Change is inevitable what with globalization rapidly shrinking our world. Couple that with unshakeable Sri Lankan traditions and you’ve got a curious amalgamation. Chaminda Gamage, an artist and senior member of the organisation- Colombo Artists, was inspired by this blend of tradition and modernity. His exhibition at the Barefoot Gallery displays the clash between the two alternate worlds.
“It was common to see words “Namo Buddhaya” and “Swashthi Siddham” or the portrait of a filled pot as a symbol of prosperity in front of each house in the past,” says Chaminda. Today bags of garbage are left outside houses for the Municipal Council’s garbage collection vehicle.”
Chaminda, who has an MA in Mass Communication and a BA in Fine Arts, insists that his paintings and installation simply convey the incongruity of the mix. Contrasting colours and symbols are juxtaposed on each canvas.
A distinctive motif throughout the collection is the flat style of painting which represents the influence of modern lifestyle and consumerism has over the traditional one—the outcome being traditions yielding to the flat, one dimensional world of modern society.
Another interesting feature of the paintings on display is that they are painted on a canvases covered in train tickets. While there are different forms of public transport, Chaminda says that he believes trains offer the least discrimination. “Whether you’re black or white, local or foreign, when you travel by train you won’t be treated any differently from fellow commuters,” he says.
Chaminda’s recent work
will be on display at the Barefoot Gallery till
October 2.
Want to see Hon. Pusswedilla at the Peece Summit?
On the boards at the Lionel Wendt are the further adventures of the politician whose exploits have kept Colombo audiences vastly entertained. “Thank You for Voting- Part 3’ will be staged on September 29 and 30 and October 1 and 2 at 7.30 p.m. Here from the Pusswedillla publicity office is their latest press release:
ArsikLand Royter Service News (ARSNEWS) Septembery, Capital City ArsikLand: The ArsikLand Lokka’s office has reported that plans are going well for the World’ First ever Peece Summit. Scheduled to begin on the 29th of September and will go on till the 2nd of October.
Hon. Pusswedilla has also introduced ARSTOLK, the new language of ArsikLand and plans to make it a worldwide language. Among the countries expected at the Peece Summit are USA, UK, Iran, Palestine and Israel.
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| Hon.Puss-wedilla |
Speaking to ARSNews Hon. Pusswedilla said “I am confidence that this summit will success. I will be the first leeder to bring the world peece. My frend obermer will be so jelos. Becose he trying so hard but no body lissening to him.”
Those peoples wishing to see Honourable Pusswedilla’s peece summit are requested to obtain the Visas required to enter ArsikLand and come and see His Glorious Honourable Excellency sort out problems which have remained unsolved for many many years. Visas will be available at Pusswedilla’s ArsikLand Nashnel Theatre (PANT fomelly knowns as the Lynel Went) from the 15th of Septamber.
ARSNews has tried to obtain a full list of the delegates and were sent a copy by fax by Ratnapala Silva Secretary to Cyril Nitharamasuffering (who is Glorious Honourable Excellency Pusswedilla’s Secretary). After receiving many many blank faxes, we finally called Mr. Silva and asked him to turn the page and fax the other side of the page. Although Mr. Silva promised us to do so, by the time that particular fax came we had run out of paper on the fax machine. Mr. Nitharamasuffering has informed us that Ratnapala Silva tends to fax the wrong side of the page.
We have also been informed that Honourable Pusswedilla has come up with unique solutions for many worldwide problems.
His Glorious Honourable Excellency Chaminda Pusswedilla will be at the PANT from 29th Septamber top 2nd of October. Visas to ArsikLand available from the Lynel Went from 15th Saptamber.
The strains of
violin as a
stress buster
Here to perform at a fundraiser for the South Asian Women’s Fund tonight, Sunita Bhuyan discusses how she has combined her love for music with human resource management
By Smriti Daniel
Sunita Bhuyan considers what she does “educative music.” A recipient of the Indira Gandhi Priyadarshini Award for excellence in music, Sunita is a violinist, the daughter of another accomplished musician. Minoti Khaund began teaching her daughter to play when Sunita was just 8 years old. Now, with a Masters Degree in music to her name, the Indian violinist has become well known for combining her love of music with her interest in human resource management. Stepping beyond the stage, armed with a post-graduate degree in Human Resources, she is exploring how simply listening to music can combat stress and increase productivity.
“Its music for the heart and soul,” said the artist, who will be in town to perform in a concert ‘Voices: Blurring the Boundaries’ on today, September 11 from 6 p.m. to 8.30 p.m at the Taj Samudra, Crystal Ballroom.
“Music has been accepted as a non-invasive therapy for recuperating patients. Sound waves stimulate the nervous system and send signals to different parts of the body. As the body relaxes a chemical reaction happens which produces the feel good hormones, endorphins,” she explains, adding, “this helps in energy, positive thinking, fatigue, psychosomatic disorders, healing and pain relief.” Currently, Sunita even works with a few cancer support groups where music is used to aid recuperation, and says that music can be a wonderful tool when working with traumatised or special needs children.
There is a time theory of Indian music which uses different raagas for different times of the day...aligning it to the metabolism of the body as the day progresses, reveals Sunita. She describes her own playlist as beginning with “morning raagas which open up your nerve ends and help pep up the sluggishness of the body after a night’s sleep.” Come midmorning, she would shift to melodies like balaval. In the afternoon, raags like bhimpalshri would play, followed by romantic raagas like yaman for the evening and then sleep inducing raagas for the night...”
However, Sunita makes a living designing music therapies for the corporate world. “I simultaneously pursued my music studies along with an MBA and realized that music could play a great role in all round development of professionals,” she says explaining that this insight was the basis of the programme that she runs for Syntel Inc, a global ITES company. The Life Enrichment course incorporates not only music but yoga and meditation as well.
“A leadership programme I run takes managers through concepts of team work through the lessons from the music world like depth of domain (raaga system), partnerships and collaboration (jugalbandi), coaching and mentoring (guru shishya parampara) and fusion and assimilation of ideas,” she explains, adding that one of her programmes was recognized with an award for innovative learning practice at the world HRD congress last year.
Sunita, who will perform her ‘Raaga to Bollywood’ at today’s fundraiser for the South Asian Women’s Fund (SAWF), says she first developed the raaga 10 years ago for a workshop. She realised her young audience might find classical music simply overwhelming. A little research revealed that many a Bollywood number was based on a classic raaga. (Raagas are Indian classical melody families, each with its own basic structure and format). Her protégés responded eagerly and some even took to classical music afterward.
“For SAWF I shall take the audience through a journey of Indian music starting with Indian devotional music based on raagas, then classical, folk and end with a few fusion pieces of recent Bollywood numbers,” promises Sunita. She is particularly looking forward to collaborating with Hikkaduwa drum ensemble Elephant Foot who will also take the stage tonight. SAWF hopes to channel funds raised from the event into the organisation’s small grants programme which supports grassroots women’s organizations and individual activists.
The event’s success could lead to it being replicated in the other South Asian countries in which SAWF has a presence – namely India, Bangladesh, Nepal and Pakistan.
For tickets call 2690992, 0776953192 |
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