• Despite Western breezes catching on
  At core an Indian
  Soft-spoken, genteel and articulate Sathiya helped create an extraordinary social impact through the 'Femina' magazine by publishing articles of varied interests catering to all age groups.

• High Fashions
  St. Thomas' Anniversary Bash
• Sharmini goes for straight lines
• The electonic security device
• What's the use?
• Ajantha's designs on the hills

By Zanita Kareem
From self-immolation on her husband's burning funeral pyre, from the shackles of a stress society, the Indian woman has moved to fields where she voices her opinion confidently and exercises her rights, said Sathiya Saran in an interview with the Sunday Island, at the Mt. Lavinia Hotel recently.

Sathiya, was here on a short visit on the invitation of Indian Cultural Centre and Bandula Jayasekera.

A recipient of two prestigious awards Mahil Shiromani award and Bharath Nisam award Sathiya Saran was a free lance journalist before becoming the editor of the "Femina," the magazine for women.

Soft spoken, genteel and articulate Sathiya helped create an extraordinary social impact through the Femina magazine by publishing articles of varied interest catering to all age groups.

Conscious of her role as an editor responsible for defending the rights of woman, her magazine carries information and knowledgeable articles on matters relating to sex, on social interaction of people, their problems, health, glamour, fashions and other articles of interest.

With the breakdown of traditional barriers that prevented women from making their useful contribution to society Femina that could be considered as the 'Bible' of women's rights and problems is now read by even men especially those that matter in society enabling policy makers to recognise women's problems with sympathy and understanding.

Till recently most newspapers and magazines delighted their readers with love stories, sex standard and fashion of women, Femina apart from fashions also publish articles dealing with the skills, talents and untapped abilities of women that could be of immense value to enrich the lives of all people.

'Femina' follows a persuasive and simple style without literary pretentsious and courageously tackles bold themes necessary for progress, but that might stun the male chauvinists, who still think women are more than mere 'homeguards' whom they think should keep the home fires burning.

Exuding charm and a sense of serenity, Sathiya says she has a social mission with her articles being a means of exploring individual human relations.

Writing has been her hobby when young, now it has become her profession — a profession helping her to be a crusader and defender of women's rights.

She said that one question everybody is asking her in Sri Lanka is whether India is losing her traditional values. An emphatic No —" "That is not true she ruminated. An Indian though modern in dress thoughts and action nevertheless remains an Indian taking inspiration from their glorious past heritage, their pride and envy of right thinking people everywhere who value the spirit to matter.

Changes is the essence of life. Most of them are temporary with no significant impact. So it’s the responsibility of intelligent persons while promising change to protect their people from cheap and tawdry influences.

Why does not India assimilate the good points from the West? The influence of the permissive society of the west is felt heavily in India but the Indian consciousness is strongly etched in their minds and continues to be an Indian while they allow all the winds to blow through their houses. But they don't allow them to blow off their feet she said with much emphasis. "India is no longer the land of snake charmers and temples," Sathiya stressed. "Indians are an intelligent people and we have produced many scientists, engineers and even beauty queens putting India on the international map" said Sathiya with pride.

The Coco Cola culture Levis Jeans, MacDonalds are all there but the Indian women know how to sieve what is suitable for them and knock down those that are detrimental to their own valuable meaningful lifestyle, says Sathiya.

What about Sutti girl child in-laws problem. These are problems women are battling against. Sathiya emphasised that this battle within the sexes could only be done through education. Educating the women folk should be the answer.

Sathiya vehemently opposed the female form in advertising. Women were held sacred and they were extolled in ancient times. A beautiful woman has to be admired but not to be ridiculed she said.

In India women are held in high esteem since many women are joining the field of advertising. Women are now no longer exploited.

With 33% reserved for women in the panchargat role of women here changed for the better. They have become a force to be reckoned with. Their voices could be felt more trenchantly she said with fervour.

Femina takes up these issues exposing disadvantages they suffer in society.

About the magazines new orientation, Sathiya said the publishers need glamour to sell. Fashions, glamour, beauty contests are all human needs other people like to know about people and we have moulded the magazine for the readers as well as few commercial purposes she pointed out.

Text and Pics by Kirthi Sri Karunaratne
Saint Thomas' Prep School celebrated their sixtieth anniversary, with a first ever Diamond Jubilee dinner dance at the Hotel Lanka Oberoi. This inaugural event organised by the St. Thomas' Prep School Old Boys' Union, turned out to be a great success, bringing in four lakhs of rupees which will be used for the welfare of the school.

The school colours of blue white and blue was the theme for the decor. The evening was full of surprises including many Air tickets, an entrance ticket draw, a dance item by members of Footwork, and music for dancing provided by the Peter Prins Combo, and Sohan and the Xperiments. Perhaps if the women guests were all asked to come in a blue and white theme we may have had some rave fashions.

Miftia

In simple black was Miftia Cader cutting a dash. Over her dress of black was a long coat style robe in sheer black, with wrist length sleeves. A several strand long necklace was her choice of a refined adornment. Menik de Soysa gave a new twist to her saree. The printed silk in fuschia and deep blue was draped in neat pleats at the shoulder, and looped under the arm and tucked in at the waist. Her collared sleeveless blouse was in the cerise.

Black and ecru combined in the elegant saree Sharmini Wettumuni wore. The black saree was bordered and had a pallu in the ecru. The Indian sleeved black blouse had the sleeves edged in the border. A necklace of black beads and pearls in a twisted rope made her choice of an ornament. A black saree with a brocade blouse was the simple but smart choice of Tanya Cooray. The decor with blue and white balloons filled with Helium gas was the work of the team of Jith Peiris and Mike Massilamani,  and added to the ambiance of the occasion. Anomal de Soysa and his organizing committee can take a pat on their backs for a job well done.

It was a tea party that Lukshmie Puvimanasinghe had to celebrate her birthday, that brought together a fashion conscious group of women. Flowers filled her home, with a table centre of a bunch of roses in a unusual container formed of a tube of reeds, which vied for colour, and the styles brought by the women. Many varying forms of dress were in evidence. Setting the pace was the hostess herself in a long top in a kalied escoped of colour. The print which was like an abstract painting, was in a fusion of greens, amber, white and brick red, besides a deep aubergine which colour she picked up in a slim long skirt. Her earstuds were in free and her necklace was in gold. The smartest outfit for the celebration was the trouser suit Manel Wickremasinghe wore. The legs of the trousers were in wrap over style, with one leg in black, and the other in a black and ecru print. The long top was in black, and was fastened with ornamental safety pins. The red saree of an uncommon hue, with border and pallu in a mustard toned weave was Lalitha Constantine's choice to wear with a sleeveless blouse in the simple red, and a choker necklace in gold. A suit style in oatmeal linen, suited Sriani Samarasinghe and created an aura of smart sophistication so suitable for the occasion. Joan Atukorale teamed a long top in a black and white print with black trousers for unfailing chic. Charming were the colours on the saree Manel Galhena wore. The grey saree of cotton shaded into white and pink at the borders.

The melon pink had minute mirrors to add subtle sparkle to it. Stain glass patterns in orange cyclamen and green outlined in black, made the border and pallu on the tussore silk saree of a ginger hue that Malkanthie Wickremanayake wore with a simple blouse in the beigey tone. Gold jewellery and black accessories completed the picture. Seedevi Razeen had her long tunic style kameez in a tone of sand, exquisitely embroidered in shadow work in soft subtle colours on insets of organdie, at the shoulders and in semi circles in front.

Malkanthie

It is indeed a sad thing to find that still some women don't know how to dress in clothes that suit there age and the occasion. Waist high slits and mini skirts should be the prerogative of the teenager with beautiful limbs to display, and not for women of indefinite age, who should learn to grow old with dignity and charm to make fashion headlines. It is always more elegant to be underdressed than overdressed, if one aspires to be among the best dressed set. Simple is beautiful, just as much as black is beautiful.

Sharmini of Silk Wrap will exhibit her new collection at Hilton Towers. When she opens up her exclusive boutique in July.

Sharmini's increasing affinity for personality dressing is evident in her new collection and neglects the designs of her new found philosophy of enhancing appearance without distorting the personality of the individual. Her colour palette is characterised by warm tones and bright colours which will go very well with the season's trend. The use of silks and earthy tone alongside the fiery brilliance of red and glimmer of yellow, blue add to the flamboyance charm of the range. The look promoted by the collection is practically devoid of accessories and grills and depend more on the clarity and neatness of easy flowing lines rather from fancy trappings.

Sharmini designer who has experimented with a dozen of new reclines and hemlines which frame and accentuate the neck, face and body.

The entire new collection is a study in individual enhancement and focuses on the impulsive breaking away from the pre-set notion of conformity. The aplomb with which she shifts the emphasis of couteriering from being a style statement to bring a personality statement shows her original thinking and creativity. Her designs are one of a kind and caters to the upper middle class. She has always been fascinated by straight lines. Her special collection include, silk wraps and short long skirts, long flowing dresses fused together in a modern electric mix of form and structure using colours to emphasise their modernity.

Ramani Fernando and Ramzi Rahaman were two Lankan judges among more than 5000 hairstylists and make up artistes from Hongkong, Japan, Thailand, Philipines, Indonesia, South Korea, Taiwan, Singapore, Malaysia, China who took part in the Asian Hair Styling and Make up Competition held in Tokyo Japan recently.

The competition called the Gran champion is held every year and this year the organisers selected the theme 'Black is Beautiful' for their competition.

Sri Lanka did extremely well and Cherryl Gooneratne from Ramani Fernando salons was selected as the second runner up in the bridal dressing and make up section.

The model who participated at the competition on whom Cherryl attended to for bridal dressing and make up was Audrey Fernando. Johann Peiris also from Ramani salon won the award for evening make up and his outfit for modelling was designed by Chrysanthi Fernandopulle. Air Lanka sponsored the tickets for the Sri Lankan team to Japan to take part in the competition.

It was the year 1994. One morning I saw one of our neighbour, Sitha aunty come running to our home. Being curious to know what it was all about, I went up to meet her.

She excitedly told us that, she had seen some strange person coming to our garden the previous night.

He had worn a black suit and a black cap, and didn't seem to be anyone from the neighbourhood.

We did not take her seriously and forgot the incident.

After two weeks, this lady told us that she has seen this man again at night. This time I was determined to get to the bottom of this.

I planned to design a electronic device to prevent such intruders. This device is designed as a watchful eye with many applications. I made this specially for intruder detections, but there are many other ways in which it can be usefully employed in the home or elsewhere.

We can use it to guard the door to warn us when junior wanders off.

It can be used at night to watch for headlights when we are expecting callers. This sentinel detects any small changes in the visual environment and tells us about it!

I planned to design several versions of this electronic device. I can build a portable version that can be set up wherever it is wanted for, whatever job is on hand at the moment, or I can make it a permanently installed part of a home security system.

At present, this system is a portable battery powered version, which activates low-level audible and videoble warning devices. I install this system in our house, and check it to see whether it would warn us.

Days went by. One day I heard the alarm sound near my bed at about 1 am. I got up very quickly and looked at the direction from which, the sound was coming from.

It was from the front of our garden. I opened the front door quietly, and looked out. There was nothing to be seen except the trees swaying in the dark.

I was disappointed and got back to my room. In a short while, the alarm sounded again. This time it was in the direction of the back of my house.

I rushed to the window and saw through its panes, a man dressed in black limping through my garden.

This helped me to identify him as a man from nearby town, who when questioned said he was using our garden, as a short cut to his home.

I was extremely happy that my 'Electronic Security Device' had done its job well!

Thusitha P. Thanthirige
Electronic Innovator.

In few more months, I would be adding the letters B.A. after my name. I would be a 'Bachelor of Arts!'. And its now, after the toil of seventeen years (thirteen at school and four at university) that I have begun to wonder if my choice had been correct.

I feel guilty. Studying English Literature fascinates me. To study Wuthering Heights, means to me, to be in Emily Bronte's shoes; to read Chaucer means to have a picture of a little man robed in a long dress reading to a gathering of the court in 14th century England... I like what Steel and Addison wrote, and would gladly read the Iliad if I had the time.

Yet, the feelings of guilt. Seated in the library surrounded by books no one else seems to be interested in, delving deep into what they reveal, not noticing the time pass by, I feel as guilty as Dostoyevsky's Raskolnikov.

Ought I to be enjoying myself like this? The thought flashes across the mind, and all tranquillity is shattered.

What use can I be to society with what I have learnt as a student of English? I burn the light bulbs out by trying to figure if Tolstoy condemns Anna Karenina for her conduct or if he sympathizes with her. I know there are two affixes in English morphology, that Henry Fielding, the obscure 18th century novelist was a moralist. But what use can I make of this knowledge? I cannot cure a dying man, I cannot build a mighty bridge with what I know.

Perhaps, I took the wrong path six years ago when I got my O/L results eight distinctions. I could have chosen anyone of the eight subjects; I could have studied science, mathematics, commerce or arts. I chose the last, and so seems to have sealed my own fate. There is no guarantee that had I studied science I would have become a doctor. Yet, even if I had fallen by the roadside to become a vet or a chemist, I still would have been of some use to the public.

Maybe there are other Bachelors of Arts who feel the same. May be there are those who have overcome these feelings of guilt.

Would someone please enlighten me?

Dinoo Pathirana
University of Kelaniya.

Hillwood Collegeis Kandy is organising "Aquarelle" a carnival at Getambe play grounds from 3rd July to 7th July from 4 p.m. onwards, in order to raise funds to built a swimming pool for the school.

This carnival is well planned to cater to the interests of all ages and will have many trade stalls offering special discounts on dresses, ready-made garments and a variety of food stalls of different taste and flavour.

An open musical show with popular artistes will perform every night. Amusement stalls puppet shows, magic shows will be some of the highlights. The culmination of the event will be a fashion show by Ajantha Ellepola featuring leading designers on the catwalk. Some leading models will project latest designs and drapes of these leading designers.