|
|
|
  |
| Sunday, 19 December 2004 |
 |
|
 |
Features |  |
| News Business Features Editorial
|
Tagore's Geethanjali in Sinhala to be launched at Triangular festival of Athakasa by Kivipathi Kalabhooshana Mervyn Senaratne The Aganuwara Tharuna Kavi Samajaya (Athakasa), the second oldest organisation of the Colombo era of Sinhala Poets will hold a colourful Triangular Festival on December 22 at 3 pm at the John de Silva Memorial Theatre Hall, Colombo 7 at which it will celebrate its 68th anniversary. The launching of Rabindranath Tagore's famous book 'Geethanjali' translated into Sinhala by Prof. Vinnie Vitharana and the conferment of the coveted Kivipathi title on five poets namely Kalahe Kumaradasa, Soma Amarappuli, Dhanapala Nissanka, Prajapala Sri Gunawardene and D.T. Mallawa, all being prominent poets who had rendered a yeomen service to up-keep the Colombo art of poetry and literature. Athakasa was formed on April 12, 1935 by P.B. Alwis Perera, R. Wilson Hegoda, Arthur M. de Alwis, Peter Perera, T.G.W. de Silva, A.P. Gunaratne and K. Lionel Perera who were budding poets, short story writers and musicians at that time.Inaugurating the organisation they named it as Kolomba Kavi Samajaya (Colombo Poet's Association) and few weeks later at the first meeting held at Dematagoda attended by a large number of young poets of the day, a decision was taken to rename it as Aganuwara Tharuna Kavi Samajaya (Colombo Young Poets Association) and the acronym Athakasa was used for the association. Prime objectives of the Athakasa were to infuse into the hearts and minds of the people, the love towards the country and the nation and to help the national leaders who were struggling do win independence for the country, to nurture the art of Sinhalese poetry of the Colombo school, which denoted a type of poetry created with the amalgamation of the Sinhala poetry of the Matara and Kandy periods. The language used by the Colombo School of Poets was simple and flowery and most importantly metrical and rythemetical. Athakasa poets demonstrated an unprecedented talent to recite impromptu verse (Hitivana Kavi) on any given subject using colloquial language and to propagate this art they travelled throughout the island holding Hitivana Kavi Madu (Impromptu verse reciting spots) at village temples and schools and inspired the people with patriotic ideas. The well-known Tibetan Monk, the late Ven. S. Mahinda was brought to the light by Athakasa and poems written and recited by him are still alive. At the Triangular Festival, Prof. Vinnie Vitharana's Sinhalese translation of Tagore's book Geethanjali will be released to the public with the presenting of its first copy to Pundit Dr. W.D. Amaradeva who will be the chief guest. The five poets to be conferred with the Kivipathi title will enter the venue in a colourful procession led by a group of poets and poetesses who were blessed early with the same title. (The writer is a well-known poet, lyricist, radio broadcaster and drama script writer having longstanding connections with Athakasa) |
|
| News | Business | Features
| Editorial | Security
| Produced by Lake House |
