Arts
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After years of painting and winning many awards including two international awards, the "Shankar" gold medal from India and "Kanagawa" gold medal from Japan, Nandana has finally decided to go public with his talent. After four months of preparation, his first solo exhibition titled 'Nandana Rekha' is being held at the Art Gallery on January 9, 10 and will draw to a close today. Nandana strives for versatility. His art often is not limited to a particular theme or style but varies from abstracts in oils to scenery in watercolours or portraits in rotring ink. "I want to be an all rounder in both subject and style." Drawing inspiration from anything and everything around him, he says, "like a computer I load all the images into my head and when I start painting it's a matter of recalling what I have seen." He loves the challenge of drawing out of his imagination stating, "It's easy to look and draw but the skill of an artist is really tested when one draws out of one’s imagination." In life Nandana is very much the all rounder he strives to be. Apart from art he is into dress designing, his forte being in the bridal department, having designed for both western and Kandyan brides. Also fluent in Hindi he was instrumental in translating the script of the popular Hindi soap "Shanti" for Sri Lankan viewers. However art is where his heart lies. A colourful journey into a country and its rich history Friends and acquaintances of Ananda W. P. Guruge in many countries of the world know him in many roles - national and international civil servant, diplomat, scholar, and exponent of Eastern culture and history, with special reference to Buddhist Studies. They know of his many skills from culinary to oratorical and literary. But few had known him as a writer of fiction, a hobby he had relegated to the background during his national and international career. In the sunny and salubrious beach city of Huntington Beach of Southern California, with his lovely wife, savouring his pseudo-retirement, which keeps him busier than ever, Dr. Guruge, has returned to writing historical fiction. His theme is his motherland, Sri Lanka, known to many still as Ceylon. Sri Lanka has emotionally been my second home and I still love to call myself a "Gamaya" from Great Falls, Virginia. As a young man I spent three years of unforgettable memories in the verdant island. Though I left Sri Lanka in 1955, Sri Lanka has never left me. I wallowed in recalling memories of all those familiar sites that I visited on the thousands of miles I drove in a small Ford Prefect, selling petroleum products to coconut, tea, and rubber industries. The smoky fires at dusk as I passed through the villages upcountry always filled me with warm recollections of leaves burning back in the USA during the fall of each year. I did all those "touristy" things; but I have missed so much and Ananda's books have since displayed the extent of my ignorance. It was with very great interest and curiosity that I read the first volume of Ananda Guruge's proposed trilogy on modern Sri Lanka, when it appeared three years ago as Free at last in Paradise. It took me to a Ceylon, which I could hardly imagine in spite of my memorable sojourn, a brave nation with a history of two thousand five hundred years and a culture deeply rooted in Buddhism, but languishing under foreign domination as a colony of the British Empire. Here, I came to know of my own compatriot, Colonel Henry Olcott of Orange, New Jersey and his incredible role as a leading light in Sri Lanka's national and spiritual revival as well as in the promotion of Buddhism in the world, the man who mentored, the foremost figures in the country's struggle for independence. The more I delved into his 740-page novel, the more I understood what I would summarize as the soul of the people. It was a delightful experience, especially as I learned with minimum effort so much of the history, philosophy and social norms of a nation. It was thus natural that I should wait with great anticipation for the second volume of the Trilogy. When it came out as Serendipity of Andrew George, again as impressive and voluminous in 568 pages, I was, as Ananda confirms, the first to buy an autographed copy. I have read it with a deep sense of satisfaction, and of course, some understandable regrets. It was one of the most enjoyable and informative books I have ever had the pleasure of reading --- and lingering over. I experienced an overwhelming nostalgia as I, in my mind's eye, sat side-by-side with Andrew George and vicariously enjoyed his journeys across dear Sri Lanka. My first regret, in retrospect, is that I did not have Ananda or any of his real and imaginary friends to guide me through the country and its history and culture. I also wish I had learned the language of the people beyond the few polite terms which made me friends and brought warm smiles from strangers. As I look back more than fifty years, I also regret that I never fully learned to appreciate how important Buddhism is to virtually every aspect of Sri Lankan life, culture, and daily living. It underlies many activities and contributes so greatly to Sri Lankans' personality and demeanour, which I find so warm, engaging and unlike other citizens of the world. What makes this engaging book exceptional is Ananda's mastery of detail; it makes 'learning' so very easy and digestible. The author comes out not merely as an entertaining story-teller, with a cheerful sense of humour, but also a natural teacher, which, one wonders, could be hereditary as his name, which I am told, means "Joy of the House of Teachers”. Andrew George, Ananda explains, is not altogether a fictional character; nor are his fascinating travels to every important city and site of this culturally pluralistic society. I, of course, wish Ananda had taken Andrew George to visit teeming Pettah, the Fort area, Temple Trees, and the Independence Square, or on a walk through Millers, Cargills or Apothecaries as representative of the old "colonial' era, and sailing in the harbour with its thriving bum boat' activity. Ananda in the preface says that Andrew George represents as many as a score of foreign educators and dignitaries to whom he had the opportunity to show his country as it was in mid-sixties, the epoch, he says, when Sri Lanka was at its best in recent times. So many are the real people, including Ananda himself, who figure as characters. What I found most amusing was Ananda's own portrayal of his life as a young man in his thirties. He claims that even the conversations recorded in the book are for the mot part real. The resulting authenticity is the book's most attractive quality. I strongly recommend that every visitor to Sri Lanka, whether for pleasure or on business or for diplomatic representation, should be armed with a copy of Serendipity of Andrew George. On
the road of hate, love, peace and war The teledrama to be telcast on Rupavahini's Channel Eye at 8.30 p.m on Saturday, January 17 and repeated on Channel One at 3 p.m on Sunday, January 18 will have Sinhala and Tamil subtitles. Don’t
miss the sounds of the Wild Wild West Some of those great old sounds will come alive at Country Road, the 12th in the series, organized by the Country Music Foundation. "I'm looking forward to it," said Bob Livingston, the country/folk singer from Texas in a note to the CMF, adding: "We're gonna do some of the most funky country music Sri Lanka has ever heard." Livingston is on his first trip to Sri Lanka, while other foreign entertainers like Dirk and the Mavericks from Germany have been making a special trip to Country Road - from the mid-1990s. This band from Germany has performed free in keeping with the charitable spirit at the show. Also taking top billing at the show are Tyronne Peiris and the Cosmic Rays, Sri Lanka's well-known country music band. Add to that a mixture of Sri Lankan musicians for a sing-along - and this concert and Wild West show is not to be missed. The main sponsors are Emirates, the award-winning Dubai-based international airline and Cargills (Ceylon) Ltd., owners of 'Food City' the country's largest supermarket chain. Tickets are available at the Taj Hotels, the Cargills supermarket chain and at the Airport Garden Hotel. |
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