Dear neil;

“You said: “When I asked neil whether Dr. Kavan would appreciate Physicist Nalaka Gunawardene to humiliate Dr. kavan’s teacher Physicists and colleague physicists in the University of Colombo, he tried to do this in vain.””

Neil you will have to take the above sentence along with the previous sentence to understand its meaning. Here is that previous sentence,

“Dr. Kavan tried to hide behind semantics to cover up his presence on the academic staff of the Physics Department of the University of Colombo.”

When you read them together, I think you would understand that “he” in the sentence you referred is not referred to you, but to Dr. Kavan.

Why you though the hat was fit to you? Ha! Ha!!

Anyway, I meant Dr. Kavan by “he” there.

Thanks!

Dear Bandoora and neil

There are different flowers by same name and also the same flower with different names. Whatever it is, generally flowers are sweet in smell.

Thanks!

Above post is referred to the Off the Cuff’s post.

Thanks!

Sorry, about the mistake from my part. Really I am not working in the Colombo University. Really I was graduated from the University that is all. Sorry about the mis-communication.

Thanks!

He donated it to the Uni. for the use of the students
He thought they would love to look @ the planets
But they were not interested…
They’d rather have a political discussion over a plain tea..
on how to capture the power at the next election
of the student union…
As with everything else, this telescope became an exibit..
like the Whisky bottles in some houses!

So it seems that somebody and his buddies made a buck out of
this old telescope!

And he doesn’t want any Gamaraala to say things about it!
After all it’s the property of his mentor and (…) partner..

Steve Jobs’ 2005 Stanford Commencement Address

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Hd_ptbiPoXM&feature=relmfu

Thanks!

Like Bundoora, I too wonder what’s going on.

You said: “When I asked neil whether Dr. Kavan would appreciate Physicist Nalaka Gunawardene to humiliate Dr. kavan’s teacher Physicists and colleague physicists in the University of Colombo, he tried to do this in vain.”

I did no such thing (assuming that you know the correct usage of pronouns). I saw no reason to reply to your pointless question. It’s a sad day if we cannot discuss and comment constructively on the failings of individuals and institutions that you might have learned from, studied at, or worked in.

Nalaka has already pointed out that since he referred to the “current physicists at the University of Colombo” that Kavan would be excluded. But I would say that even without the “current” qualification, that Kavan cannot be considered a “physicist at the University of Colombo”, simply because he worked for 2 years as an assistant lecturer (I assume) after his undergraduate degree. Nalaka’s generalization about the accountability of public universities surely cannot encompass those who were just a short step away from being students.

Dear Nalaka Gunawardene,

Quote
“It’s tragi-comic to see how ‘yapa’, with his limited comprehension of English, confuses himself and others! I will NOT respond to cat-calls of a person who hides behind a pen name”

It is true that there are grammatical errors in Yapa’s writing but does it boil down to problems of comprehension? I have seen Yapa debating very complex issues with competence. English is not Yapa’s mother tongue and he need not be ashamed of grammatical errors.

Yapa has already disclosed that he works at the Colombo University and by what logic did you arrive at the conclusion, that “Yapa” is Yapa’s pen name?

Yapa says “I am not mistaken, I very we know he was in the academic staff of the Physics Department of University of Colombo. (Do you know how I know it, I am also from that very University.”

I think that Yapa is on the staff of the Physics Department of the University of Colombo and if that is so, then Yapa’s indignation and anger is justified as you have collectively found fault with the CURRENT staff of that Department and that includes Yapa.

The following statement of yours is an UMBRELLA statement that insults the CURRENT staff of the Department of Physics of the Colombo University, which ever way you look at it.

“But current physicists at the University of Colombo, of all people, have no moral right to talk about ‘protecting’ any telescope. Not after they completely and miserably failed to look after Sri Lanka’s most historic telescope that was entrusted to their care.”

It is tragic to see otherwise sane people taking umbrage at the use of a pseudonym when they know very well that a real name can also be used as a pseudonym without making anyone the wiser. Those who cannot understand that would of course be wanting in intelligence.

Yapa could have easily called himself “Nalaka Yapa Gunawardene” or any one of the billions of Real names that can be assumed and you could not have hidden behind a pseudo indignation to avoid answering his charges. Nalaka Yapa Gunawardene is a REAL name (for that matter yapa itself is a real name) and your indignation about pseudonyms would have fallen flat.

What matters is not the name of the writer but your ability to defend your own writing. The GV readership is not interested in credentials of the writer but on the subject matter of his/her published material. Inability to do so reflects only on you, not on yapa in this case.

Dear Nalaka gunawardene;

You think yapa is a pen name? Nalaka, when Ven. Kithalagama Seelalankara Thero went to Dimbulagala there were no civilized people in that area even to provide some alms to him. However, Vedda people lived in that area got familiar with him and later provided with whatever they eat to the thero as alms. The leader of the clan encouraged his subjects to respect and help the monk. In gratitude, the thero gave that leader a Sinhala name and he was thereafter known as “yapa”(simple yapa). I am one of the descendants of him, that is why I have the name “yapa” with a “simple y” and cannot express in English language fluently. However, I am fluent in Sinhala and our kryol. Therefore, yapa is my real name and I am not cat-calling. Now I think you can respond to my queries without any obstacle.

Thanks!

Continuation…….

Dr. Nalaka Gunawardene/Dr. Kavan Ranatunga and others;

In the lat quote I reproduced in the above post, Nalaka went further to say Dr. Kavan was motivated by Arthur C Clarke to become an Astrophysicist, that could be claimed as an added qualification for a career in an institution engaged in Astronomy, like Arthur C Clarke Center.

It also should be noted that Physics Department of the Colombo University is a place where Dr. Kavan has a prospect to hold a high position, where he got his first degree in Physics and also have some experience as a lecturer. Then why he seems to have a hostile attitude towards the Academic staff of that Department and wanted to hide his previous academic career there? Some sort of misunderstanding?

Now look at this highlighted quote of the writer,

“So when a Colombo University physicist calls for protecting Arthur Clarke’s hobby telescope, we have to point out his own institution’s appalling track record in protecting what was entrusted to them!”

Now in the hand of this admirer of Sir Arthur, his Celestron 14-inch (36cm) coupled a television camera, which was the largest telescope until the arrival of GOTO 18-inch (45cm) Cassegrain in 1994 becomes a “hobby telescope” and wants to label it as as a private property, Christianize it as bequeathed to a family named Ekanayakes, and further goes to indicate they are the legal owners of the telescope.

Here is another quote displays his interest,

“In contrast, Sir Arthur’s privately-owned Celestron-14 was used for real observations by its owner and occasionally by his amateur astronomer friends. To them, astronomy was a passion, not a day-time job!”

On the other hand why Nalaka wanted to undermine the value of an article used by his personal hero supported by another admirer of Sir Arthur, Dr. Kavan?. I don’t think they do not have a knowledge about the sale values of the under garments of the western celebrities in public auctions, lakhs of dollars and pounds. It is not the price of a ladies under garment, but it is the sentimental value added due to the prestige of its user. I don’t think a Doctor and a writer with international connection cannot have an idea about the concept of “sentimental value”.

I think by now anybody would guess why Nalaka got furious when Dr. Chandana Jayarathne claimed it as a valuable public property that should be restored for the future generations and why Nalaka went onto explode on Dr. Jayarathne.

Now we can pick up another lead from the bottom of the article, which says, “writer Nalaka Gunawardene worked for Sir Arthur Clarke’s personal office in Colombo (1987-2008).”

I think Nalaka is a one of the most active members of one of the organizations working for interest of the legacies of Sir Arthur C Clarke. One would be wondered on what basis a person of the caliber of Nalaka Gunawardene becomes a leading patron of an organization representing such a distinguish world figure, when there are much more qualified candidates for that. I think there is no other reason than his claimed personal connection or his work in the personal staff of Sir Arthur’s office. Can anybody point out a better reason?

Now we can see a very special commonality among three main characters of the article, Hector Ekanayake, Dr. Kavan Ranatunga and Nalaka Gunawardene. It seems all them have claims for Sir Arthurs legacy on the personal capacity, not only for his private property but for the public properties like Arthur Clarke Institute for Modern Technologies (ACCIMT) on the personal grounds.

Do you remember what I said in the first comment of this article. For your easy reference it is reproduced below.

http://groundviews.org/2011/10/04/a-tale-of-three-telescopes-and-a-blind-news-media/#comment-37373

Can anybody now guess why Dr. Kavan Ranatunga and Nalaka Gunawardene went on to far as testing my English knowledge? Definitely they felt the scent of the danger. Danger of disclosing their motives.

I also have a sensitive long nose to sniff thing from far. That was why I could smell the thing in my very first post to the article.

Now went on to say in his last response “Unlike him, Kavan Ratnatunga and I write under our full and proper names and we take responsibility for our statements.”

I hope he would do as he said.

Thanks!