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24th March 2002

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Tribute to a literary maestro

By Carlton Samarajiwa
Madawala S. Ratnayake died five years ago. With his death our country lost a son of the soil of Siyane Korale, who enriched the contemporary Sinhala literary scene with his novels, short stories, poetry and lyrics. The Principal of Alawwa Madhya Maha Vidyalaya has, in a thoughtful and spontaneous gesture, organised a commemorative meeting and exhibition in Madawala's honour on Monday, March 25. The younger generations of Alawwa should be proud of Madawala, for that is where he was born and grew up. These English translations (feeble, though they be) of a quartet of his poems are presented on this occasion as a tribute to the memory of a very dear friend from those Radio Ceylon and later our Sarvodaya days.

The Other Shore

Heavy laden with life's cares, the boat leaves for the other shore,

The shoreless other side merges with the overarching sky,

Time flows by on the shore, my eyes are heavy with sleep;

The oars submerged in the river, rowing hands drained of strength;

The boat floats along aimlessly, and I see your tear- filled eyes

Through the clouds that embrace the skies.

My heart heaves with the sky

From yester eve

In the spotless sky

The clouds are heavy, 

Gathered in processions.

The hills and the valleys,

Creepers and trees

Are covered in thick darkness,

Like my own dismal thoughts.

Darkness and loneliness 

Mingle with each other,

Lighting flashes in my heart

And it heaves with the sky.

Gusts of wind atop the mountains

Jostle together in confusion;

Trees come crashing down,

Causing destruction all round.

Over some sadness unknown,

Some hurt felt deep down,

The sky is weeping,

It is raining, raining.

No heaviness in the sky,

Nor in my heart,

I see the light,

I am drenched.

The more it rains,

The more warm I feel,

May the rains come down

And embrace my heart.

The fresh scent of life

Grows warmer and warmer;

May the rains come down

So I may receive it.

The fresh scent of life

Will I ever receive?

O, who can say?

Will I ever or never?

Without rain

Will it ever be warm?

Will there ever be

A fresh scent of life?

The rain has ceased,

The sky is clear,

The darkness

Is washed away.

The wind is at peace,

The forest is still.

Wait for the boatman

Do not trouble me my dear,

Asking me to row you to the other shore;

To help myself and no one else

Did I arrive on this shore.

Wait for the boatman if you want to cross over,

But if you want to go in my boat,

Then sing to me sweetly and soothe my heart;

If you move me with your song,

There will be room in my boat for you.

With not a sound, not a murmur from outside

To disturb me, if your melody flows into my heart, and

If you fill my ears with sweet music overflowing,

My thirst will be quenched - and then yours.

Do not come to me now, beloved

Do not come to me now, beloved,

To watch the blooming of passion

Out of the barren jungle of past memory,

Laid bare by storm and tempest

And twisted and uprooted.

To renew again the land

That was laid bare

Needs Time's nurturing over a long time.

The moment for you to come to me

And say 'Beloved'

Lies hidden deep in a craven dark.

So come not to seek me now 

In a barren land

Bereft of buds and flowers and leaves and bees

In a rocky plain.


Don't miss the Vienna Boys

The world-renowned Vienna Boys' Choir will be in Sri Lanka next week to present concerts at St. Theresa's Church Thimbirigasyaya and the Hilton Hotel, Colombo on March 27. The choir, which comprises 100 choristers between the ages of 10 and 14 and is divided into four choirs, will cover a wide spectrum of music ranging from classical to contemporary.

Founded in 1498 under the patronage of Emperor Maximillian, the Vienna Boys' Choir has produced famous choristers and musicians of the calibre of Jacobus Gallus, the brothers Haydn, Franz Schubert, Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart and Joseph Fux.

The choir performs around the world and the boys frequently perform in all European countries, Asia, Australia and the Americas. The choir's school of 250 children are funded through their tour concerts and the choristers rehearse at the Augartenpalais, a Baroque Palace in Vienna.

A school concert will also be held at the Sugathadasa Indoor Stadium at 8 p.m. on Thursday, March 28. All proceeds from the shows will go to the Lady Ridgeway Hospital and charity.


Stages goes to Manchester

The 'Stages' theatre group (producers of CHECKPOINT: three strangely normal plays and The Last Elephant) has been invited to perform at the Cultural Festival of the 2002 Commonwealth Games to be held in Manchester in July. 

This venture will bring together ten youth theatre groups from around the world to perform alongside each other in an unique theatrical event. Stages will perform a play written by a group of new young Sri Lankan writers drawn from the English and Sinhala stage. 

The project entitled, 'Contacting the world' (organized by Contact - the youth theatre in Manchester) is aimed at developing and strengthening drama and theatre ties between the youth of the Commonwealth. Five youth groups from the United Kingdom will be "twinned" with five youth groups from different countries around the world. 

The twin groups will collaborate (via email, mail and the web) to develop a new piece of theatre text - working on a common theme but on separate plays. Among the other countries participating in this innovative theatrical project are India, Malaysia, Nigeria and the Bahamas. 

The play that Stages develops will first be performed to local audiences at the British Council, Colombo in June - and then taken to Manchester to be performed at the Commonwealth Games "CultureShock" festival in July. Stages, has already begun devising a bilingual piece for the performance. It will be directed by Ruwanthie de Chickera.
Kala Korner by Dee Cee

A pioneering service to theatre
This column pays tribute to a keen and dedicated individual who bid good-bye last week having served the cause of the arts in Sri Lanka for well over half a century. Those involved in theatre in Sri Lanka, particularly those in the Sinhala theatre, owe a great deal to the eminent civil servant M.J. Perera who passed away last week. As Chairman of the Sinhala Drama Panel of the Arts Council, he was responsible for initiating the annual Drama Festival which has become the most prestigious event in Sinhala theatre today. Way back in 1957, he began working on the project. The first attempt was a failure. He gave two reasons as to why it failed - "we were too optimistic about the state of drama at the time and we planned the festival in too elaborate a manner."

He was successful in organising the first ever drama festival in January 1959 when ten plays produced in the previous two years were chosen for a festival. The venue was the 'Government Senior School hall, Havelock Town' - which later became the Lumbini Hall where to this day, most drama producers prefer to have their productions staged.

The prophetic words he wrote for the programme note of the first drama festival are worth repeating. "Our aim in presenting these plays is to enable the public to assess the Sinhala theatre of today and to encourage producers. We feel that festivals of this sort will assist the growth of the Sinhala theatre which has now awakened from its dormant state. We also hope that this will surprise those who thought Sinhala theatre was dead."

Along with that ardent lover of theatre, H. D. Sugathapala, M. J. Perera did so much to assist drama producers. 'Sugar', as the headmaster of Royal Primary was then fondly called, opened the doors of the school for rehearsals at a time when dramatists had no place to go to. He continued the good work started by M. J. Perera having taken over as Chairman of the Drama Panel. 

As Director of Cultural Affairs, M. J. Perera had two able assistants in Vincent Pandita and Austin Jayawardena to make a meaningful contribution towards the promotion of Buddhism and the arts. He was loved by the media when, as Information Officer (as the Director of Information was known) in the mid-fifties, his office was open for any pressman to walk into. His thorough understanding of the media made it possible for him to contribute immensely to the development of radio (he was the first Sri Lankan Director-General of Broadcasting) and later as the first Chairman of Rupavahini Corporation, he guided the formative years of State television.

He certainly made sure that Sinhala theatre was not dead and saw to it that it reached great heights during his lifetime. Being a simple and unassuming public servant, he never boasted of what he did but was happy to remain backstage unnoticed, having done his bit.

Forty years of writing
Somawira Senanayake is no stranger to readers of this column. He has excelled as a writer, journalist, cinema and television script writer, media trainer and lecturer for forty years. He is being felicitated for his yeoman service at a ceremony to be held at the J. R. Jayewardene Centre on Tuesday, March 26.

Somawira has recorded his experiences over a period of four decades in his autobiography to be released on that day. Titled 'Api Tavamath Sansare' ('We are still hovering about in Sansara), Dayawansa Jayakody Publications have stepped in to publish it. The second edition of his last work, 'Andurata Pahanak' , a practical guide for daily life based on Buddhist teachings will also be released.



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