His life, a song

Anjana - vila today in Homagama:

By Harshini Perera

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Humming of the songs which wafted from the recorder, grabbed our attention as we entered the room. The thought that this master figure would always have had this soothing humming rapped around his entire life involuntarily came into my mind. When I mentioned about his solo performance “Anjana Vila” his eyes gleamed with enthusiasm.

A person can be an expert in more than one profession, which is a true statement by none other than, the Chief Minister of Western Province, at the same time soloist, Reginald Cooray, who has a renowned career as an artist as well as a politician, for he has performed his solo, “Anjana Vila” in many villages in Sri Lanka.

Music is a soothing medicament for all human beings, wrecked by the stressful life. His profession as a politician is also a tiresome one but his accomplishment in both fields is unreservedly appreciative. When questioned on how the idea of “Anjana Vila” sprang into his mind amidst all his other engagements, he replied with delight, “Since my childhood, I had a burning desire to sing songs. It has been a habit throughout my life to enjoy and to remedy the grievances of life.

Indeed, singing and my life are blended inseparably. Slowly, my friends invited me to sing at all the occasions or functions we had, which gave me self-confidence to sing. Precisely, their persuasion and my ability merged into this repertoire of songs, ”Anjana Vila”.

A repertoire like “Anjana Vila” would not have been an easy task without others’ help. The lyrics were written by him and constant humming which had been habitual, gave them a tune. That was how these songs had initiated, and at the end he was able to create three songs. Then, they were handed over to veteran music composers such as Premasiri Khemadasa, Rohana Weerasinghe, Navarathna Gamage, Nandana Liyanage, Ajith Jayaweera, Lalith Shantapriya who did a marvellous job to bring out the series.

It is unconventional of a politician to engage in singing. Criticism is rampant all over the world that they are the experts in mesmerising the public by talking, but not in singing. Cooray is an exception. His exposure to art had started from where he received his education. He had studied in rural schools, but he was fortunate to receive the blessings of the best of teachers.

That inspired him to involve himself in reading and writing. As a result of extensive reading and writing , he further developed his aesthetic skills and creativity whicht enabled him to win the first place in oratory, essay writing and painting competitions. By the time when he was doing his A/L exam, he had directed two dramas. But he was compelled to select Commerce subjects instead of Arts because his parents believed that he would be a hopeless person if he continues his artistic work.

When I asked him how he manages time to involve in his artistic caree he says , “Even if I do politics today, in the midst of a tight schedule as soon as I get a chance, I make it a point to engage in my singing career.

Whatever you do, if it is done wholeheartedly with dedication and determination, there lies an art. Likewise, a carpenter could also be an artiste. So being a politician, I do my politics in an artistic way. So without doubt, I find time for singing and other aesthetic activities”.

Anjana Vila is his collection of songs, which consists of 17 new creations. Out of those, 15 were written by him. He had been performing Anjana Vila in seven places including the BMICH, Beruwala, Bulathsinhala, Pelmadulla, Bandaragama, Homagama and the eighth will be performed in Horana. Roaming around the country itself proves his will to perform Anjana Vila”in rural area.But public performances after ten o’clock are prohibited by law, which has put a full-stop to it. So there is a trend of having indoor shows. Therefore, his intention is to do some more shows and release an album with visuals.

He had been fortunate enough to act in three tele-dramas. “Pinna Hari Serai”, “Ahasata Taru Adarei”, the “Sita Niwana Kata” in which he played the role of a monk and a Chief Minister.

Any work of art should please the mind of the audience while it gives a message to the society. His idea on a piece of art is that he prefers any which carries a good meaning. Nowadays, lacking in a song or film is the meaning. There should be a blend in both sound and sense, which means a good combination of music and lyrics.

It is accepted that one’s aesthetic richness moulds one’s personality; his views in the regard took me by surprise. “Life is a contradiction between intellect and feelings. If one works only with his intelligence, he is a robot. If someone works according to his feelings, he is a wild beast.

So, life should be a mixture of the two. It is just like a cup of tea. Tea leaves alone won’t give satisfaction but when milk and sugar are added, the tea prepared will be sweet and nutritious. A tasty cup of tea, would not be made, without any of these ingredients. Likewise, in life .

Anjana Vila will be performed in Homagama Maha Vidyalaya on November 20.

This will contribute to the development of music section of the school. There will be more performances of “Anjana Vila” in various places in the island in time to come.