Opinion
EXIT SHYAMON JAYASINGE from a memorable contribution in theatre and life
“November 3, 1956, became a day of history. On that magical night, on the Lionel Wendt stage, Maname was born.” – Shyamon Jayasinghe.
In the photographs here, on the left is Shyamon transformed from a real mortal into a fictional immortal, the Pothe Gura in Ediriwira Sarachchandra’s Maname.
It was a sad gathering, on Thursday, June 8 this month at Bunurong Memorial Park in Melbourne, when his body was offered to the ritual of the flames. What died was his life as husband, father, friend , undergraduate at Peradeniya and servant of the Sri Lanka Administrative Service in its upper rungs.
What will live on for a long time more than his real life is the fiction of Shyamon as the Pothe Gura in Maname. No doubt for over 60 years now, successive actors have become the Maname Pothe Gura. Yet inherited continuity from the original creativity lies underneath the changing individual actor personalities who played the role, because Sarachchandra, over a long 40 years, between 1956 and 1996 directed the play, using Shyamon’s creation of the Pothe Gura. From my understanding, Sarachchandra recognized that Shaymon was a great original creator . As the play grew in the rehearsals process the director saw that the situations and utterances of his rich literary text for the Gura, was but a beginning blueprint from which Shyamon built, through the independent art of the actor.
Having written thus far about Shyamon the actor, I pause, for an uncertainty enters my feelings about why I am moved to write .The actor he was or the friend he was ? I have known Shaymon since the mid 1950s in Peradeniya University. I shifted to Sydney in the early seventies but our contact as friends stayed on for Shyamon too, soon after, gave in to the Australia urge. Though we were as far apart as Sydney and Melbourne the telephone voiced our thoughts and feelings as we traversed theatre, the mundane like politics and of course our old Sri Lanka which did not displace itself. And we met too, at times. The picture above, on the right, is when I flew to Melbourne at his invitation, to join a meeting marking a Sarachchandra birth anniversary. I am behind him, awaiting my speaking turn.
A character in a play is a fiction. A fiction is not a lie. It is a remote way of l(a)ying out the truth. Shyamon, the fiction in Maname and my friend are inseparable in memory. Yes, Shyamom Jayasinghe exits, from both sides of Shakespeare’s metaphor: “All the world’s a stage, And all the men and women merely players; They have their exits and their entrances….”
Ernest Macintyre
Here is what you can do!
Comedy and the ability to have a good laugh are what keep us sane. The good news to announce is that there are many British and American comedy shows posted up and available on the internet.
They will bring a few hours of welcome relief from our present doldrums.
Firstly, and in a class of its own, are the many Benny Hill shows. Benny is a British comedian who comes from a circus family, and was brought up in an atmosphere of circus clowning. Each show is carefully polished and rehearsed to get the comedy across and understood successfully. These clips have the most beautiful stage props and settings with suitable, amusing costumes. This is really good comedy for the mature, older viewer.
Benny Hill has produced shows that are “Master-Class” in quality adult entertainment. All his shows are good.
Then comes the “Not the Nine o’clock news” with Rowan Atkinson and his comedy team producing good entertainment suitable for all.
And then comes the “Two Ronnies” – Ronnie Barker and Ronnie Corbett, with their dry sense of humour and wit. Search and you will find other uplifting shows such as Dave Allen, with his monologues and humour.
All these shows have been broadcast in Britain over the last 50 years and are well worth viewing on the Internet.
Similarly, in The USA of America. There are some really great entertainment shows. And never forget Fats Waller in the film “Stormy Weather,” where he was the pianist in the unforgettable, epic, comedy song “Ain’t Misbehavin”. And then there is “Bewitched” with young and glamorous Samantha Stevens and her mother, Endora who can perform magic. It is amazing entertainment! This show, although from the 1970s was a milestone in US light entertainment, along with many more.
And do not overlook Charlie Chaplin and Laurel and Hardy, and all the Disney films. Donald Duck gives us a great wealth of simple comedy.
The US offers you a mountain of comedy and good humour on Youtube. All these shows await you, just by accessing the Internet! The internet channel, ‘You tube’ itself, comes from America! The Americans reach out to you with good, happy things right into your own living room!
Those few people with the ability to understand English have the key to a great- great storehouse of uplifting humour and entertainment. They are rich indeed!
Priyantha Hettige
After the recent disaster, a great deal of information has been circulating on WhatsApp and YouTube regarding our reservoirs, highways, etc.
In many of these discussions, people have analysed what went wrong and how the damage could have been prevented. My question is this: why do all these knowledgeable voices emerge only after disaster strikes? One simple reason may be that our self-proclaimed, all-knowing governing messiahs refuse to listen to anyone outside their circles. It is never too late to learn, but has any government decision-maker read or listened to these suggestions?
When the whole world is offering help to overcome this tragedy, has the government even considered seeking modern forecasting equipment and the essential resources currently not available to our armed forces, police, and disaster-management centres?
B Perera
A great deal has been said about Cyclone Ditwah and its impact. To my mind one important aspect of it has not been addressed.
During the 1,400 odd landslides, it washed off a vast volume of soil which entered the various water bodies like tanks, lakes, rivers and streams etc. This process has raised their water levels reducing the water holding capacities (water holding capacity has a different meaning in soil science). What it means is that they cannot hold the same amount of water as before without spilling. Therefore, a precipitation which would not have been significant then can cause spilling of tanks leading to floods now. Hence there is a possibility of experiencing more floods in the future. Due to silting the tanks will carry less water than before, thus reducing the irrigable areas under their command. They will not be able to irrigate the same extents of paddy, thus affecting production.
How do we rectify this situation? It is desilting which can be very expensive.
It is good if these are considered in future planning.
Gamini Peiris
Panadura
Experienced agriculturist
Trump files $5bn defamation lawsuit against BBC over Panorama speech edit
UK and South Korea strike trade deal
Rob Reiner’s son Nick arrested for murder after director and wife found dead
70,297 persons still in safety centers
Showers will occur at times in the Northern, North-Central, Eastern, Uva and Central provinces
MEPA to crack down on marine polluters
‘Dates have the highest sugar content to fight Coronavirus’
Sunday Island 27 December – Headlines
#SundayIsland 17th December – Headlines
Sunday Island – 28th March
Sunday Island Headlines – 21 March
Sunday Island – 21st February – Headlines
-
Features7 days agoFinally, Mahinda Yapa sets the record straight
-
Features7 days agoHandunnetti and Colonial Shackles of English in Sri Lanka
-
Business5 days agoCabinet approves establishment of two 50 MW wind power stations in Mullikulum, Mannar region
-
News6 days agoGota ordered to give court evidence of life threats
-
Features6 days agoCliff and Hank recreate golden era of ‘The Young Ones’
-
Features6 days agoSri Lanka and Global Climate Emergency: Lessons of Cyclone Ditwah
-
Opinion7 days agoA national post-cyclone reflection period?
-
Latest News6 days agoSri Lanka squad named for ACC Men’s U19 Asia Cup