The giant lantern comes alive to “oohs” and “aahhs”
Sulochana weaves her magic. Pic by Nilan Maligaspe
On a balmy Saturday evening on May 6 we inched our way into the packed hall of the Sooriya Village where Sulochana Dissanayake was into an enchanting evening of picturesque storytelling using a Giant Vesak Lantern. What set apart the white papered structure that was similar to the lanterns we see annually this season was that it stood towering over its audience and was adorned with sketches from the iconic Sybil Wettasinghe book of the same name.
First published in 1965, “The Vesak Lantern” is a prize winning children’s classic based on the author’s real life experience. It reflects Sybil’s own son building a Vesak lantern with his grandmother “one that was larger than a house” Sulochana states to the “oohs” and “aahhs” of her captivated audience. The story follows the grandmother ‘Aththamma’ and her determined grandson, affectionately called ‘Patiya’, as they come together to build a giant Vesak Lantern, a heartwarming story in celebration of the sacred day.
Sulochana is founder and artistic director of Power of Play, an organization, devoted to bringing down barriers and entertaining audiences via art forms such as puppetry and theatre .
Sulochana initiated her unique storytelling concept in 2011. Described by many as a “master puppeteer” Sulochana also has many other titles such as theatre creator, educator and trainer. Completing her Bachelor of Arts degree in Economics and Theatre from Bates College in the US, she was awarded the Watson Fellowship in 2009 allowing her to pursue her lifelong passion of studying performance arts in South Africa and Indonesia, the inspiration to her “minimalistic story telling method”.
The Vesak Lantern story breaks down many barriers, engaging the attentive kids as they marvel at the trust the grandmother has in her grandson, as he brainstorms an innovative idea of building a giant Vesak lantern. Sulochana takes a jibe at the technological times we live in and the absent parent/guardian, when narrating aththamma’s support and time taken to listen to ‘patiya’ as she wonders out loud “Was Aththamma too busy for Patiya? Replying emails or on a call?” to the chuckles of the parents in the audience.
The interactive performance was filled with energy as children echoed the scene from the ‘pola’ (market) with Sulochana shouting “Labai! Labai! Labai” (Cheap! Cheap! Cheap!). Along with her, some brave ones stood up to dance as the musicians launched into upbeat tempos. Sulochana’s rich narration coupled with the wistful tones and expression had her audience spellbound as she crawled into the giant lantern manipulating it in such a way that each square which represented her part of the narration was turned towards her audience. The entire performance embodied that of Pandal viewing during Vesak time minus the glitz of the lights but enhanced by the raw narration.
The partnership with Sooriya Village underlines its aim to build a platform to cultivate and encourage artistss and enthusiasts to develop their passions.
Veteran children’s author and illustrator Sybil Wettasinghe’s stories hold a deep sentimental value for this dynamic performer. “It is a great honour to perform Sybil Wettasinghe’s stories,” Sulochana says. “When I was a young girl my father used to bring her books for me to read.” On her exceptional but effective story telling method Sulochana shares, “There’s a kind of magic in our local stories that cannot be captured by technology. With the progress of technology we now see kids shying away from written text. As families from a country rich in culture and history we need to revive this kind of literature.”
Sulochana has performed the “Vesak Lantern” stories on previous occasions with her stint at Sooriya Village being the fourth time. “I was fascinated by the concept of the establishment,” she says. The atmosphere at Sooriya Village also providing her stories just the right pinch of allure that made it a magical evening.
After the story telling the children flocked around in groups receiving their own Vesak Lantern structure, glue and coloured kite paper, parents too joining in the activities.
Maithree Athnayake, mother of six- year-old Hasadula, has been following Sulochana’s readings for some time. “These stories are authentic and are such a part of our childhood,” she adds, happy that her child can visualize these narrations.
So the young listeners are not the only ones who strain their ears for a piece of narration, the parents too laugh along with their kids. Remarking on the audience’s vast age difference Sulochana adds, “There is no age specification to hear a good story.”