Features

Some memorable moments with Hatha

Published

2 years ago

2024/01/2

Sahan Weerasooriya

“The sorrow we feel when we lose a loved one is the price we pay to have had them in our lives.”
– Rob Liano

By Susantha Hewa

It was somewhere in the late 1980s that I saw the street-drama legend, Kalakeerthi Dr. Gamini Haththotuwegama. One evening, he came to our area leading his drama troupe. I went to see the play which took place in a spacious courtyard of a nearby temple. Being a trained English teacher at the time and also drama lover, I was looking for an opportunity to meet him and, perhaps, with some luck, to join his drama troupe. That evening, I was able not only to see the great man but to have a few words with him. A year or two later, in 1992, I entered the University of Peradeniya to read for the English special degree under a programme available for trained English teachers with G.A.Q. There, I had the privilege of closely associating with him as an undergrad. Incidentally, although I couldn’t join his street-drama troupe, I keenly participated in his drama training programmes.

Hatha, as he was popularly known, was impressive in many ways: looks, gait, manner and talk. He was full of spirit and anyone who sees him wouldn’t forget him for a long time: sharp features, expressive face which ideally suits an actor, penetrating glance and a bass voice. He often wore shabbily, but any outfit sat on him nicely. Usually, he walked fast enthusing vigour and confidence, laughed heartily and talked unaffectedly. He always had time for a friendly word and a joke, and guffawed uninhibitedly no matter where he was. Among his students he was more a friend than a teacher. He was outgoing and sociable and kept his distance only when he happened to have a cold.

Of course, I was a keen participant in his training sessions conducted at a small theatre behind the arts faculty canteen. An assortment of students from many departments and faculties gathered at this place for training in the evenings. My friend Dayasiri, who was one year my senior, and I hardly missed any of these sessions.

As he often started directing a play with no script or clearly defined plot, the training sessions were pure merriment. Taking a few students at a time he assigned them their roles in a setting so that the ‘drama’ started spontaneously without anybody having any idea of the dialogue or the direction it would take. These situations turned out to be hilarious because our lack of experience as actors often made us say the wrong thing and do something patently inappropriate in response to a prompt given by one of us. Those who were privileged to watch without being the ‘victims’ had a hearty laugh at the totally unexpected turns the scenes often took, and Hatha thoroughly enjoyed such stage hazards and was the loudest to laugh. However, those who laughed at the expense of their poor colleagues’ disastrous mistakes couldn’t afford the luxury for a long time, for nobody knew whom Hatha would pick on at the next moment to become unwitting entertainers. However, fun aside, Hatha quickly saw the potential of some such ‘tragedies’ – tragedies on the part of the actors – and would lead a discussion as to how they could be made captivating moments in the play being practiced.

There were about 50 or, often, more students participating in each session. Hatha would sit with us on the floor with his inseparable bag beside him. He would chat away till the others come, one by one, or in twos or threes. It’s a meeting place for students from almost all faculties. Often, he got us to sing songs of popular stage plays, including Maname and Sinhabahu, with him and his deep voice outdid the collective voices of all of us. Some of us who didn’t have even an ounce of music in us sang aloud confidently because our individual unmelodic voices were drowned in the sea of voices. However, one day, those who pretended to sing under cover were all exposed because that day Hatha asked us to sing individually. I was among those who were teased with a friendly wink, “Now mind you. Don’t open your mouth, hereafter”.

In Nimnaye Dumaraya, Dayasiri and I played the roles of the bull (Kilariya) and the carter, who had an affectionate relationship in which the bull was often smarter than the carter, who was regularly outwitted by the former. In the opening scene, the bull (Dayasiri) was standing alone on the stage irritably waiting for the carter (me), who happened to be unusually late (according to the script). I was to come on stage when Kilariya said something irritably about my getting late. However, Dayasiri had forgotten the lines and, unfortunately, could not hear the prompter who repeated the line aloud.

It was a moment of suspense not only for the unfortunate Kilariya and the carter, but also for Hatha sitting in the first row scratching his cheek impatiently. He was a bit upset but was enjoying our predicament with an impish smile. The audience was beginning to feel that something was wrong and after a suspense of about 15 seconds (which was an eternity), Kilariya blurted out something, which, unfortunately, was not the one he was supposed to say. I entered the stage and was at a loss without being able to give a suitable response to Kilariya, who was glaring at me in total misery! I can’t remember how we managed to pass that moment without a catastrophe. At the end of the play – which went on successfully after the initial glitch – we didn’t know how to laugh. Dayasiri was the butt of loving ridicule. Hatha was the most amused. He said “Oh, don’t tease him so much for forgetting his line; after all he was a bull; the most convincing bull I have ever seen on stage”.

A few days after the play, we started practicing for “Beckett Nopitata”. It was a mime and he had told us about the theme and described the plot. Once again Dayasiri and I had the opportunity of working together to improvise a scene. Dayasiri and I stood in front without knowing exactly how to start. We all had a hearty laugh when Hatha shouted, “Now, now, Dayasiri! You are no longer the bull in this!” Hatha was the loudest to laugh at his own joke. Poor Dayasiri could only glare at us!

Hatha was an endearing person with a rich fund of humour. He was a consummate actor and trainer. Many of us had had no previous experience in acting but his expertise, friendliness and easygoing, jovial manner helped us to quickly shed our inhibitions and become tolerably good in acting. His method of getting us to improvise in different settings gave all of us an important sense of belonging, which proved to be vital in the production of a play.

Hatha had the habit of lightly smoothing his hair backwards with his fingers with a chuckle when he managed to get his students to improvise a scene to his satisfaction. It was fun to imitate him behind his back when he had to walk out for a few minutes to attend to some matter. If he happened to suddenly walk in while one of us was mimicking him, everyone would have a hearty laugh and we had to do a lot of explaining when he asked why we were so amused!

It was a few days before the final exam and we treasured it if there was a cancellation of a lecture. We wanted every minute of our time to go back to our notes and brush up our memory and writing. That day Hatha was late for a lecture and we looked forward to scooting out to do some quick revising to prepare for a paper only a couple of days away. As we were leaving the room, Hatha walked in with an apology for being late and started the lecture. There were only five of us and for some reason he wanted us to step into the office where we all sat in a circle around a table.

He started the discussion of Othello, but we were in no mood for a lecture no matter how interesting it was. Even Shakespeare himself wouldn’t have wanted us to stay on. We were all desperately passing glances at one another in the shared feeling of getting home as soon as possible and to sit with some of our untouched notes. It was a revision lecture and Hatha was enthusiastically lecturing totally oblivious to our unease. Suddenly, one of us scribbled something on a slip of paper and passed it to the next. When it came to the last person all were nearly suffocated without being able to laugh aloud. Everybody was finding some excuse to hide the tears of smothered laughter. The note read, “O heavy hour …!”

We were all choking because, although Hatha didn’t have a clue to what’s happening, there were other lecturers in the office watching our ‘drama’ with a keen interest!

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Features

Proactive peacemaking becomes a paramount need

Published

8 hours ago

2026/06/4

Sahan Weerasooriya

Wasting wars: Some war-displaced people in Lebanon. BBC

It may be some time before the full impact of food inflation is felt in the West. Until such time the world would continue to keep itself in suspense over whether the Trump administration is in earnest when it seeks to convey the impression that it is backing a negotiated solution in West Asia.

As is usually the case, consumer stress would be one of the final determinants of political change. To the degree to which the average US consumer somehow ‘muddles through’ and puts the food on the table, to the same extent would the Republican sections of the US public in particular be tolerant of the Trump administration’s inconsistent handling of the West Asian war and the main issues stemming from it. That is, there would be no grave popular disaffection and a demand for political change in the short term.

However, the indications are that the Trump administration’s support base is suffering some erosion in the wake of the current economic crisis. While reports indicate that Democratic sections are firming-up their opposition to the political centre, Republican support for Trump is also showing signs of waning, we are given to understand.

The above developments are probably why Trump is on record as having given Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu a ‘dressing down’ recently on his seeming intransigence on the question of giving negotiations a chance in West Asia. The show of displeasure could be really aimed by Trump at containing the impatience of the American public.

However, the current ground situation in the Middle East, particularly the uncontained bloodshed, is likely to impress on the thinking sections of the world that more than temporary political change is needed in West Asia and the US.

A well thought out political solution that addresses all the contentious issues at the heart of the Middle East conflict is what enlightened opinion would demand, and very rightly. Right now, the ‘peace efforts’ initiated by the Trump administration give the impression of being piecemeal solutions at best.

There have been, of course, numerous initiatives in the past aimed at bringing permanent peace to the Middle East. These failed mainly because they did not address in full the root causes of the conflict.

At bottom the Middle East conflict is mainly about race and religious hate bred by socio-economic and material inequalities. For instance, if the Palestinian people were not displaced and deprived of land occupied by them at the time of the founding of the Israeli state, ethnic enmities would not have grown to the current unmanageable proportions.

When addressing the above questions, though, it must be remembered that the Israelis too were a displaced people who were entitled to land and a state of their own in the Middle East. Basically, out of these seemingly irreconcilable and conflicting demands have grown the Middle East imbroglio.

Middle East peace is considerably about reconciling these demands and arriving at a solution that would ensure the creation of two states that would opt for peaceful co-existence thereafter.

As long as the US does not see the need for a non-partisan solution that addresses the needs of both ethnicities and religions and goes all-out, as it were, to have it implemented, the Middle East would continue to bleed.

However, staunching the blood flow through the creation of two states would be only half the job done, though a very important part of it. More pernicious, pervasive and difficult to remedy are the inter-ethnic and inter-religious hatreds that have been unleashed over the decades.

However, if substantial, long-lasting peace is to be fostered in the region the latter ‘demons’ would need to be exorcised from the hearts and minds of the communities concerned. No doubt an uphill task but one that must be undertaken by those who wish the region well.

The UN would need to put its ‘best foot forward’ in such undertakings but it is time that it dawned on the international community and other caring quarters that Middle East peace, and all other such uphill challenges, require proactive peacemaking on the part of all civilized sections for their effective management. That is, public involvement in peacemaking too is a must.

Since hatreds are harboured in the human consciousness the enmities embedded in the latter need to be managed and defused judiciously alongside other undertakings in a peace process. In the case of West Asia, such enmities could be even spread globe-wide besides being multi-dimensional. For instance, it ought to be thought-provoking that Iran is insistent on a peace initiative that would also include Lebanon.

Besides security considerations it is also ethnic and religious affiliations that account for Iran making this demand. For instance, the Shias are a numerically important religious community in Lebanon and they provide a significant number of Hizbollah fighters, who are in a vital sense carrying out a ‘proxy war’ for Iran. It also needs to be factored in that Iran is a Shia-majority country.

Thus trans-border religious affiliations could add to the complexities and enormity of ethno-religious conflicts. However, the task of managing centuries-long enmities needs to be launched and prodded on with by peacemakers since a downing of arms alone would not guarantee substantive peace.

It is not realized sufficiently that the process of ending hatreds begins with mutual apologies by antagonists to a conflict for the harm inflicted on each other. This would be anathema in some ears but there is no getting away from the requirement. It is the vital first step to permanent peace anywhere.

In fact there could be no reconciliation worth speaking of without such mutual apologies. It is a point worth re-iterating in these times when even the government of Sri Lanka is voicing the need for national reconciliation. Well, without the words, ‘I am sorry’, there could be no permanent end to enmities – they would do well to remember.

The above requirements may not go down very well with governments, but they resonate in the hearts and minds of most people, since they are inheritors of religious traditions of some kind.

This is a principal reason why peacemaking works well when publics too are involved in them. The effectiveness of such campaigns increases several fold when they have a Mahatma Gandhi or a Jawaharlal Nehru at their helm. A strong proactive involvement by the public in peace could lead to the emergence of such leaders at some point in these campaigns.

Features

Dialog Brings Sri Lanka’s Largest Digital Vesak Experience to Matara

Published

8 hours ago

2026/06/4

Sahan Weerasooriya

From left to right: Hon. Saroja Savithri Paulraj, Hon. Sunil Handunnetti, and Lasantha Theverapperuma experience the Dialog 5G Ultra-powered VR tours.

Official Digital Partner of the 2026 ‘Dakshina Prabha’ National Vesak Zone

Dialog Axiata PLC, Sri Lanka’s #1 connectivity provider, collaborated with the Ministry of Buddha Sasana, Religious and Cultural Affairs to bring one of Sri Lanka’s largest and most technologically advanced Vesak experiences to the ‘Dakshina Prabha’ National Vesak Zone. The three-day celebration, in Matara attracted more than hundred thousand visitors, who engaged with a series of innovative digital activities powered by Dialog 5G Ultra, including Artificial Intelligence (AI) and Virtual Reality (VR) experiences, digital pandols and a Data Dansala. The opening ceremony was attended by Hon. Sunil Handunnetti, Minister of Industry and Entrepreneurship Development and Hon. Saroja Savithri Paulraj, Minister of Women and Child Affairs, along with distinguished guests and Dialog’s senior management.

One of the key attractions at the venue was the Dialog 5G Ultra-powered Virtual Reality (VR) experience, which attracted more than 35,000 participants. The activation enabled devotees to virtually visit and pay homage to sacred Buddhist sites, including the Jaya Sri Maha Bodhi in India and the Atamasthana in Anuradhapura, directly from the Vesak zone in Matara.

Visitors receive complimentary mobile data through Dialog’s QR-powered Data Dansala.

Dialog also conducted an AI Digital Vesak Greeting Card Competition from 21 May to 01 June 2026, attracting numerous entries from across the country. The shortlisted designs were showcased across 20 large LED screens throughout the venue and across Matara City, and were also made available for download via mobile devices. Further, through the use of AI, traditional Jathaka Katha were reimagined in a digital format, demonstrating how technology can be used to preserve and enhance cultural and religious heritage. Together, these initiatives blended traditional Vesak celebrations with emerging technologies, offering visitors a unique and immersive way to engage with Vesak traditions.

Extending the spirit of Vesak through connectivity, Dialog conducted a special Data Dansala powered by its QR Reload platform, enabling visitors to receive complimentary mobile data by scanning QR codes placed across the venue. In addition to the Matara National Vesak Zone, similar Data Dansala activations were also conducted at the Gangaramaya and Bauddhaloka Vesak zones in Colombo.Visitors also had the opportunity to create personalised Vesak-themed digital photos through an AI Photo Booth, generating AI-enhanced portraits using their own photographs and adding a contemporary digital element to the Vesak celebrations.

Visitors watch AI-generated Jathaka Katha

Commenting on the initiative, Hon. Sunil Handunnetti, Minister of Industry and Entrepreneurship Development, said, “The 2026 Dakshina Prabha Vesak Festival marked the first time AI-powered digital innovations were incorporated into a National Vesak Festival in Sri Lanka. Presenting Buddhist stories and teachings through technology created a new and engaging way for visitors to connect with these traditions. We thank Dialog for supporting this initiative and for working closely with us to bring our vision to life. Their contribution played an important role in making this first-of-its-kind event a reality.”

Lasantha Theverapperuma, Group Chief Marketing Officer of Dialog Axiata PLC said, “We thank the Government of Sri Lanka for the opportunity to support the 2026 Dakshina Prabha National Vesak Festival and for embracing technology as part of this year’s celebrations. As the Official Digital Partner, we were privileged to contribute through our Dialog 5G Ultra and AI capabilities, creating new ways for visitors to engage with Vesak traditions while preserving their cultural significance for future generations.”

Beyond supporting the National Vesak Zone in Matara, Dialog also enhanced the Gangaramaya and Bauddhaloka Vesak zones through a range of digital activations during the Vesak season. The company additionally continued its sustainability initiatives, including the Thirasara Aloka Poojawa, which illuminated rural places of worship through solar-powered lighting solutions.

Features

Beauty, elegance and talent…for women

Published

8 hours ago

2026/06/4

Sahan Weerasooriya

Universal Woman is an international pageant focused on “beauty, elegance, and talent” for women, positioning itself as a platform to shape global ambassadors. The 2026 edition will be held in Cambodia, and Sri Lanka will be there, as well.

According to reports coming my way, contestants, at the international event, will work with industry trailblazers, under international standards.

Sri Lankan supermodel, runway and pageant trainer Chulpadmendra Kumarapathirana, is the National Director for Universal Woman Sri Lanka 2026.

With over two decades in the industry, Chula was crowned Miss Sri Lanka 2006, and has since shaped the next generation of titleholders through her Colombo-based Chulpadmendra Catwalk Studio, widely regarded as one of the country’s leading modelling academies.

The team behind Universal Woman Sri Lanka 2026

A former host of Derana Miss Sri Lanka for Miss World 2008 and a judge for Miss Universe Sri Lanka 2025, Chula now serves as National Director for Universal Woman Sri Lanka 2026, leading the franchise’s search for Sri Lanka’s delegate to the international final in Cambodia.

Applications for Universal Woman Sri Lanka 2026 are being taken, via WhatsApp: 077 659 4994, says Chula.

The judging panel for Universal Woman Sri Lanka 2026 includes Senaka De Silva, Pageant Aesthetic Advisor & Chairperson of the Judging Panel, Angela Seneviratne, Caroline Jurie, Rozelle Plunkett, and Suraj Mapa.

Universal Woman Sri Lanka 2026 officially began its journey with a first round of auditions, held in Colombo, marking the start of an exciting new chapter in Sri Lanka’s pageant industry.

Launching the first round of auditions

The platform aims to empower women while selecting an intelligent, confident, and inspiring representative to compete at the Universal Woman International Pageant 2026 in Cambodia, this September.

Universal Woman Sri Lanka now moves forward with the vision of creating one of the country’s most prestigious and empowering pageants while preparing to crown a queen who will proudly represent Sri Lanka on the international stage.