‘Our education system creates young dinosaurs’ - Ruwanthie de Chickera

Award winning playwright and director Ruwanthie de Chickera believes that there is no gender inequality in the contemporary Sri Lankan arts field and that the field is very open to women today. “Yet, however, other pressures of society – like judgment of women artistes, pressures of family life, prejudices and double standards of society pull women artistes down more than they pull male artistes down,” she said. “Within the industry itself, I feel that there is a lot of respect and space for women to work,” she said speaking to The Nation about her latest play and the path she traveled.

Working in the field for more than 15 years now, Ruwanthie’s plays have been produced in Sri Lanka, the UK, Japan, India, Australia and the Philippines. She reminisced that the influence she received from her school, Methodist College, Colombo, played a big part in setting the path in writing and theater.  She recalled the memories in the school theater. “Playing a female role for the first time in my final year in school is an unforgettable memory. Because of my height, I had been always cast in male roles,” Ruwanthie said adding how she wrote a play which finally allowed her to play a female role on school stage. “I wrote a play with only female characters. And that finally set things right.”

Ruwanthie was just 16 years old when she was first put on the professional stage. She says that she is unaware of the factor which inspired her to develop affection towards theater and art, yet whichever that is, it is deep seated and also continues to motivate her. She wrote her first professionally recognized play at the age of 19 and it was picked up by the Royal Court Theater in London’s West End and was first performed there. “I guess this was the turning point which pretty much decided my future,” she reflected.

Her first play won the British Council International New Playwriting Award (1997) and was performed at the Royal Court Theatre in London. In 2000 she was awarded the Gratiaen Prize. She is also the recipient of the 2001 Presidential Scholarship for Theatre from the Government of Sri Lanka. 

In 2000, Ruwanthie, with a group of friends set up the Stages Theatre Group which she considers as another significant milestone in her career. Stages Theatre Group is a theatre company committed to create socially conscious and cutting edge original Sri Lankan Theatre.  

 Ruwanthie’s first screenplay ‘Machang’ won several awards internationally, including Best Film at the 2008 Venice Film Festival and the Best Screenplay Award at the Durban I.F.F. She believes that Machang is a special movie because of the balance it maintains between a comedy and a tragedy. “I am a big fan of this mix.  I believe it brings out truths in an unusual way,” she said, admiring her work. “I was very lucky with Machang. I knew the movie would get made and shown. This is very rare opportunity for an artiste in Sri Lanka,” she added.

According to the critics Machang evidenced that Sri Lankan movie makers could still make films with powerful messages, meaning that there is a lot of potential in the field. Yet, the critics themselves condemn the field for not producing acceptable Sinhala films. When asked, Ruwanthie said that there is couple of reasons behind why we don’t see many fine Sri Lankan productions or powerful movie plots. “This happens mainly because our artistes have to struggle so hard, against such odds, for so long to make a movie. Then, even after they make it, they can't show it. There is no money and there is so little support,” she stressed that it is very frustrating situation.  

When asked whether she is satisfied with the effort made by the young artistes in the film industry today, she said that she doesn’t believe that the problem lies with the effort that is put into the industry. “There is a lot of people who are working very hard, completely alone, to make films.  However there is no support for them.” She reiterated.  

“What 'needs to be done' is a can of worms isn't it?” she asked. “Basically we need a complete re-addressing of our priorities as a society.  Unless we become a country and a people and a government that value good and quality art, who value the depth and the heights that art can take society to, we will always be in this rut of sporadic success stories in the midst of many, many failings,” she said. “If we support our artistes properly, we can then demand that they produce quality work,” she added.

Speaking further about the contemporary Sri Lankan theater, she pointed out that we do not have a strong culture of criticism which could help shape fine dramatists and take art to a higher level in society. She explained that a strong culture of criticism is necessary for art to survive and to penetrate deeper into people's lives and also for self-reflection and social change. “We don't have a strong culture of criticism. There are a few good critics but they also work very much on their own - and their work is not picked up adequately by society.  This is because we don't have a surrounding culture which supports criticism,” she pointed out.

As she elucidated, at a very basic level, in order to produce good critics, we need to produce people who are familiar with critical thinking - people who are drawn to the practice of 'thinking critically'. “Unfortunately our entire education system, which runs on ridiculous levels of reproduction of notes and memorizing, does not produce young people who are prone to critical thinking,” she said. . “In an age where exams are redundant and information is no longer a privilege, our entire education system runs on forcing millions of children to spend almost 20 years of their lives memorizing and memorizing useless notes in order to pass exams. Young people we are creating are dinosaurs; not equipped to be useful to society.  Because society no longer needs people who have stored up buckets of knowledge about things that already exist,” she added.

 “With a very few exceptions, most of our schools and universities are still producing people who can only reproduce what has already been taught them.  They cannot look at something and see what it could be, what is lacking, cannot connect it to wider and deeper issues, or think of anything original,” she expressed her dissatisfaction.

She reiterated that the problem of lack of critical thinking goes beyond arts. “We are very far behind, as a society, compared to where the world is headed,” she said. “This problem of lack of critical thinking is wider than an arts issue.  In fact the arts seems to be one of the few disciplines that even sees this as something important to instill in society,” she noted.

There are many fine Sinhala theater productions today. Yet, not many gets adapted to English or Tamil. Ruwanthie supposes that adapting the dramas to English would help them claim international recognition. “This is one of the reasons that we have stated working in both English and Sinhala. We want our plays to be both local and international, immediately.  This opened up many doors. You have to put in a little more effort for this, but it is worth it,” she emphasized.  

She also spoke about her latest play, ‘Walking Path’. This is a play that was devised along the several walking paths of Colombo.  It is a play that tries to understand what is happening to the city and its people as a result of the emergence of the walking paths of Colombo city.  It addresses the city’s new found interest in exercise and healthy living; it profiles the urban dweller’s obsession with technology and recreation.  It looks at the control and maintenance of these places created for public use. The drama was first staged in July this year.

She said that the drama is an examination of human behavior in the pleasure parks. “There is no plot.  There is a concept.  The concept is the impact of the walking paths and this intense drive to 'beautify' Colombo after the war, on society.  It’s an examination of human behavior in these parks. It’s simply about what this tells us about our people, and our country,” she said.

Yet, ‘Walking Path’ is a play without words. “Communication is not only through words.  In fact, words are often a big obstacle to communication. They often stand in the way of honest communication.  We pay far too much attention words when we communicate,” Ruwanthie said adding that removing words from the performance was a relief almost. “It left us with the basics of human communication - which is incredibly complex and subtle and open when it is not limited and defined by words,” she explained. Also, in these parks, all behavior is on public display.  We can see everything but we don't hear anything. The play reflects this situation of people watching people,” she added.  

Dr. Sunil Wijesiriwardena commenting on Ruwanthie’s play said that the play pushes the boundaries of the imagination about the lifestyles created by the contemporary socio-political base in the near future. The most dangerous suppression may not come in the familiar image of suppression, but in an innocent image beloved by you. When things you love are compiled and supplied by the system, look at it with judgment and suspicion.

Ruwanthie commenting on the audience’s response she received so far said that she is overwhelmed by it. “People have truly responded very strongly to the play.  They have loved its relevance; they find it timely and very insightful. They seemed to find it very politically interesting,” she said. “Also, they loved the form we chose, the 'no words' discipline of the performance. It seemed to have created a new theatrical experience for the audience,” she added. 

Voice of courage

Artiste Neela Wickramasinhe of ‘Master Sir’ fame talks about her 47-year-career in the music industry 

It’s not only her songs that are remembered when the name Visharad Neela Wickramasinghe is heard. As much as her flexible voice is widely admired, social services she has rendered are also remembered and valued. Among all, Sri Lanka will not forget her service in helping the Polio eradicating program in the late 1980s.

Neela’s voice was first introduced to radio listeners in 1959 through a program in Radio Ceylon titled ‘Adunika Handa’ (Amateur’s Voice). In 1966, she bagged the opportunity to become a playback singer for Sinhala films. “Singing is what I do since I was just three years old,” she told The Nation. “I have been in the field for 47 years. This was not an easy journey,” Neela said recalling the path she has traveled. She is also an accomplished music teacher as well as a versatile music composer.

Neela believes that she inherited her musical talents from her parents. Her mother and father were both known for their skills in singing. Neela said that her path to success was cleared for her by her reputed music teachers. Among them are Amara Athukorala, Vincent Somapala, Ananda Jayasinghe, Sarath Dassanayake and Premadasa Mudunkotuwa. In 1967 she had the privilege to record her first song, ‘Sende ambare nisha mal yata’ with Radio Ceylon. By 1973, she was an A grade artiste on the merit of the songs sung for the research section of the SLBC.

In 1974, she graduated with a Sangeeth Visharad degree after studying North Indian Classical Music. Completing her studies, Neela opted to become a music teacher. “I was a teacher for 23 years till I retired in 1998,” she said. 

Going on to establish her career, she won her first Sarasaviya Award in 1984. She secured this award for her song ‘Bodhiye Viharaye…’ sung for the film Ethin Ethata. “Since then I have won a number of awards. After a few I stopped counting,” she laughed. “I don’t believe that it is a wise idea to run behind awards anyway,” she said.

So far, she has won the Sarasaviya Award thrice, Presidential award, Sumathi Tele award Zonata and Vanitha award. However, she said that she felt gratified when the USA presented her with the International Award of Excellence on 100th International Women’s Day in 2011 and Vishva Abhimani together with a Gold Medal by the Human Rights Organization of Justice and Peace in recognition of her contribution as a singer in the field of music.

Although she was first identified as a young voice which was mostly suitable for the folk music, later in her career, she evidenced that her voice is versatile enough that it also suits heavily westernized compositions as well. Best examples for this are her songs such as ‘Viyo Gee’, ‘Rantikiri Sina’ and ‘Master Sir.’

Looking back, she said, she is shocked by the transformations in the Sri Lankan music field. “The song has elements which can directly address the human heart.  Therefore song should only be used to convey worthy messages,” she explained. “Some songs today, depress me; the language used or the messages conveyed are sometimes unbelievably horrible. I believe these songs can do more harm than terrorists. Terrorists’ harm was visible. We were able to stop them. Yet, harm done by cheap art creations is indistinguishable in that no one sees the depths of the damages done,” she iterated.

She held the media responsible for the changes made. According to her, media is open to anyone who can produce a song which is high in marketable value regardless the quality of music or the meaning. “If they can make it a hit, it’s all what matters,” she expressed her grief. She compared the contemporary field with the days when she was still an amateur. “Today becoming a singer follows an instant procedure. Sometimes, media men come to the studio, wait till a new comer finishes a song to collect it. Next day, this song tops the charts. Isn’t it a pun played on listeners?” she raised a question. Neela also said, back then, a song had to undergo several assessments before it was broadcast. She believes that this would have been the reason why 70s is called the golden era of the Sinhala Song.

She prefers to give talented young musicians their due place. “We see that there are some new singers having lots of potential. But the way they are made to become popular don’t allow them to remain in the field for a long time,” explained Neela. She affirmed that this situation affects the future of the song industry. “We will not be there forever. There will be a day that I cannot sing. There should be a generation which can take the industry into their hands safely when we are no more. But, I don’t see anyone who has entered the field during the last two decades capable of taking this responsibility,” Neela lamented.

She also said that although media is very enthusiastic about new songs of amateurs, they have closed their doors fully to new creations of veterans. “Most veterans in the field are not silent. They too work on new creations. But for a reason which is hard for me to understand, media is not open to new creations by us. They play and replay the old songs,” she said adding that the stage is the only place open for new songs of old people.

Wickramasinghe also spoke about the Music Research Unit of Sri Lanka Broadcasting Corporation (SLBC) where her talents were identified. Veteran broadcaster C de S Kulathilake, shares credit for introducing Neela to the field though his series of programs on Sinhala folk music on SLBC’s music research unit. Her debut song, ‘Dethata Walalu’ was written and music composed by C de S Kulathilake based on Sinhala folk music.  She also recalled how SLBC was also in its golden era during late Mr. Ridgeway Tillakaratne’s time. “Even SLBC is not giving the due space for a veteran to present something new. Leaders of the media institutions should be held responsible for this,” she further opined.

On 2012, to mark 45th anniversary of her musical career, Wickramasinghe started a solo concert named ‘Master Sir’. The popular song ‘Master Sir’ was a creation of veteran musician Nimal Mendis for the movie ‘Kalu Diya Dahara in 1974. Master Sir Solo concert has travelled across the country as well as the globe since 2012. She iterated that the feedback she receives for this show is enough evidence that there is still demand for decent music. “Listeners can’t be fooled. They are much ahead of our media men,” she stressed. “This is the reason why there is a high demand for classical music concerts. If and when media deprives them of what they want, they will always find a way to fulfill their need,” she emphasized.

Wickramasinghe participated in the UNICEF Project to save the children by eradicating polio from our country in 1989. She sang a song composed for this campaign, which was heard frequently over the radio and TV channels. Her efforts helped immensely to eradicate polio as through this campaign. Sri Lanka was able to eradicate Polio by 2000. She said that she is proud and content about the life she led, her achievements and the social services. She added that she believes that it is her duty to serve the country to her fullest capabilities through her ‘The Mother’ organization. Wickramasinghe founded this charity organization in 2002 with the aim of catering to children, elders and artists who made a lifetime contribution to the field.

She encountered many hurdles on the road she has travelled. Yet she was courageous enough to pass through all this. She attributes the blessings of people, who admire her songs, to her success in the music industry. “I know I have done my best. My efforts in art were never a fake.  Proof for the genuineness of my work is the appreciations I receive from music lovers. It will always come as a blessing for me,” she concluded. 

Drawing realistic portraits that stun you - Interview with Shamen Walker

From a distance, these images may look like black and white photographs and only a very close look will reveal that these are not photographs, but portraits neatly sketched using pencil. Using no colors, Shamen Walker’s steady hands are capable of preserving the liveliness of the portrait depicting the facial emotions giving priority to the finest details. Shamen, speaking to The Nation, said that giving priority to minute details, from the freckles to pores in a face, is the success behind her portraits. “Detail, detail and detail,” she said. “I always give the first priority to the smallest details and I believe that is the only way to demonstrate the true emotions with every pencil stroke I make.”

Shamen was born in Bandaragama. Although she was blessed with only her mother’s love, she believes that she was fortunate to be in the company of her maternal grandmother during her childhood. She received her school education from Kottawa Dharmapala Vidyalaya and Panadura St. Anthoney’s Girls’ School. After completing her Advanced Level Examinations she flew to Cyprus to follow a degree in Business Management.

As she recalled, although she had harbored an artistic talent since childhood, she only took a keen interest in developing her talent during her adolescent years. “I remember I have been drawing since I was a small girl, but I did not take it seriously until I was 10, that was when I started to get a lot of compliments from my family and friends for my skills in drawing,” she recalled. She also mentioned that the complements and encouragement she received during this period was a great blessing which motivated her to improve herself. “Of course when you are told that you are good at something, it makes you feel special. So you keep doing it until you excel,” she added.

Shamen believes that the loneliness she experienced during her childhood inspired her to be the best she could. She had developed a habit of sketching and drawing to overcome her loneliness. “As I was growing up, I started to draw to overcome my loneliness. It was helping, therefore it became a hobby,” she said. “I solely engaged in drawing for self-satisfaction,” she added.

She also believes that her grandmother’s influence helped immensely in developing her artistic skills. “I was kind of blessed to be born with each foot in different worlds. My grandmother was really good at crafting and sculpting. She had even won awards for her work. I always believed I was gifted with my grandma's talent,” she paid her gratitude to the skills inculcated in her by her grandmother. “I did Art as a subject for my Ordinary Level Examinations. In 2012, I followed a one year Fine Art course at Vibhavi Academy in Kotte.”

Even though Shamen had identified her talents at an early age, she only became a portrait artist in 2012. Yet, she said that she is keen on experimenting with different styles, wildlife and nature being her favorites. “I have been experimenting with different styles like wildlife and nature ever since. I believe it is a good practice. It can only take an artist so far if they want to establish themselves in a niche,” she said. Shamen said that she feels more confident with her work since she started gaining recognition for her portraits. “I've settled for realism and portraits, and for the first time in my artistic endeavors I’ve gained some recognition. As the saying goes, ‘A Jack-of-all-trades is a master of none’,” she iterated.

Shamen said that it takes around three to four days to complete a portrait. “Time spent on completing a drawing depends on the size and the complexity of the drawing,” she stressed. “It usually takes me about 30 minutes to draw a sketch, and if it is a realistic portrait, it can even lead to three or four days,” she said. The most important part of a realistic drawing is the reference photo. The artist needs clear large photos so that fine details can be easily seen and then drawn. Then graphite pencils and smudging tools will be used to recreate the photo on chosen paper.

Shamen has an eagle’s eye to capture human emotion. She believes that it is her practice which is making her drawings livelier. “Apart from the academic guidance I've received, I think my eyes always tend to catch the depth of things. So I tend to draw everything I see, I believe practice makes everything perfect,” she opined.

A portrait she drew of a celebrity brought luck to her career as a portrait artist. Established through Facebook, she started receiving admiration for her work from a surprising number of people that she started her own business of graphite portraits. “My first celebrity portrait was of Samanali Fonseka. She was surprised and praised me for my talent. Then I did Saranga and Umali Disasekara's wedding portrait, Sangakkara and Mahela, Sanath Jayasuriya and Pooja Umashakar,” she spoke about her work. “They all were really shocked when they saw the portraits and greatly admired my work.” Sanath Jayasuriya’s portrait as well as the drawing of the popular picture of Sanga and Mahela during the T-20 Cricket World Cup series can be considered as her best attempts at realistic art.

She pointed out that the market for realistic portraits is elementary which could be developed if it is given serious attention. Therefore, as an amateur in the field she has to face challenges every day. Yet she also said that the number of realistic art enthusiasts cannot be overlooked. “I think the market for realistic portraits is still at a very elementary level in Sri Lanka. Even though, the number of people who understand the true value of a portrait is very limited here, I must say the demand for portraits overseas is very high,” she reiterated.

In general, she said that she could hardly be satisfied with the recognition an artist receives in the county. She also mentioned that the education opportunities for Art students as well as the opportunities an amateur artist receives are not satisfactory. “We only have very few Art Institutes in Sri Lanka. I think there should be more art institutes or schools for art enthusiasts who would love to brush up their inherent talents,” she emphasized. “In my experience, it is very hard to acquire professional art supplies in the local market. I think there should be government funded organizations to encourage young artists to improve their talents. I also think that if parents recognize the artistic talents of their kids, they should encourage them to do what they love to do,” Shamen further said.

In conclusion, Shamen said that she believes that there are no shortcuts for success. Her message for young artists was, “Always believe in yourself and your talent. If you want to excel in something, be honest with yourself and do what you love. Work hard.”

The sound of folk song grows soft

Recently, Visharad Wasantha Madurangani successfully staged her folk music concert at Viharamahadevi Open Theater celebrating 25 years in the field of music

“Now I can die in peace. I have the feeling that I have done something for my country. That’s the most important achievement of Sanda Saawi Maa - Folk Song Concert,” Visharad Wasantha Madurangani said. She is a student of late Maestro Lionel Ranwala and mostly familiar with the Sinhala song audience through Ranwala group’s folk songs and her solo ‘Sanda Saawi Maa.’

Last week, she successfully staged her folk music concert at Viharamahadevi Open Theater celebrating 25 years in the field of music. Almost thousand folk songs were sung on stage for 24 hours continuously by Madurangani and her team. The concert was a free and open event for all. “The initial plan was to sing 1000 folk songs, but we ran out of time,” she said. “During these 25 years, I have always tried to do the best I can for Sinhala folk music. This is why I still couldn’t do a CD. This is why I planned to invite all music lovers free of charge for the concert,” she said. “Doing the concert for free was not an easy task, but I saw this as an opportunity to bring folk songs into the limelight again.”

Magurangani is from Athurugiriya. “I entered the field in 1990. I met my master, Lionel Ranwala back in 1980s. I was only 15 years old when I joined his Lama Jana Gee program at Rupavahini. I met him at the preliminary dance examination and he invited me to join the program. I think he identified my talent,” Madurangani said. She said that she should be grateful to all her teachers for what she is today including Lionel Ranwala. “My first music teacher was the music teacher at Bibilegama Maha Vidyalaya. I learnt Hindustani music under maestro B Victor Perera and then mastered playing the violin under Ajith Jayaweera sir,” she recalled.

Madurangani said that she is also thankful to Lionel Ranwala for introducing her to media, due to which she first got the opportunity to sing for a Television program under his guidance. “I gradually developed a taste for folk music and songs and along with it my interest grew. By 1990 I was a permanent member of the Jana Gee team,” she reminisced.

She spoke further about her master, Lionel Ranwala who passed away twelve years ago due to an accident. “He was successful in introducing Sinhala folk tunes and melodies to popular Sri Lankan music without damaging the original tune, exemplified by his songs. I don’t know why the media only remembers him and his songs during the Aluth Avurudu season,” she expressed her grief. She believes that Ranwala was a better teacher than an artiste.

“He was a great artiste; he was an exceptional teacher. I have never seen any other teacher more capable of understanding his or her students. When I was a student I used to wonder how he did it, but now I sometimes try to guess how he did it when I face difficulties with my students,” she said. Madurangani teaches music at her art institute Thimanjala in Athurugiriya. “He always taught us how to face different situations as he taught us music. He shaped our personalities.”

Madurangani was Ranwala’s student for twelve years. She also spoke about Thaalama Foundation and the folk singers group. “Earlier we didn’t have a team as such. Whenever we get an invitation to sing, he would send us a postcard with information about rehearsals,” she recalled how keen he was that students took part in rehearsals on time and RSVPed to the postcards he sent. “We didn’t have phones to communicate. It was postcards and letters. He made sure he sent us information early enough.”

She also called to mind how people were reluctant to give real value to folk singers when they wore cloth and jacket for their performances. “People were unwilling to except cloth and jacket with high regard. People in the city seemed to condemn this, maybe they thought folk music and songs were only for the village folk,” she said. “Then Sahan Ranwala, Ranwala mater’s son joined the team and made a few changes in the appearance of the singers,” she said that Sahan Ranwala indentified how to tackle media in approaching the audiences with folk music. “That’s how Lionel Ranwala Folk Music Group was established.”

She further expressed her grief at contemporary media that they still don’t give high regard to Sri Lankan folk music. “I am not sure whether it is the misfortune of the country or folk music and songs. Folk music is limited to the Auvurudu season. Maybe they are unaware of the varieties of music and the depth of the subject,” she opined. Although with the introduction of television, cassette player and radio folk songs were played frequently and demand was created. However with the commercialization of the media field these become unpopular. “I believe media should be held responsible for the folk song loosing popularity,” she rebuked.

Madurangani pointed out that people are being limited by days like Mothers’ Day or Fathers’ Day. “Media asks us to love our parents only one day a year. Likewise they’ve limited folk music to the New Year season,” she said.

She identified four steps to promote folk music. Firstly, experimental research should be undertaken. Secondly, research findings should be turned into creations and then those should be checked for quality and standards by specialists. The final creation, melody or song should be promoted via media; mainly, radio or television. “Although the first two steps are well under way, media doesn’t seem to do their part,” she reiterated. “We do our best to preserve this genre. But I’m afraid folk music will go extinct.”

She said that not everyone has a taste for folk music or songs in society. “I remember Ranwala master quoting Ven. Anagarika Dharmapala that one day when Sudda leaves he will leave a whole horde of Kalu-Suddas in the country. Maybe this is what has happened. There are ‘Sinhala’ people who can’t seek entertainment in our folk songs or literature,” she emphasized. She also said that it’s those Kalu-Suddas who demote the standards of aesthetic amusement. “The problem here is that people who desire high quality aesthetic amusement are the quiet lot. They don’t voice their demand. People who desire low quality amusement are always ready to rebel for what they desire,” she opined.

She emphasized how musicians in India are keen on developing their folk melodies. “They always admire local forms of art. Experiments are done with modern technology, where they try to get the maximum benefits,” she said. “We may not have as many folk melodies as India, but our melodies are varied enough that we could use them if we develop them further,” she reiterated. “It’s a shame that we always try to nurture and promote all things foreign.”

She also mentioned that the school curriculum should also include more folk music and songs for children to study so that they will develop an interest in the field. “If not for the book Hela Gee Maga by Dr. Makuloluwa published in 1959 the Education Department won’t have any reference material for folk music. To date, the only songs included in the syllabus are of the melodies in this book,” she reiterated. She also said that her next goal is to compile a book of songs and music chords consisting of the songs they sang at the Sanda Saawi Maa concert.  

Her most popular song, Sanda Saawi Maa was written by veteran lyricist Sisira Dissanayaka and music was composed by Ranwala sir using Vessanthara Viritha. “Sisira Dissanayaka came to one of our rehearsals with the song and wanted to see how it was. Ranwala sir showed how to sing it and asked me to sing. I don’t know how, one try and I was able to memorize the song and sing. Although it was not written for me they decided that I should sing the song,” Madurangani spoke about the song loved by many. She compared the Vessanthara Viritha and the song, exemplifying how strong Sinhala folk melodies are in addressing emotions. “If a Sinhala person can’t feel these melodies, a folk song or a traditional drum beat, I don’t know what to say except ask them to get their blood checked,” she said mockingly.

Pic by Chandana Wijesinghe

Poetry provides an alternate history - Saumya Sandaruwan Liyanage

Saumya Sandaruwan Liyanage won the State Literary Award for the Best Poetry Collection at the State Literary Award Ceremony held recently, for his debut poetry collection Hate Watte Magdalena

“Not in my wildest dreams did I think that I would win an award for Hate Watte Magdalena,” Saumya Sandarauwan Liyanage, the State Literary Award winner of this year for the Best Poetry Collection said that it took him by surprise. “There is a procedure for conferring an award in our country, either the poet should be renowned or he/ she should come from a renowned gurukula. I’m included in neither category.” Liyanage said that he is just an ordinary person, who used to post poems on his Facebook. “Receiving this award is out of my line of work even today.”

Saumya Sandaruwan is from Ratmalana and past student of Moratuwa Prince of Wales College. “I am not sure when I started writing poetry. I was not into poetry or writing during my childhood,” he said. However, he said that although he didn’t write anything worth publishing ,he always had a passion for art and literature. “I studied drama and art at school. My mother was a very talented artist. Seeing her painting got me interested in painting too,” Liyanage added.

After leaving school in 2004, he developed an interest in television media. Therefore he joined the Sri Lanka Television Training Institute to study program production and video editing. He is currently engaged in this field of work. Another area he is willing to master is short films and he said he is currently studying about film industry.

Poems included in Hate Watte Magdalena, as Liyanage said, were written during the past few years. He also said that it was very hard to be recognized as a poet in the contemporary literary society, yet Internet gives ample opportunity to express ideas. “Unlike us, the older generation had more opportunities to write and get their poems published in newspapers. If you send 100 poems, maybe one would get published. It’s hard to build a name via newspapers today,” he said.

Cyber space is open to everyone and a person is free to express his/her views and ideas. “I didn’t have to wait for newspapers to publish my work. I freely use cyber space to express myself,” he said adding that the young generation would mostly prefer the Internet, since they are framed inside a tight schedule and they do not have time and space to wait until print media identifies their talents.

Demand is high on the internet for poems and young writers, who use social media and their blogs to publish their writing. Once they build up an audience for their work, the feedback is quick. Also their comments and ideas will create discussions on the subject matter and criticisms along with it. Liyanage also pointed out that this is another reason for young poets to prefer Internet. “Feedback is quick and the demand is high. Also, it is free for both the writer and the reader,” he said. “It is no surprise that the young generation prefer this way over the old line of getting their work published in print media,” he added.

He also said that cyber-space-poetry has traveled a long way since its pioneers. “Cyber-space-poetry is a unique literary genre. It allows the young generation who are trapped inside the current social system to free themselves. It is developing on its own,” he said. He also identified poems and writings published in social networks to be shorter in length than the writings in print media. “I suppose it happens because they are quick responses to a circumstance,” he opined.

He noted that veteran poets and artistes tend to condemn cyber-space-poetry. “Some question whether they can refer to writing on facebook as poetry. I think they should read and decide whether those can be considered poetry or not,” he said. “I don’t think there are specific criteria to identify a poet or poems. Who can give a person the authority to say this poem is good and another is bad? Any honest attempt at writing what a person feels cannot be condemned,” he said.

Started out as a cyber-space-poet, Liyanage had given thought to becoming a print-media-poet as he identified that his poetry are too long for cyber space and more suitable for print media. “People don’t usually like long poetry in cyber space. They always appreciate shorter ones, which they can grasp quickly. Poems included in Hate Watte Magdalena are more suitable for a book,” he elaborated on what made him publish his poetry in book form.

Hate Watte Magdalena includes 47 poems, and most of them speak about current social issues and hardship of life. Liyanage said that most poems speak about the pain and hardship simply because ‘pain and hardship’ are universal. “Many suffer inside this social frame. All of them have stories to tell. Some find a medium to express the pain they feel, like poetry or photography,” he said. “Most of these poems are based on my experiences or stories I’ve heard that made me to reflect on the incidents,” he said, adding that a literary creation is always born of experience, observation or something the writer heard of. “There is always an incident behind a creation. The writer enhances the quality and the feeling through his creative skills.”

The collection deals with several aspects of society including politics, poverty and the ethnic issue. Compassion towards Ramachandran Master (Nagaralankaraya, Pg 15), Raman (Sellam badu Raman, Pg 17), Surangee’s companion (Diyamatiyo, Pg 23), Mary Amma (Mary Ammage Nattala, Pg 33), Gnanasundaram (Sahurdaspandanaya, Pg 42), Magdalena (Hate Watte Magdalena, Pg 53) and Ranjini (Ranjini, Pg 77), where he takes a humanistic angle of the commonly spoken social issues, exemplify the writers ability to empathize.

His political ideologies are clear, where he laments about the ignored social values through his writing. Haikara Parawiyo, (Pg 64) speaks about powerful people among the ordinary, who take advantage of their power.

Saamayada ungeya

Neethiyada, jaathiyada ungeya…

Premayada ungeya,

Theeranada, waaranada ungeya…

(Peace is theirs; laws as well as the castes are theirs. Love is also theirs. Decisions and prohibitions are theirs…)

Mai Mal Sadaya (Pg 51) mocks the current May Day celebrations. He elaborated on the idea behind the poem.

“When you watch news on TV on May Day, you’ll see what I mean. One May Day rally is blue, one is red and another is green. Only the langama buses (SLTB buses) which bring the crowds to these rallies are truly red,” he said. “This is an unfortunate turn of event where people just do things for the sake of doing, just because they were asked to do so. We should stop and think about what we do and whether we are conscious about what we do,” he added.

Sanuhare naya gewana mai data

Mai mahe mal piyasi harunama

Langame bus pamani rathu paata…

(On May Day when the clan’s debts are paid…Except for the canopy of May flowers only the CTB buses are red)

“Not only May Day, many other things that take place in our country are the same,”  he said. “We heard about many things in the recent history; a policeman assaulting a woman for example or religious extremism. We discuss these things from time to time and just let it pass. We never think of what went wrong or future consequences,” he further said. “We follow shallow political trends, but never realize where we are headed.”

Liyanage believes that the writer should be honest to what he/ she writes. “Whatever the writer writes should come from within him / her. They shouldn’t write what contradicts their view or opinions,” he reiterated. “There are people who are capable of doing this. But,  when the audience finds out this contradiction, their idealism fades away. Their work will not be considered authentic,” he said.

When asked whether he believes an artiste’s work should help a person grasp reality, he said that it is secondary for him in writing. “The main goal should be to keep everything written down; what a person experiences in contemporary society,” he stressed. “History will be written officially like it happened in the good old days. But an alternate history too should be written,” he added.

Moreover, he explained the difference between folklore and folktales and official historical sources. “It’s imperative to keep a record in any form, despite the situation. It could be a novel, poem, short stories or any other genre,” he reiterated. “I believe it is a responsibility. Previous generations did the same. We know what happened during certain eras. Now it’s our turn to do the same.”

Pic by Venura Chandramalitha

The child in her still lives

Renowned storyteller and artist Sybil Wettasinghe believes that art is the best method of communication

“Next month I will be eighty seven years old. I prefer to be alone. My children are worried that I live upstairs alone. But quietness is something amazing. I admire it and it helps me live in my own world. I’m not worried to be alone at all,” said Sybil Nenda, most beloved aunt of Sri Lankan children.

It won’t be an exaggeration to say that many generations grew up with her stories and wonderful illustrations. Although she is in her late 80s and a beloved grandmother, the child in her still allows her to believe in tree nymphs and fairies. “When my grandson was about three years old he owned a red car and he had a habit of leaving it outside after playing. One day, I told him not to leave the car outside, that someone will steel it. He said, ‘No, no Achchi Amma that won’t happen’ and he related a story to me about how the little red car is protected by a nearby mango tree.”

Later she drew this story with illustrations and published a book. She asked her grandson to take the book to his preschool teacher and show her that this is a story which he related. “He returned home with a sad face and I asked why,” she recalled. This is what the child had said.  ‘No Achchi Amma, teacher told me that you are a foolish person. She said that mango trees cannot help little cars’,” Sybil Nenda enacted the dialogue. “What’s the point of learning child psychology if a teacher cannot understand how a kid thinks? For a child every inanimate object is alive. I was able to explain and satisfy my grandson, but this is how a child’s creativity is destroyed when they are young. They should have their time in the fantasy world. Why be in a hurry to introduce him or her to the real world?” Wettasinghe said. “A child must be told stories and he should be given opportunities to create on their own.”

Kalakeerthi Sybil Wettasinghe was born in 1928 and spent the first seven years of her childhood in the village of Ginthota, situated in the suburbs of Galle. Sybil was the second in a family of five. Her family moved to Colombo where she enrolled in Holy Family Convent. Her father was a building contractor. Her mother had been very emphatic that her children get a good education. While her family was in Ginthota she attended Ginthota Buddhist School.

At the age of 17 Wettasinghe joined Lankadeepa newspaper. In 1952, Sybil joined the much-coveted Lake House publications where she became the main illustrator of the Janatha newspaper. Her entry to Lake House gave access to an entire network of newspapers and she wrote and illustrated for the Sunday Observer, Silumina, Daily News and Sarasaviya. In 1955, she married Don Dharmapala Wettasinghe, a former Chief Editor of Lake House Newspapers.

Her living room was mostly decorated with bookshelves, old photographs of her and her family and her paintings. In a corner she sat in a rocking chair, her head on the headrest. Roald Dhal’s books had a special place in her bookshelves that each bookshelf had at least one Roald Dhal book. “Oh, I love Roald Dhal. I read his books like a child and I think I like all his books,” she said. “I recently read one of his books on a day I had fallen sick and I got over my sickness just by reading it. His work is fantastic,” she said adding, “But my favorite books are of Khalil Gibran.” However, her book collection includes many books by many authors from all over the world.

“We were sent to school at the age of three. There weren’t any preschools during this period. I wrote of all my experiences in the book, Child in Me. The original cover for my book was me sitting on my grandmother’s lap,” she said. “A Japanese lady read my book and immediately wanted to translate the story for their children.” Sybil Nenda got up from her rocker to search for the Japanese translation. The cover of the book showed a little girl seated near a bamboo tree. She had redrawn the pictures to suit Japanese culture. “My books are apparently very popular there. This year too, we are working on two books. Usually they don’t work on two books by the same author. But they like my work very much,” she said with obvious satisfaction in her work.

She is currently illustrating Labu Gediye Thovilaya for the Japanese. “They like our rural, folk environment. I was surprised to see their enthusiasm for our environment and literature.” She moved on to her other books. “Hoity the Fox was published over 30 years ago. But still, it’s the number one when it comes to sales. This was translated into Japanese, Korean, Swedish, Norwegian, and Chinese apart from English. It’s a different twist, where three Gama Hamines fool a fox.” Kuda Hora (The Umbrella Thief) which was originally published in 1956 has been translated into Japanese, Chinese, Swedish, Norwegian, Danish, English, Korean and Tamil.

During her career, she has won much international acclaim and her children's stories secured awards both in Europe and Asia. In 1965, her story Vesak Lantern won an Isabel Hutton Prize for Asian Women writers for Children. Her first book Kuda Hora was chosen for the Best Foreign Book Award in Japan in 1986. In 1987 it won the Japanese Library Association Award as the most popular children's book.

Wettasinghe, returning to her chair spoke further about Japanese children’s literature. “They promote fantasies in children’s literature. When I was working at Lake House, when I was about 24 years old, I wrote Duwana Rawula (Run Away Beard). When I took it to a publisher, he started scolding me that I write foolish stories,” she laughed. “But then when my book Kuda Hora won the best book award in 1992 in Japan, the Japanese seemed to be thrilled about the way I write. They admired the descriptions of unseen things, where as our people promote realistic stories for children. A child’s imagination will develop only through fantasies, not realities. That is why Hans Christian Anderson’s thousand odd stories are still much loved by children. Sri Lankan people still do not understand this.” She sighed.

She recalled her childhood. “My childhood was storybook perfect. I have written most of the incidents in Weniyan Kalu Weniyan. I simply can’t forget the environment of my village. I was there until I was eight years old. I walked along a footpath in the forest on my way to school. There was a bamboo tree near the school with a white sandy plain. A tributary of Gin Ganga flowed by closely. It was a magical place,” she still remembers every small detail about the place. “I wanted to be there on my own, but that was impossible since no one would let me be there alone. I was just three or four years old. We get to come to this place during the school break, but then the other students were also there. It was not as quiet as I wanted the place to be.” Little Sybil badly wanted to be there alone and fretted herself mapping out a plan.

“Do you know what I did as a child?” she asked. “If a child wants to do something, he or she will definitely find a way. Back then I wore gold gypsy earrings, most of the girls did. I removed one of my earrings and hung it on the bamboo tree and returned to class. My beautiful class teacher noticed that my earring was missing and she came close to me and whispered, ‘one of your earrings are missing. Isn’t it? Would you be a good child and go look for it before others go out for break?’ Like a tortoise put into water, I ran to the sandy plain, put my earring on and sat near the bamboo trees. I closed my eyes and listened to the sound of fish swimming in the lake and the birds chirping.” She described the incident as if it happened yesterday, as if the memories are imprinted in her mind. “I believe that this is how I started loving and admiring nature. I still appreciate the environment around me.”

The room which she uses to do her drawing and write her stories has a picturesque view at sunset with tall bushy tress. “I put bananas out of the window next to the table I work.  Squirrels and birds come to eat the bananas and I get to observe them ever so closely. When the Demalichchas (Babblers) come squirrels and other birds go away. They are all scared of Demalichchas. When Demalichchas leave, others slowly come back. I love to be a part of their world.”

“Today, children don’t get to experience nature or whatever natural luxuries I used to have. They leave early for schools, school vans come to their doorstep, then they come back, have lunch and go for tuition. They don’t have time to associate with nature. This is why I wrote about my childhood to let them experience what I experienced back then and to let their mothers know how important it is to let their children associate with nature.” Sybil dedicated the book The Child in Me saying, ‘The love and peace cultivated in my heart as a child, has remained throughout my whole life. With this love I warm-heartedly present, ‘The Child in Me’, to everyone, young and old.’ Yet she said that her old village has also transformed now that there are no women who wear clothes like the women in her books, or men with long hair.

Sybil said that she wasn’t motivated to draw during her school time since the art classes were boring. “In our art class, the teacher puts a king coconut and a glass of water and asked us to sketch it. What child wants to draw a king coconut on a table?” she asked. “I was not interested in it and they thought I was bad at art. I wanted to draw from imagination.”

Sybil believes that art is the best method of communication. She describes it as a universal language which anyone can understand. She gave two of her personal experiences to prove what she said. “When I was very small we went to visit one of our relatives during Avurudu season (New Year). I was so hungry, but no one seemed to be interested in eating. They were busy talking. There was a slate and a piece of chalk on a table. I took this and sketched a very thin girl whose tummy was shrunk from starvation. Luckily my uncle saw my drawing and exclaimed, ‘This child is hungry. Someone give something for her to eat.’ Then, I understood how important art is at conveying messages to others.”

She also spoke of a recent incident. “Once I went to Berlin on a scholarship. The family I lived with couldn’t speak English. On the first day, my guide left me there promising to come and pick me up the next morning. They didn’t know how to communicate with me so I tried something else. I drew a cow, a glass and a saucer and they understood that I wanted milk. Then I drew a picture of the Buddha and put a question mark. When I showed it to the mother of the family she said no and came with a picture of Jesus. Like this we started communicating. When the guide came back we were talking through pictures and laughing. She was surprised since we couldn’t speak to each other. When she asked my accommodators they’ve told her ‘She is fantastic, she talks through pictures.’

At Holy Family Convent she learnt hymns. Eager to sing little Sybil made sure that she sang these songs at home so that her mother could hear. “I am a Buddhist and my mother who didn’t know a word of English didn’t know that I was singing hymns. She appreciated my vocal skills. However, there weren’t any restrictions on learning about other religions. We had all the freedom we wanted and I believe this is why we respect other religions today. Unfortunately there are restrictions for children today in learning other religions where they are limited to learn only their religion of birth. Then they become insensitive and disrespectful towards other religions.”

She also believes that this respectful attitude towards other religions helped her to illustrate the children’s bible. Her illustrations for bible stories have a Sri Lankan uniqueness where Jesus has dark hair, angels have no wings and even the fishermen look like our fishermen from Negombo. “If children get their rightful freedom to create things and learn things without strict restrictions, they would not become insensitive. They should be understood at their level, to give solutions to their problems,” she said.

Pics by Chandana Wijesinghe

Capturing the hearts of youth with reel

Veteran teledrama director Ananda Abeynayake believes children are reluctant to listen to Dharma while being seated in one position for an hour, but they can be influenced to watch a teledrama on religion

Sansare Piyasatahan, popular Poya Day single episode Buddhist teledrama series directed by veteran teledrama director Ananda Abeynayaka celebrates 21 years

In an era where teledrama directors constantly get blamed for their commercialized tele-productions that do not fulfill the demands of the viewers and do not have expected aesthetic value and entertainment, only a few directors and producers get praised for their commitment in trying to maintain standards. They are the ones who try to protect the industry from downfall. One such personality is veteran teledrama director Ananda Abeynayake who believes that true satisfaction of teledrama or film directing comes from seeing the production contribute to the betterment of society.

Ananda is an old boy of Ananda College, Colombo 10. He reminisced that his interests in arts and creative writing began during childhood, when he started compiling his own children’s magazine as a hobby. “The only person who read my magazine was my mother. I sold my only magazine copy to her for 50 cents,” he said adding how he used his mother’s sewing machine to bind the magazine when the number of pages increased. Still, she was the only buyer of his small magazine.

However, his mother identified that he was a talented child. He was also interested in arts. Although there were no artistes in his family, his mother took him to the temple close to his house where veteran artist Jayasiri Semage and Thalangama Jayasinghe conducted an art class. “That’s how the foundation was laid. And I built my career on this,” he reminisced.

Later he got the opportunity to work with veteran dramatist Dharmasiri Bandaranayaka on ‘Eka Adipathi’ drama team. The First film he joined was Pembara Madu directed by Sugathapala Senarath Yapa released in 1977. “Not many know this fact about me, but I joined this film as a fight choreographer. I stunt doubled for Tony Ranasinghe in the movie,” he recalled. “As a child, I was keen on learning martial arts although I’m all out of practice now,” the veteran teledrama director recollected his introduction to the cinema. Abeynayake had been a talented martial artist who represented the first ever World Open Karate Tournament in Japan in 1975.

Abeynayake’s debut film production was Sagarayak Meda. Released in 1981, the film was directed by late Gamini Fonseka. Gamini also played the main role in the movie. “Experiences I gained working with Gamini was immense. I believe these experiences guided me to become the person I am today,” he said. Sagarayak Meda was the fourth Sinhala color film. “I was just 27 years old and I had to face many hurdles. But this also encouraged me to direct films,” he said explaining how he became a film director and then a tele drama director. His teledramas won many awards at prestigious awards ceremonies including State Drama Festival, Sumathi Tele Awards and Raigam Tele Awards.

In 1999 his Poya tele-drama; Kohomba Yakku won the Jury’s special award at the Japan Prize International Contest for Educational Media in Tokyo. The ceremony was organized by NHK. In 2008, his tele-drama There is a way won the best tele-drama award at the same ceremony. His most popular tele drama series Sansarae Piyasatahan has won over 20 national and international awards during the past two decades.

He spoke about Sansarae Piyasatahan, the pioneering Poya day single episode TV series in Sri Lanka which celebrates its 21^st anniversary this year. “I was interested in teledramas since my school days. The influence of the Buddhism, books I read as well as the Buddhist environment of my school, Ananda College nurtured a yearning to start a Buddhist teledrama series,” he said. “Meeting Somaweera Senanayaka and Raja Abeynayaka was another reason to initiate such a series. Senanayaka’s proficiency in language and religion made the single episode tele drama series a success,” he iterated. The first drama of Sansarae Piyasatahan series was telecast on a full moon Poya day in 1993. The debut drama was scripted by Somaweera Senanayaka and Jayalath Manoratne and Chandani Senveritane played the main roles. Since then, a new episode of Sansarae Piyasatahan is telecast on each Poya night at 7.30 pm.

Commenting on single episode dramas Abeynayake said that it is a fascinating thing to know the beginning and the end of a story within a day. “I knew that a single episode drama is capable of making a huge difference. I was inspired to do this because of fulfilling memories I had of reading Siththara strip cartoon newspaper and I used to enjoy Anura Shrinath’s single episode cartoon strip published in it,” he said.  

He also said that it was a challenge to continue the drama series since he was eager on maintaining the quality, creativity as well as the power of the message conveyed. “End result is always satisfying. I always receive positive feedback once an episode is telecasted,” he reiterated. He mentioned few incidents where people personally contacted him to reserve DVD copies to show their employee, friends or students who missed watching it. “I remember a depot manager called me once to get a copy of a drama episode which spoke about a child who lost his father due to a road accident by a drunken diver. The depot manager wanted to show in the bus drivers’ workshop, that he believed they would never drink and drive if they saw the episode,” he recalled.

He also mentioned about the scripts he chooses for the drama series. “We have never created a drama out of a Jathaka Story although it’s all Buddhist themes. Main criteria of choosing a script is that it include a striking moral message,” he explained. “Many veteran script writers as well as amateurs provide stories. In fact anyone can send a script or a story to me.  I’ll be more than happy to receive a fine script,” he added.

Abeynayake noted that his main goal of this tele series is to attract the young audience to watch the drama. “They are quite reluctant to listen to Dharma seated in one position for an hour. But it is easier for them to watch a teledrama,” he opined. “Young generation is quite distracted from the television today. But, I know, when they see a good production they stick with it,” he said.

Using three decades of experience in the field he said that he too had noticed the decline in the teledrama field over the years. “Many try to cater to the commercialized demands, but not to the nourishment of the human mind. However, it is the responsibility of any film or teledrama producer to help the society understand what is right and wrong while providing entertainment,” he emphasized. He identified limited budgets, lack of fine actors and actresses as well as lack of commitment to produce fine dramas as the main reasons for the fall of the teledrama industry. He also mentioned that he is thankful to Sri Lanka Rupavahini Corporation for allowing the Poya Night 7.30 time belt maintaining the standards.

 
Abeynayaka has introduced lot of new faces to the audience through his teledramas. He said that he always tries to select the best person for a teledrama character since he believes that not using the most suitable person would lessen the aesthetic quality of the drama. He further explained that today selecting fine actors for teledramas has also become a challenge. “Earlier the actors and actresses entered the teledrama field with academic experiences and a plenty of experiences on the stage. It was easy to work with them. Today, such people are rare and it is not helping the industry,” he expressed his grief. “However, we do not have any recognized education institution to study about teledrama deeply. Few places including state universities have a few short courses and on and off subjects. But they don’t seem to help much,” he pointed out.

Abeynayake reiterated that low quality teledramas distract the audience from the television. “There is an increase in the crowds who come to see films and stage plays. A reason behind this could be the frustration the audience has towards the teledramas,” he stressed. He also said that it is not impossible to restore the reputation of the Sinhala teledramas. “There was a time when the stage plays also fell from its grace. They identified the mistakes and they are in the process of regaining their power. Teledrama too can do this,” he further said. 

 

Pic by Ravindra Dharmathilake