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| Sunday, 8 February 2004 |
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The Mace and The Man by Lalith Edrisinha
Faint sounds of guns booming at a distance in Independence Square where the main ceremony heralding 56 years of Independence from foreign rule was held were heard as the National Flag was unfurled at our own premises - known to have spearheaded the campaign that culminated in the peaceful transition from foreign rule that spanned four and a half centuries when first the Portuguese, then the Dutch and finally the British brought our island under their yoke in their quest to gain control of the sea route that facilitated dominance in trade in those days when air travel was seasonal only among the migratory avifauna from the Himalayas and around but piracy on the high seas was the norm. A sober note of national resurgence was struck when a near nonagenarian Simpan Pathiranage Charles was ushered in, quite fittingly, as the central figure at the simple ceremony of hoisting the National Flag over the canopy at the entrance to Lake House amidst those that crowded the foyer behind frontliners - ANCL Chairman, Board Members and other invitees who had hit upon the idea of honouring the wizardry of a Kala Manya, Kalasuri, Kala Bhushana and Kala-Ratna S.P. Charles, known as the doyen of Sittara Art - the stylised depiction of the life story of the Buddha and the Jataka tales that are connected with the previous births of the Enlightened One in inviting him to do the honours on Independence Day at our entrance steps. It is perhaps not well known that the symbol of authority of the Speaker in Parliament - the Mace - was designed based on the drawings of this home grown artist S.P. Charles who had been moved by the religious environment in a Buddhist institution in Kegalle and had brought his natural talents into full play in his early days of adulthood to launch himself. His deep immersion in the art styles found in ancient Viharas is manifest in the design of the Mace and it was a fitting tribute to this great artist who was responsible for the decorative arrangements of the temporary building at Torrington Square - the venue of the first Independence celebrations in 1948 - that this institution paid him the other day that would have brought back a flood of memories of his own contributions to the nation's attempts at restoring and preserving ancient art forms that are being fast upstaged by the invasion of those trappings that go with globalised integration and new forms of subjugation. The intricate design of the 28 pound, 48 inch, essential part of the regalia of parliament - The Mace - has been graphically described in the Handbook of the Tenth Parliament published by ANCL and is reproduced here for one to assess the deep understanding of ancient art that the doyen S.P. Charles had inculcated over long years of his mastery of traditional art that spilled over to Kandyan dancing having taken part in John Silva's 'nurtya' play Sirisangabo and Prof. Sarachchandra's productions. The Lotus Design "The design of this Mace which measures 48 ins., is inspired by the architecture of the ancient Temples of Ceylon and the ornamentation is based on the Lotus. The open Lotus, an emblem of Eternity and Beauty, the closed Lotus of Perfect Peace.
"The Mace is composed of a Staff of ebony with ornamentation in silver, 18 carat gold and sapphires. The base is composed of an inverted Lotus in silver and gold and the first knop also includes the Lotus together with two chased gold bands. Above that is a band of sapphires supporting a longer chased gold band, above which is an octagonal silver knop. This in turn supports four sections in silver and 18 carat gold still in Lotus form, representing the four quarters of the Earth from which hang sapphire and gold drops. Above this is a cube on which are chased four emblems, the Sun and the Moon, symbolic of Perpetuity, the Chakra, a symbol of Progress and a Bowl of Flowers (Purna Ghata), symbolic of Prosperity. Above this is the main feature of the Mace, a sphere of silver on which are mounted two chased Sinhalese Lions (Sehala) with drawn swords. Above this sphere appears again the Lotus, another band of sapphires and an octagonal polished crystal terminal, symbolic of Purity." Born on 06.10.1916 Kalasuri S.P. Charles now takes measured steps complementing his calculated brush marks that are sure to stand the test of time. |
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