2nd November 1997

Hitting out with music

By Dilrukshi Handunnetti

Hers has often been recognized as an en lightened voice in the wilderness, and her journey as that of a lone crusader. It is a resonant yet rebellious voice crying out for emancipation from oppressive and authoritarian political culture, abhorring the gross violence and mayhem which marred this country at one point ; a voice enthusiastically welcomed by the masses for its ability to portray their true fate with great acumen.

Within a short period of six years, Pradeepa Dharmadasa has earned a reputation for hitting the nail hard on the head with finesse, music being her modus operandi..

A wife of a government legislator( a fact she’d rather not trumpet) and a mother of two young sons, her life today is filled with care and responsibility. In this packed schedule of motherhood, admittedly an opening for creative work is somewhat missing. Yet she manages to break her often long periods of silence with a collection of thought provoking songs- addressing the deep rooted suffering of the human heart.

Pradeepa’s appearance belies the status of traditional ‘MP’s wife’ and her house is in blissful disarray, with toys strewn all over the place, an indication of toddlers’ presence. She profusely apologizes for the ‘chaos’ and her incessantly crying son who constantly demanded his mother’s attention. Amidst the din we continue to talk mostly about music, then about a variety of subjects such as politics, social injustice; topics that Pradeepa is vocal about.

She is happy to be called the people’s artiste who has always represented the people’s feelings, and for having used her voice to reflect mass suffering. “That is my chosen role in the field of arts. I do not wish to board an express train to become popular, or to curry favour with the political tribe to achieve success. Mine is a slow and steady rise, a virtue I think will make me linger longer than the star quality artistes who shine awhile, and then disappear,” says a reflective Pradeepa.

Her entry in to the field of arts was never preplanned. Having had her preliminary education from the Princess of Wales College, Moratuwa, she later joined Sujata Vidyalaya in 1982 for her A/l examination. It was then that new vistas began opening for her.

Renowned dramatist Somalatha Subasinghe who was reproducing Gunasena Galappatty’s “Sanda Kinduru”(Mermaid) in 1982, chose the doe-eyed Pradeepa for the lead role of mermaid. By the time she left school, she was totally absorbed by the stage craft. She then had the opportunity of acting in several dramas like Vikurthi, Mudu Puttu, Suba Saranagatha, Muhunu Dekak, Naga Gurula and Sinhabahu during the next decade.

Despite her exposure to the field of music as a “Kala Bhoomi” artiste, the turning point in her career was Vijitha Gunaratne’s “Sathyanganavi”, which was based on Bertold Brecht’s “The Good Woman Of Schtszuwan”. Maestro Premasiri Khemadasa who composed the musical score for the drama was impressed by the rich resonance in Pradeepa’s voice, and encouraged her to embark on a fresh career, this time in music.

“I think people relate better to me as a singer than an actress. I was an actress for over a decade, and gained recognition, when I was on the threshold of quitting the field. Singing has taken me closer to the people in an incredible manner. This is why I say that my chosen role is that of a people- friendly singer, ”she says

Pradeepa Dharmadasa made her entry into professional singing with “Duhuwillen Sedunu Liye” (Female Created Out of Dust) for Jayantha Chandrasiri’s award winning tele drama “Veda Hamine”.(female village physician) A year later, she bagged the prestigious Presidential Award for the Best Actress at the State Drama festival for her role in “Ukdandu Ginna”. The same year she bid good-bye to her role of actress to take up that of a housewife.

“ I have had my fill there, and was aware of what kind of personal sacrifices actresses made in order to continue acting. When I got married, I was able to leave the theatre feeling contented about my achievements, and looking forward to my future life of responsibility. I am a fulfilled wife, with a supportive husband, loving children and a creative involvement in the field of arts. Personally, I cannot ask for more, though I would pause to ask a whole lot more on behalf of the people my voice represents. Even an artiste’s works become more refined and creative if he has inner happiness, which I believe stems from a happy married life and a successful personal life,” she says with fervour.

When asked whether she feels her contribution through music is sufficient to keep her content, Pradeepa believes it is her voice which appeals to the masses than her theatrical work.

Claiming humble beginnings, Pradeepa is quick to point out the financial obstacles artistes must overcome. She says that the inconsistent incomes have led artistes of all types to despair over their sagging finances, a fact that the government should take note of. Having taken five years to release her second cassette, she attributes the delay to financial instability and cares of motherhood.

“On principle, I accept only a few invitations to sing at open air shows. It is the best way to reach out to the people of this country, those who have been at the butt end of feudal thinking. I do not blame those who need to give stage performances to keep their home fires burning. But, our open stage is misused, it is only a money making venture than catering to the refined instincts of the audiences. I mostly stay out of it and have no qualms about it. My voice has anyway been clearly representative of the oppressed, suffering classes.”

When her first cassette “Duhuwillen Sedunu Liye” (Woman Created out of Dust) was released in 1992, she ran a collision course with the then government, leading to the banning of her songs on air.” They pushed me away and I landed on the lap of people’s affection and acceptance for having dared to question an authoritarian regime. It provided impetus to my work, gave more strength to fight for my ideals of democracy.”

Her first collection of songs mostly concentrated on issues like the Iranawila VOA project, state sponsored killings, farmers’ grievances etc; This made her the ultimate radical artist refusing to handle conventional themes like love, bliss of parenthood and the like.

“I agree that I was criticized on this score. Critics often told me that my voice appealed to the people’s conscience than their aesthetic sense. I was called a realistic artist more concerned with issues than the aesthetic quality of songs” she admits.

But Pradeepa says that she cold not have sung about romantic young love when the country was engulfed in a decisive war, and thousands of mothers were searching for their missing sons.

“I would rather remain realistic. The onion cultivators do not commit suicide now, but potato cultivators do. The affected category of people might be different, but the problem persists. In my second cassette, I have however tried to strike a better balance and included some romantic songs as well” she smiles, accepting the necessity to cater to a variety of tastes.

Pradeepa stresses that the introduction of the free economy paved the way to a money-oriented culture destroying the value-based life style of yesteryear. Even a mother’s love was valued in pecuniary terms, she says vehemently. “There are a lot of things a person with a conscience cannot do. An atmosphere which fosters free and independent thinking and working is the desired objective, but it remains a mirage. This was the reason for addressing audiences by way of an audio cassette,” she says, firmly believing that her songs would have a good reception.

“We are all suffering in different ways, and tears are a permanent feature. In a sense, irrespective of caste and creed, we are all sufferers as well as pilgrims.” Pradeepa will release her second audio cassette “Kandulu Thotupala” (Ferry of Tears) on November 4 at the Public Library Auditorium at 4pm.

That bald, brutal truth

By Mark Bouvard

“It’s darkest before dawn” is an adage expressing hope.... When taken in the context of the title and content of Rohan Amarasinghe’s maiden exhibition of paintings - “Before Darkness” - which is primarily an exposition of real life (and death) incidents, events and experiences in Sri Lanka’s own recent (some would say continuing) “Dark Age”, the phrase appears to view this phase as one which bodes worse yet to come: merely a purgatorial prelude to pure hell; the twilight of tyranny (which, with darkness as its element and emblem, has yet to have its day - or night). Developing and dramatizing a disturbing new dimension of despair, portending the depths of doom, destruction and disaster. In short, pessimism.

Appearances, however, are deceptive, and the dualism lurking in the line and tone of these paintings leaves their interpretation - quite rightly - upto the viewer. What is portrayed in each canvas - from the jackboot driving in the nail in “Crucifaction” to the release from leg-irons offered by an ashen hand in “Finale” - is, on the surface, a plain statement of fact relating to a particular (and particularly ruthless) incident involving the wrongful exercise of power, or to a thematic generalization. Fraught with symbolism and redolent with feeling - including repugnance towards the subject matter - each carries a message heavy with meaning, far-reaching in its frightening implications; delving deep into the realm of nightmares; plumbing the uncharted depths of the id; telling it like it is... The bald, brutal truth, stated with a simplicity that’s the soul of sophistication.

It takes courage - a quality that characterizes this entire body of work - to tell the truth; for an artist it takes almost suicidal temerity to do it without diluting its impact with a propitiatory, palatable, popular posturing, or flaunting a favour-currying flavour with a fashionable flourish. He has, in the process, coined a fresh - one might, indeed, without prejudice say raw - repertoire of images to animate what would otherwise seem merely static clichés.

Viewed thus, it is inappropriate - if not impossible - to categorize Rohan as an optimist or pessimist, radical or moderate, this or that: because he is one of those rare individuals who, despite taking a bold stand on issues, happenstance defy description in terms of “isms”. The only thing one can say about him as an artist with any degree of certitude is that he is imbued, inspires and impelled by a spirit of concern, commitment, conscious conscience and condemnation of schisms caused by societal schizophrenia.

Even the style adopted for this collection of canvases - admittedly embracing and embodying influences ranging from the aboriginal cave-art of Altamira to the word pictures of Zola - deserve more than a pigeon-holding label: though it may be observed sometime in the future that the artist was experiencing his “Red Period”.

Hopefully, this period - which we still experience sporadically both as individuals and as members of a divided society - will not have been in vain....And the vein of blood - letting become an anachronism of a fast-fading past that paid - in Rohan’s rivers of primary red - for the greening of our future...

Continue to Plus page 11 * Where emotion was raised to Himalyan heights * Where emotion was raised to Himalyan heights

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