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| Sunday, 7 May 2006 |
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Features |  |
| News Business Features Editorial
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Journey into
rich folk heritage
by Ranga Chandrarathne
Let's hope that this would be a precursor to many productions in Sinhala by leading International Schools, to offer their students the best of the oriental tradition. The Principal SIS Ms. Noreen Welikala, and the staff should be commended for taking this initiative to offer the SIS students' best works in the oriental literary tradition, which are second to none in terms of depth, character analysis and the morale message that they convey. Vessanthara Jatakaya, a theatrical adaptation in the form of ballet by the students of the Stafford International School (SIS), which was staged at Bishop's College Auditorium yesterday, was a commendable effort by SIS students at a time International Schools were blamed on producing culturally alien citizens. According to Jayawanthi, this oriental ballet is done with a group of young students from grade 1-9. She says that the cast had sacrificed a lot for this production." SIS is proud to present Vessanthara Jatakaya, a well known Jataka story. We do not usually see production of this nature among International Schools as the children favour Western Music and mostly dancing with a Bollywood style of hit scenes. So 52 students taking part, most of them under 14 years of age, have enjoyed them immensely. They were so enthusiastic that they even sacrificed their April holidays in order to attend practices. A notable feature, which we are happy about, is that children of all faiths are taking part. All proceedings of the play goes to provide dry rations to the needy in keeping with the generosity which is appropriated with Vesak," said the Principal Mrs. Noreen Welikala. Among the Jataka Stories, which are woven around the previous existences of the Buddha, Vessanthara Jatakaya is one of the popular stories, which is very often recited in Buddhist Viharayas and at funerals, as a lamentation. The story extols the Bodhi Satva's (one who aspires Buddha hood) practising the virtue of generosity, as he gives away his possessions and ultimately his children. The ballet presented by SIS was an adaptation of the original Jataka story. The ballet opens with a party in the palace grounds and the king Vessanthara goes out, in disguise, to see the welfare of his subjects. He finds out the sorry plight of his subjects and decides to renounce worldly life and to go to the forest named Vankagiriya for meditation. He intends to leave his wife and children with his father Sanda Maha. However, queen Madhri refuses to stay at the palace. So the king, queen and the children leave for Vankagiriya. Soon they adapt to the life in the forest eating wild fruits and the children playing with animals. However, one day when the queen goes to the forest in search of food, a Brahmin called Juthaka who has married a beautiful young woman, comes and begs the king for the children to be taken to his home and use them as domestic aids. The generous king gives away his children to the ugly Juthaka. At this stage, Sakra, the god, intervenes and directs Juthaka to the palace where king Sanda Maha receives the children with open hands. The story ends in the happy union of the family in the forest Vankagiriya. Script Writer Hema Perera has done her research so that she does not miss out any important aspects in the original Jathaka story and the Music by young talented musician Jananath Warakagoda is well synchronized with the mood and rhythms of this adaptation of Vessanthara Jathakaya. Lal Thilakarathne's costume designing is brilliant that it helps the audience to explore the distant past and monarchy in the ancient context. |
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Excellently designed costumes, coupled with masterly direction and
choreographed by Dr. Panibharatha's daughter Jayawanthi Panibharatha would
certainly have made this edition of Vessanthara Jatakaya by SIS students a
memorable moment in not only the lives of the young students, but also in
those who have contributed, perhaps even in a minuscule scale to this
production in Sinhala, for the first time at Stafford International School
(SIS), when the country marks the Buddha Jayanthi, the celebration of Prince
Siddharta's Enlightenment. 
