Weeraya Merila at Lionel Wendt

Rajitha Dissanayake's ‘Weeraya Merila’ (The Hero is dead) will be staged at the Lionel Wendt Theatre on July 7 at 3.30 p.m. and 7 p.m.

The cast includes Priyankara Ratnayake, Dharmapriya Dias, Shyam Fernando, Prasad Sooriyarachchi, Dayadewa Edirisinghe, Sampath Jayaweera, Samadhi Laksiri, Gihan de Chickera, Dilini Sandeepika and Nalin Lusena.

Madhura Jawanika at Lionel Wendt

Dayananda Gunawardena's ‘Madhura Jawanika’ will be staged at the Lionel Wendt Theatre on July 6 at 3.30 p.m. and 6.45 p.m.

The cast includes Jackson Anthony, Rodney Warnakula, Bandula Wijeweera, Anula Bulathsinghala, Rathnasheela Perera, Tharanga Kumari, Indika Jayasinghe, Wasantha Gunawardena, Buddhika Ranaweera and Jayanath Bandara.

New Arrivals

Vibhageta yana puthuta ovadan

Gunaratne Ekanayake's latest book Vibhageta yana puthuta ovadan was launched as a Nipun Poth publication recently. The book contains advice for students preparing for examinations.

The Shoemaker of Papua New Guinea

Hector Alahakoon's ‘The Shoemaker of Papua New Guinea’ was launched recently.

It is a true story of a lecturer who left a local university to start a shoe factory in Papua New Guinea. The Shoemaker survives this period of suffering in a foreign country with the help of the Baptist Church.

It is an author publication.

Meepeni Pedesa

Tharanga Dandeniya's latest book Meepeni Pedesa was launched as an author publication recently. It is the Sinhala translation of Jack Davis's popular drama Honey Spot.

Dandeniya's other work includes Vanduru Nuvana ha Nalakuraya, Udu Hulangak Avilla, Asani Valahaka, Agamemnon and Rasin Deiyo.

Dandeniya is a well-known dramatist and translator. He holds a Master's degree from La Trobe University, Australia.

From the ocean

When I walk upon the scorching sand at eventide
As the sinking sun is set to bid adieu;
Cloaked in shimmering rays of raging fire,
Against the receding parody of gentle breeze;
The slow stir of rolling waters before my eyes
Introspective and serene upon the darken'd sky...
The daunting rapture a symphonic score in my ears
When heartbeats mingle in solitude of departing day.
And the birds in their clutter like a chorale prelude
As my heart imbue with mysteries of God in heaven,
When I look for thee beyond the rising waves.
As thou merge from behind the sinking sun.

Princess

Hand

I would not stretch my hand
To solicit help
But I prefer to give
A helping hand to a deserving
If and when possible.
I shall not use my hand
To count ill-gotten money,
But to dole out
Something, meagre it may be,
To alleviate marginally, albeit,
The suffering of another.
I would use my hand
To shake the hand
Of another gently,
But not to grip it violently.
I am not inclined to use my hand
To inflict physical pain
Or hurt to another.
Neither would I use it
For gestures of threat
But for those of peace
And compassion.
I would use my hand
Only for self defence,
But not for unprovocative attack.
I would raise my hand
In protest against injustice,
Notwithstanding the blood
It would be smeared with,
>Rather than hiding it
For fear of hurt.
I would strive
To keep my hand clean
Free from contamination,
All because I write poetry
With that hand.

Kamal Premadasa

Pleading of a poor soul

Death we all know is
A natural phenomenon
As in the case of birth
Birth brings joy while
Death instils grief
I was an eye-witness of
Many a death in our family
When once I remained
Near a corpse
A sensible thought
Flashed across my mind
When breath stops
The soul too bids farewell
The lifeless soulless body
Loses then all its glory
It's then senseless and meaningless to
Store and adore the remains
For the sake of others
To please others
I therefore pleaded with
My loved ones
Not to spend lavishly meaninglessly
On my lifeless soulless body
But to dispose it
On the very day
My life ends
Please pray for my poor soul
For I am a sinner.

Seba

Sina Sayura

Edward Chandrasiri's latest book Sina Sayura was launched as a Sarasavi Publication in Colombo recently.

Exhibition of paintings and sculpture

Artist and sculptor B. Wimalaratne will hold his fifth solo exhibition of paintings and sculpture at the National Art Gallery, Colombo 7 on July 7 and 8. The exhibition will be open to the public from 9 a.m. to 6 p.m.

Ravens at Sri Lanka Foundation

The Sri Lanka Foundation, under the purview of the Presidential Secretariat, will present the organisation's upcoming event which intends to inculcate a discipline of choreography as an art as well as a science, through a comprehensive one-year National Diploma.

The course has associated veteran Sinhala and Tamil choreographers of Sri Lanka at the design stage that have national, and international, traditional and contemporary experience to carve the thematic disciplines into a presentable academic form that will also reconcile the communities irrespective of various dance traditions they are abided by. The director of the Diploma is Ravibandu Vidyapathi. As a demonstration of the art and culture that such a course carries, the Sri Lanka Foundation in collaboration with the nATANDA Dance theatre will present the chorographical dance event “Ravens” on July 6 at 6.30 p.m.

The NATANDA Dance Theatre of Sri Lanka, is Sri Lanka's first contemporary dance ensemble founded by Kapila Palihawadana, with a difference that blends a new style of choreography that pushes the boundaries of dance theatre, looking beyond form, physicality, culture and geography, to richly and vibrantly portray aspects of life and nature.

Callissimo at Wendt

The Cantando Cello Ensemble has been captivating audiences for some years now with their special brand of finely crafted classical music and contemporary repertoire. The Ensemble led by Dushyanthi Perera, concert cellist, will perform their next concert Callisimo at the Lionel Wendt Thetre on July 4.

Their performance will include jaunty tunes from Rossini's Barber of Seville overture, Strauss’ Pizzicato Polka. Also on the program is the soulful Sarabande from Bach's Sixth Cello Suite and the haunting Adagio from Mozart's Gran Partita.

The guest artiste will be Hasitha Pathirana who will perform Handel's Oboe Concerto No. 3 in G Minor, accompanied by the cellists of the Ensemble. Receiving its premiere performance in Sri Lanka will be the Sardana written for the cello orchestra by Pablo Casals.

Kumar's snapshots of France at Lionel Wendt

The Alliance Francaise de Kotte presents ‘Nostalgie02’, an exhibition of black and white photographs by Kumar de Silva, at the Harold Peries Gallery of the Lionel Wendt Arts Centre, Colombo this weekend.

Sponsored by Canon Metropolitan, ‘Nostalgie02’ takes visitors through random scenes of Paris and across different parts of France and is open to the public from 10 a.m. to 7 p.m. today (July 1).

The exhibition is a sequel to last year’s successful ‘Nostalgie’ which showcased France and her multi-dimensional splendour through the inquisitive and probing lens of the photographer.

Kumar de Silva who describes himself as “an incurable francophone cum francophile” has had a long association with France, for more than quarter century, when he made his debut on the little screen with the legendary, French television program “Bonsoir” on ITN in 1986.

“That journey which began 26 years ago has enriched my life, my love for France, her culture and the arts, and has broadened my horizons.

Yes of course, speaking the language has always enabled me to get a totally first-hand experience of all that France has to offer.

It is perhaps my experience as a television producer which makes me look at the world around me in frames, both their natural composition and their sometimes discordant feel.