On Sri Lankan names...

[harry_d]

Many a time my Indian friends have asked questions about Sri Lankan names. Here, I attempt to answer some of the most common ones... Why do Sri Lankans have such long names? The Sri Lankan naming system is quite different from the western system. In the western system there are given names and a surname such as John Smith, where John is the given name and Smith is the surname. In the Sri Lankan naming system there is no such a thing called a surname. Instead, there is a clan name which appears BEFORE the given names. This is called the vaasagama which literally means "resident village." With the advent of the colonials, this naming system changed so that now there is such a thing as a 'surname.' The Sri Lankan clan name, like the western surname, is passed down from generation to generation (regardless of gender) and may contain any of the following - name of the ancestral village, rank in the village hierarchy, ancestors profession in the kingdom, physical feature of the village, titles given by the king. The clan name is identified like this... Take the name Warnakulasuriya Patabendige Ushantha Joseph Chaminda Vaas Everything before the "ge" is the clan name whilst Ushantha + Joseph + Chaminda are the given names, and Vaas has become the "surname" owing to the western naming system. "ge" means two things in the Sinhalese language. It means (1) house (Hindi ghar) and also (2) indicates posession (Hindi ki, ka). Patabendi is a title conferred by the king to those in the military who do something special. It is analogous to the modern day Indian military medal Param Veer Chakra (incidentally the modern Sri Lankan equivalent is Parama Veera Vibushanaya). So it can be inferred that one of Chaminda Vaas's ancestors did something valiant in battle. 'Varna' refers to the Vedic hierarchy system and 'kula' means 'of noble' and 'suriya' means 'sun' So together it means somethins like "Ushantha Joseph Chaminda Vaas of the House of the Sun of the Noble Caste With Military Honour" :winky: Another example: Hewapathiranage Nimal Devendra Ariyasinghe Hewa = lascoreen, Pathirana = Chief/Leader, Nimal = Pure, Devendra = King/Ruler of the Gods, Ariya = Noble, Sinha = Lion Put it all together and it means "Noble Lion, Ruler of the Gods from the House of the Chief of the Lascoreens." Now that you know the ins and outs of the Sri Lankan naming system, please do spare a thought for all those poor Sri Lankans who have to fill out forms... or spell out their pura naam to someone who is writing it down. I've been told that Andhraites and the Mallus have a similar naming system... Why do Sri Lankan guys have girls names like Ajantha, Anushka, Ruchira, Sameera? We don't. Seriously. Being Indic people, Sri Lankans by and large have names of Sanskrit/Prakrit origin. This is more so among the Sinhalese who speak an Indo-Aryan language which is in the same family as Hindi, Bengali Gujarati, Marathi etc [see: Similarities between Sinhala and Hindi ] . However, unlike many of other Indo-Aryan languages, Sinhalese has retained the Sanskrit pronunciation of Sanskrit names. For example, comparing proper names in Sanskrit --> Sinhalese --> Hindi: Sanjaya --> Sanjaya --> Sanjay Arjuna --> Arjuna --> Arjun Janaka --> Janaka --> Janak Aruna --> Aruna --> Arun Ruchira --> Ruchira --> Ruchir Rama --> Rama --> Ram Ravana --> Ravana --> Ravan Sameera --> Sameera --> Sameer Chandana --> Chandana --> Chandan Ishanta --> Ishanta --> Ishant You get the picture. The last "a" in Sanjaya is pronounced as "er" in "reporter", "cleaner", "hitter." Hindi has lost this inherent vowel. So Ajanta is accurately pronounced as "ajanter" not Ajantaa. Because the English alphabet is not really that great for representing the phonetic languages of South Asia and because many North Indian languages have lost the inherent vowel, confusion arises. But rest assured that Ajantaa is a girls name in Sri Lanka. So in Sri Lanka the guys name is always pronounced with the "er" and the girls name with elongated "aa" Thus Sameerer is a boys name but Sameeraa is a girls name Ajanter is a boys name but Ajantaa is a girls name Ruchirer is a boys name but Ruchiraa is a girls name Anushker is a boys name but Anushkaa is a girls name Manjuler is a boys name but Manjulaa is a girls name But both the male and female versions are spelt as "Sameera, Ajantha, Ruchira, Anushka and Manjula in English. Why do Sri Lankans have names like De Silva, Fernando, Perera? Blame the Portuguese. They were the first colonialists to rule large parts of the island (the Dutch and the British were the others) and the most antagonistic towards the natives :winky: Usage of Iberian names is almost exclusive to the Sinhalese, although there are some Tamils who do have them. Some of the Portuguese origin names in use are: Perera, De Silva, Fernando, Rodrigo, Mendis, Fonseka, De Mel, De Costa, De Almeida, De Chickera, Aloysius However, unlike in India where those with Portuguese origin names are very likely to be Christian, in Sri Lanka this is not the case. It is impossible to tell what religion someone with a Portuguese origin name belongs to. Although, since the Sinhalese follow either Buddhism or Christianity, you have a 50% chance of guessing it right. That's it :marchmellow: Dhanyavad for reading this. Mein Hindi seekh raha hai.

[Guest BossBhai]

-- Removed on request of the user --

[harry_d]

What a fantastic post that is (and the previous one on Tamils in Srilanka) ... its a privilege to have such knowledgible folks like you here harry ... stick around .

Thanks BossBhai :teeth_smile: Would like to share a glass of this with you No not the cricketer mind you, the Sri Lankan drink...

[theguyinallblue]

wow..harry... it was really a fantastic read.... for my limited knowledge of SriLanka and its history.... it really shares a great past with ancient bharat...and sanskrit. i read in my history books that King Ashoka sent his son to srilanka ..to spread the teachings of Lord Budhaa ..along with some monks... and that Budhism is one of the major religion of SL... its a beautiful country with beautiful people...very polite and civilised.... now a days..indian news channels are really promoting SL tourism by places which has some religious importance in budhism and Sanatan Dharam ( hinduism)... SL is in the list of my must visit place.... i hope to see you around...and read more of your posts... and your command on words is amazing as well...you do put thoughts into words beautifully...:two_thumbs_up:

[The Outsider]

:adore::adore: A Sanath Jayasuriya like opening from harry! The Manoj Prabhakars will have to resort to off spin soon!

[harry_d]

wow..harry... it was really a fantastic read.... for my limited knowledge of SriLanka and its history.... it really shares a great past with ancient bharat...and sanskrit. i read in my history books that King Ashoka sent his son to srilanka ..to spread the teachings of Lord Budhaa ..along with some monks... and that Budhism is one of the major religion of SL... its a beautiful country with beautiful people...very polite and civilised.... now a days..indian news channels are really promoting SL tourism by places which has some religious importance in budhism and Sanatan Dharam ( hinduism)... SL is in the list of my must visit place.... i hope to see you around...and read more of your posts... and your command on words is amazing as well...you do put thoughts into words beautifully...:two_thumbs_up:

Thanks theguyinallblue. Very kind words from you. I myself haven't been to India (incidentally the Sinhalese term for India is very similar to the Hindi - Maha Bharata) but I am hoping to go there on pilgrimage one day. My parents went to India for their honeymoon and they loved it. They too wish to make the pilgrimage to the Buddhist sites in their lifetime. What can I say India and Sri Lanka are deeply, deeply connected ethnically, linguistically, historically, politically, economically, and of course through relgion as both are countries where Dharmic religions are followed by the majority. it is impossible to explain it all. Yes according to historical records, King Asoka did send his son Mahinda to Sri Lanka, but what is less known was that he also sent his daughter Sanghamitta. His son converted Sri Lanka to Buddhism and started the order of monks, while his daughter started the order of nuns and brought along with her a cutting of the Bodhi Tree under which the Buddha realised enlightenment. It still grows in Sri Lanka. The earliest ancestors of the Sinhalese were also supposed to come from what is today Gujarat and Bengal. Which would explain why an Indo-Aryan language is spoken so far south in the subcontinent (along with Divehi of the Maldives), and removed from her sister languages in North India.

[Dhondy]

He is a scholar, Harry is. Like most Sri Lankan erudite, humble, full of interesting facts, and yet without hyperbole. In many ways, he epitomises Sri Lanka. A mere tear drop on India's rump, this is the land that boasts the most successful quick bowler currently on the subcontinent, the most successful spinner, and the world's top ranked Test batsman. Yet, do you ever hear their name shouted from roof tops? That modesty typifies Sri Lanka. While America has yet to elect its first woman head of state, tiny Sri Lanka has the previlege of electing the first ever female Prime Minister in the world- Sirimavo Bandarnayake in 1960. You appreciate the precocity of that event when you consider that women in the United Kingdom didn't have equal voting rights till 1928. The most popular news reader in the UK is a Sri Lankan- George Alegayah. As Harry pointed out, he is not Christian. There are other ways in which Sri Lanka confound. Like India, it is a Muslim minority state, who comprise 7% of the population, about the same as Hindus. You hear talk of ethnic unrest in many countries where Muslims are in a minority- their actions are scrutinised under the microscope every time a bomb goes off, when they take out a protest March, when a woman in hizaab comes on TV to defend her sartorial rights. Not so in Sri Lanka. The Muslims are by and large a peaceful community and the island's troubles have historically emanated from its Hindus- the sizeable Tamil speaking minority. Thanks to the ongoing civil war, Sri Lanka makes the shortlist of 20 failed states drawn up by a well known agency. They shatter stereotypes, the Sri Lankans.

[Dravid]

Nice info harry and doc :two_thumbs_up:

[harry_d]

He is a scholar, Harry is. Like most Sri Lankan erudite, humble, full of interesting facts, and yet without hyperbole. In many ways, he epitomises Sri Lanka. A mere tear drop on India's rump, this is the land that boasts the most successful quick bowler currently on the subcontinent, the most successful spinner, and the world's top ranked Test batsman. Yet, do you ever hear their name shouted from roof tops? That modesty typifies Sri Lanka. While America has yet to elect its first woman head of state, tiny Sri Lanka has the previlege of electing the first ever female Prime Minister in the world- Sirimavo Bandarnayake in 1960. You appreciate the precocity of that event when you consider that women in the United Kingdom didn't have equal voting rights till 1928. The most popular news reader in the UK is a Sri Lankan- George Alegayah. As Harry pointed out, he is not Christian. There are other ways in which Sri Lanka confound. Like India, it is a Muslim minority state, who comprise 7% of the population, about the same as Hindus. You hear talk of ethnic unrest in many countries where Muslims are in a minority- their actions are scrutinised under the microscope every time a bomb goes off, when they take out a protest March, when a woman in hizaab comes on TV to defend her sartorial rights. Not so in Sri Lanka. The Muslims are by and large a peaceful community and the island's troubles have historically emanated from its Hindus- the sizeable Tamil speaking minority. Thanks to the ongoing civil war, Sri Lanka makes the shortlist of 20 failed states drawn up by a well known agency. They shatter stereotypes, the Sri Lankans.

Thanks for the kind words Dhondy. You are right about Sri Lanka's Muslims. In my opinion there are two communities in Sri Lanka who have exemplary in their behaviour. It's interesting how you (a non Sri Lankan) have noticed it as well! They are the Upcountry Tamils ("Indian Tamils") and the Muslims. I don't think the Sinhalese can be excused from the troubles in the island Dhondy, as the majority they are the ones who should show the way and IMO they didn't do it properly since independence (but that's another story hehe). I think the Sinhalese and the Sri Lankan Tamils have a lot to learn from the Upcountry Tamils and Muslims about how to co-exist in peace :winky: However I also think the story of Sri Lanka's Muslims is different due to historical reasons because Muslims came to Sri Lanka as traders, whilst in India it was more of military nature. With regards to the hijaab, it is provided free of cost by the government to all Muslim girls.

[gs]

Thanks for the kind words Dhondy. You are right about Sri Lanka's Muslims. In my opinion there are two communities in Sri Lanka who have exemplary in their behaviour. It's interesting how you (a non Sri Lankan) have noticed it as well! They are the Upcountry Tamils ("Indian Tamils") and the Muslims. I don't think the Sinhalese can be excused from the troubles in the island Dhondy' date=' as the majority they are the ones who should show the way and IMO they didn't do it properly since independence (but that's another story hehe). I think the Sinhalese and the Sri Lankan Tamils have a lot to learn from the Upcountry Tamils and Muslims about how to co-exist in peace :winky: However I also think [b']the story of Sri Lanka's Muslims is different due to historical reasons because Muslims came to Sri Lanka as traders, whilst in India it was more of military nature.

It also helps to not have a failed state troublemaker like Pakistan as your neighbor :two_thumbs_up:

[theguyinallblue]

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[Dhondy]

GIB, overcome your prejudice, or forever be condemned as an yokel. This is really brainless posting from you. I've had just about enough. Blind, mindless, sickening hatred.

[theguyinallblue]

yeah..pls remove this...i realised it after i posted....

[harry_d]

You might be right on the land border thing... however that hasn't prevented Sri Lanka from being invaded. Infact, the Portuguese, Dutch and British invaded Sri Lanka - whilst India only had the British to deal with :D However about the venomous bit, I'm not really sure as I think when people are viewed with suspicion it tends to create a bitter environment. Coming from a war torn country I would say the less suspicion of the "other" the better. It's weird but Sri Lankan Muslims seem to have some sort of internal mechanism that seems to weed out extremism. Maybe it has something do with the fact that many Sri Lankan Muslims are quite affluent and their political representatives have always been part of the government regardless of the party in power....uh oh politics.. :)

[theguyinallblue]

pls ignore my earlier post... may be because of british influence...SL has the cricket culture..as strong as any other country.. i would love to know more about SL cricket culture and its domestic structure ..how young kids progress...from a kid to a national team member... and yeah..SL board is more organised and professional than BCCI..:--D

[harry_d]

and yeah..SL board is more organised and professional than BCCI..:--D

LOL. That's a joke right? Please tell me you are joking. :haha:

[observer1]

Like most Sri Lankan erudite, humble, full of interesting facts, and yet without hyperbole. In many ways, he epitomises Sri Lanka. A mere tear drop on India's rump, this is the land that boasts the most successful quick bowler currently on the subcontinent, the most successful spinner, and the world's top ranked Test batsman. Yet, do you ever hear their name shouted from roof tops?

Very true. Which is why I have never minded the likes of Jayasuriya beating the crap out of us, Ranatunga walking those legbyes, asking for a runner after scoring 20 etc.

[Guest BossBhai]

-- Removed on request of the user --

[harry_d]

Ranatunga walking those legbyes' date=' asking for a runner after scoring 20 etc.[/quote'] Aaah the good old days... I remember one match where Ian Healy was livid over that... lol I'm sure the Indians had a secret nickname for him? Like bada aalo or something... I read tunga munga somwhere?

[observer1]

If ever one is looking for insouciance, it was exemplifed by Arjuna Ranatunga, with his pot belly and floppy hat to piss everyone off with. Most people mention Javed Miandad, but he wasnt even in the same league.