Author: Hla Min (Lifelong Learner)

RU Centennial Group
by Hla Min

Updated : Aug 2025

Daw Su Su

Daw Su Su
- First occupant of Room No. (1) at Inya Hall
- Wanted her daughters — Hazel, Olive & May — to have experience like her at the Inya Hall.
- Hazel & May spent a year at Inya Hall as room mates. Olive had to stay at the Hall for medical students.
Fund raiser
- Danced three roles in the fund raiser for the Tekkatho Dhammayone. Her cousin Saya U Lu Pe Win (Pali and Kyauksar Scholar) directed the play. The rehearsal was assisted by U Nyi Pu (First male actor in a Burmese movie).
Play
- Was honored at the Thet Kyee Pu Zaw Pwe (Paying homage to the elders) held at the Tekkatho Dhammayone.
- Her account was published in the Golden Jubilee Sar Saung of Inya Hall.
A1 Film
- Myanmar Ah Swe Film evolved into A1 Film.
- A1 U Tin Nwe & his family are known as Producers, Directors & Actors.
- U Nyi Pu founded Maha Weikzardo Film.
- U Tin Pe (Maung Maung Soe) founded Maung Maung Soe Film.
- A1 U Tin Maung acted alongside May Shin and other lead female actors before becoming a Director/Actor.
- Daw Khin Myint’s son U Tin Yu & son-in-law U Mya Maung are Director & Producer.
Feedback
- Thit Yine (alumnus of Yegyaw Methodist) wrote :
  Dr. Hla Shwe (Boon Chiong) stood First in the Matriculation examination of 1953 from Yegyaw Methodist, and that his class mate Ohn Khin stood Second. Yegyaw Methodist was well known before the Nationalization of schools.
- Thit Yine and Ko Ko shared the names of sayas (e.g. U Aung Myint, U Khin Zaw, U Ko Lay) who taught in the late 50s and early 60s.
- Po Shwe Kyu wrote :
  Credit to Saya Hla Min as being the most prolific writer in this group, and his archives and chronicles will be of greatest help to coming generations. Drs. Hla Shwe & Tin Maung returned to Burma around 1962-63. I don’t know Dr Hla Shwe but Dr. Tin Maung also resided at the Chummery during my short stay there. Chummery is a “Saya Lu Pyo Saung”.
- Myo Thaik wrote :
  Sayama Daw Khin Aye passed away last year. His cousin uncle Dr. Myint Thein won a Gold Medal for scoring highest marks in Chemistry in the I.Sc. examination, and later became the first Myanmar to received Ph.D in Nuclear Chemistry in the USA. He is currently staying with his son in Texas. He also wrote about “A Che A Nay Kaung” and “Ma Khan Chin Seik” that led him and his uncle cousin Dr. Win Naing to pursue their dreams to have doctorates.
- Myo Thaik wrote :
  Dr. Hla Shwe is Emeritus Professor, East Stroudsburg University, Pennsylvannia, and then moved to California.
First in Burma

I knew that several SPHS students stood First in Burma in the Matric exam. They include
- U Ba Khin (Vipassana teacher, first native Auditor General)
- George Chapman (SPHS51)
- Dr. Nyunt Tin (SPHS52)
- Koon Yin Chu (Phillip, SPHS54)
- Dr. Soe Win (SPHS58)
- Dr. Frankie Ohn (SPHS59
- Dr. Khin Maung U (SPHS63)
- Bernard Khaw (SPHS65)
I was aware that students from other schools also scored Top in the some years.
- St. Peter’s High School, Mandalay
- Methodist English High School (MEHS)
- St. John’s Convent
- Yegyaw Mthodist
- Sacred Heart
Thanks to those who provided additional info and/or corrections

GBNF & Tone Kyaw

I have to be very careful in specifying persons as GBNF (Gone But Not Forgotten).

There are at least three Tone Kyaw (person believed to have died) including me.

When my name sake CO U Hla Min (Chief Operator at UCC, who appeared healthier than me) passed away in his mid-30s, two Training Departments (from Co-op and Trade) inquired UCC where they could send a “Lwan Thu Pann Kway” (wreath) for me. My former class mate Moe Hein (Ajala with an extremely loud voice) was surprised when he saw me at the Kyandaw Cemetery. He said, “I have taken a day off to come here. I wondered why your brother did not tell that you had passed away.” I became a Tone Kyaw.

U Han Sein (C69, Ah Pho Gyi) was sentenced to 20 years for his alleged involvement in 8-8-88. His classmates, who were organizing the 30th Reunion of Graduation, inadvertently listed him as GBNF. He became a Tone Kyaw. He was released after 16 years (with the Amnesty Proclamation), but sadly, his family had been broken. He recently celebrated his 10 years of regained freedom.

When Dr. Tin Hlaing (Marine Technology) passed away in Singapore, some RIT inadvertently sent condolences to Saya Dr. Tin Hlaing (M63), who became a Tone Kyaw.

Mya Kyun Nyo Nyo Kun Yeik Kho
- The song was first recorded as a “Dat Pya” at Myanmar Ah Than (Burma Broadcasting Service). It was first sung by U Mya Thein and group. U Thet Lwin received 100 Kyats for his composition, and he treated his fellow Ah Nu Pyinnya Shins.
- In a TV interview, Saya played the song.
- The song has been sung in many events including the SPZPs (Saya Pu Zaw Pwe) of RIT Alumni.
- The Singapore “Pon Chan Chan Group” led by Don Min U Yu Swan recorded the song.
- The song was also sung at the Ceremony on December 1, 2019 to kick off the RU Centennial.
- The various versions can be listened from the Facebook Posts and You Tube.
Land marks
- Thit Pope Pinn is recognized by the Yangon Heritage Society.
- The tree was there even before the founding of the University of Rangoon, and it survived Cyclone Nargis.
- A few readers expressed displeasure to see the wired fences and the inexplicable disappearance of landmarks.
- The Convocation Hall is another land mark.
- Eons ago, the Prime Minister of the Union of Burma served as Chancellor of the University of Rangoon, and also delivered “Commencement Speech” at the graduation.
- I posted the program of the 1958 Convocation which listed about 30 prize winners (Gold Medals, Silver Medals and Books).
- U Soe Paing, my mentor at RIT and UCC, received two Gold medals (after paying 150 Kyats for each Gold Medal, because the original endowments no longer covered the “rising cost” of Gold for the Medals). He had the highest score for I.Sc. (A) and (B) combined. He had the joint highest Maths score for I.Sc. exams — with two other students.
- In 1962, Dr. Myint Tun (Henry Cho Tun) won the Gold Medal for the highest score for I.Sc.(A) and (B) combined. U Myat Thwin (ChE66) beat him by one point for the highest score in Mathematics for I.Sc.(A) and (B) combined.
Autograph

Ma Chit Swe (Hazel Kyaw Zaw’s mother) was a Junior I.A. (Intermediate of Arts) student in 1936. Hazel has posted her mother’s autograph.

Daw Hla Myint, a close friend of Hazel’s mom, wrote a lovely poem. Many were unaware of her talent. She had to leave the University before graduation to get married to U Tu Maung. Saya U Tu Myint (Winston Tu Maung) was our saya at RIT and later taught at Singapore Polytechnic until retirement. Dr. Hla Maung (Ronald Tu Maung, MEHS65) moved to the UK. Her siblings include Dr. Pe Nyun (Pediatric Surgeon, who led the operation of conjoined twins Ma Nan Soe and Ma Nan San), Dr. Pe Thein (Professor and Retired Minister), Daw Ivy San Pe and Daw Flora San Pe.
August 3, 2025
Peter — May 9, 2020

by Hla Min, Min Ko …

Updated : Aug 2025

Mother’s Day

My parents

In the US, the second Saturday of May is celebrated as Mother’s Day. In 2020, Mother’s Day fell on May 9, 2020.

Due to “Shelter in place” ordinance still in effect, we had a simple family gathering. My Myees helped peel the quail eggs for the “Yaw / Mixed Kyee O” prepared by their mother. Chit Sa Noe sang “Mother’s Day” song for her grandma and mother.

In the beginning, Pho Lone would only give us an “Air Hug”. It was a precaution.

My Life Savers

When we were young, we listened to the song called M-O-T-H-E-R.

M-O-T-H-E-R (Song)

M is for the Million things she gave me
O means Only that she’s growing Old
T is for her Tender sweet caresses
H is for her Heart of purest Gold
E means Everything she’s done to save me
R means Right and Right she’ll always be

Put them altogether, they spell MOTHER
A word that means a world to me.

M is for the Mercy she possesses
O means that I Owe her all I Own
T is for the Tears she shed to save me
H is for her Hands that made a home
E is for her Eyes with sunlight shining
R means Real and Regular you see

Put them altogether, they spell MOTHER
A word that means a world to me.

Min Ko

Win Mar, Min Ko & Peter

Like his father, grand father and great grand father, he is the eldest son in the family.

He was born in Mezaligone. He grew up to see his parents go in a jeep to nearby villages to treat patients. He remembered Peter dig a tube well and provided drinking water for the neighbors. His memories became clear as he listened to an old phone message from Peter to tell him and Pru about his life as a “village doctor”.

Min Ko stayed for some time with Peter’s parents when Peter moved to UK. The family reunited after Peter had two jobs and was financially secure.

He graduated from Kent University in 2009. From 2010, he worked on BTM-UFLP (“Be on The Move – Unilever Future Leaders Program”) projects. He worked in UK, Spain, Australia and/or New Zealand.

He joined Peter to attend the wedding / reception of Thandar (Peter’s cousin) held in Mexico several years ago.

He and Pru hosted an engagement party at Winner Inn over a year ago.

The wedding / reception took place in New Zealand in February 2020.

Peter told his aunt, uncles and cousins that his father U Tin U might live long enough to see the great grand child. Peter also mentioned that he will retire in three years time and spend quality time with his extended family.

Sadly, Peter lost his life due to misguided Policies and Guidelines.

Min Ko found Peter’s e-mails requesting PPE. He presented the emails to the news media and gave interviews. He emphasized that the staff of Royal Berkshire Hospital were professional, kind-hearted and took care of Win Mar & Peter during the hospitalization. He was sad that his father was victimized by those “hiding behind policies”.

Min Ko could not grief fully since he had to take care of the legal and financial matters (e.g. filling paper forms, talking to lawyers and insurance companies, preparing the funeral service).

He wrote a letter to Peter and choked while reading. He told Peter once again that (a) he will take care of the family (b) he will tell his child (when he gets one) the life story of Peter.

U Tin Htoon

Tribute to PETER

On May 13th it will be one month that my beloved nephew Dr. Peter Khin Tun suddenly left us. In his remembrance I will start posting some of the photos of our very last pleasant, joyful and memorable meeting with him and his family in Tauranga, New Zealand in February. As there is a saying “a photo is worth a thousand words”, I sincerely hope that these photos will supplement the following brief description of mine.

In the first group will be about Min Ko celebrating his 34th birthday at #8 Restaurant and Bar on February 14th. It was also like a welcoming dinner for relatives from both sides gathered to attend Min Ko & Prudence’s wedding.

In the second group will be that of the Church wedding and the wedding reception on February 15th. We were extremely fortunate to have an excellent weather for an outdoor event.

In the last and final group will be about our unforgettable stay of of over a week at the lovely Trinity Wharf Hotel where we had countless delicious breakfast prepared by Peter and Ye Lay, and lunches and dinner arranged by Min Ko out of his extremely busy schedule. It was next to the Ocean and was just like a “home away from home,” thanks to Tin Kyi Win who selected and arranged for us. During that time Peter told me about his plans to retire in three years time. Those very last words of him still rings in my ears. The thought that if only he had those PPE which he literally had to beg for, he might be still alive today to enjoy his hard earned retirement after a life time of service which he succumbed to still lingers on,

Surely he will be missed by so many of his family members, relatives, colleagues and patients. We all wish him for a much, much better and brighter existence.

Memories

Peter, Win Mar & sons

August 3, 2025
Winner Inn
by Hla Min

Updated : Aug 2025
- Winner Inn is run by Saya U Ba Than’s family : son Ye Than, daughter-in-law Win Mar Oo, grandson Aung Myo Myint and granddaughter Ei Khine.
U Ba Than
- Before the family moved to a new residential home (a little bit further down Than Lwin Road), Saya would entertain his relatives (visiting from abroad), former colleagues and students at Winner Inn.
Gatherings
- An informal gathering took place at Winner Inn in January 2017.
  Attendees include Dr. Khin Tun (Peter, GBNF) & Daw Win Mar, U Hla Win, U Aung Moung (GBNF), my spouse and me
- U Aung Moung came to see Saya U Ba Than and Daw Win Mar.
  It’s a small world. Win Mar’s older brother was a childhood friend of U Aung Moung.
- Sadly, U Aung Moung passed away in 2018.
  He was active in HMEE, SDYF and several social and religious organizations.
  Several monks arranged their own transportation to attend U Aung Moung’s last journey at Yay Way.
Dr. Peter Khin Tun (GBNF)
- Peter would usually come back to Yangon before January 12 to celebrate his mother Dr. Kyi Kyi Nyunt’s birthday. His father U Tin U is the elder brother of Saya U Ba Than.
- Peter would host some celebrations (e.g. engagement party of his elder son Min Ko) at Winner Inn.
- Sad to report that Peter was an early victim of Covid and lax UK Hospital policies about PPE. He passed away on April 13, 2020 (which was Easter Monday & start of Thingyan). The sad news is covered in BBC and some UK newspapers.
- His spouse Win Mar recovered after two weeks of treatment at the hospital.
- On a bright note, Peter was given awards posthumously and the UK hospital systems adopted better procedures.
August 2, 2025
St. Paul’s High School
by Hla Min

Updated : Aug 2025

စိန့်ပေါလ် အထက်တန်းကျောင်း

1860
- De La Salle Brothers ရန်ကုန် မှာ ကျောင်းဖွင့် Opened school in Rangoon.
1885
- ကျောင်း ကို နေရာသစ် ပြောင်းရွှေ့ Moved to a new location
1960

* ရာပြည့် Centennial

1965
- ပြည်သူပိုင်သိမ်း Nationalized on April 1st; Many Brothers left Burma
- အမည် ပြောင်း — SHS(6) ဗိုလ်တထောင် Renamed as No. 6 Botathaung State High School
2010
- နှစ် 150 ပြည့် Sesquicentennial
မှတ်တမ်း များ

SPHS Badge နဲ့ Motto

Badge

SPHS ရှေ့ ကျောင်းကြို ဖို့ စောင့်နေကြ

Cars waiting to pick up students

Yangon Heritage Society — Blue Plaque

Blue Plaque

1959 Matriculates / Scholarship Winners

SPHS59

1960 Matriculates / Scholarship Winners

SPHS60

1951 – 1963 Top Matriculates
Roll of Honor

Top Matriculates

1963 Scholarship Winners

SPHS63

SPHS Blazer Coat & Badge

SPHS Blazer Coat & Badge

Updates
- Old Paulians’ Association recently opened SPHS Museum
- Three of the 1963 Scholarship Winners — Myo San (Freddie), Aung Thu Yein (Brownie) and Maung Maung Kyi — have passed away.
August 2, 2025
Peter — April 28, 2020
by Hla Min

Updated : Aug 2025
- Complaints
- The Guardian
- Good News about Win Mar
Complaints

There have been several complaints to NHS particularly about the shortage of PPE and the accountability over the guidelines.

NHS Secretary Matt Hancock says he feels ‘deep sense of duty’ to those infected while at work. He announced 60,000 Pounds payout to families of health staff who die of coronavirus.

Min Ko’s response :

There needs to be accountability over the guidelines. I would rather have my Dad than money, absolutely, 100%

The Guardian

https://www.theguardian.com/world/2020/apr/27/families-health-staff-die-coronavirus-get-60000-payouts-matt-hancock

Families of health staff who die of coronavirus to get £60,000 payouts

https://www.theguardian.com/world/2020/apr/28/britain-holds-minutes-silence-in-tribute-to-coronavirus-dead

Britain holds minute’s silence in tribute to coronavirus dead

Politicians and public across UK remember key workers who have died during pandemic

Good News about Win Mar

Peter, Win Mar & Min Ko

Min Ko (Michael Tun) wrote :

Just spoke to May May.
It looks like they will be able to send her home tomorrow.
Also there was a 1 minute silence for NHS workers who lost their lives and doctors and nurses came into May May’s room to pay tribute and do the 1 minute silence with her.

Dr. Ye Myint wrote :

We spoke to Ma Win Mar few minutes ago. She is well. Her voice is stronger and can eat reasonably well. No fever for the last few days. Not required for O2 today. There was one minute silence for National heroes who paid their lives working in hospitals ( NHS). Many doctors and nurses ( including Ko Ko’s ward nurses), came to her room and many people had to stand outside her room along the corridors for 1 minute silence to honour Ko Ko ( Peter). Ma Win Mar will go home about 10 am tomorrow morning.

Updates
- Min Ko is now a proud father of two daughters.
- Win Mar, family and friends helped rebuild houses for the earthquake victims in Myanmar.
Memories

Peter, Win Mar & sons
August 2, 2025
Talk — Kyay Zuu
by Hla Min

Updated : Aug 2025

Video Broadcast on January 19, 2021
- I am indebted to Thin Saya, Myin Saya and Kyar Saya.
  They taught me all I knew.
- I would like to thank my mentors who directly or indirectly taught me Communication (Oral and Written) and Languages (English, Burmese, …)
- Last but not the least, a million thanks to my “Let Oo Sayas” (my beloved parents).
My Parents

Studying Languages

Studying English

I fondly remember the days that I had to read / study
- Tom Thumb’s Essays
- A Student’s Companion
- Oxford English Dictionary” (OED — various sizes and editions),
- Chamber’s Dictionary (used in Scrabble tournaments)
- Rhyming Dictionary
- Word Power/Vocabulary in [six weeks, 21 days, …]
- Idioms (book present from my cousin uncle)
- They helped me improve my writing and communication skills.
- Thanks to all the authors, who are my implicit teachers.
- Still learning (especially during the “Shelter at Home” due to the COVID-19 Pandemic)
- Listen to the daily offering by Blinkist.com
- Listen and/or read Merriam Webster’s wotd (word of the day) pod cast
Miscellaneous
- See posts on “Myanmar Sar“
- See posts on “Pali“
- See posts on “Languages“
Studying Computers

Dr. Chit Swe (GBNF)

Dr. Chit Swe
- Sayagyi was my mentor at UCC.
- He invited over renowned computer scientists [led by Professor Harry D. Huskey, Pioneer in Computer Hardware, Software and Teaching] and mathematicians [e.g. Professor Frank Harary, Expert in Graph Theory] to Rangoon to hold seminars and to design courses in computer science and applications.
  Michael Stonebraker (then at UC Berkeley) gave a short course on Ingres (an early Relational Data Base Management System) at UCC. A few years back, he won the prestigious “ACM Turing Award” (which is considered as the equivalent of Nobel Prize in Computing).
- He taught us to use CPM/PERT (Critical Path Method/Programme Evaluation and Review Technique) for the various projects.
- Saya asked me to assist in several of his projects.
  To name a few,
  I was a translator/ reviewer for CTK (Children’s Treasury of Knowledge)
  I served as an editor for “High School Mathematics”
  I was a member of TOSS (Team Of System Specialists)
- Saya passed away in November 2019, but his Legacy as Pioneer for Computer Systems, Application and Education in Burma will last forever.
Sydney 2006

U Soe Paing (EE, UCC)

U Soe Paing
- Saya was my mentor at RIT and UCC.
- Together with Saya U Myo Min and Saya U Ko Ko Lay (GBNF), they taught degree and diploma courses in computer science, and also conducted courses in computer programming, computer orientation, to name a few.
- The sayas asked me to be their assistant.
- Saya U Soe Paing also allowed Saya U Aung Zaw and me to co-author texts, guides and manuals used at UCC.
Publications
- Guardian
  Thanks to U Soe Myint (Chief Editor)
- Working People’s Daily (WPD)
  Thanks to U Ko Lay (Chief Editor) and Daw Khin Swe Hla (Editor)
- Forward magazine
  Thanks to Bohmu Ba Thaw (Maung Thaw Ka, Chief Editor) and U Sein Hla (Editor)
- Pan magazine
  Burmese publication
- Veda magazine
  Published by BARB
- Swel Daw Yeik Sar Saung
  Commemorative Issues for SPZP-2002, SPZP-2007 and SPZP-2010 in Singapore
  Thanks to Saya U Moe Aung (Tekkatho Moe War)
- Swel Daw Yeik Magazine
  Commemorative Issues for SPZP-2012 and Shwe YaDu (2014)
  Thanks to Saya U Moe Aung (Tekkatho Moe War)
- RUBC magazine
  Commemorate issue for 90th Anniversary of the founding of RUBC
- BAPS Newsletter
  Contributing Editor
- Dhammananda Newsletter
  Contributing Editor
- Paying Homage to Sayadaw U Silananda
  Contributing Editor
- Encyclopedia of Asian American Folklore and Folklife
  Contributor to the Burmese American section of the 3-volume encyclopedia
- National Foreign Languages Center
  Language Expert for the Burmese Language Project (Reading and Listening Comprehension)
- RIT Alumni International Newsletter
  Contributing Editor for 21 years
- hlamin.com
  2600+ articles
- Facebook
  Owner, Admin or Moderator of selected Facebook Groups
- Video Broadcasts
  Archived in Facebook and my You Tube Channel
Volunteering

I gained experience by volunteering as
- Several organizations in Myanmar and USA
- EC, Joint Secretary and Secretary of RIT EE Association
- Contributing Editor of RIT English Newsletter
- Treasurer and Vice Captain of RUBC
- Translator / Interpreter at Meditation Retreats
- Organizer, SPZP-2000
- Coordinator, World wide SPZPs in Singapore and Myanmar
- Docent at the Computer History Museum (at Mountain View, California
- Contributing Editor of the materials taught at the Summer Dhamma Camp at Dhammananda Vihara (at Half Moon Bay
- Area Governor, Club Coach, Contest Chair, Test Speaker, Club Ambassador at Toastmasters International
- Editor of several publications by Sayadaws (e.g. U Jotalankara) and friends (e.g. U Aung Zaw)
- Language expert at National Language Center
- Administrator and/or Moderator of selected Facebook Pages
- Owner and content creator of selected web sites (e.g. hlamin.com)
Parents and Ancestors

Last but not the least, my heartfelt thanks to my beloved parents and their philanthropic forebears for instilling me the passion to help humanity in general and to my alma mater. They believed that “Any thing that’s worth doing is worth doing well.”

Pay Back
- My beloved spouse told me that I should pay back to my alma mater, mentors and my beloved land.
- She reminded me that I should take care of my health to enjoy quality time with our Life Savers : Chit Sa Noe and Po Lone.
- I had paid back to my alma mater RIT where I studied from 1964 – 1969 by volunteering as Messenger and Organizer for 21 years. e.g. For SPZP-2000, I wrote 64 “Countdown to the Reunion” and 36 “Post_Reunion”.
- In 2018, I wrote “Memories of UCC” . I wrote a Summary for the magazine to commemorate the 30th anniversary of ICST.
- To commemorate the 19th anniversary (in April 2018) for “RIT Alumni International Newsletter” and the 45th wedding anniversary (in June 2018), I wrote several hundred posts covering a variety of topics.
- Since then, I have completed 2600+ posts. I have revised most of them with the feedback provided by my readers (including Dr. Khin Maung U, Dr. Nyunt Wai (Victor), Dr. Thane Oke Kyaw Myint, U Khin Maung Zaw).
- In April/May 2019, I celebrated 20th Anniversary as Founder-Editor of RIT Alumni International Newsletter
- In November 2019, I was invited as a Panelist to the 5th ILF (Irrawaddy Literary Festival) held in Mandalay.
- In December 2019, I attended the SPZP and Reunion Dinner of RIT 69er’s Golden Jubilee of graduation.
- I was invited to attend the 6th Acariya Pu Zaw Pwe of ICST / UCSY and the Annual mini-gathering of UCC Alumni.
- In January 2020, I was invited as a Special Guest for the 2020 PSA (Public Speakers’ Association) Tour to six cities in Upper Myanmar.
- I am adding / revising posts for hlamin.com and share some of them via Facebook pages (e.g. Life Long Learning, RIT Updates, RU Centennial) and my You Tube Channel.
- I am a Dreamer.
  I believe, “If one can dream, others will fulfill.”
Youtube

Posts
- Garawa
- Parents
- Publications
- RIT
- SPZP
- UCC
August 1, 2025
My heart aches and Tears well in my eyes …
by Tekkatho Moe War

Updated : Aug 2025

ရင်ထဲမှာဆို့ပြီး မျက်ရည်ဝဲမိသည်.,…

ငယ်ရွယ်စဉ်ကာလ က ချစ်သူနှင့် ကွေကွင်းခဲ့ရ၍ မျက်ရည်လွယ်လွယ်နှင့် မဝဲ…။

ရွယ်စဉ်ကာလက မိဘနှင့် စောစီးစွာ ခွဲခွာသွားရ၍ အငိုအရှိုက် မလွယ်ခဲ့…။

ယခု မူကား…..ဘ၀ နှင့် ယှဉ်လာတော့…..

ရင်ထဲမှာ ဆို့ ပြီး မျက်ရည်ဝဲမိသည်…..

အ ကြောင်းမှာ……

သည်နေ့ မနက် ဘုန်းကြီး ငါးပါး အား ဒံပေါက် ဆွမ်းကပ်၊ ပရိက္ခရာ လှူဖွယ် ၀တ်ထုမြား လှူဒါန်း ပြီး ပရိတ် တရား တော် များ နာယူ သည်။

ထို့နောက် ပတ်၀န်းကျင် ရှိ မိတ်သင်္ဂဟများနှင့် ဆွေမျိုးတို့ထံ သို့ ဒံပေါက် ဗူးများ အပို့ ခိုင်းလိုက်သည်။

အိမ်ဆောက် နေဆဲ နေရာ တွင်ရှိနေ သော ပန်းရံ ၊ ဆေးသုတ် ၊ လက်သမား အလုပ်သမား အားလုံး အတွက်လည်း တစ်ယောက်တစ်ပွဲ ကျ ( တစ်ဗူးကျ) ပို့လိုက်သည်။ တ မြန်နေ့ကပဲ အလုပ်သမားတွေကို ကြို တင် မှာထားပြီး သား ၊ ထမင်းဗူး တွေယူမလာ ခဲ့ကြ နှင့်….

နောက်တစ်နေ့ကျ ဒံပေါက် ပို့ ပေးမည် ဟု……

အလုပ်သမားတွေက နားမ ထောင်။ ထမင်းဗူး တွေ ယူမြဲယူလာသည်။

အ ကြောင်း မေးကြည့်လိုက်တော့…..

မိမိ တို့ရဲ့ သား သမီး ဘယ်တုန်းကမှ ဒံပေါက် မစားဖူး လို့ အိမ်ကိုသယ်ပြီး ကျွေးချင် လို့ပါတဲ့…..။ မိမိတို့ က အိမ်ကယူလာတာကိုပဲ စားကြမှာ တဲ့။

မိဘ မေတ္တာ ဘာ နဲ့ များ နှိုင်းလိုပါ သေးသလဲ ?

စာရေးသူ ရင် ထဲ ဆို့ ပြီး မျက် ရည် ဝဲ မိ သည်။

[မှတ်ချက်။ ။ ၂၀၁၃ခု ဧပြီလတွင် ရေးခဲ့သည့် စာစုအား ပြန်ဖေါ်ပြခြင်းဖြစ်၏ ]

[ဒု မှတ်ချက်။ ယခုလတ်တလော ၂၀၂၂ခု အနေအထားအရ ဒံပေါက်အစား ကြက်ဥကြော် ၂လုံး ဟူ၍ ပြင်ဆင်ရေးသားလျှင် ပိုမိုအံဝင်မည်လား..]

Translated by Hla Min

My heart aches and Tears well in my eyes …

In our younger days, tears would not fall easily even when one is forsaken by a lover.

Later, even when one’s parents passed away (especially untimely), one sensed grief and might shed a few tears.

A few years back (in April, 2013) we told the workers (masons, carpenters, painters …) not to bring their lunch boxes the following day, since we would be offering requisites (robes, medicine, Nawakama, Soon) and that they would have Dan Bauk (Birayani).

The next day, the workers brought their lunch boxes as usual.

Asked “Why?”

They replied, “We want to take back Dan Bauk to feed our children, who have never eaten such delicacy.”

My heart ached (thinking of the hard lives of the workers and their families).

Tears were ready to roll down. (There were Tears of Sorrow followed by Tears of Joy – appreciating the metta and cetana of parents.)

Note for the revised article: Should we substitute Dan Bauk with Two Eggs?

Editor’s Notes

Due to the pandemic, the former Rice Bowl of Asia is facing food shortage.

Due to misdirected policies, the purchasing power of Burmese Currency has declined.

Thanks to Ko Htoo and Ko Hta, many starving families have temporary relief in the form of Food Coupons (e.g by Mg Mar Ga, Shwe Zin Ma and their supporters).

I earlier translated Saya’s article about the K1000 (gratitude gift) by his mother-in-law to purchase a bowl of Khauk Swe.

Feedback

Saya U Moe Aung wrote :

Dear Ko Hla Min

As a matter of fact, I really cherished the article you’ve rendered into English recently. By the way, DanBauk is Briyani or, Birayani, as per your usage above?

Excellent rendition, cheers!!

Tekkatho Moe War

Book Present from Tekkatho Moe War

Posts
- EE Sayas
- Poem
- Tekkatho Moe War
- Translation
- U Moe Aung
August 1, 2025
Numbers — Four
by Hla Min

Updated : Aug 2025

Numeral
- Hindu-Arablic numeral : 4
- Roman numeral : IV
Recent Buddhas
- Kakusandha
- Konagamana
- Kassapa
- Gautama
Sacca / Noble Truth
- Dukkha
  Unsatisfactoriness / Misery / Suffering
- Samudiya
  Cause of suffering
- Nirodha
  Cessation of suffering
- Magga
  The Path / The Middle Way
Foundation of Mindfulness
- Contemplation of the kaya / body
- Contemplation of the vedana / feeling
- Contemplation of the citta / mind
- Contemplation of the dhamma / general objects — not covered by the above three
Brahma Vihara Practice
- Metta
  Loving kindness / Unbounded love
- Karuna
  Compassion
- Mudita
  Sympathetic joy / Altruistic joy
- Uppekkha
  Equanimity
Guardian deities
- Dhatarattha (East)
- Virulhaka (South)
- Virupkkha (West)
- Kuvera (North)
Mahabhuta
- Patthavi
  Earth element
- Tejo
  Fire element
- Apo
  Water or liquid element
- Vayo
  Air or wind element
Miscellaneous
- Four sided figures
  Rectangle, Square, Parallelogram, Parallepiped, Rhombus
- Baseball
  first base, second base, third base, home plate
- Games
  Four quarters (e.g. Football, Basketball)
- Rowing
  Coxless fours, Coxed fours, Quadruple sculls
- Education
  Freshman, Sophomore, Junior, Senior
- April
  4th month of the Gregorian Calendar
Posts
- Computation
- Digital
- Number Systems
- Numerals
August 1, 2025
Samvega
by Hla Min

Updated : Aug 2025

Urgency
- It is a Pali word meaning “Sense of urgency”. We’ve heard it many times especially when we attended the last journey of our loved ones.
- We feel the pain even when the dearly departed are in their 80s. The pain grows when we learn that someone young (not so old) had passed away.
- We feel shocked and upset when we hear about the untimely demise. My cousin nephew Dr. Peter Tun warned about lack of PPE, but he succumbed to Covid.
Gone But Not Forgotten (GBNF)
- The list of GBNF for RIT 69ers is now 128. About 40% of our classmates are no longer with us. Covid claimed about 20.
- U Sein Win (Win Kyaw, C69) was an expert in Palmistry. His spouse is a professional Palmist. Not sure whether he knew his life span, but he is GBNF.
- U Myint Sein was a former classmate at PPBRS. He was Principal of BARB. He later founded Idea Astrology. Not sure whether he informed his spouse and son about his life span or his sudden demise, but he is also GBNF.
- My uncle was sent as a state scholar to Japan during the Second World War. He was in Hiroshima & Nagasaki before both cities were ravaged by the Atomic Bombs. He was lucky. His luck ran out when he was sentenced to seven years by a kangaroo court during the Adhamma Era. The UN Human Rights Rapporteur pleaded with the government to release him. Sadly, he passed away early (because of the harsh environment & treatment). His siblings all lived to be 80+ years. The eldest sister lived to be 94.
Dr. Khin Tun (Peter)

Dr. Peter Tun
- He is the elder son of my cousin U Tin U. He became one of the early doctors in UK to fall victim to COVID-19. He is an MRCP and a former Associate Dean of Oxford University. He at the Royal Berkshire Hospital. His ward needed PPE, but he was told that they would be supplied when there is a case. He replied, “It would be too late”. Sad to say, he passed away on April 12, 2020. Could his life been saved?
- The news shocked not just his immediately family, but many around the world. BBC and the newspapers in UK have reported several heroes who died in the battle fighting COVID-19.
- Should Samvega sink in?
Posts
- Covid
- GBNF
- Pandemic
- Peter Tun — Chronicles
August 1, 2025
Peter — April 29, 2020
by Hla Min

Updated : Aug 2025

Hospital Investigates Death of NHS Doctor Peter Tun Who Pleaded for PPE

https://www.theguardian.com/world/2020/apr/29/hospital-investigates-death-of-nhs-doctor-peter-tun-who-pleaded-for-ppe?CMP=Share_AndroidApp_Gmail

Home Sweet Home

Peter, Win Mar & Min Ko

by Min Ko

I picked her up this morning. She’s home now. She’s missing PePe but in good spirit all things considered. The hospital gave us a wheelchair to keep for a while in case she needs it. She’s eating as well which is good. Aunty Theingi ordered some delicious food for May May. I’m dealing with pensions and other major admin at the moment. Ye Lay is home and I will go back later this afternoon also.

Mezaligone Days

Peter spent eleven years at Mezaligone.

He opened a clinic and treated the villagers often free of charge.

He even paid a few to have surgery at a hospital.

He shared the water from his 180-ft deep well with his neighbors.

He invited them once a month to have Mohinga or some other treat.

He had to order tablets to purify the drinking water. Still he head to treat patients for dysentery and diarrhea.

Miscellaneous

We hear about : Quarantine, Lock down, Shelter / Stay at home, Circuit breaker, Social distancing, Cancelled events and flights, …

During the Pandemic, several health workers lost their lives in the line of duty. Not so young people with underlying medical conditions passed away with or without COVID-19 infections.
- U Kyaw Sein (former saya at RIT Mechanical Department) passed away in Singapore.
- Daw Molly Khoo (former sayama at St. Philomena’s convent, co-founder of TBSA) passed away in California.
- Brenda Gyi (retiree from UN) passed away in New York.
- Dr. Myint Win (65 Matriculate) and Dr. Soe Aung (SPHS67) passed away in UK.
- There are others, who are friends of friends.
May they all rest in peace.

Posts
- Covid
- GBNF
- Pandemic
- Peter Tun — Chronicles
Memories

Peter, Win Mar & sons
August 1, 2025