A heart-felt evening
Ten hours is a long time to wait for help when you’re having a heart attack. Yet, Sri Lankans experiencing a cardio-thoracic emergency in the island’s north, north-central and eastern regions have to make the long journey across to Kandy or Colombo where hospitals are equipped to
Wonderfully expressive: Gayatri Sriram. Pix by Indika Handuwala
treat them. Many never make it that far. This is where the Oxonian Heart Foundation comes in. They are determined to bring about change; whether someone is fighting for their lives or recovering from a major surgery, they want help to be closer to home.
In a full ballroom at the Hilton on Wednesday, well-wishers and supporters gathered together to raise funds for the foundation. A highlight of the evening was a Bharata Natyam performance by the Kalakshetra-trained
Dr. Ravi Perumal Pillai and below, other guests
Gayatri Sriram. Presenting selected excerpts from ‘Mukti Margam’, she began with an invocation to Surya Devata and followed with a varnam which celebrated stories of Krishna and ended with an interpretation of one of the Indian poet Jayadeva’s ashtapadis. The latter, taken from the Gita Govinda, is the last in a series and captures the moment where Radha wakes in Krishna’s arms.
Graceful and expressive, Gayatri was a pleasure to watch, but even more wonderful to listen to as she guided the audience through the performance, explaining in advance what we were about to see. Her insights into the Hindu mythology, the 
structure of the musical score and the pattern of the dance itself, allowed the audience to gain a deeper appreciation of the art form. It also brought the stories alive as Gayatri flowed like quicksilver from character to character, telling the tale of Krishna’s love for his poor friend Kuchela, how the god thwarted Draupadi’s humiliation at the hands of the Kauravas and Krishna’s immortal response to Arjuna as the latter feels his resolve weaken on the battlefield when faced with his family as the enemy. Admirably, though reportedly unwell and running a fever of a 104, the performer held nothing back over nearly an hour and a half of dancing.
After her performance, Dr. Ravi Perumal Pillai took the stage to speak about the accomplishments as well as the challenges ahead of the Oxonian Heart Foundation. A Consultant Cardiothoracic surgeon and Senior Lecturer at the University of Oxford for the last 25 years, Dr. Pillai was chairman of cardiac services at Oxford University from 1992-1997. That evening he spoke not just of the need to establish well equipped facilities in the North but of the pressing need to train doctors and nurses to man them. It will be the latter who make this venture sustainable, he told the audience.
Their goal is to raise US$ 2 million, the funds to be directed toward a unit in the Northern Central Hospital (NCH) in Jaffna. As part of that night’s festivities, guests were served a dinner, conceptualised by the Hilton’s new Indian chef, Chef Paul Joe, who’s been dubbed ‘the curry maestro’ — an exciting vegetarian meal served in 12 small portions from appetizers to desserts.
All in all, the evening was a success for the Oxonian Heart Foundation. Leaving, many no doubt with their pledge cards filled, guests seemed to have answered the question posed in Dr. Pillai’s presentation earlier on in the evening: ‘Do you have the heart to help?’ Here’s hoping more people will continue to say ‘yes.’
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