'Kirimaduvel' - folk songs on a fresh note

Leading songstress Nanda Malini, who does something new, something different, each time she releases an audio cassette has stepped in to try and popularise folk songs. In her latest cassette titled 'Kirimaduvel' she presents a delightful collection of some age-old folk songs, giving them a fresh lease of life. Keeping to the original words and maintaining the traditional touch, she sings them using contemporary musical accompaniment.

"When we were young, we sang these songs. Today not only the children but even the adults have forgotten them. This is just a small attempt on my part to create an interest in them once again. Let them begin appreciating our rich folk literature," Nanda explained.

Her selection gives a glimpse of the rich tradition.

Starting with 'Konda Kurulla', a popular number, she moves on to 'Kamath Kavi' (what the farmers sing on the threshing floor), 'Paru Kavi' (sung by the boatman) and 'Thun Sarane' (sung by pilgrims particularly when they climb Sri Pada, extolling the virtues of the Triple Gem). She then picks up numbers from the Sandakinduru Kolama, Yasodara Vatha, Vadan Kavi Potha, and Vessantara Jataka Kavya.

'Kirimaduvel', the title of the cassette is on the virtues of the mother.

While she is accompanied by a chorus on many a number, Sunil Edirisinghe joins her for the only duet. Joining her on the musical compositions are well known musicians Rohana Weerasinghe, Ananda Perera, Shelton Premaratne and Austin Munasinghe.

Once again, Singlanka has stepped in to produce and market the cassette. With 'Kirimaduvel', her 24th release, Nanda Malini maintains her record of releasing a cassette every year. Exactly one year ago, she recognised young talent by selecting compositions by 16 amateur lyric writers and 16 melody makers in 'Malata Renu' as a follow-up to a previous cassette 'Araliya Landa' when she sang songs from amateur lyric writers.

'Kirimaduvel' is refreshing and different. Her effort to preserve our traditions for future generations is laudable and deserving of support.

Buddhi's 'hat trick'

Backroom boys, whether in theatre or film, tend to be a forgotten lot. Even when they win awards, the recognition they receive often does not match the hard work they put in. That's how I missed Buddhadasa Galappatti's 'hat-trick'. With the award for the Best Make-up Artiste at the recent State Drama Festival for his effort in K. B. Herath's 'Vasudeva', Buddhi (as he's known) bagged the award for the third consecutive year. A rare feat indeed. Earlier, he had won the award for make-up in Herath's award winning drama 'Deveni Mahinda' and Lalitha Sarachchandra's 'Ratnavalee'.

Buddhi's is an impressive record. For over two decades he has been involved with theatre doing make-up for a host of dramas. Recognition first came his way in 1984 when he won a merit award in K.B. Herath's 'Maya Devi'. He won a merit award again the following year in Jayalath Manoratne's 'Putra Samagama'.

The next year saw him being judged the best make-up artiste in 'Avi Saha Rhinocerous' (joint effort by Kapila Kumar Kalinga and Prasanna Vitanage). In 1991 he won the award in Herath's 'Nagagurula'.

"I have won enough. May be I should move out of festivals," Buddhi says.

Buddhi is also a talented writer. His anthology of poems, 'Turuliya Akuruviya' earned him the best poet's award at last year's State Literary Festival.

Well done Buddhi, keep up the good work.

The unforgettable Sindu

Salaman (he insisted he is 'Salaman' and not Solomon) Fonseka who left us a fortnight ago, was synonymous with Dayananda Gunawardena's 'Nari Bena'. His role as the lovable 'nariya' was matchless. He brought life to the character with his superb acting and of course, fine singing. 'Kumatada Sabaniye Kandulu Salanne' still reverberates in our ears.

And then came Henry Jayasena's 'Tavat Udesanak' (1964). As Sindu, the innocent boy in that beautiful playlet, he was excellent. Again he played the young boy's character to perfection.

Salaman was very much involved with Henry in the early days. I remember him handling make-up in 'Janelaya', 'Kuveni' & 'Tavat Udesanak'.

Having done further studies in Czechos-lavakia, Salaman returned fully qualified. His last posting was at the Sri Lanka Rupavahini Corporation.

Sensational synergy of bow and keyboard

By Tennyson Rodrigo

Two renowned artistes, eight composers, ten musical works, two sell-out evenings at the Wendt, and a battery of generous sponsors backing Sunethra Bandaranaike's espousal of a noble cause - what better constellation and sense of occasion can there be for lovers of classical music! But life is such that in every setting that is seemingly auspicious, a perceived void tends to say 'oh what a pity!' At least Paganini, Sarasate and even Ravel might have shown some discontent with a mismatch in content and resources. Let me return to that after capturing some highlights in the careers of two fine musicians revisiting Sri Lanka.

Young Concert Artists, Inc., of New York rank 27-year-old Stefan Milenkovich is one of the most impressive violinists among the set of today's young musicians. On any criteria he is prodigiously talented, extraordinarily accomplished and highly acclaimed. Born in Belgrade in 1977 he started playing the violin at the age of three and first appeared as a soloist with an orchestra at the age of seven when he won the first international competition held in the Czech Republic. At 10 he played the violin for President Ronald Reagan; for Mikhail Gorbachev at 11 and for Pope John Paul II at 14. At the age of 17, when he won a silver medal at the 1994 Indianapolis International Violin Competition, he was the youngest player ever to achieve that distinction. At 18, Milenkovich was the youngest student to graduate from the University of Belgrade.

It must be a deep yearning in every violinist searching for excellence, to come under Dorothy DeLay's tutelage - the sanctum sanctorum for at least a 'final polish' in violin playing. Stefan Milenkovich was a participant in the Juilliard School's Professional Studies Programme and now holds the position of a Teaching Fellow at Juilliard's DeLay Institute.

Milenkovich has toured extensively performing in Australia, Belgium, Britain, China, Finland, France, Germany, Holland, Israel and many other countries and has been a soloist with numerous symphony orchestras in the world.

Rohan de Silva (resident in New York city) is inarguably the most accomplished and internationally recognized Sri Lankan pianist of today. In 1990 he was adjudged the Best Accompanist at the 9th International Tchaikovsky Competition in Moscow. He joined the faculty of The Juilliard School in September 1991 and in 1992 was a recipient of an Associate Degree from the Royal Academy of Music in London.

In the international arena, his definitive stature is increasingly spotlighted as a collaborative pianist. Among a new generation of violinist virtuosi such as Joshua Bell, Gil Shaham, Benny Kim, Kyoko Takazawa and others, De Silva is a prime choice as a competent and sympathetic collaborationist.

I now come back to my only reservation about the programme content itself. In my view, an expansive pot-pourrie not only overburdened two tireless artistes but also rendered the entire programme perhaps overly 'duo-centric'. How would Paganini have reacted to a rendering of the Finale of his Violin Concerto No. 2 without a supporting orchestra? And Sarasate to a reduced rendering of his Carmen Fantasy as a sonata for violin and piano? Have not Chausson's Poeme and even Ravel's Tzigane come under the batons of renowned conductors with enriching impact? In other words where were the spatial ambience and the symphonic enrichment we lost in a long embrace between bow and keyboard?

In saying so, no disrespect whatsoever is intended to the two distinguished artistes. Nor does it disregard the tremendous effort and commitment of all those who selflessly dedicated themselves to making this memorable event happen. It simply underlines a fundamental predicament in our national scheme of things. After 52 years of independence, our cultural infrastructure, attitudes and values have not been conducive to the emergence of a disciplined, robust and competent symphony orchestra that could confidently accompany visiting world-class artistes. In these the very same factors are also the determinants of our failures in nation building, reconciliation and consensus. This is by no means the final verdict on the concerts. The substantive sonatas of Beethoven, Mozart and Schubert for instance provided a perfect platform for the violin-piano duo to display their interactive synergies and strengths of their individual characters. Some thoughts on that can be more appropriately dealt with perhaps in a separate instalment.

A different beat

By Dilrukshi Handunnetti

Panibharatha's living room is one of artistic chaos, drums strewn around. And the truth in the adage that fine arts are a man's true expression of his joy in labour, strikes me. Creativity certainly dwells here.

I am here to meet Pani-bharatha's youngest daughter Jayawanthi, who is full of plans for an 'artistic diversion'. A Manipuri artiste, dancing is a way a of life for her. The 'davulas' and 'thammettamas' were constant companions to the dancing sisters, and Kandyan dance (of which their father is an exponent) was their baptism in art. "I actually recall inhaling and exhaling rhythmically to the beat of Appachchi's drum," she reminisces.

But Jayawanthi Panibharatha believes that like everyone else in the family, she has to carve a niche for herself independent of her father's identity. Like her celebrated father who won great acclaim for his interpretation of the Kandyan dance and her elder sister Upuli's success as a pioneer of the fusion dance- something which evolved from the traditional art form, Jayawanthi wishes to anoint this country with an evolved form of "Manipuri'- a little known form of dance here.

In Sri Lanka, out of the 'maha sampradayas' ( chief traditions) of Indian dance, it is Bharatha Natyam and Kathak which are most popular. But it is Manipuri which permits males and females to perform together unlike other forms which are mainly solo interpretations.

Manipuri unlike other Indian dance traditions confines the artiste to a limited area. The 'frame' as it is called, is similar to spotlight dancing. Impeccable technique is a must as each flaw becomes visible due to limitation of movements, Jayawanthi explains.

"You remain the focal point. So every nuance, body movement, step and expression counts. It is rigorous and requires extreme discipline."

She studied Manipuri at Shanthinikethan which she describes as 'the hub of Indian creativity, and with the Bengali flavour- it has that ambience where education became a spiritual exercise."

"In India, it was a way of life. Everything was interconnected and conducive to broadening one's education of fine arts. "

She is saddened by the fact that in Sri Lanka, natyam is not recognized, but has become a mere 'fashion' for youngsters to dabble with temporarily with no lasting dedication to the art.

" I know of many who possess the certificate but cannot perform. If you cannot express yourself aesthetically, that certificate is only a meaningless paper," she says, adding that having classes has become only a money-spinner for many. A depthless education system, she adds, churns out fine arts graduates who cannot perform. "Theory is important. But a dancer is essentially a performer. If you have no fluidity of movement, the accompanying grace and rhythm, what's the use? Unfortunately, people view this as a gateway to a teaching appointment," she laments. In centuries past, the arts flourished due to royal patronage. Today the arts are unrecognized, their professional and financial aspects completely ignored." Unless there are concerts of the modern kind where you do hip gyrating dancing to blaring music, we have no survival. This is why I work at the Tourist Board and perform when I wish to," she explains.

What Jayawanthi wants to introduce is a new experience- something which is vibrantly alive in India- the professionalism in dancing.

For two years now, Jayawanthi has dreamed of teaching the exotic Manipuri dance form in her own school- the very first of its kind here. A modest little place where she can fashion the future generation and imbibe fresh thinking about fine arts. Having delivered her first born two days ago, she is full of hope for the future. "Hopefully my baby would also heed the call of the drum beat."

She has another wish- "a fine arts library where things would be preserved for posterity. A place from where our future generations could learn about the evolution of our fine arts, their roots."

Book Shelf

Meaningful expositions of Sri Lankan culture

Make your visit to Dalada Maligawa more meaningful.

Professor J.B. Disanayaka has put out two timely publications. In Sinhala, of course. One is 'Siri Dalada Maligawa' continuing his series 'Rataka Mahima' and the other is 'Siri Dalada Maligawe Situvam' beginning a brand new series under the title 'Sittara Mahima', discussing temple painitngs.

We are so used to going to the Maligawa and worshipping the Sacred Tooth Relic. Yet we rarely study the surroundings or admire the paintings that are aplenty all round the Maligawa. Those who read JB's books will hereafter find their visits to the Maligawa more meaningful.

Written in his characteristic simple, lucid style, 'Siri Dalada Maligawa' offers an insight into the activities that go on within the premises. When we step into the Maligawa, often we hear the beating of drums and listen attentively. We know it is a ritual followed day in day out. JB describes the significance: There are three offerings that take place every day - 'Aluyam Thewawa', 'Nava Pe Poojawa' and 'Hawasa Poojawa'. The day begins with 'Aliyandure' referring to the beating of the hewisi at the crack of dawn. This is a prelude to the 'Aluyam Thewawa', the morning offering. The monks hand over the keys to the 'Vattoru Rala', the keeper of the keys who does the round distributing them. The 'Pallemala' Rala' accepts the key to the 'Pallemala Budu-ge' (downstairs shrine room). The party proceed upstairs where they light the 'Dolosmahe Pahana' (the eternal flame), offer flowers and food, worship the Sacred Relic, ring the bell and end the morning ritual.

JB traces the history of the Sacred Relic and discusses the role of the kings of Kandy in detail. It was King Vimaladharmasuriya (1591-1604) who brought the Relic to Kandy. His successors continued the tradition of looking after the Relic which symbolised the king's authority.

The book describes the different buildings in the Maligawa premises and what they are used for. The chapter devoted to 'Hewisi Mandape' where the drumming takes place details the significance of the periodic drum sessions. The functions of the officials from Diyawadana Nilame downwards are described. All in all it's a comprehensive coverage of everything that one should know about the Maligawa. Colourfully illustrated, the book consists of 20 pages of photographs. They help us to appreciate the book better. When JB began researching the activities of the Maligawa, he was impressed with the large number of paintings adorning the walls and the ceiling. This prompted him to study them in detail and he saw an opportunity to give the reader another feature of the Maligawa. The result was 'Siri Dalada Maligawe Situvam' recording the work of talented Sinhala painters of the Kandyan period.

Paintings are found in three areas in the Maligawa. At the entrance (the area is called 'Ambarava'), the chambers upstairs and the area downstairs. Some of them are out of reach of the visitor due to security reasons. These are the ones in the inner chamber where the Sacred Tooth Relic is kept.

Starting with a history of the paintings, JB goes on to discuss the different paintings in detail. Photographer K.M.I. Swarnasinghe has taken pains to capture the details of the paintings in a meaningful way.

It's heartening to see publisher Sirisumana Godage continuing to extend his co-operation in getting JB's writings published promptly.

Possibly JB is already working on the English versions of these books because they will help tourists to understand our culture better.

- Ranat

A taste of Sinhala (27)

Who's who in Sinhala

J. B. Disanayaka

If someone knocked on your door, you would immediately ask "kauda?" to find out who it was. The Sinhala word "kauda" pronounced with a rising intonation, means 'who?'.When someone is introduced to a Sinhalese he wishes to find out a little more about the stranger to place him or her on the social map. To satisfy his curiosity, he will ask a question relating to this pedigree: "kage kauda?" literally 'who's who'. He may not ask directly "oya: Kage kauda?" (Who's who are you?) but all his questions will ultimately seek answers to his pedigree.

When the word 'kauda' is combined with an emphatic verb, such as 'enne' (comes) 'denne' (gives) 'danne' (knows), 'bonne' (drink), it becomes a question seeking information.

kauda enne? - Who is coming?

kauda denne salli? - Who gives money?

However, when 'kauda' is combined with a non emphatic verb, such as 'enava' (comes), 'duvanava' (runs) 'andanava' (cries) or 'bonava' (drinks) it refers to a person unknown or uncertain.

kauda enava - Someone is coming

kauda duvanava - Someone is running

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