Creative handicrafts on show in November

by Anuradha Kodagoda

Creativity is all about the ability you have to connect the experiences, and syntheses of new things without thinking.

Deema Rupasinghe

One of the her creations

Deema Rupasinghe is a young, talented girl with enthusiasm for creativity by connecting the experiences she has gathered on handicrafts. Now she is ready to come up with a brilliant collection of creations.

She will display her talent in handicraft at an exhibition to be held at Hotel Taj Samudra on November 24.

“Since my childhood I have loved handicraft and during schooldays I used to send greeting cards to my friends and relatives, created by me. I enjoyed it very much and I do a lot of self studies too.

Recently, I discovered a new technique called paper quilting, which I have not seen in any handicraft using technique in Sri Lanka. I spent a lot of time and mastered the technique and all the products that I will be displaying in my exhibition are made with this technique,” Deema said.

Deema is grateful to her parents and friends, especially to the principal of Musaeus College, Colombo, Stella Dandeniya, for the tremendous support given to fulfil her dream in life.

Colombo Oktoberfest

Oktoberfest Colombo will be celebrated at the CR and FC grounds, from October 17-21 at 6 p.m. daily on weekdays and 4 p.m. on weekends.

The festival which celebrates all things Bavarian is held annually in Munich, Germany. Over six million people from around the world attend the festivities annually to celebrate this important part of Bavarian culture – a tradition maintained since 1810. The CR and FC grounds will come alive with a carnival atmosphere with a 15,000 sq ft marquee specially set up for the festivities.

The Mount Lavinia Hotel will provide authentic German cuisine. Live music will be provided by the traditional Bavarian ‘Oompah’ band Waidigel 7.

Kandyan Dance

When Gurudev Rabindranath Tagore, the poet laureate of India and the only Asian winner of the Nobel Prize for Literature visited Sri Lanka in 1934, he was enthralled by the tantalising Kandyan dance, he witnessed at Sri Palee College, Horana for which he laid the foundation stone.

The performance awakened the poet in Gurudev which resulted in the creation of this poem – 'The Kandyan Dance'. This is the English translation of the poem by Prof. Sitangshu Roy of the Sangith Bavan of Shanthiniketan.

Kandyan Dance

What a tremendous Kandyan dance I did witness in Sinhala
Like Sal trees uprooted and blown by a violent storm!
Negating all bondage, all bars
No looking back, no indulgence in dreamy sensuousness
The Kandyan dance is unlike the soft swinging creepers
Nor is it the slender shivering of leafy twigs
It is a blaze, a forest fire!
The ocean waves asked the dancers

Do you feel the rhythm of my veins?
The storm commanded them -
“Let your anklets jingle strongly
with the force of my dance steps”!
Their robsut arms raised in the space
will save the full moon
From the greedy gape of Rahu!
Nandi is worked up at
Mahadeva's break of meditation
Shiva's wrath, charged in all his limbs,
Makes him dance like violent flames
His dance of trance will dispense sensuous infatuation
Nataraj is the original male
His tandava is his mode of worship
He releases his might to liberate himself With the shock of force he conquers fear of all fears
He surpasses himself with his own dance Joyful and tremendous!

Sokari at Punchi Theatre

Sokari, an old folk drama in Sri Lanka, formed according to the rural traditions of Shanthikarmas performed to Goddess Pattini seeking fertility and prosperity, will be staged today at 3.30 p.m. at the Namel-Malani Punchi Theatre, Borella.

The drama which was played throughout the night for seven days in the past will be staged again with a new set of actors enhancing the characteristics of the play such as motion and make-up with special attention paid on background and costume designs.

Sokari runs for two hours and 30 minutes and contains ancient characteristics. The play is directed by award winning director Jaliya Rajapakshe.