Devika Brendon Archives

‘And gladly would she learn, and gladly teach’ Appreciation: Professor Yasmine Gooneratne My mother, Yasmine Gooneratne, passed away on Thursday night this week. She was 88 years old. Emeritus Professor Yasmine was an academic, scholar, researcher, creative writer and teacher. She was an exemplary and meticulous student at the Universities of Peradeniya and Cambridge, as well as an encouraging teacher at the University of Peradeniya and Macquarie University in Sydney. She is internationally renowned for her contributions and her insights into literature, especially the literature of South Asia and Australia. This is what is well known about this lady who is called a trailblazer and a writer of renown. She is part of a generation which produced some towering figures. Yasmine Gooneratne as a private individual left clear instructions about what she wished regarding her funeral. Her directives show a great deal about her character and her values. ‘No public ...

Danushka Gunathilake as A Conquering Hero & Gentleman-by Michael Roberts Source:Thuppahis Devika Brendon, in Colombo Telegraph, 29 September 2023, where the title runs thus: “The Conquering Hero: ‘Success’ in Danushka Gunathilaka’s Sexual Assault Case” ** In the 11 months just past, several media reports were busy portraying the events in the trial of Danushka Gunathilaka, the Sri Lankan cricketer charged with sexual assault and violence against a woman in Australia last November, in a very upbeat way. It was a “positive update” they say, and “a win for him” that his strict bail conditions were relaxed, in the lead up to the judge’s decision. This is not entirely accurate. In his country of origin he would probably not even have been charged. But in Australia he had been kept under close surveillance and required to remain in the country, forbidden to travel, forced to check in with police criminal authorities several times each week, forbidden to use social ...