Signature in brush strokes - Interview with Dr. Jayasiri Semage

Kalasuri Dr. Jayasiri Semage’s solo art exhibition, Chronicle of love will be held at Lionel Wendt Art Gallery from April 4 to 6. Paintings employing historical themes will be featured at the event. “These paintings were a challenge. I had to recreate the costumes and jewelry that were used in the times of kings, how they dressed, the environment and most of it are creations of my imagination,” said Semage. “I think this would be a great opportunity for Sri Lankan art lovers and school children to learn something about both art and history,” he added.

Semage has become an icon in the Sri Lankan art sphere with his unique style. Conquering the local and foreign art galleries he promoted his unique Sri Lankan painting styles and the country’s name simultaneously from 1956. Like Geoffrey Bawa or Solias Mendis, today, Semege too has become a landmark in the history of Sri Lankan art. He spoke to The Nation about his childhood, achievements and the upcoming art exhibition on this week’s ‘Notebook of an achiever’.

Semage was born in a small fishing village in Ambalangoda and received his education from Ambalangoda Dharmashoka Vidyalaya. He self-taught himself at the beginning, while at school. Later on, while still at school, he passed all examinations held by the Royal Academy School of Arts, London and became the first child artist to hold a solo painting exhibition at the Art Gallery in 1957. “MWL De Silva was the art master at school. Later there was a Mr. Silva, who was trained at Shanti Niketan India to teach us. His influence increased my interest in the painting style of Ajantha Caves in India and frescos in Sigiriya,” he recalled. Since then Semage has held a series of solo exhibitions in countries including Singapore, Thailand, Sweden, Switzerland, Finland and Oman. In 1990 he was awarded with the national honor Kalasuri by President Ranasinghe Premadasa and Kalabooshana award by the Ministry of Cultural affairs in 1999. Ceylon Society of Arts (Lanka Kala Sangamaya) honored him with a Doctorate in Arts in 2006.

“But with time I realized that it is more important to create a unique identity rather than imitating something,” he explained while adding how he built his identity in painting. After finishing his school education he joined the Lankadeepa editorial in pursuit of his dream of becoming an art journalist. Later he became the Chief Artist of the now defunct Davasa group of newspapers. Up to this date, he contributes to many newspapers as a freelance art journalist.

He was a key person in President Premadasa’s Gam Udawa program. He created the pandal in at the entrance of the Gam Udawa site, which became an identity of the program. He contributed to the program as the main artist from 1982 to 1992. The jumbo Buddhist pandal he created at the entrance to Asia Pacific Exhibition, Fukuoka, Japan in 1989 still tops the list among his great achievements. He also mentioned his painting which was selected for permanent display at the United Nations Hall in Geneva, Switzerland in 2006.

In 1995 Kalasuri Semage held his first international exhibition in Kuala Lumpur Malaysia, on an invitation by the Lanka Kala Sangamaya. According to him this exhibition resulted in an invitation to paint murals at the Buddhist Vihara in Malaysia and Mangala Vihara in Singapore. He considers the murals in the Sri Maha Bodhirama Purana Vihara in Divulapitiya, Borelasgamuwa as one of his gifts to the country. “I remembered Geoffrey Bawa and Solias Mendis and what they gifted to the country. I thought of doing something similar and the Divulapitiya Purana Viharaya was the ideal place for it,” he iterated.

Semage has published three books to date. His first art collection Ridma Rekha, a book on traditional decorative motifs in Sri Lanka was published in 1996. Chithra Lekha, a collection of line drawings was published this year. Prof Bandara reviewing his paintings once wrote that Semage’s art could be identified as his, even without his signature on the painting. He said that the unique characteristics of his paintings had created a strong identity than his signature. His paintings had the distinct Sri Lankan flavor with Liyavel and Hansa Puttuwa and if examined closely, curves and brush lines will help one to recognize the rhythm of his painting.

“I give prominence to the rhythm, topics, color schemes and beauty. I never draw violent things like blood or murders. My art should be peaceful and beautiful, something that gives pleasure to others,” he iterated. “Who would want to buy violent art and hang it somewhere where they see them all the time?” he queried. Most of his paintings illustrate human beings. Animals or landscapes are rare. When asked why, he said that he didn’t want to paint landscapes or sceneries since most of the artists do this. “I see the beauty in human beings, therefore I choose to draw them,” he said.

He expressed his grief about the inadequate facilities of the country for artists. “There are only few private galleries here. Not everyone can afford to have a his or her own private gallery. There are no good galleries for exhibitions. There is only one in Colombo and none outside. It’s a shameful situation which the government should look into,” he pointed out. “I’ve been to many galleries around the world. I was surprised to see the enthusiasm to appreciate art displayed by people in many foreign countries. But I don’t see this enthusiasm in Sri Lankan public,” he added. He emphasized that there should be at least one art gallery in prominent towns like Kandy or Galle outside Colombo and pointed out that this would also help the artists to promote and preserve their paintings. 

Dr. Jayalath Manoratne is fifteen thousand days strong

 Theater’s potential to shift politics

 

Pics by Chandana Wijesinghe

“It’s almost 15,000 days since I first set foot on a stage. This is why the festival was named Dawas Pahalos Daha (Fifteen thousand days). In other words it’s been almost 45 years since then,” Dr. Jayalath Manoratne told The Nation, speaking about his drama festival which is scheduled to commence tomorrow. Seven dramas out of 12 he has scripted and directed will be staged at the festival. “We always try to do a similar festival every five to six years, since it helps university and school students engaged in theater and it offers a great opportunity for anyone rehearsal who is in love with theater,” he said. “It is also a great opportunity for us, as we get to meet the audience, talk to them and see what they feel or whether their expectations were fulfilled.” He explained that this creates a sub culture within the field, which he sees as a blessing in the development in Sri Lankan theater.

Dr. Manoratne, fondly referred to as Mano, is an extraordinary character on the stage. He has mastered singing, acting, directing as well as playwriting. His folk songs, stage songs and Noorthi enrich Sinhala song culture. Although he has acted in several tele-dramas and movies and was highly appreciated for his contribution, his love for the theater remains steadfast. Manoratne has won several awards including the State Drama Awards for best actor, director and also playwright during his journey of 45 years. Peradeniya University presented him with a Doctorate in Literature (D. Litt) honoring the service he has rendered to the field of arts.

Manoratne was born on June 12, 1948 in the village called Dehipe in Nuwara Eliya District. “My village was a farming village. During spare time after harvesting, villagers act out folk plays such as Sokari or Sandakinduru and I felt the wonder of it. That’s how I became enthusiastic about plays,” he explained. Receiving his primary education from Dehipe Mixed School, Manoratne entered Poramadulla Madya Maha Vidyalaya for his secondary education. “Sunil Sriyananda, music teacher of our school was the earliest to recognize my talent. He selected me for many school dramas he produced. I was selected for the main role of the school play, Assa Gudun and it won the first place at the Interschool Drama Competition of Central Province the same year,” he recalled.

Passing his advanced level examination in the arts stream he entered Peradeniya University in 1966. Fortunate enough to learn under a legend, Prof Ediriweera Sarachchandara, he set foot on popular theater during his university days. Being one of Prof Ediriweera’s brightest students, Manoratne got to act in his play, Pematho Jayathi Soko. He also contributed to Maname and Singhabahu. Since then, he has been engaged in theater work for over 45 years, continuously. His latest production, based on the life of the last Sinhala king Weera Parakrama Narendra Singha, Sellan Nirindu, was staged for the first time last December. With Manoratne himself enacting the main role as Narendra Singha, who was said to be a flamboyant king, Manoratne said that this story relates to the present social situation.

Prof Ediriweera Sarachchandra, Henry Jayasena, Sugathapala de Silva, Dayananda Gunawardena and Gunasena Galappaththi are the five pillars of modern Sri Lankan stage. They were all able to create unique styles. “These five were exceptional and I got the opportunity to act under all of them. Their knowledge on local and foreign stages was a blessing; it was like studying in five different universities,” he said. “They enlightened us about theater studies and my love and respect towards the theater grew.” Gaining knowledge under veterans for many years, Manoratne wrote and produced his own play, Maha Giri Damba in 1980.

So far he has written and produced 11 stage plays. Puthra Samagama; a translation of Alexander Vampilov’s The Elder Son is the only adaptation among his plays. “I love to experiment with different styles,” said Manoratne. He uses both naturalized (Swabhawika) and stylized (Shailigatha) genres. Most of my experimental plays fall into the documentary genre.” Documentary theatre was first introduced to the Sri Lankan audience by Dayananda Gunawardena through Gajaman Puwatha. According him historical incidents and biographies can be staged in documentary form. “Historical stories are adapted according to the contemporary society. Many parallels can be drawn between incidents that took place in the 1700s or 1600s and present. It’s true that history repeats,” he said.

Manoratne admitted that he has noticed a lack of interest, on the part of the younger generation, in developing their own style. “However a handful of amateurs are keen on experiments rather than following the same old styles. Eventually they’ll find the best style suited for them. This would only happen with maturity and experience,” he noted. He also noted that youngsters are more interested in foreign scripts. “I think 99 percent of the dramas written by the youngsters are adaptations. As with styles, autonomous scripts are very rare. I have noticed a lack of interest towards native styles,” he emphasized. “I don’t say this is off beam, but if you take foreign countries like USA, Germany or Italy; they seem to have built-up their own identity even though their theater does not have a long history,” he added. Manoratne stressed that if the dramatists want to build-up a unique identity on Sri Lankan stage, they should be exposed to native drama styles. He said that it is not fair to complain about lack of opportunities anymore since Drama and theater studies are a subject in school and university curriculum.

Manoratne has staged his plays in many countries. With over 45 years of experience and knowledge he gathered traveling around the world, Manoratne observes that, compared to world theater Sri Lankan plays are still in a primitive stage. “Recently we had shows in Nikaweratiya, Bandarawela and Ampara. I was in those places in 1970s. I notice no development in these theaters, not the least bit,” he expressed his displeasure. “I don’t think any of the responsible parties have noticed this. It’s the spirit of the dramatists that takes their dramas around the country,” he said. “We can’t wait until all these issues are resolved. We can only do our best with the resources available to us,” he added. He said that the massive crowds the theaters in rural areas draw is proof that audiences still love theater despite these shortcomings. He also spoke about the need of preserving the scripts as well as plays and pointed out that currently there is no such system.

According to Manoratne, the number of people in the audience fluctuates from time to time depending on the country’s social situation. “There was a huge decrease in numbers during the war. Now it’s comparatively high. There is a small decrease in numbers these few days because of the election,” he said. He noted a general decrease in the numbers with the impact of the television. “There is an increase in the numbers again now. It’s a good sign,” he added. While explaining he said that the quality of what dramatists gift the audience should be looked into as some dramatists try to sell ‘cheap laugh’ to the audience. “There are a few who always act responsibly to present dramas of aesthetic quality.”

There are folk, popular and classical plays. Classics are few and the average audience is rarely exposed to these as opposed to popular or folk dramas. Manoratne pointed out that Sri Lankan dramatists have misunderstood the concept behind popular dramas. “Dramas cannot be called popular dramas just because they are widespread. Popular dramas are not like classics. They might be simple, but the storyline conveys a strong message. Our dramatists have mistaken it for humor and profanity,” he noted. “Making the audience laugh should not be the motive of the dramatist. Laugh is essential, but it should be meaningful,” he reiterated. Manoratne said that the audience should laugh, but they should be made to think what and whom they are laughing at, at the end of the play. He elaborated on this fact using Prof Sarachchandra’s Mahasara, KB Herath’s Mayadevi and his own script Andarela as examples. “Dramatists should see to it that the audience is enlightened with the artistry,” he said.

He also spoke about theater’s potential to change a person’s political ideologies. As he explained, a strong political message could be sent to the audience through a play. Manoratne emphasized that an artiste does not have to engage in party politics to make the country better, contrary to many Sri Lankan artistes who choose party politics to ‘serve the country’. “I do vote for a political party which compliments my views. But I don’t do political campaigns for them. It’s unnecessary,” he reiterated. “A dramatist’s responsibility is to serve the common man, but he doesn’t have to restrict himself to a political party.”

 

Manoratne’s stage plays

Maha Giri Daba (1980)

Puthra Samagama (1985)

Thala Mala Pipila (1988)

Andarela (1993)

Guru Tharuwa

Sanda Gira

Kaneru Mal

Lokaya Thani Yayak

Sudu Redi Horu

Buruwa Mahaththaya

Rehearsals of Lokaya Thani Yayak

Sellam Nirindu (2013)

Touching heartstrings with music - Bandara Eheliyagoda

 

Pic by Chandana Wijesinghe

Sinhala is a very powerful language with a wide vocabulary that if the radio, television presenters, writers or literates wished they could summersault with words, says this veteran lyricist, writer and journalist. “It is pathetic to see how poor they are in language while they have the potential unlike people who speak any other language,” said Bandara Eheliyagoda. He has been in the field as a lyricist for over 30 years.

Eheliyagoda was born in Eheliyagoda, Ellawala, Paranagama; a beautiful village. His father was a farmer. He received his formal education from the village school, Ellawala Paranagama Vidyalaya. “It was a very small school which had only one building. Sometimes we used to sit under an Araliya tree to study. I had a pleasant childhood in a pleasant environment,” he recalled. According to him, his first teachers of aesthetics were his parents, grandparents, uncles and aunts. “They used to tell us stories creating an aesthetic background. Stories about Andare or Mahadanamuththa, how prince Gamunu went to war and the Bali thovil, Kavi madu, Perahera and Shanthikarma, frequent in the village were great experiences for me,” he reminisced. “That is how I was nurtured with aesthetic values in the beginning and this is something the modern child misses out on,” he added.

Even though he is popular as a song writer, his interests has mostly been theater when he was young. In grade nine he moved to Illippadeniya Maha Vidyalaya, Chilaw and after the Ordinary Level exam he returned to his home town, Eheliyagoda to study at Eheliyagoda Madya Maha Vidyalaya. He started to show literary abilities during the time he was at Peradeniya University. “I was more interested in stage during that time. The drama I directed; Depa Varu Natha was selected as the best drama in 1981 and I became the best stage actor,” he said. While studying at Peradeniya University he was recruited as an employee of the National Savings Bank. “I used to travel to Colombo in the weekends to study at Prof Ediriweera Sarachchandra’s Ranga Shilpa Shalika held at Lionel Wendt,” he recalled. He also got the opportunity to act in dramatist Clive Shantha’s Kandulu Gas and Nyashtika Hewath Maha Bala Hatana during the same era. In 1982, he received the best actor’s award at the National Youth Awards ceremony for the role Pauma, he played in Nyashtika. Simultaneously his poems were published in various newspapers.

Meeting Darmasiri Gamage was another turning point of his life as he was motivated to improve his writing skills. “I got the opportunity to write to Mr. Darmasiri Gamage’s Yowun Janatha paper. He established Pahan Wata creative writers circle and I got to play a significant role in it,” he recalled.

His very first song Thiraya arenawa thiraya wasenawa sung by Sunil Edirisinghe was first aired on March 26, 1983 on Sri Lanka Broadcasting Corporation’s Sarala Gee program, along with his second song Lokayak thanannata. He said he writes songs based on his life experiences and opined that this can be the same reason his songs employ different themes from mundane topics like romance. His first song, Thiraya arenawa thiraya wasenawa is based on one of his school experiences. “Once there was a concert in Eheliyagoda Maha Vidyalaya and there was a dance item ‘Bathe Upatha’ (Birth of rice) performed by girls of Ladies College, Colombo. It struck me that, it should be us who should perform this that we are the people who know how rice is ‘born’ by experience in the paddy fields. They haven’t even seen the process nor do they know how to hold the sickle. This was in my mind for a long time that finally came out in the from of a song,” he explained.

 

He also explained the story behind the song Anna balan bera handin udam wee - Detha depa selawena andam’. “My father’s elder brother was a traditional dancer. The whole village gathers to see his dancing. But unfortunately he got cancer. Nobody bothered to come and see him. He died of cancer. This made me realize the tragedy of the artiste,” he said. “When my father passed away, people who attended his funeral mourned that he was a man who gave food to the whole village. He was a farmer and he was able to do that. But I, at a rented house living on a small government salary could not afford to give free food to other people like him. I felt terribly and this feeling later became Wanni wana pethe,” he added.

With the success of his debut song, Eheliyagoda started receiving invitations from many singers to write songs for them. Yet, not loosing his interest on the stage, he joined the cast of Jayalath Manorathna’s Thala Mala Pipila and created contemporary poems for the play, Andarela. He also contributes to Andarela as an actor. In 1994, with the toppling of the government; Eheliyagoda dabbled with diverse fields of work. His top priority was ‘Sudu Neluma’ campaign. In 1994, he was appointed as the Deputy Director General of Sri Lanka Rupavahini Corporation.

After that he served as the Director of Jana Kala Kendraya for a long period of time. “I met Vijaya Dharma Sri during this period and I started to write theme songs and scripts for his tele dramas and also worked as an assistant director,” he mentioned. Among his teledrama theme songs, the song he wrote for the drama Dona Isabela hewath Gajaman Nona, during the 1990s, is unquestionably a landmark song in the history of tele drama. This song, Jeewithe Kaviyak sung by Nanda Malini depicts Gajaman Nona’s life, full of challenges, which critics usually miss when they get distracted by the number of marriages she has had.

He also contributed to many newspapers and radio channels. He mentioned the feature column in the Lankadeepa and Muwarada Suwanda in Lakhanda radio as long-standing ones among them. The tele drama script for HD Premarathna’s Sihina Danawwa was also written by him. He has won awards as the best lyricist in almost all the award ceremonies in the country including State Drama festival, Sumathi and Raigam tele awards. Apart from that he has authored many books. “My first poetry collection, Kalaya Elamba Etha was published in 1985,” he said. Karaliya himi nathi ape lamay, Jeewithe kaviyak and Duwe nuba mage pranayai are the three song collections Eheliyagoda published. He has also compiled a few biographies including that of Jalayath Manorathna (Ranga Theertha Yathrikaya – Mano), Deshamanya HK Dharmadasa (Nawa Lowa Nawa Hiru) and AG Hinniappuhami a.k.a Maliban Mudalali (Hela Welanda Lowa Pera Gamankaru). Swayanjatha, one of the recently most admired tele dramas was his production.

Eheliyagoda is also a key personality in organizing cultural events in the country. He is well known in the field as a person who is always ready to give his hand. “Currently, I am involved in creating a ballet with Channa Wijewardena with the support of Lt. Gen. Daya Ratnayake. The ballet is based on Pandit Amaradeva’s Sannaliyane,” he reiterated.

“There are two major objectives behind this ballet. This will be a tribute to Pundit Amaradeva. Money obtained from tickets will go into a welfare fund for hundreds of disabled soldiers,” he mentioned. This Ballet, Sannaliyane – Amarasara Gee Geththama will be held on March 28, at the Sugathadasa Stadium. He is also engaged in a film based on Sri Wikarama Rajasingha by Sudath Rohana.

He explained a song should always send a message to the society. A song is a short term experience and it is also a collaborative effort. “We can’t make the society better in three minutes. But a song can make people think,” he said. “A song is like a small glass window. People can look through it. Then they can see what’s outside,” he explained. “A motive behind any creation should be that. It should be sensitive enough to make people think. And I don’t see that capability in the new songs,” he said. “Do we feel the love of a mother when we hear the song ‘Jeewithe mal ape amma inna kal? See how beautifully Kapuge’s Dawasak pela nathi hene or Victor Ratnayake’s Aadaraye ulaptha wu amma give that sensation,” he compared.

He stressed that Radio Ceylon was strong and a great aid for the new song writers, when he was an amateur writer. “We had only one radio station and it helped various artistes to come out with their abilities. Heads of the Radio Ceylon in that era like MJ Perera, Livy R Wijemanne, Thewis Guruge or Palitha Perera were versatile. Similarly, artistes like Dayananda Gunawardana, Sugathapala de Silva, Wimal Abeysundara, KDK Dharmawardana, Premakeerthi de Alwis, Daya Alwis or Kusum Peiris were flexible and resourceful people who have mastered several fields. And they were all available for us to learn from,” he said. “Most people have limited knowledge and even though there are over 48 radio channels in the country today, none of these are fulfilling their responsibilities as Radio Ceylon did few decades ago,” he reiterated.

According to him there are many new lyricists in society who are talented enough to use the language properly with no opportunity to emerge into the field. “We hardly ever hear Ananda Hewa Ranhindage, Nilar N Kasim, Gamini Sarath Bandara, Yasanatha Dhammika Bandara, Ruchira Paranawithana, Dhammika Bandara or Rajee Wasantha Welgama’s names when their songs are played. This could also be a major reason why they fall silent after one or two striking creations. That is a catastrophe,” he opined. “They are not privileged as we were,” he added. He also pointed out that there are no programs to facilitate the creation of new songs. “Most of the new songs are shallow. People only need a pen and a paper to write a song today. If there is a similar standardizing method like in Radio Ceylon this might not have happened,” he said.

Bandara also said that even though there are few radio channels still playing quality songs, they are reluctant to play new songs which should be given recognition. “Even if you take Nanda Malini, there are new songs which she had recently sung, but the radio channels still play the same set of old songs of hers,” he said. Similarly he pointed out that there is no proper method to distribute the new songs to the listeners. “This is not a weakness of the people who listen to the songs. I still get calls from people asking where to buy CDs or DVDs but we don’t have a way to take it to them,” he said. “The singer, writer or the musician can’t take their work from village to village,” he added.  He believes that the artiste should not remain silent about this but continue with their work to the best of their abilities.

“The artiste does not consider what they get in return when they engage in creative work. It’s a difficult task but I’m still active,” he said. He also said that many contemporary writers and singers write and sing songs targeting the income they receive from the ‘ring tones.’ “Ring tones are a way of earning big money. There is huge exploitation of this. But it is questionable whether we should blame the ring tone culture or try and join that culture,” he said. However according to him, artistes should not remain silent and they should continue to work. “At anytime, there was no influence of a government in the welfare of the artistes and art. Only the active contributions of the artistes helped themselves.” He also lamented how money oriented the radio channels of the country is that they manipulate the needs of the listeners to force listeners listen to them.

He doesn’t believe that a government or authorities alone could help the contemporary song to come out of this agony. Governmental authorities have always been passive about this, he said. “Even the radio channels under the government take after private radio channels. When the private channel search for ‘stars’, government channels also start their mission to find ‘the star’,” he said. “I suppose that’s how our country is. If one makes a new soap bar, someone would copy it within days,” he iterated.

He questioned whether people would care about saving the song from extinction when they don’t have anything proper to eat. “We eat poison. There is no authority capable of controlling this. Imagine the situation of the song. How could we provide good music when there is nothing good to eat,” he lamented. He believes that there should be a strong legal system to bring this situation under control.

He also pointed out that the senior artiste should not feel helpless during their old age. He explained how similar they are to any other employee of the country. “An artiste is like a laborer who works for daily wage. They should have thought about their future when they were still young and strong. They can’t ask the society to treat them well when they are old just because they were good artists ages ago,” he said. “They should find a way to safeguard themselves,” he reiterated.

Eheligoda has also written a number of sensitive children’s songs. His children’s song collection Athu Pathara Pipi Mal launched few years ago contains a collection of songs which gives a strong message to the child. The tsunami song, Maha Samudura Namathi Ape Amma sung by Harshana Dissanayake shows how people still love the sea after the horrible tsunami. Piyasomage gedara yanna mama hari asai, ane sir me ahanna and the songs about Puppets or the Yaka have the power to make children think about the issues of the society in simple terms. It is a misfortune that we don’t get to listen to these songs in any of the radio channels anymore.

He also commented about the children’s song literature. He said that there is a connection between the changed school syllabus and reduced enthusiasm in literature among children. “When we were studying we were made to study well chosen works of literature and we were made to study the books or anthologies completely unlike the bits and pieces of literary works children study today,” he pointed out. He also mentioned that having subject limitations for student is also unhealthy.

“A science or math student is prohibited from studying literate at school. It’s not healthy for a child, his or her aesthetic needs will not be fulfilled,” he emphasized. “A child’s imagination is already being destroyed by television and radio. The aesthetic environment we had is not available to them. They are all imprisoned in this complex society,” he said. “They should all be redirected to books, motivated to read. They should be taught to engage in their work attentively and with complete understanding,” he added.

http://www.nation.lk/edition/fine/item/26642-touching-heartstrings-with-music.html

Pornography: Right or perversion?

Psychology experts fear that if people do not talk about sex in Sri Lanka, they will turn to porn to learn about sex instead of thinking more broadly about sexuality

Pornography, often abbreviated ‘porn’ or ‘porno’ in informal usage has become mainstream, with easy access to the Internet. Pornography is no more restricted to magazines and CDs which are secretly sold or exchanged. This can be the reason why pornographic material raids are more frequently in the news. Last week it was reported that two persons allegedly involved in a racket distributing CDs containing pornographic material to video centers were arrested during a raid in North Central and Central provinces by Dambulla Police. Dambulla Police also seized 786 CDs and several computers containing pornographic videos.

There were three others who were arrested for having in possession mobile phones containing pornographic material. Yet it remains uncertain why having pornographic content in personal electronic equipments like mobile phones and personal computers is considered a crime. When queried about the legal grounds of arresting people who have in their possession personal electronic equipment containing sexually explicit material, Sri Lanka Police Media Spokesman SSP Ajith Rohana said they have arrested these people based on the country’s law.

“Showing or possessing databases of pornographic material is ‘strictly’ prohibited by the Sri Lankan law and that law was made by the parliament,” he said. “Few countries have strict laws regarding pornography, including Sri Lanka. I believe that such laws were imposed because of the culture and morality of our society. If we need to uphold the moral values of our society, law should be strictly maintained,” he reiterated. It makes one wonder if the police is attempting to police the general public’s moral values.

Colonial hangover

Perhaps it is the Victorian mindset, a colonial hangover, which makes the discussion of pornography or any other sex related topic in public, uncomfortable, yet Google it to satisfy their curiosity in private. They are only very few who are bold enough to speak about such issues in public. Among those is a camp which brands porn as obscenity - capable of turning good men into sexual perverts. Another camp sees porn as just a healthy way of experiencing sex as long as the person doing the accessing is legally an adult and no one gets hurt while another camp is not sure whether to take its side or speak against it.

According to Wikipedia pornography may use a variety of media, including books, magazines, postcards, photos, sculpture, drawing, painting, animation, sound recording, film, video and even video games. Some call it sex education; some use it as a means to achieve sexual satisfaction and as sexual stimulation during masturbation.

University of Peradeniya, Professor of Sociology, SA Athukorala explained the Sociological perspective of pornography abuse. As he explained, a social problem is a problem which is generated by the society. It has negative impacts on the society and could be prevented by collective collaboration of the society. Law enforcement could come in handy in preventing a social problem. Prof Athukorala was not certain whether pornography abuse can be categorized as a social problem since it effects are individual rather than societal. “I believe we should look into this more liberally. However humans naturally have a drive for sex. We should look at these people in a sympathetic manner,” he said. Athukorala also said that this issue could affect a person’s social relationships including his family life.

He warned that the society should be more vigilant about these materials coming into the possession of children. “Cellular phones are very popular among children in plantation areas, especially teenagers. There are shops in these areas where a child could get pornographic material copied into their phones for 500 to 1,000 rupees,” he said, out of many years of experience working in such areas. “A person’s privacy should be protected while being vigilant about the possible hazards,” he added.      

Frustration

The psychological perspective of this issue is contradictory to the Police’s point of view. Dr. Jennie Robertson, a Clinical Psychologist who is working with Samutthana - the Sri Lankan Resource Centre of King's College London explained that it’s a matter of one’s choice to acquire satisfaction by watching pornography to relieve sexual frustration. “Many people use pornography to relieve sexual frustration, but others may choose not to,” Dr. Robertson said speaking to The Nation. Dr. Robertson is a Clinical Psychologist who has completed her training at Royal Holloway, University of London.

Some argue that porn can be as addictive as drugs. Commenting on this Dr. Robertson said she believes that sexual activity can be broadly addictive than pornography. According to an article published on WebMD online archive, one of the key features of addiction is the development of a tolerance to the addictive substance in the way that drug addicts need increasingly larger doses to get high, it reads that porn addicts need to see more and more explicit material to feel the same level of excitement they first experienced (Is Pornography Addictive? By Martin Downs, MPH). The Internet: The Book of Revelations written by Felix von Keudell suggests that porn can be a full-blown compulsion. It explains that pornography is more like food to a compulsive over-eater and once you make those pleasure connections in your brain they can be very hard to break.

Dr. Robertson said that there are numerous therapeutic techniques that can be used to manage problematic behavior. “As a therapist, I do not feel it is my duty to cure someone, but rather to help them manage difficult behaviors in order to reduce any psychological distress, improve well-being and live a life that they value.” She also mentioned that guilt, stigma, shame and other socio-culturally induced emotions cause people to feel further distressed by desires and behaviors they are made to believe, deviant. She pointed out that there is emerging evidence that watching porn is correlated with some neurological changes in the brain including impulsivity, compulsivity, emotional lability (subject to change or breakdown) and impaired judgment.

 

Negative effects

She also explained how people rely on porn as a form of sexual education. “I am aware that in United Kingdom, with increasing internet access now, people are learning about sex from porn more than ever.” According to her, one of the negative effects of pornography in the heterosexual context is the sexual objectification of the women. “I feel that they have to assume the role of a female porn star in order to be desirable and socially accepted,” she explained the UK situation. “I have observed that these actors do not necessarily want to do or enjoy it by performing sexual acts by the teenage girls I have worked with. Similarly, men are learning that it is acceptable to objectify women, to prioritize their own sexual needs at the expense of their partners' and to engage in sexual practices that may or may not be what either they or their sexual partners want,” she elaborated.

Poor body image

For both men and women, the pressure to look like porn stars may also lead to poor body image. “Some girls compare their genitals and breasts to their cosmetically-altered porn star counterparts, and feel that any deviation from these 'porn norms' is abnormal, rather than embracing variation amongst women,” she stressed. It would seem likely that this is also true for men.

According to The Internet: The Book of Revelations sociologists have noted that men who have used porn view their partner through a ‘pornographic filter.’ They will resort to impersonal fantasy of some porn scene when they’re having sex because the love for their partner isn’t enough to satisfy them. The porn-brained man also forces his woman to do things she’s not very comfortable with, seeking to act out the exotic scenes he has seen on film. And he’ll think women are all about it.

Human right

When Dr. Robertson was asked whether access to pornography is a human right she argued that all should have a right to express and explore sexuality. “I don't know if I would classify access to pornography as a human right. Access to all information perhaps?” she questioned. She also pointed out the danger of not providing sexual education to people so that porn becomes the only alternative sex education.

“We need to educate people about safe sex; that is, consensual sex that minimizes the risk of STI (Sexually Transmitted Infections) or pregnancy. We need to talk positively about sexual health and sexual identity so that people feel free to explore their sexuality and that sex becomes a pleasurable experience,” she explained. “I am aware that this may or may not fit with various cultural and religious norms. But if we avoid talking about sex, we may be encouraging people to seek sex education through porn, which carries many dangerous and negative messages for both men and women,” she added.

According to her, it can be difficult to think critically about the messages porn convey if people don’t have access to information on sex beyond porn. “My fear is that if we do not talk about sex in Sri Lanka, people will turn to porn to learn about sex instead of thinking more broadly about sexuality,” she pointed out. “In my time in Sri Lanka, I have been struck by the absence of sex education provided to people and was reflecting on how access to porn might be particularly damaging when people have no other form of sexual understanding,” Dr. Robertson noted.