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| Sunday, 25 December 2005 |
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Sounds of Music from Austria
A musical evening in friendship and harmony was held at the Waters Edge on Thursday, December 8. The evening featured Anton Willie pianist and Doris Moeltner - soprano from Austria in a programme of music by Beethoven, Bach Handel, Mozart and Lehar, as well as songs from well known musicals.
The children's Choir of St. Theresa's Church conducted by Hasinee Halpe - Andree sang Christmas carols with a solo from Nicole Mueller of the Italian Traditional song Santa Lucia. Guest performer at the concert was Dr. Preshanthi Mendis who gave an accomplished performance on steel drums. This cultural event to strengthen the historic and cultural ties that Sri Lanka has with Austria was compered by Arun Dias Bandaranaike. Love, inspiration behind magical strokes by Vimukthi Fernando
"When it comes down to it; There is only one subject That's love, love and love." Wrote Nayomi Munaweera, a Sri Lankan friend on the mural at her Berkeley apartment in USA, she says. Love is what brought "Ganna" to Sri Lanka and love is what inspires her paintings. The young artist with Sri Lankan roots, born and bred in America has been living in Sri Lanka for nearly three years, waiting for the day she gets legal consent to hold in her arms the daughter she loves and holds close to her heart. Meanwhile, her experience and emotions are imprinted on canvasses in different hues. Her art, refined and mature, is her main form of expression, says this artist with a sing-song voice. Her rational personality and strongly independent spirit more depicted by her art and activities she is engaged in. "It was Berkeley (University of California) which freed my spirit," she says with reverence to her alma mater. Berkeley University had not only inspired her on free expression of self, it had also fostered values of peace in this young artist. It was provided a good opportunity to meet Sri Lankan expatriates in USA, she says. It had been the first time she had met people from Sri Lanka, without being introduced to by parents. This had planted seeds of curiosity about her roots, and the isle of her parents. "I had a special interest in Jaffna, because most of my friends there were doing their thesis on Jaffna. So, I decided to visit Jaffna when I came to Sri Lanka," says Ganna. Meeting with a group of LTTE female cadre who had lost their limbs, at the ICRC premises in Jaffna had propelled her to be involved with devotion and a new spirit in women's studies, one of the fields that takes up her interest. 'The Peace Cheerleader' is a consequence of the meeting besides a well loved collage and some more paintings, says Ganna, pointing to a painting in sombre greens and blacks. With no limbs whatsoever, wearing only a chain around her neck wherein hangs a symbol of peace together with a capsule of cyanide, the cheerleader therein lies on her back. 'The two peacocks' the depiction of calm and calamity, is the result of her pursuit in studying the cultures and traditions of Sri Lanka, says Ganna. "Just look at the cultures, Sinhalese and Tamil, I have experienced the Tamil culture to be more traditional and conventional and Sinhalese culture as more open and inclusive, but if you take the religions in these two cultures it is in contrast. While Buddhism is individualistic. Hinduism is more inclusive with many gods to worship. It also depicts the different stages in a person's life - periods of serenity and confusion." Peace, is depicted at another painting, with a wheel of peace. Her struggle and the long sojourn in Sri Lanka, in anticipation of adopting a four year old child living in an orphanage in the interior parts of Kilinochchi, is presented in yet another. At present, all her efforts are directed in gaining access to her adopted daughter, legally. She spends her time between Kilinochchi and Colombo her indomitable spirit plodding on regardless of the many obstacles, and over two years of waiting. Her simple residence in Colombo is devoid of all comforts, a representation of the place where her adopted child lives. The comforts of her Berkeley apartment she had willingly sacrificed not being able to leave her beloved in the remote parts of Vanni. Until such day she gains legal recognition as the mother of her adopted daughter, 'Ganna' will stay in Sri Lanka, painting her heart out. Nativity play with a different twist by Dilini Algama Inside, the little shepherd had joined his companions in the first pew. Mary was thoroughly scrutinizing baby Jesus while holding Him by His legs at an extremely awkward angle. Joseph was using his hook to remove the head dress of one of the shepherds. One of the angels was crying and Sunday school teachers seated with them were beginning to look slightly dazed. The older children started to sing "Away in a Manger" and the two teachers tried their best to gently prod Mary and Joseph to the front. Joseph looked ready to cry and he seemed most reluctant to be seen standing anywhere near Mary. At first even Mary seemed shy. At one point she took it into her head to stand behind Joseph (she obviously hadn't heard of women's liberation). But after a while Mary was seen grinning at the congregation, pausing only now and then to stick her tongue out at a classmate seated somewhere at the back. Meanwhile, baby Jesus was being cared for in the most unmaternal manner possible. Most of the time His mother held Him by His neck. But there were also times when she held Him by His feet. But Mary was grinning adoringly through all this and I don't suppose anyone had the heart to reprimand her. Joseph's eyes lit up the moment he saw the shepherds approaching. After a few good natured yanks at their headdresses with his hook his mood brightened. Then came the kings to the tune of "We Three Kings". Well... not exactly to the tune, but nevertheless they came. Mary giggled uncontrollably as she received the brightly wrapped gifts from the brightly dressed kings. Joseph then decided that he too must have a chance at checking out the brightly wrapped parcels and proceeded to examine them by making crackling noises with the paper. The Crying Angel started crying again at this and when one of the shepherds started to pull at her wings she positively bawled her eyes out. By this time baby Jesus had been picked up several times from the floor and the two teachers had intervened in several fisticuffs from the sides. Joseph was asked to keep a tight hold on his hook. They also did try to instill several maternal feelings in Mary (rocking her baby in the socially accepted manner of holding him with the mother's two arms instead of from his feet and neck, to name one). The Crying Angel was quietly taken away from the limelight and was safely deposited on her mother's lap where she was already beginning to doze off. The troupe was last seen walking back to their pew, but not before Joseph tripped all those behind him with a deft manoeuvre of his hook. Disastrous do you think? It was the best nativity play I ever saw.
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