• Buddhika Damayantha : A show of more dramatic talent
• A fine record
• An unhealthy trend

Buddhika Damayantha : A show of more dramatic talent

It is indeed most satis fying for a theatre- goer when he is able to enjoy a good drama and recommend it to others. Buddhika Damayantha's 'Dawasa Thama Gevun.... Ne' is one such play.

Adjudged the best play in last year's State Drama Festival, it was selected to open this year's, and the performance was extremely good. It also collected the awards for best direction, best actor and best actress.

Based on American dramatist Murray Schisgal's 'The Typists' , the play featured just two actors - typists in an office. Both had deservedly won awards - Saumya Liyanage (proving he has acquired the talents of his father, Hemasiri) and Jayani Senanayake - as last year's best. They played superbly. There was just one stage setting, that of an office room where the two worked. But the play said so much. For a dialogue play, S. Karunaratne who was responsible for the translation, did a perfect job.

Director Buddhika showed he was a clever craftsman. His talents were seen in the way he interpreted a simple story which had a lot to convey. "On the surface it looks a comedy, a satire. But deep within, the play exposes certain attitudes of man, the disgusting sorrowful nature of his existence," he says. Buddhika was able to get his players to project those situations convincingly.

He uses modern theatrecraft to effectively relate the changes in a person's life as he/she advances in years.

Translator Karunaratne says his objective was to introduce the work of avant garde dramatists, particularly those which are categorised as 'Theatre of the Absurd' to local theatre at a time when there is an upsurge in theatre activity among young dramatists.

A fine record

Buddhika Damayantha, relatively a newcomer to theatre, has had success from the time he started producing plays less than a decade ago. An old boy of Dharmapala Vidyalaya, Pannipitiya, he followed a course in drama at the National Youth Services Council in the early nineties.

In four successive years, his plays reached the final round at the annual State Drama Festival and every one of them bagged a few awards each year.

Buddhika has concentrated on translations. Another feature is his love for 'Theatre of the Absurd'. His first play, Adhipathiyage Marana Manchakaya (1994) was a translation of Samuel Beckett's 'The End Game'. It won seven awards at the annual Youth Drama Festival and was chosen for the final round of the State Drama Festival. Two years later, he produced Padadaya based on American dramatist Edward Albee's 'The Zoo Story' which came up to the final round in the Drama Festival ending up winning the awards for best translation and best supporting actor.

In 1997 he produced Palingurena (Tennessee William's 'The Glass Menagerie') once again winning the awards for best translation and best supporting actress at the 1998 Drama Festival.

This year too, his play, 'Bansi Merila Ne', another translation by S Karunaratne ('Sizwe Bansi is Dead') has reached the final round at the Drama Festival.

An unhealthy trend

Renowned writer, Dr. G. S. B. Senanayake notices an unhealthy trend among readers. "It is, indeed a sad situation that we see today, that there are some readers, especially some students who are satisfied with reading only a review of a textbook without reading the original. If the review is done after thorough reading and digesting the contents, grasping all the aspects, it may give a fair understanding to the reader. If the competence of the critic is dubious, that is to say, had he not done justice to the writer by haphazard reading, both the critic and the reader are sadly misled," he says.

Dr. Senanayake was delivering the keynote address at the D. R. Wijewardene Award ceremony on 'Approaches to Criticism in Sinhala Literature'.

"There are no short cuts to literary studies," he insisted. "Criticism should improve our knowledge, adding something new. It cannot be done by short cuts."

What is literary criticism? Who is a critic?

Dr. Senanayake gave the answers. "Criticism is an inquiry - an inquiry into the ingredients of the given work. One who holds this inquiry is the critic."

What are the qualifications of the critic? "To be a successful critic one should be equipped with erudition," Senanayake says. "Erudition ('bahussuta' in Pali) conduces to wisdom which in turn results in investigating talent. The one who possesses this skill is competent enough to inquire into any literary work - let it be a novel, a short story, a poem or a play or anything related to the literary field."

Dr. Senanayake pointed out that both the author and the critic are self-appointed. The critic who aims at establishing standards of impeccable criticism pays special attention, among others to, (a) analytical, (b) interpretative and (c) evaluative aspects. The given fiction, he knows, directly or indirectly relates to human society and the empirical phenomenon and consequently he bases his inquiry on human behaviour. Even a critical presentation can be exposed to further criticism, which inevitably leads to progress in the literary field.

He said the most important necessity in formulating a set of principles for criticism is to be free of all types of institutional restrictions. "The competent critic who is free of petty prejudices develops an independent investigating skill."

Hunas Falls Hotel

Amidst green mountains

Nestling amidst lush green mountains, with the cascading Hunas Falls in the background and a tranquil lake at its foot, Hunas Falls Hotel enjoys a breathtakingly beautiful view.

Twenty-six kilometres from the medieval hill capital of Kandy, the hotel is reached by a road winding through a tea estate. A stream flowing down from the Falls meanders alongside the roadway. The road finally arrives at a mountain peak, where the hotel stands sentinel over the smooth green turf of a six hole golf course, landscaped gardens with its duck ponds, man-made lake and flower-fringed lawns.

The visitor is greeted with the traditional Ayubowan at the entrance lobby, refurbished to give an informal atmosphere, with simple reception desks and comfortable chairs. The hotel, originally built by Colombo Commercial Company on a tea estate also owned by them, passed to Jetwing in 1991, when it was refurbished and extended. It now has 31 spacious rooms including two luxury theme suites.

Each spacious bedroom is filled with light from the full-length glass windows, which open out onto a private balcony. The bedrooms overlook the colourful flower-filled gardens, and have a view of the mountains and valleys beyond. The fully-carpeted rooms are well-equipped with a mini bar, TV and IDD facilities.

Two theme suites, the Highlander and Katsura provide an opportunity for luxurious living. The 1,500 square foot Highlander, is furnished with a medieval touch. The Regency-style sitting room, Tudor dining-room and fully equipped farmhouse kitchen exude an old world charm.

The master bedroom, overlooking the golf course, is richly decorated and has every facility. The spacious toilet is equipped with double wash-basins, a marble bath and jacuzzi.

In contrast, Katsura is fitted out in Japanese style. The sitting room is furnished with low chairs and rugs on a light wooden floor. Sliding doors open onto a private garden. Japanese meals are served if required in the Japanese style dining-room with cushions for seats. Katsura also has a fully equipped pantry-cum-bar.

The bedroom has a luxurious attached bathroom with jacuzzi. Furnished with a low emperor size bed mounted on a wooden platform, it opens out to an exquisite view of the waterfall cascading down the mountain slopes.

Both suites have 24-hour butler service. Staff who speak Japanese are available for special services in Katsura. The occupancy rates in both suites are pretty high since they are often used by the Jetwing Club membership, said General Manager Roshan de Silva. Katsura is very popular among the Japanese, while Highlander appeals more to European clients.

The restaurant, elegantly furnished in blue and grey, overlooks the man-made lake. Here, one can savour classic western cuisine as well as the flavours of Asia. The Falls Bar with its gleaming counter and groups of comfortable chairs, is a cozy spot to enjoy a drink. A pool table and live entertainment in the evenings are added attractions. A balcony outside overlooks the lake and mountains. A Conference Hall on the same level can accommodate 125 people.

Hunas Falls Hotel, which had a reputation of being a honeymooners' paradise, now offers excellent facilities as a family holiday destination. A bright and airy children's playroom provides a cheerful atmosphere for little ones of all ages. It is equipped with playpens for toddlers and mattresses for older children to play on. Tricycles, peddle cars, clockwork cars, rockers, dolls and building blocks are among the toys available to entertain the kids, in addition to a large Noah's Ark they can climb on to.

For teenagers and youth, another room is equipped with computer games, a table soccer game, chess, carrom, dart board, small pool table and TV. Apart from outdoor activities, young people can find plenty to keep themselves entertained. A roomy library contains a good collection of books, magazines and newspapers arranged on wooden shelves lining the walls. Furnished with comfortable leather chairs, sofas and writing tables, you can find many a cosy nook to curl up with a book. Yet another room for recreation, complete with pool table and card tables, is available for small groups to reserve for their own use. So there is no lack of facilities for recreation at Hunas Falls. For those who prefer the outdoors, there is a floodlit swimming pool open to the panoramic view of the surrounding mountainous landscape. The pool is heated when the weather turns cold. Rowing boats and paddle-boats are available for boating on the lake. Cricket, badminton, tennis and golf are other outdoor activities one can indulge in. The hills and valleys around the hotel offer interesting opportunities and sites for trekking, bird-watching or simply strolling.

For excursions outside, Kandy is within easy reach. Here, one can visit the Dalada Maligawa, which houses the sacred Tooth Relic, the Peradeniya Botanical Gardens, the impressive Victoria Reservoir built by the British under the Mahaweli Project and many other places of interest. A jungle safari to the Knuckles Range not far off, is also an exhilarating experience. For a day excursion, a visit to Hanguranketa, where the Kandyan King sought refuge would also prove to be interesting. The Hanguranketa Temple is significant for its shrine room murals and ola leaf manuscripts.

Hunas Falls is indeed a place where one can enjoy the modern comforts of a hotel set in idyllic surroundings, while engaging in activities of your choice. The beautiful location with its panoramic view, the cool, invigorating climate and the comforts of a well-run hotel combine to make it an ideal place for a relaxing family holiday.

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