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Arts
Kala
Korner by Dee Cee The
International Film Festival in Fukuoka, Japan is of special significance
to Sri Lanka this year. The focus will be on New Sri Lankan Cinema.
This is to signify the completion of fifty years of diplomatic relations
between Japan and Sri Lanka.
Six Sinhala
films have been selected for screening at the Fukuoka Festival beginning
September 13. The week -long Festival will feature Lester James
Peries' latest creation, 'Wekande Walauwe', Linton Semage's 'Mage
Vam Atha', Bennet Ratnayake's 'Aswesuma', Sunil Ariyaratne's 'Sudu
Sevaneli', Vasantha Obesysekera's 'Theertha Yatra' and Tissa Abeysekera's
'Viragaya'. Except for 'Viragaya', the rest are either recent releases
or ones which are awaiting release. The choice of 'Viragaya' is to coincide with the launch of the Japanese version of Martin Wickremasinghe's novel on which Tissa based the film. A seminar is also being planned. A treat for
the Sinhala reader Gevindu's latest
effort is 'Davy Dutu Lankawa' - a translation of 'An Account of
the Interior of Ceylon and of its Inhabitants with Travels in that
Island' by John Davy, one of the first writers to travel in and
observe the Kandyan Kingdom immediately after its conquest by the
British in 1815. Physiologist and anatomist Davy joined the British
army as a surgeon and arrived in Ceylon in August 1816. He served
here until February 1820 and was a close observer of the great Kandyan
Rebellion which took place in 1818. After returning to England,
he published the book in 1821. It is said that unlike other writers,
he was not content on relying on second hand information. What he
wrote was based on first hand knowledge. He was so curious that
he travelled the length and breadth of the country, exploring many
areas were unknown to foreigners at that time. Thus what he recorded
was absolutely accurate. Many should
enjoy Ellepola H. M. Somaratne's translation of Davy's work, which
is among four publications to be launched by Gevindu's firm, Visidunu
Prakashakayo on September 10 at the Visidunu stall at the International
Book Fair at the BMICH. Another classic to be released that day is 'Napoleon' - the Sinhala version of Emil Ludwig's 'Napoleon' acclaimed as the best work about the life and achievements of Napoleon Bonaparte. Translator Seneviratne has been a keen student of European history from his Peradeniya university days in the fifties and had earlier done several books on Europe. He gained recognition as a versatile writer when UNESCO awarded him the prize for the best work promoting international understanding for 'Europeeya Dayadaya' in 1958. He followed it up with 'Noothana Europya' (1962) and 'Aparadiga Atheethaya' (1992). In between he translated Arthur C. Clarke's 'A Fall of Moondust' ('Chandra Sancharakayo') and Nalini de Lanerolle's 'A Reign of Ten Kings' ('Dasa Raja Puwatha'). His translation of Emerson Tennent's 'The Natural History of Ceylon' will be released shortly. Hair
- raising Tommiya Well, Indu
Dharmasena has just the thing for you! She promises you a whole
lot of Yes! Another
'Tommiya" play is to hit the theatre world very soon. "Madai
Tommiya Hair Show Kala" the newest comedy by Indu Dharmasena
will be staged at the Lionel Wendt on September 13, 14 and 15. The
first Tommiya play was "Madai Ithin Dubai Giya". This
is the eighth in the hilarious Tommiya series. "This
is certainly one of the best Tommy productions. It is very colourful
and given the many complications and the intrigue, this should be
a massive success," was the thought echoed by each member of
the cast when asked whether this Tommiya play was going to be any
different from the previous ones. Andana Silva's
cousin Sally who is an established fashion designer and owns a dress
boutique in Los Angeles arrives in Sri Lanka with her friend Cassilda
who is the representative for a world- renowned hair product range.
The purpose of their visit is to launch the range of "Bella"
products in Sri Lanka. Andana and his team are commissioned to do
a hair show with a difference for the launch. Sally has an ulterior
motive in volunteering to design the outfits for the show. A big
buyer by the name of Gunnay Cheap, that Sally and her arch rival
Lisa have been after is here in Sri Lanka for a holiday. Therefore,
Sally plans to invite Mr. Cheap for the show without Lisa's knowledge.
But Lisa has called her cousin Peter and instructed him to somehow
stop Sally from meeting the buyer. So the preparation
for the show begins. Cassilda, whose Sinhalese is not very good
wantsTommy, the simple country bumpkin who doesn't understand English
very well to be in charge of the hair show. Then the comedy begins.
Throw in Peter
who is trying to sabotage the show, add professional models, aspiring
models and mix it with jealous boyfriends and garnish it with mistaken
identities and the result is a recipe to keep the audience in fits
of laughter. Indu plays
the ever so famous Tommiya while Michael Holsinger brings to life
Andana Silva yet again. The well-known Angela Seneviratne plays
Sally and versatile Krys Sosa, Cassilda. The scheming and ambitious
Peter is played by Dayan Dias Abeygunawardene and his not so bright
girlfriend is played by Priyanka Holsinger. Catriona Nicholas plays
Pertunia, a well-established professional model 'who loves men!'.
George Cook plays Adnan, whose one ambition is to become a professional
model. Andana's able assistant Tony is played by Danushthan Innasithamby.
Shohan Chandiram plays the harassed choreographer Yohan and Thulitha
Piyasena plays Toby, Pertunia's present boyfriend. The rest of the
cast comprise the models for the show. "I got
the idea for this play mainly because I helped out in a fashion
show some time ago. The play does not reveal any of the things that
happened there... I just used the situation as I thought it would
be funny to incorporate it into a Tommiya play," says Indu
when asked why the play revolved around a fashion show. "We tend
to like to laugh at people who pretend to not speak Sinhalese, and
that is exactly what Cassilda is doing," Indu says. So in the
end we have Tommy murdering the Queen and Cassilda murdering the
Sinhala language. Catriona who
plays the man-eating Pertunia says that her role is spiced up because
she 'cannot see men without flirting with them'. "My present
boyfriend, Toby is afraid that I might dump him and go out with
Adnan who is my present object of affection." "The choreographer
Yohan is someone to watch out for," says Shohan who plays his
part. "He is irritable, emotional, extremely hyperactive and
a drama queen, not a king." The make-up
and the hair is done by Conall Beekmeyer of Rumours. "Madai Tommiya Hair Show Kala" will go on the boards at the Lionel Wendt on September 13, 14 and 15 at 7.15 p.m. Centenary
songs of joy The concert
opened with 'The Ode to Joy' by the past pupils. 'Glorious things
of Thee are spoken' was harmonized beautifully with an accompaniment
by the ensemble which brought out the richness of this national
anthem of Germany. The Lord's
Prayer by Mallotte was sung with meaning by the senior school choir
and the Peterite Chorale. 'The 'Sound of Silence'' created a real
sensation of the eloquence of silence. The primary
choir singing "Any Dream Will Do' and "I'd Like To Teach
The World To Sing" got a thunderous applause, perhaps because
the little ones were so natural on stage. After the interval
the Peterite Chorale sang a medley of songs. They really enjoyed
singing 'Moonlight Bay' and the orchestra too went to town. Radha
De Mel's solo was an eye opener to the musical and dramatic talent
available in this country. The medley
of Rodgers and Hammerstein songs was well arranged with the change
of keys and rhythms well executed. By the time
the Hallelujah Chorus was sung, however, the choir was tired of
concentrating so that it lacked precision. Two-way
street to mutual understanding "But riding
the bus is also an opportunity to see a side of Sri Lanka that foreigners
rarely see. It displays a slice of life that, from an outsider's
perspective, is intriguingly unstructured and unpredictable. People
from all walks of life are instantaneously thrown together and left
to interact while riding a bus. I recall watching with keen interest
to see who gave up his seat to a mother with a young child, who
offered water to a passenger who fainted on a hot day, and how people
reacted to the scene where a woman slapped and scolded a man who
sexually assaulted her." - So writes Stephen
Berkwitz, an American who lived and studied in Sri Lanka in the
1990s who is now attached to the Department of Religious Studies
at South West Missouri State University. His article titled, Sri
Lanka - A Matter of Heart, which is included in Excursions and Exploration,
a collection of essays, gives the reader the clearest indication
of the spirit and essence of the book. Inspired by
H.A.I Goonetilleke's Images of Sri Lanka Through American Eyes,
Excursions and Explorations, what could be called the contemporary
version, reaches beyond the scope of the original book and presents
the reader with more than just an academically presented collection
of viewpoints of Sri Lanka written by explorers bitten by the wanderlust
bug. Through the
space of 34 essays, edited by Tissa Jayatilaka, Excursions and Explorations
traces the cultural encounters between Sri Lanka and the United
States. Launched in celebration of the 50 year long Fulbright Academic
Exchange Programme between Sri Lanka and the United States, the
book, both acknowledges and celebrates the diversity of the two
cultures through very personal insights. Juxtaposed,
as far as possible, with the experiences of Sri Lanka through American
eyes, are experiences of America through Sri Lankan eyes, making
the book a marriage of sorts. The Sri Lankan viewing America sees
more in the American culture than the average observer who is perhaps
tainted by his suspicions of such a culture. Writes Mario Gomes:
"Looking back I am not entirely sure why I was anti-American
in school. No doubt it was trendy, at least among some circles and
sometimes these fashions of thought grip you tightly." Ranjini Obeyesekere's
(Visiting lecturer, Princeton University, New Jersey) account takes
us to the heart of the American people. She records: "In September
1961 I flew into Seattle with two young children aged three years
and one year. It was not an easy journey... "By the
time the plane reached Seattle we were exhausted. I woke my sleeping
three-year-old telling him his father would be at the airport and
we better hurry down. He marched eagerly to the exit door expecting
to see his father at the bottom of the gangway. When he didn't,
he sat down on the top step and bawled. Carrying my other child
and the bulky hand luggage I tried to drag this howling child down
the steps. He would not budge. I was desperate and embarrassed and
I was holding up a line of passengers eager to get out. Just then
a burly man behind me lifted the crying child carried him down the
steps and deposited him in the immigration area. I was relieved
and grateful. It didn't stop the crying which now went into a hysterical
register but at least we were off the plane. Harried, I walked to
the immigration officer and said, "Can I please go out, leave
this child with his father who is waiting outside the room and come
back to fill the forms". This was my first experience of America
- unexpected acts of kindness from total strangers." If there is
one certainty about the writers who sent in their contributions
for this collection, it is that they are those who truly learnt
to love the foreign culture they embraced and found, in an alien
land, a home. The contributors include Howard Wriggins, US Ambassador
in Sri Lanka, 1977-1979; Jayatha Dhanapala, presently the Under-Secretary
General for Disarmament Affairs at the United Nations Headquarters
in New York; James Spain, former US Ambassador now resident in Sri
Lanka; Vernon Mendis, Director General of the Bandaranaike International
Diplomatic Training Institute, and former member of the Sri Lankan
Diplomatic Service who served in the Sri Lanka Mission in the United
States in 1948 and Thalif Deen, journalist based in New York City
etc, thus making this account one that includes a range of views
from those of diplomats to journalists, historians to academics,
scholars to the single undergraduate. For editor
and executive director of the US-Sri Lanka Fulbright Commission,
Tissa Jayatilaka, the book cements the work done by the Commission
in its half-century of existence. "It is a two-way street that
leads to mutual understanding and reinforces the idea of bi-nationalism,
which is in keeping with the primary objectives of the commission." The collection
although diverse may, for the reader lack consistency of tone but
that is to be expected in a volume which draws from a variety of
sources rather than a single authority. Still, it makes up for whatever
lack of coherence, in the animated tone that conveys warmth, interest
and life. A tone, which prompted William Dawson (retired US Foreign
Service officer) to pen: "I long for the day when a familiar
voice will again ask, "Today was bloody humid, no?" |
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Copyright © 2001 Wijeya Newspapers
Ltd. All rights reserved. |
laughs
and swears that you won't be disappointed. 
