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Santoor- now in the pantheon of classical Indian musical instruments
by Sumadhu Weerawarne
The sounds of the "Shata Tantri Veena" or the Santoor have long echoed in the valleys of Kashmir in India. But the inherent limitations barred its acceptance as an instrument in its own right in the sphere of classical Indian music. Its timbre was pleasant to the ear, rather reminiscent of the piano and the harp. But its temperament was too staccato to give expression to the nuances of the Indian classicists. The notes did not carry one to the other in a continuing drone. Its musical range too was limited.It was Pundit Umaduti Sharma who took an interest in the Santoor long discarded as an instrument unsuitable for classical music. He was a percussionist and vocalist. His interest in the Santoor was more academic than otherwise. He bid his son Shivkumar (now a pundit himself) to take up the instrument. "It was not really my preference. I was not asked but ordered by my father to take up the instrument. He was my guru and I had to do his bidding," Pundit Shivkumar Sharma laughs. He is comfortably ensconced on a sofa in his room at the Hotel Taj Samudra. It is the day following his concert to raise funds for the Rotary Club, for which purpose he is Colombo. Visiting Sri Lanka 25 years after his first he is keen to play tourist and take in the sights of Colombo. While he says that he will set off on his tour once the interview is over in response to an inquiry, his manner never betrays that he is pressed for time. His manner is both gentle and genteel and he exhudes a sense of being one with himself.
"Music is very much in the way of a family tradition, having begun my own apprenticeship at the age of five. I was originally taught to play the tabla and introduced to vocal music. The Santoor was never in my mind," he continues. "The Santoor he says was never my preference. It was an instrument that none had attempted to play. But I had to follow my father’s orders and took up the instrument."
He worked on the instrument for eight to ten years. His struggle to gain acceptance of the Santoor was a long and hard one. It was also an intensely lonely one. He was just one struggling to efface the orthodoxy non-acceptance of the Santoor within the sphere of classical music. It was in 1955 that he breached the walls of orthodoxy. "I worked on the Santoor. I gave it a different tonal quality and increased its range to three octaves. I even changed the entire tuning system. After years of experiment I was able to modify it so that it could sustain the note as in the case of a violin or sitar," he says.
The Santoor is played with a pair of strikers made of Walnut wood. The instrument itself is oblong shaped with strings drawn across it. The Sanskrit name Shata Tantri Veena literally means the hundred stringed lute. The modifications meant that the instrument could sustain the notes even though it was played with a striker.
Pundit Sharma’s son Rahul too follows in his father’s footsteps. "But he was never ordered to do so," he laughs. "I realised that he had an understanding and feel for the music. He began his lessons when he was 12. It was just as a hobby. It was while at college that he on his own said that he would like to take it up seriously."
The father and son now converse through their instruments. "And it helps that we are related. We understand each other better because of it. And where there is greater closeness, there is better communication enabling one to understand the other’s moods." he says. Watching them perform live is experience enough of the special bond between father and son. At times it seems that they are alive only to their own discourse and are locked in an embrace of sound oblivious to all else. At others it seems that even while playing to the audience there is a second level of communication between the guru and shishya alone, incomprehensible to the audience. There is also the tablist Shafaat Ahmed Khan who engages the father and son duo interpreting their discourse. He adds to the shimmering music of the Santoor an element of vigour. He punctuates the music sometimes caressing it gently and at others urging it on to an exquisite climax.
The beauty of Indian classical music lies in its fluidity, its seeming non-structured nature, enabling it to be moulded at the caprice of the artist. It takes one on a journey long and winding thrilling in its non-predictability. The senses quiver in eager anticipation of new and delightful things. It is alive and changing, but contextual in that the improvisation is within a disciplined sphere. "It is similar to jazz in the sense of improvising. But the main difference is that the improvisation is within limits. For example in the case of a particular raag where one can ascend and descend within a limited number of notes, you must necessarily keep within that structure. The expertise of the artiste is assessed on his ability to experiment within the raag."
And how does he create? "There are several stages — first you learn the technicalities the thaal and raag system and then you interpret such to suit the your mood and moment. The second cannot be learnt. I am inspired largely by nature — snow capped mountains, the wilderness. Sometimes I sit under a tree with my instrument and play. For a while I am aware of my surroundings. After a while I forget where I am..." He is transposed totally. He relives the experience time and time again and each time it varies. "I don’t have regular hours of practice. I travel too much. When you travel every third from place to place you never have time to practice. The concert ends late and you go to bed at three in the morning and are off to catch a flight at five. You really don’t have time. But I feel that after a certain point you are so much into music mentally that you are constantly creating and recreating in your mind..."
His greatest influences are his parents. "My father was my guru while my mother created a spiritual environment in which my music could thrive. I was brought up in an atmosphere of spirituality and this helped. Music and spirituality are necessarily intertwined." His mien would evidence such. His calmness of manner and gentleness of tone suggest spiritual harmony, which is reflected in his work. He says his wife too is very supportive of his work. "She does not come from a musical family. It came as a surprise to her — the constant music in the house and a husband who stays at home for twenty days and works for a day and stays at home again.." he laughs. "But now she understands music herself."
He believes in the preservation of the fundamentals — both in relation to music itself and its traditions. This is perhaps why he continues his training in accordance with the tradition of guru-shishya parampara. It is one where the student is apprentice to the teacher during his time of learning. In relation to music he says "There can be fusion of classical and pop music. This will be for various reasons — to reach out to a wider audience, to become more popular, to earn more money... There will always be new ideas. But the old must necessarily be preserved. The preservation is in its acceptance and classical music has survived over centuries." He gives an example. "A fusion of two primary colours will create a new one. But that does not mean that the primary colours cease to exist and it is also necessary for them to exist to create other colours. In classical music there is the drupat style of music from which has evolved the light tumri form. But the original is still preserved in its own form."
He speaks of the increasing universal appeal of Indian classical music. "It lies in its spiritual quality; it is soothing and relaxing..." And of the increasing popularity of MTV and its ilk of music in India.... "There is a basic difference in the music on MTV and classical music in what each requires from its audience. The second requires a certain discipline and decorum from its listeners. The first requires the total opposite. It encourages you to be indisciplined and go wild. There is very definitely an attraction in this. But this leads to anarchy. Look at what is happening in the West — you have young children gunning down their schoolmates.
But to force anyone to not watch MTV is not good. After a while when they tire of total freedom or indiscipline they will come back to a more discipline form of music."
He added that the adherence to MTV culture was reflected in the Indian film industry. "We Indians are great imitators. The song picturisation in Indian films is an upgraded form of what is seen on MTV. They have nothing to do with what is said in the lyrics often times. This too will change in time to come..."
The situation in Sri Lanka too it would seem is similar in that the influence of the MTV genre of creation is marked along with the concept of fusion. It is indeed a moot point that even while evolution takes its course there must necessarily be the preservation of the essentials or the fundamentals which ultimately serve as the fall back.
FILMS
The Magic in Yasodha’s Acting by Sanjivi Jayasuriya
There are many facets to Yashodha Wimaladharma. She’s a successful actress having carved her own niche in the small and big screen.Her most striking feature is a certain appealing simplicity A down to earth person she speaks with a passion and warmth which is infectious. She radiates a charm that cannot be denied all the same. Tracing her growth as a person, Yashodha Wimaladharma goes down memory lane.
As a student who paid my entire attention to studies, becoming a popular actress was a distant dream if not for Bandula Withanage.
Making her first appearance on the stage, Yashodha acted in the stage drama ‘Hiru Dahasak’ and proved her talent by winning the award for the best actress for her performance.
Coping with stardom is something she has to work hard. The film industry is full of challenges, and I had to work my way up with courage and determination. After a couple of films Yashodha’s name became popular.
She is a versatile actress a few minutes into one of her teledramas and then you don’t see Yashodha any more. Instead you see the character she plays. The transformation is effortless and complete….. You name any role... emotional... serious Yashodha delivers it with capability. She has this knack of holding on to a scene’s emotional continuity no matter how long it takes to shoot. She has talent, real talent. She regards her performance not as merely her own but as the embodiment of the character created by the scriptwriter and realised on screen by the director. She throws herself completely and unconditionally into a role feeling like she is totally zero" not Yashodha anymore just the character .
Though the path to becoming a well recognized actress was not as smooth as one would expecteit to be, Yashodha faced the many challenges on her way there with determination and courage. She made a name for herself by acting in a number of films and many tele-dramas and her popularity soared in a short period of time. Expressing her views on the world of arts and film industry in general, Yashodha told "The Sunday Island" that she thinks that it is high time that the state sector extended its support to this dying industry. Artists alone could not do much to push the industry forward, and if measures were not taken immediately, the film industry in Sri Lanka would no longer be here, she said.
The lack of films produced is another problem the industry faces. The high interest rates charged for the bank loans and the long queue in the showing of films has aggravated this problem further. The producer ends up making losses and in the long run any producer would think twice before investing in a film. These are not good signs for the future of film industry, Yashodha said. There is a change of attitude with regard to performing film artists and in the early stages they were considered super human. But with the passing of time and the knowledge of the techniques used in the industry, this has become minimal, Yashodha said. People have realized that artists are also human beings with a conduct similar to theirs. The entering of new faces in to the world of films is at a very low ebb and this makes the future of the industry questionable.
Yashodha pointed out that though one would consider the film world a glamorous one, the young should be cautious and vigilant as to the happenings around. Women must be careful about their conduct which is often subjected gossip and false rumours. Her personal experience, at the time of her entry in to this field is a friendly one and it may not be the case with all, she warned.
An incident most unforgettable and which shocked her mind in her career was the inhuman ragging she was subjected to at the University. Most of them were her fans before her entry in to the University but after her admission things reversed. The students consider it a shame to study with an actress and their low qualities were evident in their every act. She stressed the need to stop all these, fearing that another with similar background would face the same. Ragging should be of a nature that it could be remembered with pleasure and she hoped students would note this.
Yashodha is proud to say that she maintained a good balance between her higher studies and acting. She had received every support from her family to continue her studies and said that she would engage in acting apart from her further studies. Education is an essential qualification one must have and the higher the level of education the better the results in acting, she said.
The trend of films today is a sad situation. The most of the films are about sex and they are limited to a particular audience. This trend would also last a short time, Yashodha said. The producing of films by using Hindi copies is no more and sex films also would face the same fate, she said.
HIGH FASHION
by Kirthi Sri Karunaratne
Styles from EAST and WEST
As the sun went down into the horizon, the lights came up at the Colombo 2000 of the Galadari Hotel to welcome the guests at a party Badra Wijesena hosted for her many friends. There was music and a sumptuous buffet tea, spiced with animated conversation to fill the room. A galaxy of fashion conscious women brought styles from the East and the West, but the saree and ethnic styles proved to be the winners.Badra as usual wore an unusual saree in black which had a border design in red in a leaf pattern in the finest chain stitch embroidery. The wide pallu had large paisley motifs, also in the same work. Her necklace of rubies on gold was exquisite in its heirloom elegance.
One of the most attractive sarees I have seen in the recent past was in black. The borders and pallu of the saree was in topaz, ecru and grey, with a print of poppies and leaves in red and dull green, which looked as if it was painted on. Mano Muthukrishna Candappa wore white stoned drop earrings with it and her accessories were in black.
Black was also the choice of Manel Wickremasinghe. Only the pallu of her simple black saree was in net, on which were appliqued velvet flowers in shades of blue outlined in dull gold cord, which also formed tendrils in the design. Her necklace and earstuds were in cabochon turquoise set on gold.
The gleam of silk in satin finish in pale copper with all-over weave and borders in charcoal was Adirupini Theagaraja’s choice. Her blouse had below the elbow sleeves and she favoured pearls for jewellery.
A lovely shade of green was bordered in black and gold on the silk saree Srima Dissanayake wore. Above the border was a printed design of mango motif in black with a hint of white to make it distinctive. The same motif was printed on the black pallu and she wore a black blouse and gold jewellery.
The pleasing colour on Pathma Maharaja’s salwar kameez was soft and feminine. In pink which shaded from the palest to a deeper tone, the kameez had a yoke and sleeves in net with dainty applique on it. The edges of the dupatta also in net was worked to match.
Western styles that both Badra’s daughters wore were stylish in design. Yalli Hemachandra had her black trouser suit with the sleeves and a peplum from the waist downwards of sheer black organza, worked in black cord and silver bugle beads. Kalpana Wijesinghe had pink guipure lace trimming on the sleeves of her pink trouser suit of linen.
A trouser suit was also the choice of Iromie Wijewardene. Her navy suit which had a long tunic style top had a central panel of gold and aquamarine on which the design was in relief. The pants were in simple black and she wore aquamarine cabochon jewellery. A grey saree with a triple row of silver eyelet embroidery Yvonne Seneviratne had below a fine border of jet sequins.
Rosette and Warren entertained the guests and provided music for dancing on the fifteenth floor at Don Stanleys when Harshini Nadesan asked friends and family to join her to celebrate her birthday. A woman full of life and exuberance, she has the knack of infecting all around her with her radiance and charm. Along with her parents Mahesan and Subadra Nadesan, she ensured that all present had a good time and a good dinner.
Harshini’s saree for the evening was as successful as the event itself. Harshini wore a saree of deep blue which was royal in certain light and midnight in others. The fall of the saree was worked in scrolled rosettes of ribbon in shades of blue which edged the top of the fall, to sweep across the front and cascade down to the pallu. Silver sequins added lustre to the design and was compliment to the dainty pendent of diamonds on a silver lasso. She wore garlands of jasmines in her hair.
There were many friends of a younger group and among them was Vino de Silva, in a sleek slim fitted black dress which had a net yoke and sleeves. Monique Lawrence teamed a lilac top appliqued in a design of leaves with black pants, while both Dianna Miskin and Tara Choksy, opted for black dresses. Maheshi Wijeratne wore a ecru knitted mesh sleeveless jacket over her slim skirted black dress. Renuka Shanmuganathan too wore black with embroidery in black sequins and beads at the shoulder.
A shot black saree with a beautiful border and pallu in a weave of gold and red Thanchi Coomaraswamy wore with a brocade blouse in the same weave with gold jewellery. A dress of simple style printed in a design of red flowers and green leaves was Subhashini Loganathan’s choice to wear with only an armlet in gold for jewellery.
Here’s good news for the conservative Sri Lankans. A new study has revealed the shocking truth that swimsuits strip women of their intelligence. It states that women feel so self-conscious about wearing a bathing suit that it affects their mental alertness.
"It didn’t matter what they weighed," said Dr. Tomi-Ann Roberts, a social psychologist from Colorado College. "Women are raised in a culture that objectifies their bodies and leaves them habitually monitoring their bodies."
And this study is about American women, not Sri Lankan or other Eastern women.
Psychologists from several universities gave maths tests to bathing suit-clad male and female volunteers. To the men, it was no big deal. But researchers found that the more a woman worries about her looks, the less attention she gives to mental tasks.
Student volunteers at the University of Michigan and Duke University were falsely told that they were testing consumer products during the study, which was published in the Journal of Personality and Social Psychology.
The 42 women and 40 men were sent one by one into a private dressing room and asked over headphones to put on articles of clothing.
Among their tasks they were asked to take a maths test while wearing the clothing they tried on.
The men did about the same on the maths test no matter what they were wearing. But the women had much lower scores if they were wearing swimsuits.
And they weren’t revealing suits either, but one-piece bathing suits. The researchers found that the women, no matter what they looked like, often reacted with feelings of shame and inadequacy when wearing the swimsuits, and this affected their intellectual performance.
They were asked to complete the sentence, "I am........"
Men answered with words like ‘foolish’ and ‘embarrassed’ but the women used words such as ‘disgusting’, ‘repulsive’ and ‘ashamed’.
Women wearing other outfits were more likely to answer the "I am" question by saying "I am smart", or "I am a pianist" rather than comment on their physical appearance.
Men just felt silly in the swimsuits, but the women felt disgraced and shamed, said Doctor Roberts.
Another researcher, Dr. Barbara Frederickson commented: "The more a woman worries about how she looks, the less mental energy she has for focussing on other things." — C. V. W.
by Cecil V Wikramanayake
Take my own case. I was born into an Anglican family and went to church on Sundays, sang in the choir and did everything I was more or less forced to do. With the result I developed an anathaema for religion.Then something happened. My children, when I moved up to Kandy from Colombo, got in touch with others of their age-group in a church there. They caught the fever, so to speak. Eventually I too succumbed to the contaigon, and ended up being a ‘yoke-fellow’ of a Supreme-Court-judge-turned-preacher of the gospel.
Thanks to the younger generation.
"Today our youth are gaining much more access to religious information than ever before " says Dilnawaz Mehta, a young Parsi entrepreneur, who has been busy organising religious programmes for young Parsis. "The response to our religious awareness programmes from the young is amazing."
"Revivalism is definitely in " says Iqbal Masud, a film critic and author. The younger generation is the most influenced by it, unlike 20 years ago, when religious texts were available only in Urdu and Arabic. Today they are available in several languages including English. More and more people are gaining access to Islam.
A Baptist pastor is of the view that "one has to adapt to this pace even in worship," referring to today’s generation as the MTV generation.
In a world where survival is tough and competition is keen, where relationships are fragile and time-tested institutions of family and marriage are giving way, where life has struck its blows in the form of sickness, financial setbacks and emotional upheavals, religion for the young is becoming the last resort.
More and more youngsters are realising that there is an invisible force in nature that is guiding their destinies.
Revivalism is in, because many youngsters are disillusioned with institutions and find them incapable of addressing their needs and aspirations.
The young are returning aggressively to religion, but it is not really a search for religion in its pure form. It is more out of social compulsions rather than a real spiritual interest. It fights the onslaught of western culture. Religion is the only way we can salvage our sinking ship, because it provides a sense of security, both spiritual as well as material.
What has been responsible for this return to organised faith ?
Frustration and disillusionment. When life and society do not provide you with an ideal environment, when politicians step in promising you a better life, and fail to keep their promises, religion comes in handy, and the young are attracted to it.
Documentary film maker Anand Parwardhan, who has made two documentaries studying the mindset of the extremists, says "Though it appears as if the youth are returning to religion, it is not real religion. It is a political use of religious symbols to express their aggression. This is perhaps similar to the protest in the West by ‘skinheads’ to express their anger. In the West religion has been comparatively devalued and therefore non-religious symbols were used.
But isn’t this the kind of fervour and insecurity that breeds fanaticism ?
For some it may be just a voice crying in the wilderness, which will fizzle out; dismissed as a few fringe elements who do not understand the true essence of religion.
But for every "We respect all religions" there is a "We are more secular than we need to be" claim that is getting louder day by day.
History has shown that the process of revivalism has always had the potential to snowball into dogmatism and violence.
One can only hope that this resurrection of faith among the young will result in an intellectual and cultural revival rather than take root as fanaticism.
I really does not matter what religion you belong to. Or what faith you are proud of. Just ask yourself if it helps you to evolve and be a better human being. That is what matters.
Senake de Silva had a vision that was philosophically inspired. He desired to capture the ethereal and translate it into the wearable.
A bid to capture the earth, space and even wildlife are Senake’s forte. His clothes are elegant without being bawdy, rich without being expensive, and make the statement without being aloud.
For Senake fashion means individual taste, comfort and wearability.
Simplicity in look and style is becoming more of the in concept.
Unobstructured fluid silhouettes, easy cool new classical waistline using eco-friendly fabric is Senake’s style.
His palette consists basically of neutral colour. At the root of his style is the belief that clothes can be extremely wearable at all time of the day.
Senake’s fashion school situated at his residence has a basic course for those who opt to choose designing as a career.
His theoretical lessons comprise object drawing, sketches and also jewellery designing.
Apart from basic lessons on designing, Senake also believes in transmitting experience by exposing them to fashion shows, catwalks etc.
The ensembles pictured on page one are designed by Senake de Silva.
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