Writings and Musings

This book is a collection of articles written by the author and published in The Ceylankan, the quarterly Journal of the Ceylon Society of Australia.

 

The Society was founded in 1997 and its main objectives are to study, foster and promote interest in the cultural heritage of Sri Lanka, especially the post-medieval period when the country was first exposed to globalisation. It is non-political and non-partisan and steers clear of controversial issues.

 

 

The articles cover a wide spectrum ranging from subjects like the work of the American Ceylon Mission which inaugurated the first Medical School in Ceylon; the work of the pioneer Hydroelectric Engineer, D J Wimalasurendra; the pioneer of Women’s Rights in Ceylon, Dr Mary Rutnam; the Oxford Lecturer in Tamil and Telugu, Don Martino de Zilva Wickremasinghe; the Ceylonese schoolboy Betram Dawapurarathna who was awarded a Royal Patent; through to Ananada K Coomaraswamy who has been described by a British commentator as “probably the greatest scholar of his age in the Scriptures of both East and West”.

Thiru Arumugam is a retired chartered engineer who spends his time researching and writing articles on subjects that he finds interesting. He is the author of a book titled Nineteenth century American Medical Missionaries in Jaffna, Ceylon; with special reference to Samuel Fisk Green and a second book titled D J Wimalasurendra and the history of the Laxapana Hydroelectric Scheme. That book is part of the series on "Science and Civilization in Sri Lanka".

 

He also edited a book titled Hundred Hindu Temples of Sri Lanka: Ancient, Medieval and Modern, using material written by his late father, Sanmugam Arumugam.

• Publisher: Ohm Books Publishing
• Published: 15th April 2016
• Language: English
• Paperback: 156 pages
• ISBN:‎ 9781532702730
• Dimensions: 8.5 x 0.33 x 11.02 inches
• Weight: 13.3 ounces

Reviews:

 

"The book offers some interesting episodes intertwined with anecdotes relating to the subjects in the articles. It is certainly a good read for all those who wish to get an inside view into some old stories relating to the cultural heritage of Sri Lanka."

 

Siva Sivapragasam, Monsoon Journal, Toronto.

 

"In weaving together a durable and valued fabric the warp is the lengthwise string and the woof is the crosswise one. There is a warp and a woof that does bring together into a single valuable fabric, Thiru Arumugam's diverse interests such as Medieval Hindu temples, Midwifery and childbirth in Jaffna 150 years ago, Basil Wright's movie Song of Ceylon, The first Ceylonese family in Australia, A fighter plane called Jaffna, Mary Rutnam, Ananda Coomaraswamy and other writings. The warp is the fascinating investigative search process bringing authenticity to all of these varied subjects and the woof is the sheer attention grabbing kind of presentation that holds you, during the entire fabric of the book. I enjoyed it and value it."

 

Ernest Macintyre, Playwright