Making the best of Nature's pulchritude

by Aditha Dissanayake

I'm not hard to please" said Oscar Wilde. "I'm easily satisfied with the best". So are we all. None of us are prepared to compromise. None of us are willing to settle for goods that are not the best of their kind. But how can we recognize excellence?

Step into the abode of M. Wasantha Jayasekara at number 86, Raja Mawatha, Buttala and your quest for perfection will be fulfilled. His home cum "art gallery" displaying artifacts embodying points of perfection is bound to satisfy any modern day Oscar Wilde.

A Master Teacher in charge of technical subjects at the Wellawaya Zonal Education Office, Wasantha transforms coconut shells, pieces of wood and saw dust to create walking-sticks, tea-trolleys, vases et cetera making them a necessary part of daily life - giving them a purpose beyond decoration. Strong joints

At the moment his skills are concentrated round the bamboo, the beauty of which, he believes lies in the strong, tall and dignified sections of the stalk as well as in its straight, smooth and elegant appearance. Making the best use of the bamboo's strong joints, its "upright" shape, "unoccupied" interior and "restraining joints" he has made artifacts from the bamboo which symbolize the "noble character and sterling integrity" of the Maker as well as the material used.

Concerned about not harming the environment he confirms that all his creations are made from waste material and that the bamboo is gathered from home gardens and not from the forests in and around Buttala. "I have started to grow bamboo in my own garden so that minimal harm will be caused to the environment in the future through whatever I might create" says Wasantha.

He sees the staff and the students of Piyananda Junior school as the wind beneath his wings. The respect they showered on him when he won the Presidential Award for Handicrafts during two consecutive years has spurred him in his artistic endeavour. Among the others who have encouraged him are his father a school principal, his mother, a teacher, K. R. M. Upasena of Koslanda MV, art master Balasuriya at Valahanthanna MV and the now retired director of technical subjects, Monaragala District, Siyathu Jayasekara.

Gun and chisel

Making one recall the lines of Charles Dickens in Little Dorrit "He was dressed in decent black, a little rusty and had the appearance of a sagacious master in some handicraft", Wasantha, gentle and artistic in appearance is yet, as deft at wielding a gun as well as the chisel and is a member of the Sri Lanka Volunteer Force. At present, eking out a living from his teacher's salary ensconced in Buttala, he who has shunned the bright lights of the city, nevertheless laments that more support should be given to artists to relieve them from the encumbrances of family life.

Days of yore

Working at his hobby often from around four in the evening till late into the night, willing to share his knowledge with others, and recalling the days of yore Wasantha says "During the Anuradhapura and Polonnaruwa periods the kings appreciated the contributions made by the artists to the nation by lavishing them with dahasin bendi piyali and giving them the freedom to engage in creative work without the burdens of having to look after a family".

Determined, however, to win this year's Presidential Award too, he appreciates any financial support art connoisseurs can give him and welcomes everybody to drop in and see his creations if ever they pass through Raja Mawatha, Buttala.

Under the fierce rays of the sun, while the wind plays with the margosa and tamarind leaves of the trees nearby in Wasantha's creations you are bound to come across nature's pulchritude harnessed to create subtle points of perfection.