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| Sunday, 25 September 2005 |
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Features |  |
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Farewell to Kalasoori Panibharatha by Aditha Dissanayake
Performances of Dr. Panibharatha proved the belief held as far back as the time of Kuweni that the mysterious powers possessed by the sun, moon, stars, sky, earth, trees, rocks and water can be evoked to influence our lives through music, song and dance. Yet, today, the thammatta and the gata bera, which knew the touch of his hands remain mournfully silent. Never will they vibrate again to a line like jeng, jeng, thirikita jeng.... For Kalasoori Panibharatha is no more. Born in 1920, in the village of Algama as Panis Algama, Dr. Panibharatha hailed from a family of traditional dancers. Yet, his father, Babanchi Algama, himself a veteran dancer, with the fond hope of seeing his eldest son become a physician of Auyrveda sent young Pani, as he was lovingly called at home, to the Tibbotuwawe Veda Hamuduruwo. Proving true the predictions of the astrologers who made his horoscope saying he would one day grow up to be a person who will receive high acclaim from his country, he gave up studying medicine to pursue a career as a dancer. According to Anura Priyalal Sirisena who wrote Dr. Panibharatha's biography, the turning point in his life had come when he saw his uncle perform at the Saman Devalaya in Ratnapura. "My God. What a dance" (Deiyane, ehema natumak".) He had exclaimed and decided to become a dancer, then and there. Having learnt up-country dancing from Kiriganitha Gurunnanse and low country dancing and drumming from Girineris Gurunnanse, upon completing two years of studying at the Shanthinikethan, on his return to Sri Lanka in 1948 he, who till then was known as Panis or Pani, was re-christened by S. L. B. Kapukotuwa, D. B. Dhanapala and J. D. A. Perera as "Panibharatha". Realising vehemently that the Sinhala dances, songs and music are not second to those of the developed nations (ref. lecture on Sinhala dances, songs and music given at the Art Gallery 1985) Dr. Panibharatha had led dance troupes to Germany (1958), Russia (1966), and Pakistan (1967), during the middle of the last century when travels abroad were rear occurrences. Having nurtured several generations of dancers as a lecturer and the head of the College of Fine Arts, after it was taken over by the University of Kelaniya, he was awarded the title of Kalasoori and an honourary doctorate from the University in addition to many other awards in recognition of his contributions to keep the torches burning for traditional dance forms by adapting them to suit the contemporary stage. Though Dr. Panibharatha, the demi-god in the field of traditional song, music and dance is no more, lines like "Jengath kita kita/// kukuda kudang gatha... Kiria gita kira kira kira gath jeng....used at the conclusion of the
dance recitals he had staged round the country, will continue to vibrate for
eons to come. |
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Dressed in the attire of the up country dancer; the head dress, gem
studded turban, ear ornaments, forehead garland, vest cover etc, which are
the symbolic expressions of various attributes of the sun, watching
Sithracharya Panibharatha perform the Kohomba Kankariya, one would agree
with the ancient teachers that the dances, songs and music dating back to
pre Vijaya times are gifts of the gods. 
