Online edition of Sunday Observer

An exhibition of photographs by Muneera Hoodbhoy, spanning 10 years of her work, opens at the Finomenal Space 35 Galle Face Court 1, Colombo 3, on October 16 and continues till the 27th.

Speaking of herself and her work, Muneera says. "I consider photography to be a form of expression of my ideas and thoughts. Just as an artist would use a canvas to paint, I would use my camera to capture my thoughts." She goes on to describe the creative process in her work:

"Insight depicts my perception of the world around me. It did not matter where I took the picture or how I photographed it, what mattered to me was finding inspiration in the most ordinary of places and putting it into perspective by capturing it at that decisive moment. There is a world in motion around us that we see and take for granted everyday, but if you stop for a moment and look around you, you would be able to capture a world of emotions around you.

The images on display will give you an insight into peoples lives, emotions and feelings which I was able to capture at that moment in time. Every picture will evoke a different feeling, some will inspire, and others stimulate curiosity, wonder and hope.

The reason I have left my work untitled is because I would like everyone to take time and reflect on the images and see insight they get out of it. An insight into my world of images seen through my lens, takes the viewer through the moments captured and encapsulated into my thoughts.

The fraction of time on the shutter gives birth to a moment in time. The blink of an eye, the start of an idea or thought, all have fragile beginnings yet possess energy and strength to push them forward and bring life to itself.

There is a world in motion around us that we see and take for granted everyday. But if you stop for a moment and blink your shutter you will be able to capture that time in space.

The images I plan to show will give the viewer an insight into peoples lives, emotions and feelings that I was able to capture in that time".

It is exceptional for any artiste to be in the stardom for more than half a century. Maurice Dahanayake, the vocalist with a sweet tenor and famous villain in Sinhala cinema in the 70s and 80s, has just reached this rare station of life.

Maurice is Director of the Board of Trustees of the Tower Hall Foundation and Chairman of Jatika Kala Sansadaya.

He will celebrate this milepost in filmdom and the local music industry with an aid concert, which will be held at Town Hall, Ratnapura on October 18. The concert, "Onna Olu Malak" has been organised with the patronage of Minister of Small Holder Development Susantha Punchi Nilame to raise funds for the Ratnapura Welfare Society to build a hospital.

Maurice said that he would sing a selection of 20 songs from his popular song list at the show, which will include hits like Onna Olu Malak, Sudo Poddak Handanna, Meth Mal Pibideva, and Dukeni Thaniyama Avith Yanne.

When Maurice Dahanayake came to Radio Ceylon in 1950 as a youth from Galle for an audition to qualify himself as a radio artiste, he did not have any music degrees or any Visharada Upadhis.

"It was the time, that Pandits and Sangeeth Visharadas dominated the Radio Ceylon, and they were received with much honour and respect by the countrymen. As a rule, those artistes who lacked that status were more or less overlooked at the time," he recalled being asked to explain how he introduced himself to singing.

"I faced my first audition and qualified as a grade B radio artiste on the recommendation of Pandit Rathan Janker from India, who was giving grading to Sri Lanka artistes by the time," he said and thanked Thevis Guruge, veteran radio artiste of Radio Ceylon, who conducted Maurice's audition and aired his voice on "Guwan Viduli Ada-paya" (Radio half-an-hour) on the commercial service.

Maurice has always been a versatile singer and a good listener of music of the western genre. Being inspired by Harry Ballefonte tunes like "Island in the Sun" and "Jamaican Fairwell" he sang them with Sinhala words.

He was quite effective in doing this as with his enchanting voice, that even today his "Sudo Poddak Handanna" and "Dukeni Thaniyama Avith Yanne", taken from Ballefonte tunes, are heard without any prejudice by the listeners.

Sitarist Pradeep Ratnayake will hold a Pradeepanjalee concert at the Lionel Wendt Theatre on Saturday 25 October, at 7 p.m. as part of its fifty year celebrations. This is his first appearance since starting his master's degree in music at Santiniketan, India and the fifth concert in the Pradeepanjalee series he started on his return in 1997, with the idea of providing an alternative music scene for music lovers of Sri Lanka.

In Pradeepanjalee V, some of the best musicians in their respective fields will accompany Pradeep. He will start the programme as usual by performing a classical raga - this time one of spirituality and devotion, Rag Yaman. He will be backed on tabla by Chandralal Amarakoon. Pradeep's composition, Kuveni will feature the rare combination of the sitar and cello, played by Dushyanthi Perera, and the haunting tale of the tragic princess expressed in a folk melody will find new and magical expression here.

The other composition is The Flight of the Hawk, based on the "Ukusa Vannama" and here, the movement of the free soaring bird is captured in melody, when the sitar takes flight backed by the cello and the bass guitar of Alston Joechim. Traditional Sri Lankan percussion instruments like the Kandyan drums and the tammattama, played by Ravibandu Vidyapati and Piyasara Shilpadhipati, will provide the backing for this powerful and electrifying piece.

Pradeep is now a lecturer at the University of Sri Jayawardenepura and is studying for his master's degree on a scholarship given by the Government of India, and this performance will be given during his holidays from his studies in the final year of his programme.

The Pradeepanjalee concerts provide a chance for audiences to hear Indian classical music on the sitar which Pradeep excels in, as well as his compositions which fuse elements of Indian classical music, western classical music, jazz, rock and Sri Lankan folk melodies. Following the success of these concerts, there have been performances in Geneva and Abu Dhabi as well.