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Kala Korner - by Dee Cee

A rare treat for the connoisseur
Pandit Amaradeva is quite excited about the grand show he is planning at the BMICH on Thursday, July 15 for what he describes as "a different type of concert spanning my sixty years in the music scene".

"The contemporary 'rasikas' know me mostly as a singer. But I am much more. The show will portray my contribution to Sinhala cinema, ballet and drama as well as my pioneering efforts at experimenting with new idioms," he says.

Amaradeva started as a violin player. It was when he went with the Mohamed Ghouse troupe to India to record music for the film, 'Asokamala' in the mid-1940s that he was picked to sing a couple of numbers for the film. That began his singing career. The songs became hits and are popular to this day. And with 'Shantha me re yaame' and 'Peenamuko kalu gange', he made his mark.

The show will have no breaks and no presenters. "Using announcers is a waste of time. I will do whatever introductions that need to be done," he says. He believes a show should not drag on, so he doesn't want to have an interval. It will go on for an hour and 45 minutes giving an opportunity for the audience to enjoy uninterrupted entertainment.

Amaradeva's close association with Professor Sarachchandra and Chitrasena will be demonstrated through some of his compositions for their creations. Some of the early film songs rendered by other singers like Milton Perera and C.T. Fernando who are no more (where he directed the music) will be sung by their sons. His first music score was in the award-winning film 'Ranmuthuduwa'.

Students from the College of Aesthetic Studies will join him in the chorus. Rohana Weerasinghe will direct the music. It will be a rare treat for music lovers and a committee led by art lover Sunil Fonseka is sparing no efforts to make it a night to remember.

Eagle Award of Excellence
The contribution made by our leading dance duo Chitrasena and Vajira was given recognition when Eagle Insurance Company awarded them this year's Eagle Award of Excellence at the Sales Convention held at the Hilton a few days ago.

The duo received a standing ovation from the 700-strong audience gathered in the main ballroom as they collected the awards from Eagle Managing Director Chandra Jayaratne. The awards were inaugurated last year and the first recipients were Dr. Lester James Peries and Pandit Amaradeva.

Election campaign - a postscript
The most interesting and provocative article in 'P.O. Box', Phoenix Ogilvy's in- house journal referred to in this column a fortnight ago, is a postscript on the April 2 election campaign. It is very critical of the UNP publicity campaign which the article says lacked theme, depth and in most instances, the all-important single and particular message.

"The UNP added a new phrase to political communication in this country, 'dinapatha na ganeemak' (translatable as 'screwing it up on a daily basis'). It ensured the party's crusade was an absolute disaster. The Party succumbed to self-inflicted wounds," the article says.

It says the UNFA campaign 'Rata Perata' was neat, precise, focused and captured the voter's imagination. The campaign worked. It sums up the Jatika Hela Urumaya campaign on the 'Paramita Perahera towards a Dharma Rajya' as "simple, following the principle of fidelity to brand identity." It worked too.

The article makes the interesting comment that referring to those who handled the UNP campaign, Phoenix boss Irvin Weerackody is reported to have told UNP leader Ranil Wickremesinghe recently that they were "like vultures feeding on a carcass". Many are bound to ask what Irvin, an influential Party man himself was doing when the campaign was being discussed. Obviously he preferred to lie low this time.

Pointing out what a political campaign should be, the article says: "If a party's general election strategy is to have a decisive impact, it has to be implemented with a meticulousness of a military campaign incorporating precision, focus and cohesiveness. These essential ingredients were not part and parcel of the UNP campaign."

While the UNP campaign has been compared to "a rudderless boat bobbing up and down in a choppy sea", the article describes the UNFA campaign as one which was focused to follow "a fairly well defined path with theme and precision skilfully presented although the ethics of the advertising profession tended to be forgotten at time." It further says that the JVP on-the-ground and on-the-wall campaign was brilliantly executed.

The Jathika Hela Urumaya “identified a constituency disenchanted with both major parties and clearly concerned about a threat to Buddhism, whether real or imagined, and bombarded it with a clear and precise message. The brilliancy of the JHU campaign was its ability to link the message with the expectations and aspirations of a particular constituency. It was a meek but formidable voice that sought the vote and it worked wonders."

The article ends on a positive note offering some advice. "Being outdated and out of focus is a recipe for defeat. A given political party has to position its campaign in the political present. It has to understand the mood of the electorate and never underestimate or insult its intelligence. More than that, there must be cohesion, credibility and consistency in a political campaign whether it is for the party or an individual. These essential functions, skilfully handled or manipulated create the impact for triumph and success." Wonder whether Irvin can send copies of 'P.O. Box' to all politicians.

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