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Kala Korner - by Dee Cee

Pradeep gets grand welcome
It was a rousing welcome. A full house at Bishop's College auditorium greeted gifted sitarist Pradeep Ratnayake on his return from Shantiniketan after having completed his Master's degree. They showed their appreciation of the latest of the Pradeepanjali concerts with a standing ovation.

It was a dual celebration - his return after two years of study and the 54th anniversary of Republic Day of India. I believe it is the first time that the Indian High Commission facilitated a concert by a Sri Lankan musician to mark this important day. Of course, there was no cause for regret. Pradeep was simply great!

Much has been written in the past few weeks about Pradeep's capabilities. I am no music critic who can delve into the intricacies of his music but I can only say that it was a most absorbing evening. How different it was from the jarring, loud 'clash' of instruments we hear these days in the name of music.

Just as much as Pradeep handled the sitar so delightfully, his team members provided excellent backing. There was veteran Piyasara Shilpadhipati playing the tammattama. The ever-active Ravibandu displayed his usual skills on the pakawaj and the Kandyan drum. I hadn't seen much of Chandralal Amarakoon on the tabla, Sarath Kumara on the flute and Ratnam Ratnadurai on the ghatam - they all proved they are talented artistes. And Alston Joachim joined on the bass guitar to demonstrate Pradeep's interpretation of the popular Ukusa Vannama.

Pradeep's creation, Pradeepanjali is the kind of musical programme, which can be enjoyed over and over again. One doesn't get tired of listening or watching Pradeep perform. In his hands, the sitar becomes something so close to us. And of course, his ability to play it so well makes all the difference.

Everyone will endorse Indian High Commissioner Nirupam Sen's comment that Pradeep is an extremely talented and gifted sitarist with a natural flair for music. "Pradeep has achieved high levels of excellence through his dedication and devotion to music," he said. We will watch him reach greater heights in the years to come.

We would also wish that the India-Sri Lanka Foundation would plan more of this type of programmes in the future.

Infusing folk songs with Indian music
Pradeep Ratnayake's creation 'Kuveni' based on the Kuveni Asna to give a Sri Lankan identity to his instrument, fused the essentially Sri Lankan folk singing style (rendered by Madhavi Shilpadhipati) with Indian percussion, flute and the sitar. Incidentally, it was interesting to find a reference to Kuveni Asna in 'Sketches of Ceylon History', a lecture delivered in January 1906, by Sir Ponnambalam Arunachalam.

"Kuveni Asna, which relates the story of her (Kuveni's) love and sorrows, says that in agonizing shrieks she wailed: "When shipwrecked and forlorn; I found thee and thy men food and home. I helped thee to rout the Yakkhas and raised thee to be king. Pledging me thy troth, thou madest me thy spouse. Didst not thou know then, that I was in such love, I bore thee children. How canst thou leave me and love another? The gentle rays of the rising full moon are now to me the blaze of a red-hot ball of iron; the cool spicy breezes of the sandal groves are hot and unwelcome; the cuckoo's sweet song pierces my ears as with a spear. Alas, how can I soothe my aching heart!"

Left with his memorable songs
We record with deep sorrow the death of a talented artiste - a musician.Piyasiri Wijeratne left behind some delightfully rendered simple songs for us to listen and appreciate. Years back when the radio was the only medium which gave us new songs, we got to know him.

He sang a few memorable songs - the most popular being 'Ratak vatina komala sina' and 'Bedda pura sudu redda wage'. The secret of his success was in the simple words, melodious tunes and delightful rendition.

When he sang 'Mahiyangane rankota vasanawan - Mahaweli gange diyawara vasanawan' as the theme song in a teledrama that Tissa Abeysekera produced on the Mahaweli, to the music of Sarath Fernando, it set a new standard. The song described by Tissa as "a complex and haunting melody" in a tribute he paid to Piyasiri Wijeratne, remains my favourite too. And thanks to Tissa, I have a recording of the song along with another he sang - 'Anurapure' which I can continue to listen to and remember a talented singer.

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