Hitting a bright note with the first beat band of the vision-impaired
Braving the inclement weather and boarding buses or trains at the crack of dawn, nine enthusiasts are gathered in Moratuwa for a joint practice on poya day.
Some of them have had no vision since birth, while others have lost it later and one even tragically in a mortar attack when he was just a three-year-old living with his parents in the beheth kade they were running at Weli Oya during the conflict years.
Nine in all, on this rainy poya morn, four are accompanied by their mothers, one by her father, one by his younger brother, while three have come alone.
They are vocalist and keyboardist Sethini Madugalle (18) from Kandy; vocalist and violinist Randi Prarthany Muthumali (15) from interior Tangalle; keyboardist Rashini Jayasinghe (17) from Ragama; guitarist Theekshana Nanayakkara (20) from Rajagiriya; vocalist Sandun Kalhara (17) from Chilaw; guitarist Ravichandran Jonathan (20) from Pamankade; guitarist Tharindu Lakshan (20) from Mihintale; drummer Sasun Navoda (21) from interior Vavuniya; and vocalist Dinesh Premakumara (42) from Polonnaruwa.
Four more have not been able to make it – they were vocalists Samudra Gamage from Athurugiriya and Akila Dilshan from Weligama; vocalist and violinist Anjali Chathurangika from Batapola, Ambalangoda and percussionist Akila Chirantha from Rajanganaya.
Finding the beat: The band at practice guided by Melantha (above right). Pix by M.A. Pushpa Kumara
The trainer is none other than multi-instrumentalist and vocalist Melantha Perera of ‘Mirage’ fame, who is not just known in Sri Lanka but also Australia, Bangladesh, Dubai, Bahrain, Oman, Qatar, Zambia and the United Kingdom.
With a passion to share his multi-talents and love of music with youngsters, Melantha who runs the Riversheen School of Music, Moratuwa, says that the origins of this initiative were in a social project under which he distributed dry rations for Christmas and Avurudu and held an entertainment event for vision-impaired people living in his area.
The venue for such distribution was the hall of the MJF Charitable Foundation which too is heavily involved in many such projects.
“It was then that MJF Charitable Foundation’s Rehana Wettasinghe put me in touch with the organization ‘Brightening Life’ run by Prabath Wickramanayake which was helping the vision-impaired. Keen to share my knowledge and expertise in the field of music, I began teaching three to four students online,” says Melantha.
Little by little word had spread and ‘Bright Light’ believed to be the first beat band of the vision-impaired had been born. Thereafter, with enthusiasm mounting and many joining in, the group practised 20 songs thoroughly. At their first physical meeting on the poya of July, a decision had been made to have their own show.
As Melantha calls to order the practice sessions at the MJF Charitable Foundation on poya, August 19, the cacophony of instruments is silenced and the group gives ear to what he says. The right pitch is taken, with a competitive query sometimes from among the group about who would begin a particular song and the practice begins in earnest.
Having heard that the Sunday Times would sit-in on their session, they have donned colourful attire – bright reds and yellows which drive away the pall of a rainy morning.
The first song they practise is ‘Happy Birthday’ for they are also expecting a very important visitor based in Australia who walks in about an hour later.
Not only a friend of Melantha but also a benefactor of this group, Sam Fernando, who is into Business Systems Certification in Australia and Sri Lanka, his wife Samanthi and daughter Dinu arrive carrying cake and other goodies. Sam who has celebrated his birthday that week has been a strong supporter of the group both financially, to fund the sound and the food for the poya practice, and also in kind by showing them they are not alone.
Excitement awaits as Sam has promised to sponsor an event in Sydney for the group. This is while, considering the academic schedules of the band members (as three of them are sitting for their Advanced Level examination due in January 2025), a show in Colombo is on the cards after that.
Being part of a professional beat band has certainly opened up the lives of ‘Bright Light’ members not only to camaraderie through bonds across Sri Lanka but also to a better future.
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