Love, warmth and the rhythm of the beating drums
76th Birthday celebrations of Vajira Chitrasena:
by Aditha Dissanayake
[email protected]
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With Upeka
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When I met Vajira Chitrasena three days before her birthday I was
warned by her daughter Upeka not to say a word about the event she was
organizing to mark her mother's 76th birthday.
"I want to surprise her. She knows nothing about what we are planning
to do on Saturday, 15th March at the Chitrasena Vajira Kalayathanaya". I
kept mum about it through out my interview and secretly smiled to myself
when I realized Vajira Chitrasena was planning to spend her 76th
birthday as if it were just another day - spending the morning at the
Kalayathanaya teaching her senior students.
Imagine the look of joy on her face when this "ordinary day" was
turned into a day brimming with happiness, love and nostalgia when her
daughter and her students gathered around her to show how much she meant
to them.
"Only our students (around 250 of them) and their parents were
invited to the event" says Upeka. "The main idea of the event, apart
from celebrating my mother's birthday was to show our young students
what traditional dance is all about". She explains.
The items were performed by the senior students who themselves are
teachers of the younger students.
Upekha too had danced with the senior students for she says she had
wanted to show the younger children the performances of their teachers.
"I find that most of our students have not seen any of our performances
on stage. So we took this opportunity to give them an idea of our
traditional work."
Five artistes who have been involved with the work of the
Kalayathanaya for around ten years were also felicitated at the event.
They are Nuwan Ranjith Priyanga, Susantha and Prasanna Rupathilake,
Udaya Priyakumara and Mrs. Sriya Kariyawasam".
Commenting on how happy her mother was to be surrounded by her
students on her 76th birthday at the Chitrasena Vajira Kalayathanaya,
Upeka concludes "She didn't expect such a performance. She was thriled".
A birthday after all is the first day of another 365 days around the
sun. May she enjoy the trip. |
