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| Sunday, 14 April 2002 |
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Maestro Amaradeva felicitated in India by Dharmasiri Gamage who participated in the Award Ceremony held in Rashtrapathi Bhavan in New Delhi
Maestro, Dr. Pandit Amaradeva, the foremost vocalist of Sri Lanka was honoured with the title of Bharat Padmasri by the President of India, Kochi Raman Narayanan in an official ceremony held at Rashtrapati Bhavan, in New Delhi. It is no doubt that the arduous journey which Pandit Amaradeva began more than half a century ago, as a son born to a carpenter family in Koralawella, Moratuwa, reached its culmination with the award of the title "Padmasri". A beaming Amaradeva, in an exclusive interview with the Sunday Observer immediately after the award ceremony said, "I accept the Padmasri award from mother India with the utmost respect and value it more than all the other awards I have been honoured with so far". This Padmasri award can be described as the highest honour bestowed on our greatest maestro by the bountiful hand of Goddess Sarasvati in consideration of his advent to India as a student of the Bhatkande Sangeeth University in Lucknow more than half a century ago. This colourful function held under the distinguished participation of the President of India was attended by the vice President of India, Krishna Kanth, Prime Minister Atal Bihari Vajpayee, Minister of Home Affairs L.K. Advani, Foreign Minister Jasvanth Singh, Minister of Environment Mrs. Menaka Gandhi and a large number of distinguished guests. Forty six other persons who had excelled in different fields were decorated with awards on this occasion. On August 30 last year, Pandit Amaradeva was awarded the prestigious
Ramon Magsaysay prize in Manila, Philippines.For his wife Wimala Amaradeva
and two daughters, Priyanvada and Subhani, who accompanied him to witness
this memorable occasion, it may well have been a landmark event in their
life. (Subhani is at present reading for her Master's Degree in the
Department of Languages in the University of New Delhi) Mothers and gods The Sinhalese believe that there is a close link between gods and mothers. What exactly is this divine connection? This connection comes to the surface when someone is affected by certain diseases such as chicken-pox, small-pox and measles. These diseases fall into a special category which the Sinhalese have labelled "deyyange leda" (diseases of the gods" or "ammavarunge leda" (diseases of the mothers). It is the belief of the Sinhalese that these diseases are caused, not by natural factors, but by the intervention of the gods (deyyo). These diseases frighten the Sinhalese so much that they do not even use the Sinhala words that refer to these diseases, such as "paepol" (chicken pox), "vasuriya" (small pox) and "sarampa" (measles) in their speech. The word "paepol" scares them so much that some have even changed the name of the fruit of the same name (papaya) to "gas labu" (tree-pumpkin). Since these diseases are caused by the gods, their cure also depends on magical rites. In these rites, the services of seven "ammavaru" (mothers) or "kiri ammavaru" (milk mothers) are sought. These mothers are invited at the end of a given period to the house where the sick person is and food is offered to them. These foods consist of seven different varieties of sweetmeats, including "kiribat" (milk rice) and "kaevun" (oilcakes). This rite is held in the early hours of the morning. The sick person is given a bath and at the end of the rite, the mothers
chant certain stanzas to bless the sick person. The magical significance
of the number seven (sat) is associated with Pattini, the goddess of
fertility, who appears in seven different forms, as "sat pattini".
The Goddess of Fertility is one who can bestow on human beings good health
and fortune. Blessings of the painted dove An inspiring exhibition born out of conflict and reaching out for peace by the staff and children of the Butterfly Peace Garden of Batticaloa opened three days ago at the Barefoot Gallery. This show of paintings titled blessing way of the painted Dove which will be on till April 30 has been put together by Paul Hogan, the curator of treasures of the Butterfly Peace Garden. Initially supported by the Canada Fund and then by Netherlands (HIVOS) the Butterfly Peace Garden was started in '96 bringing together artists, musicians, peace workers, ritual healers and children from various ethnic and religious groups. Paul Hogan the Canadian artist who has been resident in Sri Lanka since '95 inspiring the children of the Butterfly Garden to express their emotions and their dreams through the subtlety and vibrancy of colours that reflect their many moods. |
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