Short Notes 2

by Hla Min

Updated : June 2025

(1) Relations

U Kyaw Myint & Siblings

• Dr. Thane Oke Kyaw Myint wrote a series of articles about his father U Kyaw Myint and his siblings.

• U Kyaw Myint matriculated from “Government High School”. His elder brother U Tin Tut attended St. Paul’s.
• U Kyaw Myint also helped with the education of his siblings : U Myint Thein, Daw Khin Myint Mu, Daw Khin Saw Mu & Daw Tin Saw Mu.

Ms. Hong Kong & Family

• Ms. Amelia Kyi was known as “Miss Hong Kong” not because she was a Beauty Queen.
• She was from Hong Kong. She married the maternal uncle of Dr. Tin Wa and came to Burma.
• She taught English at St. Paul’s High School. She also gave private tuition to her relatives (e.g. Diana Tseng) and neighbors.
• She was our English teacher in Standards VI (D) and VII(D) at St. Paul’s High School. She used “the Carrot and the Stick”.
• She would give weekly tests and fine 50 pyas if one failed, but reward 50 pyas if one excelled in the tests. My daily pocket money was 25 pyas, so I had no choice but to study hard.
• She had three sons. The eldest became a monk. U Win Kyi was RUBC Gold. He worked for Sports and Physical Education Department. U Min Kyi was RUBC Green. He was a pilot for UBA/BAC. I saw U Win Kyi & U Min Kyi at RUBC. They were contemporaries of my brother and cousins.
• At the 2019 RUBC Annual Regatta, I met Naymyo Thura.
  He is RUBC Gold. He is the son of U Win Kyi and grandson of Ms Hong Kong. His mother taught at SPHS. He said that he would like to save the SPHS photos.

(2) Calendar

• A solar calendar is based on the orbit of the earth around the sun. Typically, it takes 365.2422 solar days to complete the orbit.
• A leap year attempts to adjust the calendar by adding an extra day every four years.
• A lunar calendar is based on the orbit of the moon around the earth. Typically, it takes 29.6 days to complete a cycle.
• A luni-solar calendar is a hybrid calendar that uses lunar month and solar year.

• The Burmese use a Luni-Solar-Socio-Religious Calendar. It is used for social and religious events.
• There are 12 lunar months with a total of 355 days in a Common Burmese Year.
• There is a difference of 10 days with a Common Year in the Gregorian Calendar.
• An inter-calary month named “Second Waso ဒုတိယဝါဆို” is usually added every three years to sync again with the Solar Calendar. It is known as “Wah Htutt ဝါထပ်”.
  If needed, an additional day is added to Nayon in “Wah Gyi Htutt ဝါကြီးထပ်”.
• Some other Luni-Solar Calendars (e.g. used by the Chinese) also have 12 months in a year. They add an extra month in the year in which the Lunar and Solar Calendars are synchronized.
• The Chinese New Year may therefore occur in late January or early February.

(3) October & Thadinkyut

• “Oct” stands for 8. October was the 8th month in the old Roman Calendar.
• In the Gregorian Calendar, October is the 10th month.
• In the old Roman Calendar, September, October, November and December were the 7th, 8th, 9th and 10th months as indicated by the prefixes. In the Gregorian Calendar, they are 9th, 10th, 11th and 12th months of the year.
• The Thadinkyut Festival often falls in October.
• The Phaungdaw-u festival in Inlay Lake is held around the Full Moon of Thadinkyut. I wrote a poem “Phaungdaw-u Festival” for the Thadinkyut Supplement.
  

• Four events related to Thadinkyut : Thadinkyut Lightning Festival, Abhidhamma Day, Pa Wa Ya Na (Monks ask for forgiveness of unintentional wrong doing), Soon San Sein Laung Pway (Mass offering of requisites to the monks)

(4) History

Dr. Kyaw Thet (GBNF)

• Studied in UK
• Taught in Burma and as Visiting Professor in the USA
• Spouse : Daw Khin Khin Gyi (GBNF) taught History at Rangoon University and a US College
• Children : Lyn Maung Thet (GBNF), Dr. Khin Nyo Thet (MEHS63, GBNF), Dr. Lyn Aung Thet (MEHS64), Khin Aye Thet (GBNF)
• Dr. Khin Nyo Thet & spouse Dr. Lyn Swe Aye established the “Aye-Thet Scholarship” in Khin Aye Thet’e memory. Prizes are awarded to successful participants at the Summer Dhamma Camp at Dhammananda Vihara, Half Moon Bay. Sponsors from Theravada Buddhist Society of America (TBSA) and donors helped run the Camp.
• Lyn Aung Thet and Cherry Hlaing were tied for the highest marks in the Matric exam of 1964. Cherry won the tie breaker with a perfect ILA score. Both were selected Tekkatho Luyechun from IM(1).
• Lyn Aung Thet led the IM (1) Swimming & Water Polo team (which won Inter-Institute Trophy). He is also good at Tennis and Chess.

U Ba Nyunt (GBNF)

• Known for his song “Chit Dukkha” ချစ်ဒုက္ခ
• History Professor
• Children : Win Nyunt, Tin Tin Oo, Win Oo, Aung Moe, Kyi Shwin

Ba Shin (GBNF)

• Bohmu & later Colonel
• Head of the Burma Historical Commission
• Spouse : Sayama
• Children : Dr. Nyan Htain (Texas), Daughter (Australia)

Dr. Than Tun

• Professor at Mandalay & Rangoon University
• Visiting Professor in Japan and Northern Illinois University (NIU)
• Was a vocal critic of sayas being asked to do extra work not related to sudies and research
• First met Saya as a Char Taik.
  My uncle Saya U Than Lwin (GBNF) introduced him at the Recreation Center.
• His son-in-law attended classes at UCC.

Dr. Khin Maung Nyunt

• He wanted to be a diplomat. While waiting to sit for the examinations, he joined the History Department. The Professor asked him — with full confidence — to be a relieving saya for him. The rest is history.
• Even after retirement as Director General, he continued teaching.