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Buddhist themes for everyone

Well known novelist Jayasena Jayakody has won the State Literary Award thrice. His latest creation is based on 17 stories from the Pansiya Panas Jataka Potha, the famed collection of 500 Buddhist Jataka Tales. Titled 'Nuraginna', the book has just been released by Dayawansa Jayakody Publishers.

Jayakody has six other novels based on Buddhist themes. Two of them - Amavessa and Gotama Gitaya - are based on the life of the Buddha. The other four - Pichchamala, Araliyamal Aramaya, Mahamera and Upekha - revolve round the life of a Buddhist monk.

In Nuraginna, Jayakody has woven the characters in the 17 Jataka tales into a novel for the benefit of the modern reader. The characters include Andhabhuta, Durajana, Kuddala, Illisa, Brahmadatta, Chulla Dhanuddara and Kunala.

Apart from his latest creation, two of his most popular novels —Pichchamala & Mahamera - have also been reprinted and released by Dayawansa Jayakody Publishers. The popularity of these novels can be judged from the fact that the recent releases are their fifth editions. Though these are basically based on Buddhist themes, they have been widely read by non-Buddhists as well and the response has been very positive.

Among recent releases by Jayakody Publishers are several reprints. These include Newton Gunasekera' s Mutuvarusa, Ruvan Maliga, two of the most popular novels written by young writers in the seventies. Both deal with teenage love and have been reprinted after 25 years.

The third edition of another popular novel of the seventies, Hantane Gitayak by P M Jayatilleka has also been released. It is the third part in a trilogy based on the life of undergraduates in the Peradeniya campus. The novel was so popular that when it was first released in 1970, the second edition was out in two months. Jayatilleka first wrote the third part of the trilogy and completed the other two later. These two Mal Mavata & Bamara Sara came out of print a few months back.

Veterans win awards at the State Drama Festival

• He does it again
• Emotionally intense
• Young dramatist makes his mark
• Training at Academy of Indian drama

He does it again

You guessed it. A veteran did it again. Playwright K. B. Herath's Deveni Mahinda swept the board at this year's State Drama Festival. All four key awards for long plays were bagged by this play.

Deveni Mahinda was adjudged the best play for 1998 while its creator Herath won the Best Director's award. The year's Best Actor Nalin Pradeep Udawela "Agbo II" and Best Actress Kusum Renu (Sangha) played key roles in the play.

When all the awards go to a single play by a seasoned dramatist, the youngsters are bound to feel disappointed. But if the play stands out among the rest, one cannot help it. The youth, no doubt, are in a hurry. They want to be recognised, they want to win awards and they want to make an impact. However, the young dramatists gained recognition at the Festival when their productions dominated the final round. It's just that the seasoned man obviously had an edge over them with his years of experience.

K. B. Herath had been in the field for two decades. A product of Ibbagamuwa Central, he developed an interest in theatre while at the Peradeniya University. "He was an ardent follower of Dr. Sarachchandra's Sinhabahu and rarely missed a show when it was staged in Kandy" recalls Ratnapala de Silva in his exhaustive study of the Sarachchandra Era. After graduation he produced Sudhu Karal (1979) which was adjudged the Best Original production. His later plays - Mayadevi (1985), Nagagurula (1991) and Dona Catherina (1995) - all won awards at the annual drama festivals. Dona Catherina won the prize for the Best Drama Script at last year's State Literary Awards.

The destructive war affecting entire humanity forms the theme of Deveni Mahinda. Herath, in a producer's note, says that he has attempted to delve into several aspects of the war. What is the real nature of this cruel war? For whose benefit is it happening? In actual fact is it a people's war? Or is it only a clash of interests among the rulers? Who is suffering and who is getting killed? If the war is being fought to protect a 'concept', what is the concept which must be protected by sacrificing so many millions? If war is so destructives, why won't there be peace that everyone is clamouring for?

This eternal struggle between the central regional rulers is not something which came up only the other day. It has started since the birth of man and has continued over the ages into the present.

Emotionally intense

Another veteran, Henry Jayasena was among the award winners at the Festival. Palingurena, a translation of Tennessee Williams' 'The Glass Menagerie' won the award for the Best Script - Translations. Tennessee Williams works have been described as emotionally intense plays dealing with the warping effects on sensitive characters of failure, loneliness and futile obsessions.

Buddhika Damayantha's production of Palingurena was selected for the final round. Incidentally, Henry Jayasena himself produced Ahas Maliga based on the same play way back in 1966.

Winning the award for the Best Original Script was K. B. Herath's Deveni Mahinda.

While these awards were for long plays, the Best Script for short plays went to Dhananjaya Karunaratne's Oba Sapekshayi.

Young dramatist makes his mark

Ruwan Bandara Narasinghe is a young dramatist who had a liking for drama from his school days at Kingswood College, Kandy. Encouraged by what he learnt at drama workshops while at school, he tried his hand at producing dramas for school festivals.

His short play Asammathaya won the award for best drama at the Festival and he was adjudged the best director. The best actor - Sanath Wimalasiri (Podi Hamuduruwo) was also from his play.

With just three players including himself, Narasinghe was responsible for the script and costumes too.

The best actress - Chamila Ratnayake (Visakha) - got the award for her role in Dhananjaya Karunaratne's (Oba Sapekshayi).

Training at Academy of Indian drama

There is good news that four of our dramatists will have an opportunity of getting trained in the Academy of Indian Drama. It's the fulfilment of a long struggle by the Sinhala Drama panel to get dramatists trained abroad.

The four nominated to follow a short term course at the Academy are K. B. Herath, Tilak Nandana Hettiarachchi, Visakesha Chandrasekeram and Dhanajaya Karunaratne. While the first three gained the first three places for original scripts and productions at the Golden Jubilee Drama Competition, the fourth won the first place in the short play category in the same competition.

Herath also carried away all the key awards at the recently concluded drama festival.

Training has been arranged under the Indo-Lanka Cultural Agreement.

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