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HIGH FASHIONS
Glamour under a cloud

by Kirthi Sri Karunaratne
The Sri Lanka Medical Association held their 112th. Annual Medical Dance at the middle of last month at the Hotel Lanka Oberoi. Peter Prins and the Cosmic Rays provided music for dancing, and Faizal Bongo was the compere. Unfortunately the date coincided with the bomb prior to the elections and the dance fluttered to a near halt as the evening progressed. None the less for those who stayed behind, a pleasureable evening was provided as usual with many added attractions.

While "chasing the glowing hours with flying feet", styles and fashions passed by in a cavalcade of colour and design. The most beautiful saree for the occasion was in black, with ivory and gold. Sundari Fernando had her black silk saree which was more charcoal in hue, patterned in a double border in a floral design in ivory silk thread and muted gold for sublime elegance. Her blouse was in the simple basic colour and she wore no obtrusive jewellery.

Two kandyan sarees that were striking in their impact were those worn by Hema (Bunchie) Jayasinghe and by Anoma Ratwatte. Hema’s saree in black had a striking and elaborate ‘ihe’ in gold on a diagonal worked in a mesh of gold ribbon. The rest of the saree was trimmed along the borders in a gold ribbon. Her blouse had below the elbow sleeves, and the work repeated in a vandyke at the edge. She wore gold jewellery to complement the outfit.

Anoma’s saree was at the other end of the spectrum of colour. The white saree was patterned on the ‘ihe’ and the fall in a border of a petal edge design in royal blue and white. The design was echoed on the sleeves of her contrasting royal blue blouse. The blue and white border had a hint of gold on the white. She wore pearl necklace and little drop earrings, and her accessories were in the royal blue.

The nearly black saree Sharmali Kodagoda wore of a tanchoi silk, was bordered in a pale flame, with a black and mustard hued pattern on it. The sleeves too had the border at the edge.

Two styles which diversified from the saree were those worn by Sunethra Wijegunawardena and by Roshi Madawela. The salwar kameez of outstanding beauty, Sunethra wore was in a gleaming gold tissue, over which was an overlay of sheer net exquisitely embroidered in gold zardosi. The sleeves were in the gold, and the dupatta was in gold and pink shading into a delicate fusion of colour.

The evening dress Roshi wore had the empire top in a black and silver lurex spun jersey, with the rest of the gown in the self colour. The dress was feminine and bewitching with its flared hemline and halter neck. Wound round her neck was a chiffon scarf in a deep blue for a couturier touch.

Two other sarees that made their own fashion statement were those worn by Noeline Cooray and Rose Pieris. Noeline’s designer saree in a pale shaded biege was embroidered in superb good taste in dull silver zardosi, sequins ad beads. Black, red and white combined in the saree Rose wore with a blouse of delicate lace woven in the same colours.

Subdued colour at Trikaya Grey:

How to have a ball 24 hours before the bite, said the invitation when the official Trikaya Grey first serve asked friends and clients to meet Shyamala and Vijay Amritaj, Chairman Trikaya Grey First Serve Advertising. Archana and Pankaj Arora, General Manager of Trikaya Grey hosted the cocktail party at the Hilton Colombo. It was a dazzling event, with fashion hitting the spotlight in its many styles and forms.

Shyamali Amritraj wore one of the loveliest outfits inspired by the salwar kameez I have seen. The ecru gossamer long coat top was embroidered in a dainty allover floral design with the flowers in relief. More elaborate embroidery edged the V neckline and down the front opening and on the edge of the long sleeves. Her jewellery kept to the pretty feminine theme, and was in diamonds set in gold.

An oyster white saree with an ethnic printed border, pallu and blouse patterned in tones of beige with hints of deep green and red on it, Rukmani Maharaja, wore, with a long gold chain, and lovely large earrings in rubies, emeralds and pearls for jewellery. A kondemala adorned her coiffure.

Teenagers that made their own statements were Sharadha Selvanathan and Vidya Ramiah. The former had the top of her salwar kameez of a smokey black richly embroidered in gold to emulate a guipure lace. The same trimmed her edge of sleeve, and her black chiffon shawl had a plain wide ribbon border on it. The latter too favoured the same style in a beige toned raw silk, the sleeves of which were worked in green and gold, with matching embroidery at the neckline. Her dupatta was in a shot green and gold with a typical green and gold border on it.

Anne Tradigo picked on a saree of grey organza with a self pattern in black, and traces of white in it. The gold border to the saree had a tone of pink in it. Her blouse was in black, and she wore a chunky necklace of black and gold for the finishing touch.

Festival of the arts

The 56th birthday of Dr. Neelan Tiruchelvam falls on January 31,2000. To commemorate this event and celebrate his contributions the International Centre for Ethnic Studies, Colombo and the Law and Society Trust have organized a two-day event on January 31 and February 1,2000.

The inauguration is to take place on January 30th. Addresses will be by I. K. Gujral, former Prime Minister of India, Justice P. N. Bhagwati, former Chief Justice, Supreme Court of India, Justice Naventhem Pillay, President, International Criminal Tribunal for Rwanda and, Justice Albie Sachs, Judge, Constitutional Court of South Africa. About 125 scholars from United States, Europe, Africa and South Asia are expected to attend the two day conference. It will be a festival of rigorous intellectual exchanges and also art, music, film and book exhibitions.

Alarmel Valli’s Bharatanatyam is on Monday, January 31 at 7.00 p.m. at the Elphinstone Theatre and Balamuralikrishna’s Carnatic music is on Tuesday, February 1 at 7.00 p.m. at the BMICH.

ALARMEL VALLI

Acclaimed not only for the exquisite perfection of her dance, Alarmel Valli, the foremost exponent of the Pandanallur tradition in Bharatanatyam, is also hailed as a creative artist, who brings to every one of her items a depth, intensity and naturalness, which makes her not only a "paragon among dancers" but "the essence of Dance itself." Trained by renowned gurus, Shri Chokkalingam Pillai and his son Shri Subbaraya Pillai, she has enriched and extended the frontiers of her dance tradition. Her style is unique and distinctly her own and has been described as - "An effortless synchronisation of apparent contradictions: linearity and lyricism, symmetry and sinuosity, precision and poetry". Her study of Padams & Javalis under the eminent musician Smt. T. Muktha, of the renowned Dhanammal’s School of music, has helped Valli explore the ideal of dance, as visual music- to express the subtle distinction between the literal translation of the lyric into body language and the mature, evolved transmutation of music into movement.

A critic writes - "An Alarmel Valli or Suzanne Farrel can literally embody infinite subtleties of the emotions, intricacies of design, glimpses of the Divine. They can, momentarily at least, wrench order out of chaos".

Recipient of numerous awards, she was conferred the State award of Kalaimamani in 1979 and was made the State Artist of Tamilnadu between 1981 & 84. In December 1985 she was awarded the prestigious title of Nrithya Choodamani and in January 1991, she was the youngest dancer to be conferred the President’s award of "Padmasri". She founded ‘Dipashikha’ a Centre for Performing Arts, in 1984.

Valli has won her laurels several times over in the major festivals of India and in almost all the cultural capitals of the world, and has received standing ovations in leading theatres of North and South America, Europe, U.S.S.R., the Middle East, Israel, Syria, Egypt, Malaysia, Singapore, Thailand, Indonesia, Australia, Tasmania and Japan.

A few of the highlights of Valli’s career on the international scene would include her performances at the famous Bolshoi Theatre - Moscow, at the Theatre De La Ville festivals in Paris, in 1973, 1997 and 1998, The Cervantino Festival - Mexico, the Vienna International Dance Festival, the Harbourfront Festival -Toronto, the New York International Festival of Arts, the Avignon Festival, the Basel Dance Festival, the Helsinki Biennale, the Min-On Association Festival of Japan, the Festival at the Hague Palace for the birthday celebrations of Queen Beatrix of the Netherlands, the Bergen International Festival of Norway in 1997, the Festival for The Silver Jubilee Celebrations of Pina Bausch’s Wuppertal Dance Theatre in 1998 and the Cultural Festival at the Royal Albert Hall for the joint celebrations of the 50th year of Independence of India, Pakistan and Sri Lanka.

During October ’99, the Venice Biennale invited Valli to dance for their festival - the "Solo Donnas" of the world, the first of its kind ever to be organised by the Biennale and in November 99, she performed at the San Anterio International Festival in the United States.

Dr. Balamuralikrishna is a legendary figure in today’s carnatic music with also an indepth knowledge of both Hindustani and carnatic North and South — Classical musical styles.

Contemporary flower arranging

An opportunity for beginners to experience floral designers where basic techniques as well as how to personalize your creations could be yours to follow on January 25, 2000 at Holiday Inn.

Sri Lankan born Sheri De Mel now a resident of Canada with merit from Inch Bald School of Design, London, England who has always been surrounded by beautiful flowers from her childhood nutured a natural love and development under the guidance of her grandfather who shared his life long love of gardening with her.

Sheri has travelled around the world sharing her knowledge as a teacher. Her style has been influenced by her travel to exotic destinations such as Singapore, Kenya, Portugal, Zambia, Barbados, Trinidad and Tobago.

Sheri’s professional design has a trained eye which adds mystery, beauty and depth to her creations.You are invited to share the fruits of her labour of love when she personally holds 2 sessions between 3:00 and 5:00 p.m. and 6:00 and 8:00 p.m. for just Rs. 500/= at the Holiday Inn - Liberty Ballroom "C’on January 25, 2000.

Living in the jungle

By Cecil V. Wikramanayake
Way back in 1982, I spent a few months living in a little hut made of branches of trees and covered with leaves, on the banks of a ‘wewa’ way out in the jungle areas of Mahiyangana. It was one of the finest holidays I ever gave myself, and I do wish I could do it again. But pressures of work, and looking after a family preclude any such possibility.

It was not the most dramatic holiday, but it was the most enjoyable, for I had no one to talk to or to be talked to. Conversation, therefore, was down to the minimum. And though I was in what is called jungle, there was hardly any wildlife to be seen.

I sometimes did hear the howling of jackals, and the trumpetting of elephants, but these sounds were afar off and not close enough to be frightening.

Once a week, I would sling a gunny bag over my shoulder and trek to Mahiyangana, the nearest town, where I would make my meagre purchases, costing very little, and would trek back to my retreat.

Food was simple, for I had only a couple of clay pots, in which over a "campfire’ I would boil some rice, add a little dhall or green gram, some tomatoes, a few green chillies, and other odds and ends from my provision bag and make a hotch-potch meal which would last a couple of days. For I ate only when I felt the pangs of hunger.

It was an idyllic life, spent in swimming in the ‘wewa’, or walking around in the jungle, watching birds and other lesser wildlife.

A friend in Mahiyangana, who owned a fibre-glass outrigger canoe very kindly lent me his craft, helping me to carry it to my retreat, and this was indeed a god-send, for I would spend hours in the boat canoeing around the ‘wewa’ and, with a little piece of netting which I had found, setting a kind of trap for fish. My daily average catch was about five to six ‘tilapia’ or ‘wewa-seer’ as some would call them.

The fish, filleted and fried in coconut oil in a pot over an open fire, proved to be one of the tastiest dishes I have had the fortune to enjoy, together with the hotch-potch rice.

It is now eighteen years since I was fortunate to have that experience of living close to nature and away from all the hustle and bustle of the rat-race. I wish I could do it again.

I cannot, for several reasons. But you young people of Sri Lanka can. It is the experience of living and one that you should not miss.

Men go into the woods, they say, to pretend. Like little boys playing soldiers or "hora-police" in a clump of trees behind their homes, as we used to do when we were young. Maybe they were right, those people who say that men like to go into the woods to pretend. Perhaps I was pretending I was a big-game hunter, or some such thing. Anyway, it was good pretending, or making believe, for that is what children do when they play.

And as the sages have said in the past, being child-like is a great and rare quality. Perhaps that is why that experience I had is such a memorable one. Even at an age when one has passed the biblical span, to be like a child is quite an experience.

So if you ever think of getting away from it all, even for just a few days, why not break away from all civilisation and go out into the jungles and live the primitive life?

You will find it really rewarding!

In Your Stars
LOVE

Love is the most wonderful experience for all. Among planets love rules mainly by Venus and Moon to some extent. As both planets are considered female characters love also has much relationship with the female sector even in human beings.

Love is different from person to person in action. At times it becomes complicated when linked with sex. Therefore, no one can expect a successful life without true love.

So, when a person is born with a favourable planetary position of Venus and Moon, that person will be kind-hearted and popular. Otherwise unpleasant and full of hatred. The effects will be enhanced when the planet is conjoined with another.

If a person is born in the conjunction of Venus-Sun, the person expresses feelings of love in a very intense manner. They will have excellent taste, for their eye for beauty is enhanced as well as their attraction to beautiful things.

They will have a great need for artistic self experience, are active, and have a heightened sense of touch. If there is no outlet for their emotions, they feel very dejected, but are able to find a partner without much difficulty.

The conjunction of Venus - Moon makes a person popular and kind. Males born under this combination will seek a partner for ornamental purposes. Harmonious aspects give a love of social life and little difficulty finding it. This will lead to easy attachments with opposite sex as well as much aid and assistance through them. When afflicted, love life will be dissatisfied causing a constant need for changes.

The Venus - Mercury combination makes a person a true charmer who will have excellent taste. They will tend to seek contact with artistic people. This aspect gives a great deal of love since their thinking and feelings are in harmony, thus making an excellent aspect for a writer. Persons born with this combination are usually pleasant and optimistic.-Sugathadasa Jayasekera

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