The winning streak
Winning awards is nothing strange for veteran actor
Joe Abeywickrema. But his performances in two films released in 1996 struck
a significant note. He won the Presidential Award for Best Actor in Loku
Duwa and recently his role in Bithu Sithuvam won the Sarasaviya
Award for Best Actor. Both films were screened in 1996.
Joe can easily be ranked on top of the list among our character actors.
He has dominated the scene for the past four decades. Remember Saraiya,
the betel seller in Tissa Liyanasuriya’s Saravita? Joe’s first Sarasaviya
award was for that role, way back in 1966. His role as the innocent villager
in Lester James Peries’ Baddegama made him Best Actor in 1982. The
following year he was adjudged best actor in Chandraratne Mapitigama’s
Malata Noena Bambaru. Four years later, D .B. Nihalsingha’s Maldeniye
Simeon brought him the coveted award followed by Ananda Fonseka’s Umayangana
in 1993.
In between, for a number of years there were no film festivals. Otherwise
he would have bagged a few more. Tough man Goring in Nihalsingha’s Weli
Katara, the rustic village artist in Mahagama Sekera’s Tung Mang
Handiya, the old soldier in Dharmasena Patiraja’s Soldadu Unnehe,
Siribo Aiya in Sunil Ariyaratne’s ‘Siribo Aiya ‘ were among some
of his finest performances.
Silver Jubilee
The Sarasaviya Film Festival celebrated its silver
jubilee this year. The first ever film festival to be organised in Sri
Lanka, it began in 1964 and was held annually until 1970 after which there
was a break for ten years.
The decision to hold an annual film festival and make awards followed
the launch of the cultural weekly ‘ Sarasaviya’ in April 1963 by the Associated
Newspapers of Ceylon Ltd. “Sarasaviya was the brainchild of Chairman Ranjit
Wijewardene” wrote its first editor, the well known poet Meemana Prematilleka
in his Mage Premaya, Kalava Saha Jeevitaya (1965). Meemana’s assistant
was Wimalasiri Perera who soon became editor and continued for many years.
An impressive record
Gunadasa Amarasekera is a man of many parts - novelist, poet, short
story writer, intellect. Ever since the days he wrote the controversial
novel Karumakkarayo (1955), he has been in the news. His writing
career began with Ratu Rosa Mala (1952) and then he published a
book of verses, Bhava Gita.
He has an impressive record - ten novels, six collections of short stories,
five poetry books, two dramas and seven collections of critical essays.
Some of these have not been available.
Godage Publishers have now come out with new editions of three of his
works. One is the full length novel Gandhabba Apadanaya described
as a study in the evolution of an intellectual who revolts against the
bourgeois life patterns and values of the middle class to which he is born.
This is the fifth edition of this popular novel, which first came out
in the late sixties. The collection of short stories, Ekama Kathawa
depicts the departure of the writer from his early romantic musings to
serious comment of life around him.
The third is Ganadura Mediyama Dakinemi Arunalu published ten
years ago presenting the much talked about Jatika Chintanaya to
the public for the first time. Four new chapters have been included bringing
a new dimension to the concept which continues to provoke debate among
the intellectuals.
Bookshelf
Taming of the mighty Walawe
The Walawe Ganga rising in the Horton Plains, the
Haputale and Kaltota ranges roars down its mighty way through the tortuous
jungles infested with wild beasts, cascades down the Haputale slopes and
the Kaltota-Balangoda escarpments and finally joins the sea at Ambalantota......
Our ancients diverted the Walawe ganga in its upper reaches in the 2nd
century AD at a place called Ukgaltota in the Kaltota escarpments where
a stone anicut was built.
It was aptly named Ukgaltota Amuna (anicut). In late 19th century,
a part of the old anicut was repaired, restoring large tracts of rice fields
which had turned fallow.... The first ever small river project that emerged
in the 1950s into this part of Kolonne Korale was the damming of Hulanda
Oya close to Embilipitiya in Halmillaketiya. Its man made tank was called
Chandrika Weva. Hence this part of Kolonne Korale came to be under rice
fields stretching far and wide, teeming with farming communities. In the
whirl of these human settlements and developed lands, the sleepy village
of Embilipitiya awoke from its long slumber.
With this picturesque introduction, Gamini de S. G. Puchihewa begins
his ‘Vignettes of Far Off Things’ dealing with the history, tank
civilization, jungle-lore, fauna & flora and adventure of the Walawe
basin. Punchihewa, author of ‘Souvenirs of a Forgotten Heritage’ (1990)
is a familiar name among newspaper readers. In his new book, he places
before the readers a vivid description of a fascinating heritage - his
own explorations and experiences - having worked and lived in the Gal Oya
and Walawe regions for over 35 years.
Punchihewa takes the reader on a wide travelogue of the many interesting
places in the Walawe region.
Little known facts are well described in the book. For example, the
chapter titled ‘From Kekuna lights to aroma of citronella’ describes the
value of Kekuna trees, the seeds of which yield an oil which was
used in ancient times for lighting oil lamps in village homes. “The fruit
has a thick covering. This thick covering is removed. The villagers then
make holes in it. Pieces of wire are inserted into the holes which when
hung on a string or on the roof would diffuse sufficient light, equivalent
to one or two candle lights. At times when kerosene is hard to get, the
villagers light their homes in this manner by making use of the kernels
of kekuna fruits. Even in our local devil dances (thovil), in the incantations
recited, mention is made of kekuna oil (thel) for lighting the pandama
(torch) in the good old days”. Punchihewa devotes three chapters to elephant
kraals, elephant drives, elephant tales and elephant charms. You need not
be a wild life enthusiast to enjoy what he has written.
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