• B&S enjoy 'Life' to the hilt
• EUCO back in Lanka
• Deva in action
• Honeymoon ends in misery
• Joint teledrama venture
• Mahaweli Reach goes Five Star

B&S enjoy 'Life' to the hilt

By Sanath Weerasuriya

I could not find a kid, who hasn't heard about Bathiya and Santhush, who are on our cover this week.

Though their music is for all eyes, 'B&S' are very popular among kids and teenagers. The latest album of Bathiya and Santhush, 'Life' has reached new heights as most of its tracks go down well with Lankan music lovers. They always use fusion music of western and oriental with rap and Sinhala touch.

'B&S' started their career together in the early nineties, and have long years of experience in the music field.

Ex-Royalist Santhush had a knack for singing from his small days.

'My parents are not musicians but they were the major force behind me in my career as a musician. When I was 13 years I sang for 'All Island Inter-School Singing Competition' and managed to get a place there. That was a main break I had in my early days,' Santhush said.

He is a versatile man. He played rugby for the College Under-19 team and was a member of the Under-19 soccer team too.

'I was a member of the College scouting team and I remember representing Sri Lanka at the 7th Metropolitan Jumboree in Thailand,' he explained.

Santhush has a younger brother, who is a computer wiz, following his footsteps in music and singing.

Dushyan, who was the winner of Showboat Karaoke championship, last year, sings for the latest 'Life' album with 'B&S.'

'I had my training with Mary-Ann David, where I was trained in classical production, Jazz, and the correct way of singing. I owe a lot to Mary-Ann David,' Santhush explained.

Santhush plays keyboards and composes songs.

He is an undergraduate in business economics and marketing at ACBT (Australian College of Business Technologies) in Australia.

"I'm back here in Sri Lanka for my singing when I should be busy completing my studies?" he said.

Santhush said with studies and music, there is no time for love, which I think is a pretty bad shape (May be not true).

'School days were the best days in my life,' he added.

Like all other Royalists, Santhush too was after beautiful girls of Ladies College during his college days. 'It was a tradition', he smiled. I hope he continues this tradition.

'Bathiya' is, I think a different character altogether. Being the only child in the family and brought up in an strict atmosphere he may have missed the fun during school days which he is now enjoying to the maximum.

'I was not a good sportsman like Santhush'. I used to play tennis at school,' he said.

Bathiya, 24, is a graduate in business management, but manages music pretty well.

He had his formal education in India and then joined Isipatana Vidyalaya followed by Ananda College.

Music runs in the family of Bathiya.

'My mother and my grandmother used to play the piano and I was in touch with it from the age of three,' Bathiya said.

'Nelum Amunugama was my first music teacher at the age 6 but I learnt my basics from my mum and from Mrs. Daluwatta.

My first public appearance was in 1988 at the age of 12 at a 'Summer Fair' singing competition.

In 1993, I joined with Dilup Gabadamudalige and started training on technical aspects of modern day music.

He too joined Mary-Ann David in 1996 and got the real training in music.

'Bathiya' was a scout at school and participated in most of the jamborees in Colombo and overseas.

Bathiya and Santhush sang at a scout jamboree in Colombo together and that was the beginning of this combination.

'I was a active member of Interact club of my school and participated in youth exchange programmes in India in 1996,' he added.

Bathiya is the only son of late General Jayakody, the former Jaffna Commander.

'He guided my career as a musician, he said.'

'I do not have any permanent partners at the moment, what do I say... , Opportunities are open' he laughed.

Both Bathiya and Santhush say their main ambition is to bring Sri Lankan music to the world platform.

'We have many things to offer. Sri Lanka and its traditional music is unique. Only we have to use the correct combination or the correct fusion to push it to the world music charts? they said.

EUCO back in Lanka

The European Union Chamber Orchestra returns to Sri Lanka this month with two concerts in Colombo on November 27 and 28 at the Bishop's College Auditorium.

During their first performance which is a Christmas Concert, EUCO will feature the work of Sri Lankan composer, Lalanath De Silva. De Silva, who is Conductor of the Symphony Orchestra of Sri Lanka and Secretary of the Composer's Guild of Sri Lanka has composed a special work titled, 'Tablesque', especially for EUCO's forthcoming programme in Sri Lanka.

'Tablesque' is a short piece for string orchestra based on "tabla" rhythms. Explains De Silva: "For awhile I have been preoccupied with synthesizing tabla and local drum rhythms on standard instruments.

We tend to think of rhythms as "non-melodic" pulses, beats and accents. But if you listen carefully to a tablist or local drummer there is a kind of "melody" to her rhythms. 

The tabla uses two drums - the lower and higher. By pressing the drum head the tablist can change the pitch of the drum while playing! So we are actually hearing both rhythm and melody.

"Tablesque" is a simple attempt to see the "Tablist" through the eyes of a string orchestra. One could with ease add a Tablist to this ensemble and he would "blend" without being observed for awhile there is some melody, there is mostly rhythm. 

As for harmony, it is based on Raga formulations and quite free. The form is embryonic, there are observable "genes" that surface and keep the short piece together".

"We hope to include De Silva's new work at our concerts during the rest of our tour in other parts of the world too." Ambrose Miller, the Executive Director of EUCO says, Sri Lankan classical music enthusiasts maintain that the featuring of a composition by a Sri Lankan composer by EUCO in prestigious concert halls overseas will provide a boost to the music scene in Sri Lanka.

A highlight of EUCO's second concert in Colombo, will be the blending of Sri Lankan musicians with EUCO for one item. The concert will feature, Vivaldi (Concerto Grosso for two Violins and Cello), Elgar (Serenade for Strings), Greig (Serenade for Strings) and Mozart (Divertimento K. 137). 

During this piece, some of the most advanced string players of the Sri Lanka Symphony Orchestra will join EUCO on stage.

Danish Violinist, Lavard Skou Larsen, music director of EUCO will be the soloist for EUCO's concerts in Sri Lanka. Larsen appeared as soloist with orchestras already at the age of nine in Austria and Brazil. As concert-master, soloist and with the Salzbury Piano Trio he is developing an intensive international career. He has been invited to participate in a number of important music festivals, Open Chamber Music in Prussia Cove, England, the Schleswig Holstein Music Festival in Northern Germany and the Festival de Bellerive in Switzerland.

During its visit to Sri Lanka, EUCO will also conduct a Workshop for Sri Lankan musicians. This Workshop is organised by the British Council.

The main local sponsor for EUCO's programme in Sri Lanka is e-wis, a Business partner of IBM in Sri Lanka. Other sponsors are the Hotel Lanka Oberoi, Jetwing Travels, the British Council, LDB Lintas, MTV and YES FM.

Deva in action

Deva De Silva, a popular musician, will be in action at the "Rhythm & Blue", the latest night spot in the city every Thursday.

He plays acoustic guitar and has a repertoire of 60's, 70's music including Paul Simon, Bob Dylan, James Taylor, Don Mclean, Neil Diamond, Beatles, Eagles, Rolling Stones and Supertramp.

Honeymoon ends in misery

By Susitha R. Fernando

"Ginigath Madhusamaya", directed by Eranga Senaratne is the latest release in the commercial circuit.

The film deals with a young couple on honeymoon and the unseen problems that make their entire life miserable.

Roshan Pilapitiya (Anuradha) and Anusha Damayanthi (Ruchirani) play the lead roles while the rest of the cast comprises a number of newcomers.

Anuradha and Ruchirani get married and move to a distant and lonely location for their honeymoon. Heavy and incessant rain makes the night-drive extremely hazardous for the bridegroom, Anuradha. At an unexpected moment, a cyclist worse for liquor, stumbles on to the road and not being spotted in time, gets knocked down by Anuradha's car. All their dreams of a sweet honeymoon turned sour and they are faced with a situation which is rare indeed.

Faced with a dilemma about the injured man, they decide to take him to the place they had booked for their honeymoon. With this decision, the long awaited honeymoon they had yearned for turned out be awful and disastrous. 

Though the film revolves around a particular incident, on the whole it has fails to highlight certain scenes which would have given it added dimension. 'Ginigath Madhusamaya' in black and white consists of bizarre events and one may say that it is devoid of a proper story line.

The film falls into the category that came with the adult only cinema wave but fail to convey its message to the audience or at least properly entertain its spectators.

Even the actors who play the lead roles fail to live up to expectations of the audience when it comes to acting.

It appears that the adult only tag and the sensational title have been used to draw the type of audience who patronize the spate of adult only films that used to flood the industry.

Joint teledrama venture

The work on filming of the latest teledrama produced by veteran actress and film producer Sriyani Amerasena has recently been completed in London.

The teledrama in which almost all the indoor and out-door filming had been done in locations in and around London is the second London- Sri Lankan co-production done by Sriyani. "Irabatu Tharuwa" was her first Sri Lankan-London co-production and was telecast on Rupavahini channel.

The teledrama is likely to be telecast by the end of the year.

"Dath Kekulu Pala" produced by Sriyani impressed greatly the Sri Lankan viewers. She also wrote the script and directed "Maggy". In addition to her roles played on the silver screen she had also done the production of well known films like "Dase Mal Pipila" and "Tharanaya".

The teledrama story revolves around a conflict between two Sri Lankan families following two religious teachings Buddhism and Christianity. It portrays the concern the families have over a horoscope.

The cast includes Sri Lankans living both here and in London. They are Sriyani Amarasena, Prema Ganegoda, Kanchana Mendis, Roshan Pilapitiya, Vimal Alahakoon, Anura Hegoda and Lilani Perera. Included are also a number of English stars doing major roles.

Prema Ganagoda, once a leading stage play actress is doing a role for the small screen for the first time.

The yet untitled teledrama is directed by journalist Rodney Vidanapathirana and had Somadasa Maldeniya as assistant director. 

Their is Rodney's sixth directorial venture.

Mahaweli Reach goes Five Star

By Dilhani Thantirimudalige

Mahaweli Reach Hotel the once four-roomed Guest House is now ranked the first Five Star Hotel in the hill capital Kandy. A privately owned Guest House in 1972 after 28 years in the hospitality trade gradually upgrading its standards from Guest House to a Hotel has been the first among the many Hotels in Kandy to have achieved a Five Star grading by the Ceylon Tourist Board.

The Hotel's Managing Director and General Manager are the Panabokke Brothers who have worked tirelessly as a team to make their fathers' dream come true. 

The foundation towards their achievement was laid by the late Atul Panabokke, an ex-planter and his wife, the present Chairperson of the Hotel, keeping to traditions of cherished Kandyan hospitality.

The Hotel is spread on a 4-acre land by the Mahaweli River. Complementing the natural beauty of this unique location each of the hotel's 115 delux air-conditioned rooms including two suites all open out into the view of either the river, Tropical Garden or tree formed swimming pool, terrace.

The Banquet Hall in the Hotel can accommodate 300 persons for a wedding reception. There has been many functions that have taken place in the Banquet Hall since its opening in 1994.

The Hotel also has a one-day Laundry Service for both hotel guests as well as to the public. An Ayurveda Health Centre and a Beauty Salon are additions to complement its easy accessibility to necessities of the hotel clientele, who are mostly from the United Kingdom. 

Sri Lankans too are keen travellers and spend weekends with their families here. Our services are appreciated by both local and foreign clientele, says the General Manager Mohan Panabokke.

There are 200 employees who are mostly from the vicinity of Kandy itself who work hard with us to keep our guests happy, he added.

The Hotel's speciality services include a baby sitter, doctor on call, safe deposit box vehicles for hire, secretarial services, drivers' quarters, florist, jewellery shop, valet parking and foreign currency encashment.

As for recreational activities the hotel offers its guests a squash court, tennis court and table tennis. A gymnasium will be the next feature on the card of MRH. Fishing, boat riding are usually enjoyed by guests who like outdoor activities.

This is the perfect hideway for honeymooners I would suggest. The clean crispy air, unpolluted atmosphere surrounded by velvetty mountains, the Hunasgiriya and Knuckles range is a breathtaking view. 

Having won the saga food festival award and participating in many food promotional activities, the executive chef Rodney Armstrong is even more eager now to reach the hearts of the Hotels' clientele through his many gastronomic creativities. Theme nights are regular Sri Lankan, Italian, Malaysian and Singaporean nights apart from the food corners and action stations that makes it easier for guests whenever there are large groups. Specially with pasta corners. sausage and beer corners and the like. 

International fares with respective cuisine of different nationalities present. Individual preferences of food is always looked into and accommodated, the chef added, specially if we can handle them.

Since Kandy is one of the famous cities of Asia, there is much to see and do in Kandy. Mahaweli Reach on request arrange for guests to be taken to places of interest. All this and more as time keeps ticking, finer things keep adding all in the interest of their most valued guests.

Mahaweli Reach has always been known for keeping to traditions of Kandyan hospitality which really mean spoiling her guests to their finger tips with serene and luxurious services.

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