• Viewing Vesak the best way
  When light, colour and pageantry seem inspiring...
• Euro styles on Europe Day
• Of mirrors and designs
• A whiff of colour in arid climes
• Janet goes to ASEAN

by Namini Wijedasa
There is something gloriously warm about Vesak, even when viewed through a thin intermittent, curtain of wet lukewarm drizzle.

Something so softy beautiful about the light that glows opaquely through the swinging crepe paper lanterns.

And something so blazingly inspiring about the strings of many coloured buckets winking damply through the branches of trees.

The light and colour that bathe the city at night seem more worthwhile when observed from one's painful and precarious position on the crossbar of a push-cycle. And for some, that is the only way to 'See Vesak'! Never are there more push-cycles on the night roads of Colombo than during Vesak time. Swarms of riders with candle-lit 'buckets' swinging from their handlebars (put there for the pure functional purpose of avoiding arrest for riding without a light) and friends perched on the crossbars take to the roads during the festival.

Competing for space with cars, lorries, buses and the like, they make a persistent nuisance of themselves on the road. Horns blare and a few foul words are exchanged but nothing can wipe the 'Vesak' mirth from the damp faces of the riders. Stopping at will outside whatever pandal or lantern that takes their fancy, the riders chatter, joke and laugh in full enjoyment of the festival. Horrendous masks cover their faces as they issue piercing toots from their Vesak horns at passers-by, eyes twinkling. For them, this is the only way to have a night on the town: friendship, conversion and a good giggle combined with a religious joy that is as warm as the light that shines through the lanterns.

This year, too, they were out and about, these night-riders. Policemen were seen to hold their heads in desperation at their erratic maneuvering between files to chick traffic. Many at time, they were chased away from the sites of pandals and told to please park their push-cycles elsewhere. But, as one reprimanded rider cheekily remarked to a cop: 'Aney, what uncle... it's Vesak!'

Yes, it was Vesak. The spirit of the festival glimmered in the eyes of devotees who flocked to temples with their offerings. Fathers, mothers and children with all the members of their extended families circled the 'Bodhiya' with their hands clasped together in reverence. The smell of incense drifted in the moisture-laden air mixing with the perfume of flowers. Flames flickered in the oil lamps as families bent over them with bottles of coconut oil in their hands, lighting them in a spirit of togetherness. 'Saadhu, Saaaadhu' echoed around the walls of the temples and hung on the air in the grounds. Loudspeakers announced the doctrine of the Lord Buddha and saffron-robed priests stood with their hands crossed behind their backs, beholding the crowds with pleasure.

There could be no Vesak without lanterns. And the Vesak lantern competition opposite Town Hall was a crowd-puller this year as it was in previous years. They came in their indefatigable galaxies of bicycles, in their open-backed tractors and their lorries lined with rattling chairs. They came on foot, by bus, by car and by anything else on wheels. And the fun began after 10 O' clock in the night!

Hordes of people, some traveling from outstation areas, queued determinedly in order to catch a glimpse of the lanterns on display. Those standing nearest to the lanterns were fortunate enough to get a close look but others were lucky if they saw the tops of the displays through the dense crowd! Children were hoisted onto shoulders or merely lifted over the sea of heads outside each stall, bursting into cheerful laughter at their ascent and descent, or peering awe-struck at some of the more beautiful exhibits.

The gangs of unchaperoned boys, however, seemed to have the best time of all. Usually tramping in the opposite direction to that the queues were taking, they teased approaching girls in a manner that left them either blushing, giffling or glowering! Many took the opportunity to wink or come a little bit closer than they normally would dare, encouraged by the push of the crowd. "Aaaaah, nangi," was heard at regular intervals and 'Kohomada Meya' seemed to be another varouite catchphrase!

The concert on the Town Hall grounds had a wide audience too but the damp grass prevented crowds from taking a seat on the ground and tarrying longer.

Then there are the dansalas. Every year, the Vesak crowds seem to derive some inexplicable pleasure from queuing outside the multitude of dansalas that dot the city. They find a niche in the queue and inch their way slowly towards the entrance of the dansala. Be it fifteen minutes, be it one hour, be it TWO hours, they wait. The pain in their feet seems too much to bear after a while, and many can be seen standing alternately on one foot first, then the other! Children are less patient - they take their places on the ground. But nothing would make these faithfuls shirk the dansala they picked originally to go in search of another with a shorter queue.

Pandals are another source of undying enjoyment. The giant pandal at the Borella junction was done with great care this year. The sludge, the rain, the traffic: everything went unnoticed. A resplendent cut-out of the Lord Buddha took center-stage in the structure. Paintings surrounded it, depicting the life-style of the Lord with the intention of serving as shining examples to the devotees who peered up at them. A loudspeaker blared in the background, announcing the story of his life. The crowds listened attentively. Once in while, another speaker sang out the praises of someone or the other who had made a contribution. The organisers had much to be happy about.

Not so the unfortunate prisoners of the Welikada Prison. Their elaborate Vesak lantern was receiving its finishing touches even at 10 p.m. on the night after Vesak! "I think they plan to have it ready for Poson," scoffed an irritated prison officer, "It's a Poson lantern!" But the prisoners didn't mind. After all, it was Vesak.

Vesak is to Sri Lanka what Christmas is to the West. A festival of togetherness, a festival of rejoicing in the birth and enlightenment of the Lord Buddha, as well as a time for reflection on his death. It is the festival of light. Of pandals, of buckets, of lanterns of shining eyes. In the course of its celebration, it brings a contentment to people that spreads out from the very inside of their bodies. A warm glow. That is the magic of Vesak.

Euro styles on Europe Day

Text and Pix by Kirthi Sri Karunaratne
The Ambassador, Head of Delegation of the European Commission H. E. Ilkka Uusitalo and Mrs. Inkeri Uusitalo held a reception, to celebrate Euro Day, in the Atrium of the newly furbished, Galadari Hotel, last weekend.

The evening also was the occasion for the first reception in the hotel which has risen phoenix style after last year's bomb disaster. The Chief Guest for the evening was the Minister of Tourism Mr. Dharmasiri Senanayake. Among the other guests were many Ambassadors and a galaxy of Ministers of State. Besides friends from many lands, and a well represented media. Stalls from the Euro countries were spread out through the large room, dishing out delicacies from their land.

As varied were the styles, and setting a lead was Inkeri Uusitalo in the smart simplicity of a gathered long skirt in shimmering grey, velouty embossed in a scroll design in black. Her blouse was sleeveless, and round necked in a fluid satin finished silk. She wore a narrow choker necklace in gold.

Manique Mendis

A figure hugging deep blue velvet gown, Manique Mendis wore had a neckline formed with a white satin collar, embroidered in blue sequins and pearls for stylish elegance. She wore no jewellery at all, and carried a bead studded hand bag, and wore black shoes. Many sarees gave the western attire a glamorous run. The contrast of yellow with black made the suit style favoured by Karin Moorman. Over a simple black dress she had a jacket in yellow, with a section of the coat collar in black and black trimming at the pockets and black buttons. Nirukshi Rupasinghe went for a feminine style in a smoky blue. Over the dress was a sheer georgette top tied at the waist, with the V neckline dipping to the waist, worked in sequins of the same colour. Her sleeves were wrist length and unlined. A delicate necklace was her only ornament.

Among them the most unusual was the outfit worn by Tara Cooray. Tara teamed her shaded saree in a lovely shade of olive green, with a halter necked blouse. The front of the blouse had an inset of flesh toned net, daintily embroidered in a fine gold scroll, and little floral motifs accented with green sequins. It also had small sleeves in the deeper shade of green which looked like armlets, also worked to match. An exquisite necklace of pearls and cabochon emeralds which took the form of clusters of grapes and leaves, she wore at the neckline of the blouse, with earstuds to match. The fall of the saree was given a rope twist at the shoulder to make a better display of the front of the blouse.

Tara Cooray

Jeevani Pandithage

Indian sarees were the other winners, but the overall winner was the beautiful heirloom pendent of diamonds on a filigree of gold worn by Suranganie Mohotti, wife of the GM of the Galadari Hotel. A bronze necklace was in perfect harmony with the border of the black silk saree, Ranjeeka Gunasekera wore. Along the hemline was a border in a floral design in shades of honeysuckle pink and grey, with a web of the same patterning on the pallu. Shamala Fernando teamed her shot peacock blue and green saree bordered in gold, with a green and gold brocade woven blouse. Her jewellery was in gold. A striking shade of greenslick made the base of the saree Jeevani Pandithage wore. This saree bordered in gold with edges of royal blue also had a wide border print in a design of black checks, with clusters of checks, within them in ochre and white thread weave. She wore a gold necklace and her accessories were in black.

Our apologies to Onitha Weeratunge for having inadvertently captioned her photograph last week as Onitha Gunasekera.

Of mirrors and designs

by D. B. Kappagoda
Maheshi Munasinghe from Kurunegala will hold her first exhibition at the Lionel Wendt art gallery on May 23 and 24. She is a designer who goes for novel designs to suit the taste of her clients.

She described her ideas behind what she does —

"I am a designer. I do up homes that need colour and elegance." She paints pottery, bed linen, curtains, upholstery using bright colours that takes away the drabness of the house. Her new ideas based on modern art give a clue to her success as a designer.

Maheshi studied at Ladies College, Colombo and left in 1989. It was in school she developed her interest in art and hand-made crafts. In 1990 she participated at an exhibition organised by the Small Industries Department, which was held at Queen’s Hotel, Kandy. She won the first prize for the best creation at this exhibition. She has done several pieces of work using Sri Lankan bird feathers. In doing so she has given resemblance to magpies, parrots, kingfishers, babblers and bee-eaters using their natural feathers.

In addition she has done creations using pressed flowers. There was much demand for this type of work. But she didn’t want to do it on a commercial scale.

She explained about her method of designing.

"I have to keep changing when I select the medium to suit any living-room".

Any design has to reflect light and colour. Her squares, rectangles, triangles and circles show a stamp of creativity. She does all the work involved in designing with a high degree of professionalism.

They are abstract works that suggest an idea rather than resemble life-like images. The use of black, dark blue, green, red and orange is striking to the eye. In painting she uses fabric paint to give her imagery colour and form.

She said: "I have designed curtains and upholstery. I always consult my clients when I design. People like bright colours especially browns, off-white to match their living-rooms."

She is an admirer of the works of George Keyt, Reggie Candappa and Senaka Senanayake. In Senanayake’s creations colourful birds, animals, trees, creepers and the foliage give a world of charm and beauty.

She said some of the places tastefully designed are Kandalama Hotel, Light House Hotel, Galle, where Geoffrey Bawa has used modern concepts in designing. In designing Bawa has fashioned art, furniture, fabrics, indoor decorations and landscapes to match his architecture. The influence of Terrance Conron is noticeable in Maheshi’s works. What is striking in Conron’s creations is that he has not followed any particular style. The client’s aesthetic inclinations should be met in keeping with modern and contemporary decorations.

In creating new designs she keeps in mind the basic requirement — easy to maintain and to match the existing environment and climes.

At the forthcoming exhibition her works consists of six paintings on board, based on abstract art and 40 framed mirrors using a new technique to adorn any wall of a hotel or home. The mirrors are well arranged in keeping with her mood. She has named her exhibition ‘The Art of Mirrors.’

Speaking about her future, she said, "I want to have my studio in Colombo. I hope to have my future exhibitions based on interior designing."

Introduction
The art of designing needs the skill of an artist. It is the ability to create new art forms to suit the taste of the cennoisseurs. The choice of colours and the designs depend on the temperament of the artist. The need to create designs to match the walls and the layout of the interior makes the distinction between creativity and imitation of other forms of designing.

In Maheshi Munasinghe there is a stamp of innovativeness in her creations. Her bed linen, upholstery, curtains, table cloth and other items needed for modern living are colourful and sophisticated, yet practical.

The clue to her success is chiefly due to new concepts and individual planning before she executes, her range of materials using local hand-woven fabrics.

A whiff of colour in arid climes

Standing 5ft 9 inch tall, the dusky Namrata Sudhindia shot to fame capitalising on her good looks after taking part in the ‘Femina Look Of The Year’ contest.

Her strong point is her fresh pretty face and silky hair.

This beauty with brains was on location in Sri Lanka to shoot a commercial for a shampoo ‘Silkee’ by Maharajas.

Since her taking part in the 'Look Of The Year' contest she has become a favourite among producers of commercials. A student of Dentistry at the Bangalore Institute of Dental Science Namrata gives priority to her studies wishing very much to join her father, a leading dentist in the country. Her self imposed restrictions on food has enabled her to have a willowy, statuesque figure touched by a sunny tan. Her two piece attire in bronze for the commercial made her an ideal icon.

In the arid wastes of the North Western province at Udappuwa with its azure rolling seas, her hour-glass figure and tanny complexion added a bewitching scenario to an otherwise dull and monotonous background.

Her mother is one of the best known Indian sitar players and achieving worldwide fame as an artist of the instrument.

Namrata was more photographic than a catwalk model, She has done quite a number of shows in Mumbai and in the other states of India.

She loves music and dancing. She says dancing is the easiest way to keep fit.

Janet goes to ASEAN

Janet promotes Sri Lankan Ayurveda in ASEAN Janet Balasuriya is back in Sri Lanka after another very successful overseas promotion. This time in Indonesia where she promoted Sri Lankan Ayurveda and its abundance of rich tropical raw materials at the prestigious Personal Care Asia '98 conference and exhibition held at the National Convention Centre of the Hilton International Jakarta.

The conference held in conjunction with the annual sessions of the Indonesian Society of Cosmetic Scientists attracted participants from all around Asia including the ASEAN region, the Far East and South Asia. The team from the "Janet Group" were the sole representatives from Sri Lanka.

The highlight of the "Personal Care Asia '98" conference were the sessions on "Natural Care Products", chaired by the President of the International Horticultural Society and featuring several prominent personalities in the field of natural beauty care. Janet Balasuriya presented a key paper on natural beauty care titled "The research and development of Ayurvedic Beauty Care in Sri Lanka" prepared by Dr. R. O. B. Wijesekera, Chairman of the CISIR of Sri Lanka. This was followed by a special presentation on Janet's Nature Collection range - the epitome of Sri Lankan Beauty Care.

At "Personal Care Asia '98" — Jakarta. From left to right. Mrs. Janet Balasuriya (Chairperson, The Janet Group - Sri Lanka) Dr. Dhohan Narpati (Chairman - Indonesian Essential Oil Trade Association) Dr. Klaus Duerbeck (President - International Horticultural Society - Germany)

Following her speech she was invited by the organizers to present a keynote paper on "Ayurveda and Natural Beauty Care" at the next scientific conference of the "Asian Societies of Cosmetic Scientists" to be held next April in the tropical island of Bali.

Delegates from the ASEAN region showed a lot of interest in Sri Lankan Ayurvedic products and the ASEAN economic crisis is helping the Ayurvedic beauty products to break into these very competitive markets", she explained.

Following the conference in Jakarta, Janet also visited the island of Bali-Indonesia's tourism capital - where she visited several leading international health and beauty SPAs - to observe first hand, their style of operation and also to study the health and beauty needs of discerning western tourists. "This was a very beneficial experience especially because we are just finalizing plans to open the first "Janet Ayurveda SPA". It would not only be the first "Health & Beauty SPA" in Sri Lanka, but also a truly rejuvenating experience for the targeted discerning clientele. Our flagship "Janet Ayurveda SPA" will be located in Colombo and thereafter we intend to set up a full chain of SPAs at leading tourist hotels across the island" Janet explained.