the play-going public. He is an amateur actor but a professional barrister and hotelier. At the Galle Face Hotel he tries hard to combine along with his boss, Cyril Gardiner Yesterday’s charm with Tomorrow’s comfort. To find out what they do Today is worth a visit to this venerable hostelry. JLC’s three daughters live in England and appear to be quite at home in that land of hope and glory.
EXTRA -MURAL
One of JLC’s chief extra-mural activities consisted of his work for the under-privileged. The germ of social service was sown in him by that pioneer in this field, N. P. Campbell of Trinity, with whom he went slumming in Kandy. He joined the Student Christian Movement and later the YMCA where he was in his element. At one of the Board meetings in the Colombo YMCA I remember he gave utterance to a passage from Horace the Latin poet which appears to reveal the secret of his success.
It ran: “Mince stultium consiliis brevem. Dulce est desipere in loco” which translated roughly urges people to mingle a little folly with their wisdom as a little nonsense now and then is pleasant. It was this very gift of finding the right mixture that made him one of the most popular newspaper columnists of his time. His pseudonym combined with his light touch, made an instant appeal to flappers of his period, many of whom dreamt that they would make a suitable Venus to this Adonis.
When the secret of his nom-de-plume was finally disclosed the loudest laugh came from JLC himself who did not pretend to be a matinee idol though he was endowed with that mysterious thing called sex-appeal.
The Directors of the YMCA and the Old Girls of Ladies College leaned heavily on his learning and experience whenever a literary matter came up before them. Just after World War II when the benign Robert O. Buell, the General Secretary of the Central YMCA, was conducting the affairs of the Association with East Aralyan efficiency his Principal Assistant was H.C.N. de Lanerolle, whose French ancestor gave a lot of trouble to King Rajasinghe II.
De Lanerolle’s pet name for some unknown reason was Duncan. When he started life in the YMCA he was a nice “Je re sail quoi” lad. In course of time he grew up to be an “enfant terrible”. As soon as he started writing his popular Ralahamy plays he became a “bete noire” to some members of the Board of Directors. Several years ago De Lanerolle and his petite wife, Sarah, emigrated to California and became American citizens but are at present on a holiday in Sri Lanka visiting friends and relations.
It so happened that when De Lanerolle was in the YMCA he wrote a play which was a satirical commentary on the political situation. It was freely whispered that the play would antagonize a few friends of the YMCA, and the Directors requested J.L.C. Rodrigo to go through it with a fine comb and remove the obnoxious lines if any.
JLC. with scholarly skill, virtually censored the play and suggested some changes which de Lanerolle adopted with alacrity. On the first night, however, it was rumoured that the stage version differed considerably from the written version. JLC whose son Lalith by the way is now in the cast of some of the Ralahamy plays felt a trifle embarrassed and had his doubts whether it was the censored play that went on the boards. There is no doubt that it was.
JLC. overlooked the fact that harmless phrases could be interpreted by different actors in different ways. Ultimately de Lanerolle strode out of his job and sought fresh pastures and sunny vales, bringing happiness to himself, the YMCA and J.L.C. Rodrigo.
(Excerpted from The Good at Their Best first published in 1978)
With reports emerging that India has attacked some ‘sites’ in Pakistan and Pakistan-administered Kashmir, the question could be posed whether the stage has just been set for yet another costly India-Pakistan military conflict. Sensible opinion in South Asia could only hope that wise counsel would sooner rather than later come to prevail on both sides of the divide and that they would draw back from the brink of full-scale war.
The states concerned ought to know fully well the possible wide-ranging weighty consequences of another regional conflict. It should be plain to see that it would benefit none in the two theatres of confrontation, most particularly the relevant publics or the ‘Silent Majority’.
In fact, in connection with the mentioned initial military attacks, the Pakistani side has gone on record that some civilian lives have been lost. Such losses could burgeon in the event of full scale hostilities. These costs could of course be staggering and unimaginable in the event the nuclear option is resorted to by the sides, going forward.
Accordingly, the hope of the peace-loving world-wide is likely to be that India and Pakistan would give negotiations a chance and resolve their differences peacefully. It would be in the best interests of the world for the champions of peace to join their voices to that of UN chief Antonio Guterres and call on the sides to negotiate an end to their differences.
The utter helplessness and misery of the people of the Gaza ought to drive home afresh the horrors of war. Currently the news is that the Gazans are literally starving to death. Food and other essentials provided by UN agencies are reportedly being prevented by Israel from getting to the hapless people of Gaza. So dire is their situation that concerned quarters are calling on the compassionate worldwide to provide the Gazans with food, water and other essentials voluntarily. This SOS would need to be heeded forthwith.
Accordingly, it could be inferred that most formal arrangements, including those that are generally under the purview of the UN, geared to providing emergency humanitarian assistance to the needy, have, for all intents and purposes, been rendered ineffective in the Gaza. The UN cannot be faulted for this state of things; rather, Israel should be held accountable in the main for it.
The matter of accountability is central to the dramatic slide into lawlessness the world has been experiencing over the past few decades. As could be seen, International Law is no longer fully applicable in the conflict and war zones of the world because it is not being adhered to by many state and non-state aggressors. That the UN is hapless in the face of such lawlessness is plain to see.
We have of course the Middle East wherein International Law has fallen silent for quite a while. How could it be otherwise, when Israeli aggressions are being winked at by the US, for which the policy of backing Israel is almost sacrosanct?
Moreover, under President Donald Trump, it is difficult to see the US changing policy course on the Middle East. Trump made vague promises of bringing peace to the region in the run-up to his reelection but has done nothing concrete by way of peace-making. Consequently, complete lawlessness prevails in the Middle East. US policy towards Israel counts as another example of how the self- interest of US central administrations blinds them to their international obligations, in this case Middle East peace.
However, the commentator could be criticized as being biased if he holds only Israel responsible for what has befallen the Middle East. It has been the position of this columnist that Israel’s security needs should be taken cognizance of by its state and non-state adversaries in the Middle East and acted upon if the basis is to be laid for a durable Middle East peace. Inasmuch as Palestinian statehood must be guaranteed, the same should be seen as applicable to Israel. The latter too enjoys the right to live in a secure state of its own, unopposed by its neighbours.
The Ukraine of today is also sad testimony to the ill consequences of powerful, aggressor states wantonly disregarding International Law and its obligations. Nothing could justify Russia in invading Ukraine and subjecting it to a condition of Longsuffering. Clearly, Ukraine’s sovereignty has been violated and such excesses go to the heart of the current state of ‘International Disorder’. Of course the same stricture applies to the US in relation to its military misadventures in Afghanistan and Iraq, to name just two such modern examples.
There is no ducking the fact, then, that civilian publics in the mentioned theatres of war and outside, are being subjected to the worst suffering as a consequence of the big powers’ self-aggrandizement schemes and military misadventures. Longsuffering becomes the tragic lot of the people who have nothing to do with such unbridled power ambitions.
One would not be exaggerating the case if he states that civilian publics count for almost nothing in the present ‘International Disorder’. Increasingly it is becoming evident that from the viewpoint of the big powers and authoritarian governments the people are of little or no importance. Considering that self-aggrandizement is of the paramount interest for the former the public interest is coming to be seen as inconsequential.
Consequently, not much of a case could be made currently for the once almost reverentially spoken of ‘Social Contract’. For, the public interest does not count for much in the scrambles for power among the major powers who are seen at the popular level as the principal history-makers.
It is in view of the above that much is expected of India. Today the latter is a ‘Swing State’ of the first importance. Besides being a major democracy, it is one of the world’s principal economic and military powers. It possesses abundant potential to help to put things right in international politics. If there is one state in Asia that could help in restoring respect for International Law, it is India.
Considering the above, India, one believes, is obliged to bear the responsibility of keeping South Asia free of any more long-running, wasting wars that could aggravate the material hardships and socio-economic blights of the region. Thus, India would need to consider it imperative to negotiating peace with Pakistan.
Under the Global-Ise Australia Advanced Sports Development Programme, a delegation of 15 swimmers from Lyceum International School, Wattala, had the remarkable opportunity to train and experience high-performance sports development in Melbourne, Australia.
The 10-day programme was carefully curated to offer intensive training, educational exposure, and cultural experiences for the young athletes.
The swimmers underwent specialised training through Swimming Victoria’s elite programme, held at some of Melbourne’s premier aquatic facilities.
Visit to Victorian Parliament
Each day began as early as 5:00 a.m. and continued until 7:00 p.m., ensuring a rigorous and enriching schedule that mirrored the standards of international competitive swimming.
Beyond training, the programme offered a wide array of experiences to broaden the students’ horizons.
Morning training
The tour group explored iconic landmarks such as the Victorian Parliament and the Melbourne Cricket Ground (MCG), and enjoyed shopping at Chadstone – The Fashion Capital. They also experienced the natural beauty of Victoria with visits to Yarra Valley Chocolaterie & Ice Creamery, and Cardinia Reservoir Park, where they observed kangaroos in their natural habitat.
An academic highlight of the tour was the group’s exclusive visits to three of Australia’s leading universities: the University of Melbourne, Monash University, and Deakin University. These visits aimed to inspire students and showcase the vast educational opportunities available in Australia.
Checking out the scene at Yarra Valley Chocolaterie & Ice Creamery
As part of the cultural immersion, Global-Ise hosted a traditional Australian BBQ at the Tim Neville Arboretum in Ferntree Gully. The students also enjoyed a variety of diverse culinary experiences each evening, further enriching their understanding of local and international food cultures.
The tour concluded with a celebratory dinner at the Spicy Wicket Restaurant, where each participant received a presentation in recognition of their involvement.
Enjoying an Aussie BBQ for lunch
The evening was made especially memorable by the presence of Pradeepa Saram, Consul General of Sri Lanka in Victoria.
Global-Ise Management—Ken Jacobs, Johann Jayasinha, and Dr Luckmika Perera (Consultant from the University of Melbourne)—did a magnificent job in planning and the execution of the advanced sports programme.
Coaches from Sri Lanka presenting a plaque to Global-Ise Management team
Ken Jacobs (centre), Johann Jayasinha, and Dr Luckmika Perera (on the right
Hi! How’s the beauty scene keeping with you?
Phew, this heat is awful but there is nothing that we can do about it.
However, there are ways and means to take care of your skin and I will do my best to help you in every way I can.
Well, this week, let’s go for a Bright, Smooth Skin.
Gram flour (also known as besan) is a traditional skincare ingredient known for its:
* Natural exfoliating properties.
* Ability to absorb excess oil.
* Gentle brightening and tan-removal effects.
* Suitability for all skin types, especially oily and acne-prone skin.
You will need 01–02 tablespoons gram flour (besan) and rose water, or raw milk, to make a paste.
You could add the following two as optional add-ins: A pinch of turmeric (for extra glow), and a few drops of lemon juice (for oily skin and pigmentation)
Add the gram flour to a small bowl and mix in the rose water (for oily/sensitive skin) or raw milk (for dry skin) slowly.
Stir well to make a smooth, spreadable paste—not too thick, not too runny.
Now apply this mixture, evenly, to your damp face and neck, and let it sit for 5–10 minutes (don’t let it dry completely if you have dry skin).
Gently massage in circular motions using wet fingers—this helps exfoliate.
Rinse off with lukewarm water, and then pat your skin dry.
Use it 02–03 times a week for best results.
Skin Benefits:
* Removes dirt, sweat, and oil without stripping natural moisture.
* Gently exfoliates dead skin cells, revealing smoother skin.
* Brightens the complexion and fades mild tanning.
* Helps clear clogged pores and reduce pimples.
* Leaves skin fresh and glowing—perfect for humid climates.
Showers may occur in coastal areas of the Western and Southern provinces and in Puttalam district in the morning and most other areas in the afternoon and night
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