Country Name Change – Logical & Appropriate – SINHALA!
Posted on May 30th, 2012
Prof. Hudson McLean
ƒÆ’-¡ƒ”š‚ From-;ƒÆ’-¡ƒ”š‚ Serendib-Taprobane-Lanka-Ceylon-Sri Lanka
Thank you Lorenzo for highlighting this important sensitive subject. Brilliant!
Lorenzo Says:
May 29th, 2012 at 10:01 pm
1. Who named this country Sri Lanka? Totally out of the way. It was known as Ceylon and Hela.
ƒÆ’-¡ƒ”š‚ The name change from Ceylon to Sri Lanka was the “brain-child” of Oxford educated Christian race-horse owner-converted-BuddhistƒÆ’-¡ƒ”š‚ (for purely for political agenda) SWRD Bandaranaike, the Founder of Sri Lanka Freedom Party (SLFP), fondly aka “Banda”, having resigned from the United National Party.
ƒÆ’-¡ƒ”š‚ It was a brilliant move, which rattled the British subservient DS Senanayake who succumbed to a riding accident on the Galle Face Green, one early morning. Succeeded by his son Dudley, a hapless politico, whose only qualification being born into the DS family.ƒÆ’-¡ƒ”š‚ Subsequently, the UNP under the leadership of “Jolly-Old-Hockey-Sticks” Master of the Hunt, General Sir John Kotalawala, lost the General Election to Banda.
ƒÆ’-¡ƒ”š‚ The nationalist leader of the Sri Lanka Freedom Party, who brought about the National Pride, Sinhala Language and highlighted the values of Buddhism against all other Colonial past, promoted the idea of Name Change before the Prime Minister was blasted-off by a Buddhist monk.
ƒÆ’-¡ƒ”š‚ Must admit it was a very clever move!
ƒÆ’-¡ƒ”š‚ Now, if the current President, who is also the leader of SLFP, decides to place the Country before Pride, simply might decide to Name Change to “SINHALA”.ƒÆ’-¡ƒ”š‚ The citizens of SINHALA shall be called SINHALESE, also the name of the language. This will enhance the National Flag with the Sinha-Le (Lion’s Blood) the Golden Lion holding the Sword of Power & Justice!
ƒÆ’-¡ƒ”š‚ Like my good-friend Lorenzo pointed out, what ever the ethnic origin of the Russian, American, Chinese, Thai, Saudi, Singapore, Burma, Japan etc ….once assimilated into the citizenship of that country, is called by the name-extension of that country, which is also the National Official Language.
ƒÆ’-¡ƒ”š‚ The National Flag Carrier Airline shall simply display SINHALA, in all three languages if you wish!
ƒÆ’-¡ƒ”š‚ Perhaps the LankaWeb might consider starting a Referendum campaign For Country Name Change to SINHALA!
ƒÆ’-¡ƒ”š‚ Hopefully, President Rajapaksa with his possibility to get this Resolution, may decide to pass into Law to Call the Island – SINHALA.
ƒÆ’-¡ƒ”š‚ Let the dogs, whatever their breed is, bark in SINHALA!
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May 30th, 2012 at 1:10 pm
Hindi is the official language of the Indian Union (although it also recognises 15 or 16 other regional languages as official). Still, it is the native language of only about a third of all Indians. Those who don’t grow up speaking Hindi must learn it at school. Very little Hindi is spoken in the south of India, where the dominant languages are completely unrelated to those of the north.
Urdu is the official language of Pakistan. It is also the official language of the Indian state of Jammu and Kashmir and one of the two official languages of the southern Indian state of Andhra Pradesh.
Like Hindi, Urdu is not the native language of most Pakistanis. For only about 10% of Pakistanis, primarily those living in Karachi and other cities of the Sindh province, speak it as their mother tongue. The remaining Pakistanis grow up speaking Punjabi, Sindhi, Baluchi, Pashtu, Kashmiri or other languages and must learn Urdu at school. In fact, India has about ten times the number of native speakers of Urdu as Pakistan.
But this situation is changing because the Pakistani state has so thoroughly suffused the country with Urdu. Many of today’s young Pakistanis for whose parents Urdu is not the mother tongue, have grown up speaking Urdu as though it was.
Similarly a majority of Sri Lankan kids with Tamil speaking parents are now living in traditionally Sinhala speaking areas and growing up speaking Sinhala as well. Language will not become a subject of racist division in few years if all the Sri Lankan children learn Sinhala and Tamil.
It has been the proud privilege of the Sri Lankans to live in harmony with one another. That has been the basis of Sri Lanka’s culture from the days of Asoka, 2300 years ago. This has been repeatedly declared and practiced. Let us endeavour to rebuild the brotherhood that once existed between the Sinhala and Tamil speaking Sri Lankans. It is the only way forward to usher in peace and prosperity once more to this beautiful country of ours that has been torn apart by war and strife.
May 30th, 2012 at 2:13 pm
Obvious, isn’t it?
Nalliah,
You have mixed things up. Sinhala was NOT a language. It was a nation until it was changed to Sri Lanka.
The Sinhala island nation will have 3 official and national languages.
1. Sinhala
2. Tamil
3. English
Absolutely no discrimination.
I don’t like creating exceptions in SL. That is BS. It should be like any other country. If England, Ireland, Thailand, Japan, China, Malaysia (A FANTASTIC NAME!!), Indonesia, Saudi Arabia, Bangladesh, Cambodia, Serbia, Bosnia, Germany, France, Spain, Portugal, Italy, Greece, Ukraine, Kazakhstan, Denmark, Norway, Sweden, Finland, etc. can have their names, our name SHOULD RESORT BACK TO SINHALA.
Only genocidal countries, African countries and countries that FAIL have funny names without regard to its people.
e.g. Australia, USA, Canada, New Zealand, Libya, Soviet Union, India, Czechoslovakia.
May 30th, 2012 at 2:27 pm
“Tamils” take Hitler’s oath to create the THIRD RIECH!!!
First riech – Kumari Kandam – busted by nature
Second reich – LTTE’s Vanni – busted by the SL army
Third riech – will be busted by the Sinhala nation
http://www.tamilnet.com/art.html?catid=13&artid=35236
The second photo.
LOVELY!!
May 30th, 2012 at 6:36 pm
I agree totally that, in a practical sense, a nation could best be identified from their cultural practices and predominant language spoken. In todays world most, if not all, nations have significant components of migrants from different nations, who would have migrated several hundred years back and now assimilated in to the main stream of the host nation, whilst the relatively new migrants are still in the cultural melting pot awaiting eventual assimilation.
Who knows, I might be from Tamil or Dutch or Sinhala ancestry, but today fully assimilated into the Sinhala culture and speaking sinhalese. It would be a silly exercise to verify ones ancestral ethnicities as that would only lead to fragmentation of nations. If that happens, England would be dessimated. Even the Queen of England as I understand has Greek or German or Russian ancestry but quite sensibly has accepted British values and speaks the English language. Like I’ve already mentioned previously, all those who migrated to or invaded SriLanka in the past, either with Vijaya, Elara, the Portugues, the Dutch, the British etc have mostly been assimilated into the Sinhalese mainstream. However, relatively recent migrants like plantation workers brought in by Colonial powers and illicit immigrants from Tamilnadu, have not yet assimilated to the mainstream and have their separate cultural practices and language. This fact has been quite rightly recognised in SriLanka, but eventually they too would get assimilated naturally in to the mainstream of either the Sinhala culture in SriLanka or a foreign culture speaking a foreign language, if they decide to emmigrate, just like the sinhalese emmigrants to other countries would end up one day. So let Sri Lanka (also known as Sinhale, Serendip, Elam [meaning land of the sinhalese in Tamil], Taprobane, Ceylon etc), continue to remain a proud sinhala nation with a rich history and already given equal rights to other minorities in the country who wish to continue with their cultural practices. This does not mean any single culture have the right to demand a separate country or a province or even a district for their own. SriLanka is One Nation, embracing different cultures (all non-sinhala cultures making up 20%), applying buddhist values which respects each others independence to live their own lives.
May 31st, 2012 at 12:29 am
Rather than enhancing Sinhala the current politicos will soon fail to preserve the name Sri Lanka. The way things are developing very soon it will be two countries – Eelam and Sri Lanka
May 31st, 2012 at 4:01 am
I’m for SINHALA or SINHALE
Also Sri Lanka should have ONE NATIONAL LANGUAGE – SINHALSE. All citizens should learn Sinhalese, no questions asked.
Tamil is a minority language, like Veddah. There is a huge difference between a minority language and a national language.
May 31st, 2012 at 5:13 am
When the name was Ceylon Tamill learned English
When the named changed as Sri Lanka well educated Tamil politicians started to love Tamil language
not Tamil People. Which lead to Tamil Terrorism.
If we change the the name as Sinhala we give the chance again to the Terrorist.
Tamil Terrorism living only from mistake of SLG. SLG not only responsible for Sinhalese
but also for Tamils who live form north to south in Sri Lanka.
Tamil politicians in SL and Tamil Organisations and other´s activities for Tamils in Sl only
for their own benefit. Consider first about poor not Tamil,Muslims or Sinhalese.
May 31st, 2012 at 6:28 am
Why not aopt SINHALA ELAM?
That could satisfy everybody.
May 31st, 2012 at 8:21 am
A. Sooriarachi says : “However, relatively recent migrants like plantation workers brought in by Colonial powers and illicit immigrants from Tamilnadu, have not yet assimilated to the mainstream and have their separate cultural practices and language”. This is correct, but we have to add on Jaffna LEADERS ‘Separatism mentality’ too. These are the 3 groups that have not entered mainstream life in Sri Lanka.
What is the total percentage of people in these 3 groups ? It cannot be more than 3 % of the total population of 21 Million in Sri Lanka.
Kamal,
Why all the fuss to accommodate a mere 3% ?
What we must do is to protect Sri Lanka from further invasions from various quarters, particularly Tamil Nadu illegals plus an over kill of cultural/economic invasion from TN and other quarters. For that maintain the Sinhala language in top place plus guarding of our coastlines and tourist entry against illegal entrants from anywhere, particularly TN. And of course, keep to Buddhist values plus core teachings of other religions represented in Lanka.
The real problem most Tamils have is one of Caste & Vellala Leaders ‘Separatism for Eelam’ to hide Caste.
I like the sound of SINHALE as a name for our homeland.
May 31st, 2012 at 8:41 am
As a point of interest, here is the official account of the SWRD assassination by ‘Somarama’ :
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Talduwe_Somarama
May 31st, 2012 at 1:32 pm
Kamal,
No.
Sinhala Elam means SInhala Sinhala.
Northern Tamils want TAMIL in EVERY DAMN THING!
e.g. Tamil arse katchi
Tamil national alliance
Tamil congress
Tamil united front
Tamil arsexpiration
Tamil grievances
Tamil homeland
Tamil sovereignty
On the other hand Hela or Elam is a reasonable name. Entirely of Hela is Sin-Hela.
May 31st, 2012 at 1:39 pm
I agree with Sing-hale like Sing-apore.
May 31st, 2012 at 7:49 pm
How about
HELA –I-LAM ? sounds like (helailam)
That covers the hela and elam in tamil and a mouslim flavour to it
May 31st, 2012 at 8:02 pm
Even though Solomon West Ridgeway Dias Bandaranaike became a Buddhist to please the masses, Solomon West Ridgeway Dias Bandaranaike was a christian till the day died. Dr. P.R. Anthonis testified that Solomon West Ridgeway Dias Bandaranaike was wearing a cross when he died.
May 31st, 2012 at 10:56 pm
Kamal,
No need to satisfy minorities. Just give the right name.
There are many minorities in the country. You cannot give a name that satisfies everyone.
List of minorities.
1. Tamils
2. Muslims
3. Malays
4. Jews
5. Arabs
6. Chinese
7. Veddhas
8. Indonesians
9. Maldivians
10. Pakistanis
11. Panjabis
12. Parsis
13. Borahs
14. Russians
15. Americans
16. Kaffirs
17. Moldovians
18. Iranians
19. Thai
20. Koreans
21. Japanese
22. Dutch
If minorities don’t like it tell them to get out and go where they like to live.
August 12th, 2012 at 5:06 am
According to the Tamil Dictionary published by University of Madras, Elam is a Pali word – not a Dravidian word. Elam has the same meaning as Hela and Sinhala
Pali is at once flowing and sonorous: it is a characteristic of Pali that nearly every word ends in a vowel, and that all harsh conjunctions are softened down by assimilation, elision, or crasis, while on the other hand Pali lend itself easily to the expression of sublime and vigorous thought.