Tribute to a literary maestro
By Carlton Samarajiwa
Madawala S. Ratnayake died five years ago. With his death our country lost
a son of the soil of Siyane Korale, who enriched the contemporary Sinhala
literary scene with his novels, short stories, poetry and lyrics. The Principal
of Alawwa Madhya Maha Vidyalaya has, in a thoughtful and spontaneous gesture,
organised a commemorative meeting and exhibition in Madawala's honour on
Monday, March 25. The younger generations of Alawwa should be proud of
Madawala, for that is where he was born and grew up. These English translations
(feeble, though they be) of a quartet of his poems are presented on this
occasion as a tribute to the memory of a very dear friend from those Radio
Ceylon and later our Sarvodaya days.
The Other Shore
Heavy laden with life's cares, the boat leaves for the other shore,
The shoreless other side merges with the overarching sky,
Time flows by on the shore, my eyes are heavy with sleep;
The oars submerged in the river, rowing hands drained of strength;
The boat floats along aimlessly, and I see your tear- filled eyes
Through the clouds that embrace the skies.
My heart heaves with the sky
From yester eve
In the spotless sky
The clouds are heavy,
Gathered in processions.
The hills and the valleys,
Creepers and trees
Are covered in thick darkness,
Like my own dismal thoughts.
Darkness and loneliness
Mingle with each other,
Lighting flashes in my heart
And it heaves with the sky.
Gusts of wind atop the mountains
Jostle together in confusion;
Trees come crashing down,
Causing destruction all round.
Over some sadness unknown,
Some hurt felt deep down,
The sky is weeping,
It is raining, raining.
No heaviness in the sky,
Nor in my heart,
I see the light,
I am drenched.
The more it rains,
The more warm I feel,
May the rains come down
And embrace my heart.
The fresh scent of life
Grows warmer and warmer;
May the rains come down
So I may receive it.
The fresh scent of life
Will I ever receive?
O, who can say?
Will I ever or never?
Without rain
Will it ever be warm?
Will there ever be
A fresh scent of life?
The rain has ceased,
The sky is clear,
The darkness
Is washed away.
The wind is at peace,
The forest is still.
Wait for the boatman
Do not trouble me my dear,
Asking me to row you to the other shore;
To help myself and no one else
Did I arrive on this shore.
Wait for the boatman if you want to cross over,
But if you want to go in my boat,
Then sing to me sweetly and soothe my heart;
If you move me with your song,
There will be room in my boat for you.
With not a sound, not a murmur from outside
To disturb me, if your melody flows into my heart, and
If you fill my ears with sweet music overflowing,
My thirst will be quenched - and then yours.
Do not come to me now, beloved
Do not come to me now, beloved,
To watch the blooming of passion
Out of the barren jungle of past memory,
Laid bare by storm and tempest
And twisted and uprooted.
To renew again the land
That was laid bare
Needs Time's nurturing over a long time.
The moment for you to come to me
And say 'Beloved'
Lies hidden deep in a craven dark.
So come not to seek me now
In a barren land
Bereft of buds and flowers and leaves and bees
In a rocky plain.
Don't miss the Vienna Boys
The world-renowned Vienna Boys' Choir will be in Sri Lanka next week to
present concerts at St. Theresa's Church Thimbirigasyaya and the Hilton
Hotel, Colombo on March 27. The choir, which comprises 100 choristers between
the ages of 10 and 14 and is divided into four choirs, will cover a wide
spectrum of music ranging from classical to contemporary.
Founded in 1498 under the patronage of Emperor Maximillian, the Vienna
Boys' Choir has produced famous choristers and musicians of the calibre
of Jacobus Gallus, the brothers Haydn, Franz Schubert, Wolfgang Amadeus
Mozart and Joseph Fux.
The choir performs around the world and the boys frequently perform
in all European countries, Asia, Australia and the Americas. The choir's
school of 250 children are funded through their tour concerts and the choristers
rehearse at the Augartenpalais, a Baroque Palace in Vienna.
A school concert will also be held at the Sugathadasa Indoor Stadium
at 8 p.m. on Thursday, March 28. All proceeds from the shows will go to
the Lady Ridgeway Hospital and charity.
Stages goes to Manchester
The 'Stages' theatre group (producers of CHECKPOINT: three strangely normal
plays and The Last Elephant) has been invited to perform at the Cultural
Festival of the 2002 Commonwealth Games to be held in Manchester in July.
This venture will bring together ten youth theatre groups from around
the world to perform alongside each other in an unique theatrical event.
Stages will perform a play written by a group of new young Sri Lankan writers
drawn from the English and Sinhala stage.
The project entitled, 'Contacting the world' (organized by Contact -
the youth theatre in Manchester) is aimed at developing and strengthening
drama and theatre ties between the youth of the Commonwealth. Five youth
groups from the United Kingdom will be "twinned" with five youth groups
from different countries around the world.
The twin groups will collaborate (via email, mail and the web) to develop
a new piece of theatre text - working on a common theme but on separate
plays. Among the other countries participating in this innovative theatrical
project are India, Malaysia, Nigeria and the Bahamas.
The play that Stages develops will first be performed to local audiences
at the British Council, Colombo in June - and then taken to Manchester
to be performed at the Commonwealth Games "CultureShock" festival in July.
Stages, has already begun devising a bilingual piece for the performance.
It will be directed by Ruwanthie de Chickera.
Kala Korner by Dee Cee
A pioneering service to theatre
This column pays tribute to a keen and dedicated individual who bid good-bye
last week having served the cause of the arts in Sri Lanka for well over
half a century. Those involved in theatre in Sri Lanka, particularly those
in the Sinhala theatre, owe a great deal to the eminent civil servant M.J.
Perera who passed away last week. As Chairman of the Sinhala Drama Panel
of the Arts Council, he was responsible for initiating the annual Drama
Festival which has become the most prestigious event in Sinhala theatre
today. Way back in 1957, he began working on the project. The first attempt
was a failure. He gave two reasons as to why it failed - "we were too optimistic
about the state of drama at the time and we planned the festival in too
elaborate a manner."
He was successful in organising the first ever drama festival in January
1959 when ten plays produced in the previous two years were chosen for
a festival. The venue was the 'Government Senior School hall, Havelock
Town' - which later became the Lumbini Hall where to this day, most drama
producers prefer to have their productions staged.
The prophetic words he wrote for the programme note of the first drama
festival are worth repeating. "Our aim in presenting these plays is to
enable the public to assess the Sinhala theatre of today and to encourage
producers. We feel that festivals of this sort will assist the growth of
the Sinhala theatre which has now awakened from its dormant state. We also
hope that this will surprise those who thought Sinhala theatre was dead."
Along with that ardent lover of theatre, H. D. Sugathapala, M. J. Perera
did so much to assist drama producers. 'Sugar', as the headmaster of Royal
Primary was then fondly called, opened the doors of the school for rehearsals
at a time when dramatists had no place to go to. He continued the good
work started by M. J. Perera having taken over as Chairman of the Drama
Panel.
As Director of Cultural Affairs, M. J. Perera had two able assistants
in Vincent Pandita and Austin Jayawardena to make a meaningful contribution
towards the promotion of Buddhism and the arts. He was loved by the media
when, as Information Officer (as the Director of Information was known)
in the mid-fifties, his office was open for any pressman to walk into.
His thorough understanding of the media made it possible for him to contribute
immensely to the development of radio (he was the first Sri Lankan Director-General
of Broadcasting) and later as the first Chairman of Rupavahini Corporation,
he guided the formative years of State television.
He certainly made sure that Sinhala theatre was not dead and saw to
it that it reached great heights during his lifetime. Being a simple and
unassuming public servant, he never boasted of what he did but was happy
to remain backstage unnoticed, having done his bit.
Forty years of writing
Somawira Senanayake is no stranger to readers of this column. He has excelled
as a writer, journalist, cinema and television script writer, media trainer
and lecturer for forty years. He is being felicitated for his yeoman service
at a ceremony to be held at the J. R. Jayewardene Centre on Tuesday, March
26.
Somawira has recorded his experiences over a period of four decades
in his autobiography to be released on that day. Titled 'Api Tavamath Sansare'
('We are still hovering about in Sansara), Dayawansa Jayakody Publications
have stepped in to publish it. The second edition of his last work, 'Andurata
Pahanak' , a practical guide for daily life based on Buddhist teachings
will also be released. |
