Sayagyi U Pe Maung Tin was Professor of Pali and Burmese. He proposed to have Burmese as a separate department. His students include
ICS U Sein Tin (Theikpan Maung Wa)
U Thein Han (Zawgyi)
UWun (Minthuwun)
Myanmar Sar Mi Thar Su had unveiled Sayagyi’s bust in the RU Main Campus.
He also served Principal of Rangoon College.
Two Sermons
U Tha Win requested Sayagyi to translate into English the two sermons that Buddha gave to his five disciples at the Deer Sanctuary.
Dhammacakkapavattna Sutta is the first sermon delivered to the five disciples.
Anatta Lekhanna Sutta is the follow up sermon given to the five disciples.
Note : Hemanwunta Sutta given to a celestial is considered as Buddha’s second sermon.
Saya U Aung Zaw (UCC) sent me an early version of the book. It has three columns :
Pali
Burmese
English (translated by Sayagyi).
Dr. Kyaw Tint (Science Scholar for Physics) has an old worn-out copy of the book. He had typed a few verses and posted on his time line. Hope some reader has a good copy that is easy to scan.
Based in part on the compilation of Sayagyi Minthuwun (Eminent Scholar & Laureate Poet)
မြန်မာ့ ပထမဆုံး စံပြ ပုဂ္ဂိုလ်ကျော်များ•
Outstanding Burmese noted for being First in their field
၁။ ပထမဆုံးသမ္မတ=စဝ်ရွှေသိုက် ။
Sao Shwe Thaik served as the first President of the Union of Burma. He was succeeded by Dr. Ba U and Mahn Win Maung. Coup D’etat took place in March 1962 before Sama Duwa Sinwa Naung could take office.
၂။ ပထမဆုံး၀န်ကြီးချုပ်=ဦးနု ။
U Nu served as the first Prime Minister of the Union of Burma. He was also the last Prime Minister before the fateful Coup D’etat on March 2, 1962.
၃။ ပထမဆုံး အနောက်တိုင်း ဆေးဒေါက်တာ=ရှောလူး ။
Dr. Shaw Loo was the first doctor to study medicine in the West.
Saygyi U Razak (Arzani) was one of the first to graduate from Ah Myo Tha College (National College). He served as Principal of the National School in Mandalay. He was Minister of Education in Bogyoke Aung San’s Cabinet.
၇။ ပထမဆုံးအင်ဂျင်နီယာ=ဖန်ချက်၀န် ဦးရွှေအိုး ။
Phan Chet Wun U Shwe Oh was the first Burmese engineer.
Phwa Oo Zun (Mandalay native) was the first Burmese female to provide Social Service for the public. She established the Home for the Aged. Details can be found in Ludu Daw Ah Mar’s book “Mandalay Thar & Mandalay Thu”.
၁၀။ ပထမဆုံး ရုပ်ရှင်သရုပ်ဆောင်=ဦးညီပု ။
U Nyi Pu (brother of A1 U Tin Nwe, U Maung Maung Soe / U Tin Pe & A1 U Tin Maung) was the first leading male actor in a Burmese movie. He founded Maha Weikzahto Film. The four brothers and their extended families founded several film companies.
Professor U Pe Maung Tin was the first Principal of the University of Rangoon.
Note: He was Professor of Oriental Studies (including Pali). He proposed to have a separate Department for Burmese. The early graduates ICS U Sein Tin (Theikpan Maung Wa), U Thein Han (Zawgyi) and U Wun (Minthuwun) founded the “Khit San Sar Pay” movement.
Dr. Tin Maung served as the first Rector of ICST (Institute of Computer Science and Technology).
Note: Dr Chit Swe founded UCC (Universities’ Computer Center) with the help of Saya U Soe Paing, Saya U Myo Min and Saya U Ko Ko Lay (GBNF) and served as the Founding Director of UCC. Dr. Chit Swe, who retired as Rector of Rangoon Arts and Science University, was succeeded by Dr. Tin Maung. During Dr. Tin Maung’s tenure, DCS (Department of Computer Science) and IST were established.
Hajeema Pyinmana Daw Pu was the first female to win Lu Hmu Htoo Chun Su Pathama Sint (First Class for Distinguished Social Service).
Note: She donated for the founding of some hospitals. She is the mother-in-law of Saya U Ba Than Haq (Retired Professor of Geology & Pro-Rector of RASU)
Daw Aung San Suu Kyi was the first Burmese to receive the prestigious Nobel Peace Prize.
ဆရာ မင်းသု၀ဏ်စီစဉ်သည်
Compiled by Saya Minthuwun (U Wun, Retired Professor of Burmese; Head of the Translation Department; Compiler of the Myanmar Abhidan; Co-compiler of the Japanese-Burmese Dictionary; Visiting Professor of Burma at Osaka University at the invitation of Professor Harada (“Chit Mann Nwe”); Laureate Poet …). Saya is the father of U Htin Kyaw (former President of Myanmar).
ဗဟုသုတ မှတ်စု
————————————————
*** Some more interesting facts about the pioneers and/or record holders:
Sayagyi Dr. Chit Swe founded UCC (Universities’ Computer Center) with the help of Saya U Soe Paing, Saya U Myo Min, and Saya U Ko Ko Lay (GBNF). They also led TOSS (Team Of System Specialists), which helped with the computerization of various government departments and organizations,
Sayagyi was succeeded by Saya Dr. Tin Maung (GBNF) as Director of UCC. During Saya Dr. Tin Maung’s tenure, DCS (Department of Computer Science) and ICST (Institute of Computer Science and Technology) were opened. Saya served as the Rector of ICST.
*** Some more interesting facts about the pioneers and/or record holders:
Sayagyi Dr. Chit Swe founded UCC (Universities’ Computer Center) with the help of Saya U Soe Paing, Saya U Myo Min, and Saya U Ko Ko Lay (GBNF). They also led TOSS (Team Of System Specialists), which helped with the computerization of various government departments and organizations,
Sayagyi was succeeded by Saya Dr. Tin Maung (GBNF) as Director of UCC. During Saya Dr. Tin Maung’s tenure, DCS (Department of Computer Science) and ICST (Institute of Computer Science and Technology) were opened. Saya served as the Rector of ICST.
Saya U Soe Paing wrote “Computer Ah Sa UCC Ga” in a computer magazine in Myanmar. It was re-posed in “Mandalay Gazette”, a publication based in Los Angeles.
m Mee Bone Byan U Kyaw Yin is the father of “Ka Sa” (Cartoonist U Kyaw San). We learned about U Kyaw Yin in a middle school text book.
U Nyi Pu founded his own film company called “Weikkzado Films”. His elder brother U Tin Nwe and his youngest brother U Tin Maung founded “A1 Film”. His younger brother U Maung Maung Soe founded “Maung Maung Soe Film”.
British Burma U Nay Win and U Kyaw Zaw were some of the scholars who studied cinematography in US.
Dr. Tun Naung (DDS, Luyechun) often played the mandolin placed on his back. Other Stereo musicians included Accordion Ohn Kyaw, Min Min Latt, and former BBS “Local Talent” stars.
Sayagyi U Pe Maung Tin served as the first Principal of Rangoon University. Sayagyi earlier proposed the founding of “Burmese Department” at Rangoon University. He served as the first Professor. Three of his students : Sayagyi U Thein Han (“Zawgyi”), Sayagyi U Wun (“Minthuwun”), and ICS U Sein Tin (“Theikpan Maung Wa”) founded the “Khit San Sar Pay” movement.
Sayadaw U Vicittacara is the first Burmese to appear in the “Guiness Book of World Records” for his phenomenal memory. Sayadaw recited 8000+ pages of Tipitaka : Vinaya (Monastic rules of conduct), Sutta (Discourses), and Abhidhamma (Ultimate Reality) atthe Sixth Buddhist Council held at KabaAye in the 50’s.
Lexicographers include (1) Judson and his team (2) U Tun Nyein (3) Dr. Ba Han (4) U Hoke Sein (Pali, English, Burmese).
Sao Shwe Thaik (Yawnshwe Saophalong/Sawbwa) is the first President of the “Union of Burma”. He was succeeded by Dr. Ba U and Mahn Win Maung. Sama Duwa Sinawa Naung was to be the 4th President, but a 17-man Revolutionary Council staged a coup d’etat on March 2, 1962. Sao Shwe Thaik lost his son in the [supposedly] bloodless coup.
BMRI (Burma Medical Research Institute) was founded by Dr. Mya Tu. His successors include Dr. Aung Than Ba Tu, Dr. Khin Maung Tin, Dr. Daw May May Yi, Dr. Myint Lwin …
Details of the early and/or prominent doctors/educators can be added by Saya Dr. Thane Oke Kyaw Myint.
Dr. Freddie Ba Hli (Sc.D) was the first Director General of UBARI (Union of Burma Applied Research Institute). Saya also taught part-time at the Electrical Engineering Department. Saya later served as a Board Member for UCC.
Sayagyi U Ba Hli was the first native Dean of the Faculty of Engineering, Rangoon University. He also taught Civil Engineering courses. Sayagyi proposed the “Twinning Program” with prestigious universities in US and UK.
Before becoming the 3rd Secretary General of United Nations, U Thant was the Permanent Representative of the Burmese Mission to the UN. He was preceded and succeeded by Mr. James Barrington.
U Thant was the unanimous choice following the Soviet Union’s veto of Dr. Ralph Bunche (prominent Black diplomat) and the USA’s veto of the “Trioka” proposed by USSR.
U Nu was the first, third and last Prime Minister of the “Union of Burma”. Dawei U Ba Swe was Prime Minister for some time after U Nu’s first term. There was also a soft Coup in 1958.
Saya Dr. Maung Maung Kha (Physics), Saya Dr. Hla Myint (Economics), Saya Dr. Tha Hla (Geology), … replaced the non-Burmese [mostly British and some Indian] professors from Rangoon University.
Prominent cartoonists include U Ba Gyan, U Heng Soon, U Pe Thein, U Aung Shein, U Kyaw San, U Sein, U Ba Htwe, …
Cartoons are displayed along U Ba Gyan Street during the Tazaungdaing Festival.
There have been adaptations as well as “direct translation” of works from English to Burmese.
Saya Shwe Oo Daung’s U San Shar & U Thein Maung are the [Burmanized] counterparts of Sherlock Holmes & Dr. Watson.
U Zaw Weik was the first Burmese to compete in Olympics. He was a member of the British India team.
U Aung Gyi (flyweight) was the first Burmese weight lifter to set/break an Olympic record.
Ko Tun Mra won 100 meters relay Gold); Ko Kyaw Mra won 110 meter hurdles Silver and Ko Soe Mra won Pole vault Gold) at the 2nd SEAP Games held in Rangoon, Burma. Their younger brothers Ko Win Mra, Ko Maung Maung Mra and Ko Aung Mra also won medals for Pole Vault.
Ko Kyaw Mra became National Coach for Track & Field.
Young alumni (including U Wynn Htain Oo (M72) and U Tin Latt (M85) founded RIT-YIT-YTU Alumni Association (also known as RITAA). Since there was a length limitation for naming, BIT (which was technically a renaming of the “Faculty of Engineering” of the University of Rangoon) was left out of the name. Under the then New Education System, RIT became an autonomous Institute in 1964.
U Pe Maung Tin First native Principal of Rangoon College Proposed to have a separate Burmese Department First Professor of Burmese Department, Rangoon University
Dr. Htin Aung Principal of Rangoon College First native Rector, Rangoon University Retired as Vice Chancellor, Rangoon University Distinguished author, historian and folk lorist
U Ba Hli Principal of Government Technical Institute (GTI) First native Dean of Engineering, Rangoon University Proponent of “Twinning” with prestigious universities in USA
Dr. Mya Tu Founder/Director, Burma Medical Research Institute (BMRI) Co-authored “Who’s who in health and medicine in Myanmar“
Dr. Chit Swe Founder/Director of Universities’ Computer Center (UCC) Pioneer of Computer Systems, Applications and Education in Burma
Khit San Sar Pay Founders
Theikpan Maung Wa (ICS U Sein Tin)
Zawgyi (U Thein Han)
Minthuwun (U Wun)
There were the early students of Sayagyi U Pe Maung Tin (Pali and Burmese Scholar) at the then newly established “Burmese Department” at the Rangoon University.
Minthuwun
UCC Founders
Dr. Chit Swe (GBNF)
U Soe Paing
U Myo Min
U Ko Ko Lay (GBNF)
Details can be found in my article “Paying Back to UCC” and several posts on Saya Chit, Saya Paing, Saya Myo and Saya Lay.
Known fondly as “Mon Sayadaw”, DPZ Sayadaw U Thilawunta built pagodas in Burma/Myanmar, USA, Canada, New Zealand, South Africa and several other countries.
Sayadaw visited the United Nations and U Thant. He build the first Burmese pagoda in the Allegheny mountains near New York.
He served as the Chief Abbot of the Dat Paung Zon Aung Min Gaung monastery on Windermere Road, Rangoon, Burma from 1949.
At the invitation of U Thant, Sayadaw traveled to the US (via the ocean liner – predating the days of air travel) and build a pagoda on the Allegheny Mountains.
In 1958, Leslie Dawson, Canadian of Irish and Scottish descent, asked Mon Sayadaw to be his mentor. Dawson traveled to Bodh Gaya, India to rejoin the Sayadaw and received ordination as a samanera (novice monk). He continued on to Burma where he was ordained as Anandabodhi bhikkhu at the Shwedagon temple, Rangoon (21 Dec 1958). Ananda Bodhi had followers in Canada and New Zealand, most of whom have visited Sayaadaw and the Dat Paung Zon pagoda. Two of them also ordained as Buddhist monks with Mon Sayadaw as preceptor.
Ananda Bodhi became a Tibetan Master with the name Namgyal Rinpoche in 1971, but continued to preach dhamma from Theravada, …
Mon Sayadaw built pagodas in the several countries including US, Canada, New Zealand, and South Africa.
Details of Sayadaw’s dhamma duta missions can be found in the official biography (in Burmese and English) and the web pages of his disciples.
Colonel Min Sein : Commissioned by the British; Dean of Medical College
Dr. Daw Yin May : Three Fellowships; MS of Dufferin Hospital
Major (later Lt. Col) Shwe Zan : Commissioned by the British
Dr. Ko Gyi : Warden of Medical College; Medical Superintendent of EENT hospital
Dr. Daw Myint Myint Khin : “Mummy Gyi”
Dr. Mohan
Dr. Mohan & Daw Hnin Yi
Dr. Mya Tu : Founder Director of BMRI; Compiled “Who’s who in Medicine in Burma” & “Who’s who in Health Industry in Burma”
Dr. Mya Tu
Dr. Ba Than refused the British to evacuate and then headed the RGH during the Occupation. After the war, he had to appear before the British Officers and tell about his “commitment to the country and its citizens”. The Officers dropped the case. He later served as Rector of Institute of Medicine (1).
U Thant 1Stamp honoring U ThantAutograph signed by U Thant
Early Days
Won essay and translation competitions in his youth.
Had excellent communication skills (reading, writing, speaking).
Was requested by his mother to study only for two years at the University of Rangoon and then return and work.
Became a Saya at the Pantanaw National School. For accreditation requirements of the school, he requested help from U Nu (who was a Principal)
Later, U Nu (leader of AFPFL and Prime Minister) asked U Thant to help the party and the government in various capacities.
United Nations
U Thant succeeded Mr. James Barrington (ICS, RUBC Gold) as the Permanent Secretary of the Burmese Delegation to the United Nations. Later, the post would be called “Myanmar Ambassador to the United Nations”.
UNSG
Daj Hammerjold, the second United Nations Secretary General (UNSG) perished in an air crash during a UN mission.
In trying to find a successor to Hammerjold, the two super powers USA and USSR could not agree. USSR refused to accept USA’s candidate. USA refused to accept USSR’s proposal of Troika (a three member committee from each of the Three Blocs). They agreed to have U Thant (who hailed from Burma, a co-founder of the Non-Aligned Movement) as the Interim UNSG.
The General Assembly later ratified him as the third UNSG.
U Thant became the first Asian UNSG.
He retired after serving two terms as UNSG.
Post retirement
After retirement, U Thant started writing his memoirs but was interrupted by failing health.
His younger brother U Thaung was by his side in the final days, and helped bring U Thant’s body home.
Last Journey
The higher authorities were told explicitly or implicitly not to pay respect to U Thant’s body. The Deputy Minister of Education who paid respect to U Thant was dismissed effective immediately.
Most people expected a decent ceremony (if not a State Funeral befitting the Head of the World Organization), but they learned that U Thant’s body was to be placed at the Kyandaw Cemetery.
This led students to take U Thant’s body to the Main Campus and and make it a temporary (may be final) resting place for U Thant.
There were three dissenting votes by the student representatives for the higher authorities’ proposal to have U Thant buried in the Mausoleum (in Cantonment Park), and they lost by 8-3 margin.
The dark moments resulted in students being jailed or debarred, and some having to wait more months for their graduation ceremony. A few never had a chance to graduate. One participant had already distributed invitation for the wedding, but ended with the loss of his freedom for a few years and his love.
Book
Htein Win Sar Pay published a book about the “U Thant Ah Yay Ah Khin”.
Contains rare photos (most of them recovered from an archive overseas). Many photos (that were in Burma) were destroyed “out of fear” for harassment / punishment.
Met Ko Htein Win at the 5th ILF (Irrawaddy Literary Festival) in Mandalay in November, 2019. He was promoting another book 8-8-88.
U Khin Maung Zaw (EC76) wrote :
The sad thing I discovered at my last visit to Myanmar in Nov/Dec 2018 was that the tomb of U Thant has been closed and in disrepair. The entrance was padlocked, the compound was unkempt.
Centennial Birthday
At the Centennial Birthday Celebration for U Thant held in the San Francisco Bay Area several years back, I was a Speaker.
Ko Tin Maung Thant
Ko Tin Maung Thant (“Ah Pho Gyi”, U Thant’s son) was my sister’s classmate at the Private Primary Boundary Road School (PPBRS).
He left the school to join his father (then Permanent Secretary of the Burmese Delegation to the United Nations).
Sadly, he passed away unexpectedly during his visit to Burma in 1962.
His funeral service was grander than that of Commodore Than Pe (Minister of Health and Education), the first member of the 17-man Revolutionary Council to pass away.
The list is partly based on a special broadcast by BBC, which covered the early Burmese female scholars that studied for their Masters and Doctorates (mostly in the UK and the US). Additional details are provided by friends and relatives (including Dr. Thane Oke Kyaw Myint, Dr. Yan Naing Lwin, Dr. Kyaw Tint, Dr. Richard Yu Khin and Uncle U Thein Han).
Masters
Daw Mya Sein (History)
Daw Ma Ma Khin (Nutrition)
Daw Khin Khin Gyi (Education)
Arts
Dr. Thinn Kyi (Geography) — aunt of Ko Theikdi
Dr. Thaung Blackmore (History) — aunt of Dr. Richard Yu Khin
Dr. Yi Yi (History)
Dr. Khin Hla Han (History) — daughter of Saya U Thein Han (Zawgyi)
Education
Dr. Khin Mya (Education)
Dr. Saw Yi (Education)
Dr. K Mya Yi (Education)
Social Science
Dr. Khin Nyo Nyo (Eco/Commerce)
Dr. Khin Ohn Thant (Eco/Commerce)
Dr. Yi Yi Chit Maung (Commerce) — sister of Saya U Tin Htut
Dr. Kyi May Kaung (Political Economics) — daughter of Sithu U Kaung
Dr. Khin San Yi (Eco/Commerce)
Political Science, Literature, Library Science and Journalism
Dr. Emma Ba Yoke Nyunt Han (Political Science)
Dr. Khin Mya Kyu (Literature)
Dr. Khin Lay Myint (Literature, French) — daughter of Journal Gyaw Ma Ma Lay
Dr. Khin Thet Htar (Library Science) — compiled magnum opus of Health Professionals in Burma (with her spouse Saya Dr. Mya Tu)
Dr. Marjarie Tin Nyo (Journalism) — daughter of Nation U Law Yone
Science
Dr. Linsday (Zoology)
Dr. Lynsdale
Dr. Yi Yi (Botany)
Dr. Yi Yi
Dr. Mya Mya Nu (Zoology, Ornithology)
Dr. Yin Yin Nwe (Geology, Earth Science)
Dr. Hla Hla Sein (Mathematics)
Dr. Mya Mya Than (Botany)
Dr. Khin Mya Mya (Physics)
Dr. Khin Sein (Botany)
Medicine
Dr. Khin Khin Kyi (1) (Pharmacology)
Dr. Khin Khin Kyi (2) (Microbiology)
Dr. Khin Ma Gyi (Pharmacology)
Dr. San Yi (Physiology)
Dr. Marlar Maung (Microbiology)
Some countries offer C.Sc. (Candidate of Science).
Dr. Thane Oke Kyaw Myint added :
Although not doctorates, first in their fields:
Dr. Daw Saw Hsa, FRCS, surgery Dr. Daw Yin May, FRCS, FRCOG, FRCP (only Burmese Doctor to be conferred fellowships from three different colleges).
Fields of study of medicine:
Dr. Daw Khin Kyi Kyi (pharmacology) Dr. Daw Khin Kyi Kyi 2 (microbiology) Dr. Khin Ma Gyi (pharmacology)
Dr. Daw San Yi (physiology)
Dr. Daw Marlar Maung (microbiology) younger sister of Alumnus Khin Maung Maung (Burma Navy) (SPHS 1960)
Prof. Daw Phae (Mrs. Yu Khin) microbiology
Prof. Daw Myint Myint Khin, BA English, FRCP Edin: Professor of Medicine writer and poet, Medical educationalist
Prof. Daw Hla Kyi, FRCOG, MMSA. She was the only OB-GYN with Master of Midwifery of the Society of Apothecaries.
Dr. Yan Naing Lwin wrote :
Daw Hla Hla Sein — who taught Mathematics at RIT and is a sister of Daw Myint Myint Sein (M70) — received M.A in math from University of Indiana, Bloomington, Ind . and Ph.D. in mathematics from University of Illinois , U-C. She passed away about 2 years ago in Pasadena, Ca.
Mimi Aung – received her BS & MS degrees in EE from University of Illinois, U-C. She has been the program manager for NASA Mars helicopter project at JPL – Pasadena.
Doris Chan – received her BS , MS & Ph.D. degrees in EE from University of Illinois, U-C. Currently at BAE systems.
Angel Chan – received her BS in Chemistry & Biology from Western Illinois University Ph.D. in Material Science & MD degrees from University of Illinois, U-C Currently at John Hopkins University
Dr. Kyaw Tint wrote :
Daw May Su, received Master of Science in Nuclear Physics. Based on my conversation with her, I noticed her University was in London, but could not recall the name. She passed away in Northern California several years ago.
There is also another lady named Dr. Khin Mya Mya, PhD in Physics, I think from Australia in 1970s.
Dr. Daw Khin Sein of Botany was my English teacher of proficiency course at IFL. Her high school was in Darjeeling and the PhD was most likely from Britain.
U Thein Han wrote :
Professor Daw Kyu Kyu Swe, MBBS, MRCOG, Mandalay Medical College (spouse of Professor Dr. Pe Thein).
“K” is the pen name of BBS U Khin Zaw (Founder and Director of Burma Broadcasting Service / Myanmar Ah Than). He was assisted by his cousin U Pe Thaw. His mentees include “Aba” U Than Myint.
U Khin Zaw & U Than Myint
He served as Chief Librarian of Rangoon University Central Library. Saya Zaw Gyi (U Thein Han, Laureate Poet) succeeded him as Chief Librarian.
Librarian & Author
He wrote about Burmese Music. He listened to Burmese Classical Songs and wrote international notation for them.
Writing notes for Burmese songs
He explained to visiting musicians (Duke Ellington, Count Bassie …) about Burmese Musical Instruments.
He translated poems by Saya Minthuwun and Saya Zaw Gyi.
“K”, Zawgyi & Minthuwun
Several years back, U Wint Khin Zaw mailed me a book authored by his father. The book’s title unfortunately had to be changed from Burma to Myanmar (in my time) per order of the Censorship Board for Publications. Due to absence of Grandfather’s Clause, books with Burma in the title could not be reprinted without changing it to Myanmar. (e.g books by Maurice Collis and Daw Khin Myo Chit).
U Wun (Minthuwun), U Khin Zaw (“K”) and U Thein Han (Zawgyi)
Three Authors
U Khin Zaw
U Khin Zaw
Chief Librarian of Rangoon University
He founded BBS (Burma Broadcasting Service, Myanmar Ah Than) and served as its Director.
Wrote “Burma in My Life-time”.
Compiled notes for Burmese Classical songs.
Collaborated with Minthuwun for “Burmese Nursery Rhymes”.
U Thein Han
U Thein Han
He studied Burmese and Library Science. For many years, he served as Chief Librarian of Rangoon University Library and Rangoon University Central Library (RUCL).
National Literary Award winner
Sar Pay Beik Mun Award winner
U Wun
U WunU Wun & Htin KyawBook about Minthuwun by his son U Htin Kyaw
U Wun headed the Translation Department at Rangoon University.
He served as Professor of Burmese at RU, and as Visiting Professor at Osaka University.
He is a Lexicographer. He compiled the Myanmar Abhidan. He worked with Professor Harada (Chit Man Nwe) and team on the Japanese-Burmese Dictionary.
Khit San Sar Pay
Zawgyi and Minthuwun are Laureate Poets. They co-founded Khit San Sar Pay with Theikpan Maung Wa (ICS U Sein Tin). The three were the early students of Saya U Pe Maung Tin (Pali and Burmese Scholar, first native Principal of Rangoon College).
Libraries
In the early days, some Faculties of RU had libraries.
Under the then new Education System, most Universities and Institutes had their libraries.
The main library was known as RUCL (RU Central Library).
Saya Zawgyi has a bust honoring him as the Librarian of RU Library and RUCL.
Daw Myint Myint Khin and U Thaw Kaung were Assistant Librarians for the Faculty of Social Science.
Daw Myint Myint became RIT Librarian.
U Thaw Kaung became RUCL Librarian.
Broadcasting
U Khin Zaw was assisted by his cousin U Pe Thaw and his wife.
U Than Myint was his mentee.
U Kyaw Nyein, U Hla Bu & Daw Olive, Alison Tun Ngwe, Daw Than Hnit and others produced high quality programs.
Several BBS members were offered assignments and permanent positions at BBC and VOA.
“K”
U Khin Zaw
“K” wrote a semi-autobiography in “Burma In My Time”. The title had to be changed “Myanmar In My Time” for the reprint. Ko Wint Khin Zaw mailed me a copy of his father’s book.
He transcribed Burmese Classical songs.
U Khin Zaw transcribing Burmese song
“K” provided the music and some translations for “Maung Khway Boh” nursery songs. The work is based on kabyars by Minthuwun.
For Maung Khway
He hosted visiting musicians.
U Khin Zaw and Duke EllingtonU Khin Zaw explaining about Saing WaingU Khin Zaw and Count Basie
Minthuwun’s works
Dalaban (U Htin Kyaw) wrote several articles about his father Minthuwun (e.g Burmese terms for RU, Departments and Disciplines).
Book about Minthuwun by his son U Htin Kyaw
Minthuwun compiled the Burmese Dictionary.
He collaborated with Chit Mann Nwe & team at Osaka University on the Japanese-Burmese Dictionary.
Minthuwun compiled a list of Outstanding Burmans (in their fields).
Aspiring poets studied “Su Tu Pyu” and other books by Minthuwun.
He collaborated with U Khin Zaw on Burmese Nursery Songs.
For Maung KhwaySample Song
Zawgyi’s Kabyars
Zawgyi’s kabyars are recited around the world not only by renowned speakers but also children (e.g contest for reciting kabyars).
There is a PBS documentary about Saya’s famous kabyar (Bedar Lann) with the translation by Dr. Lyn Swe Aye.
