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| Sunday, 7 November 2004 |
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Features |  |
| News Business Features Editorial
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Ariyadasa Peiris: Tribute to a living legend by Prasad Gunewardene The name Ariyadasa Peiris has been a hallmark in Sri Lanka's radio from its inception. A living legend, the 78-year-old Ariyadasa Peiris is a man with lilting voice in compering. He is outstanding as a multi faceted character, but his talent was not limited to broadcasting.
Ariyadasa Peiris did not stop at commercials. He diverted his talents to brighten the capabilities of students by producing programmes like Pana Podi (Questions for the young), Vinadiyak Pamanai, Aye Ne Be, and Puluvannam Dinaganna. These were his creations to improve the hidden talents of others. He is a man who shared his talents to introduce another generation to carry forward the mantle. If not for him people like Ranjith Peiris, Jayantha Peiris, Charitha Priyadharshani Peiris, Chaturika Peiris and Niranjala Basnayake would not have emerged in the radio scene. His daughter, Charitha Priyadharshani, is today a household name in the music and compering scene. As has happened to many others, the talents of Ariyadasa Peiris now relaxing at the age of 78 given due recognition. His services to over fifty years certainly needs a felicitation. This was why the Sarisara Companions decided to honour this great personality while he is alive. Ariyadasa Peiris will be felicitated on November 16 at 6.30 pm at the John De Silva Memorial Hall. This felicitation looks unique in style. Just as much as the saying goes Like Father, Like Son, this event will be Like Father, Like Daughter as Charitha will be releasing a compact disc and audio titled Sal Mal Yaya to mark the glorious landmark of her father. A number of singers introduced by Ariyadasa Peiris will feature at this occasion and a book titled Obe Kata Handa Thama Mathakai will be released to commemorate the event. Millions of fans who long to hear Ariyadasa's voice again will get an opportunity to do so on a live telecast of this felicitation will have Ariyadasa Peiris performing some of his popular radio programmes on this day. Bhawathra : An alien notion Bhawathra, a new sci-fi teledrama about an alien scientist who crash lands on planet earth will be telecast on Swarnavahini shortly. Produced by Teleview Private Ltd. The drama begins with 'Bhawathra' a planet three galaxies away from earth and its Milky Way, which is facing destruction.
At this time the villagers are performing a Yaga to get rid of natural disaster. They think the crash landing of the spaceship is a direct result of their ritual. At the end of the Yaga ceremony, the villagers remove the wooden structure to be placed in the cemetery. Meanwhile the aliens repair the spaceship and take off. However, the spaceship is destroyed within minutes. Satta, an alien scientist who lands in the village shrub starts looking for something to eat. He realises that the bark of a certain tree and the milk from a cow give him adequate body strength. Andiris, a poor villager, who ekes out a living by selling firewood suffers from an incurable skin disease. Although he takes treatment from a native physician, he does not recover. Once he brushes his back against a tree and finds he is partially cured. When he conveys the good news, his wife hesitates to believe him. On the following day he is completely cured and Andiris goes in search of the physician to thank him. The physician who is a cunning man finds out the particular tree and begins to use its bark to cure other patients. Soon he becomes a famous dermatologist. Satta after regaining his physical energy begins his search. He reads books and finds out everything about the village. Then he takes the form of a human being and settles down in the temple. Meanwhile, a young science teacher (Samadhi) develops a love affair with the physicians daughter Dinithi. He comes from the city and is interested in astronomy. Samadhi stays at Podimenika's house and goes to school. Samadhi writes an article to a newspaper explaining the explosion of the alien spaceship dismissing what villagers believed to be true. Prof. Ruwanwella who is an expert on extra terrestrial beings comes to Kendaliyadda to meet Samadhi. Meanwhile, another person comes to meet him with a Black Box. He is Solamon who witnessed the explosion from a different location. Sata continues to do his research. He also learns biology, physics, medicine, political science, culture, and history. At this time many strange happenings take place. An authority is established to probe extra terrestrial beings. Finally Prof. Ruwanwella identifies the alien. With the help of Soloman's Black Box Satta develops contacts with his planet and leaves the earth with fond thoughts of returning to it one day. The teledrama directed and produced by Sunil Ratnayake to a script by Sumithra Rahubadda. The cast includes: Joe Abeywickrama, Ravindra Randeniya, Bandula Vithanage, Mahendra Perera, Sanath Wimalasiri, Senaka Wijesingha, Manjula Thilini, Anula Bulathsinhala, Susila Kottage, Gamini Hettiarachchi and Udeni Alwis. Critic's Corner 'Creeps' : Torment as entertainment 'Creeps' a youth drama was a torment in more senses than one, as perhaps it was meant to be. First, the invitees for the premiere were locked out in the humid open for longer than the scheduled time for the show while a 'whisper' was overheard that last minute rehearsals were going on inside. The few hard marble seats outdoors at the Russian Cultural Centre were no solace either to those who were there on time and had to linger for the delayed opening. Then, the play itself dwelt on the age old theme of exploitation, no doubt presented in a novel way through a dual technique of live presentation by three yuppies and video frames on a screen that was the back drop. A taunting voice from above mockingly manipulated the whole show, giving the creeps to the actors and audience. Stories of the young and old being suckered especially by offers of lucrative and exciting billets here and abroad are legion. But the play alerts the viewer to such lures in a theatrical way exposing the gullibility of people in circumstances of deprivation. Events could have taken more tragic turns given the traumas that the three players undergo but the production stops short of depicting dire consequences - the three characters resigning to their fate, content with the meagre short takes made available to them by way of refreshments. Hailing from different backgrounds the players erupt in different degrees of disappointment and frustration. The actors play their parts quite well. Gowri the girl from Jaffna displays a resilience hardened by the reality of the vicissitudes that the Northerners have been exposed to over the years. Priyadarshani is the highlander whose family circumstances more than in the case of the other two makes her take the plunge into unfamiliar surroundings. Natasha is the Colombo girl whose 'modernity' is seen in her dress and habit of lighting up under stress. The inner conflict of having to conform, in accord once with the dictates of the 'Voice' is an altogether eerie experience for them. The three vie for the plum of moderator of a TV program and give vent to their feelings in their attempt to impress the unseen interviewer. Their pronouncements reflect the multiplicity of the innermost feelings of youth - their values and the strong urge to be themselves. The interference of the loud 'overhead voice' and the visuals on the screen accentuate the confused state of mind of the characters. Superficially the show appears to be disjointed suffering from the transplantation of a German production and the imposition of the interfering voice and TV for 'effectual' communication but if one digs deeper the transitional phase from school child to job aspirant seeking the bubble reputation unravels. Regimenting themselves and conforming to dictates of the voice leads to conflict resolved at the end by meek submission. The handout on the production says: ''Creeps' by Lutz Hubner is the most topical youth drama of Germany after the Reunification. It is a powerful shocker about the fictional reality of the television, and how media misuses pictures and images of actual people. 'Creeps' is not aimed at warning the youth of "evils of TV', nor is it exposing its "false values". It does not either strive to show a kind of "clash of civilisation". Instead it will spark in the young minds some light on "cultural identities" "values" and "life styles" they are born into; while commenting on some aspirations of teenagers in a highly commercialised multi-ethnic society. The project is sponsored by Goethe Institute Colombo in collaboration with Young Asia Television. Dr. Asoka de Zoysa who has translated the German original into Sinhalese directs the play assisted by Ms. Kumudu Kumarasinghe. The dramaturgy of the video clips are designed by Asanka Ishan Dayapala and have been created by the crew of YA TV'. The production achieves its modest aims in the opinion of this sexagenarian but what matters most would be the response to it from the youth themselves. (L.E.) |
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| Produced by Lake House |
Ariyadasa Peiris is also an actor, film director, vocalist and
lyricist. Very few are gifted with such enormous talents to be a complete
character. Ariyadasa's astounding voice caught many a heart and mind with
popular programmes like Maliban Guwan Thotilla, Pibidena Gayaka Parapura
and Ambika Geethayen Geethaya.
The highly intelligent and technically advanced inhabitants begin an
intensive search for a dead planet or one with inhabitants for them to
live in and crash land on Kendaliyadda, a remote village in the hills of
Sri Lanka.
