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Lankan play adds flavour to Assam forest-clearing theatre festival
Under the Sal Tree, an initiative to preserve the Rabha tribal drama form, has been organised since 2008
A play from Sri Lanka, reflecting the crisis the country is undergoing, added flavour to a tribal theatre form being celebrated annually since 2008 in a spherical sal forest clearing, in western Assam’s Goalpara district, said a report published by The Hindu yesterday.
The Hindu report filed from Guwahati said that the three-day Under the Sal Tree festival is organised mid-December in the district’s Rampur village by Badungduppa, a theatre group of the Rabha ethnic community. It primarily showcases the traditional tribal open-air theatre that relies more on music and expressions, than lengthy dialogues.Theatre groups from Bangladesh, Brazil, Poland and South Korea have performed in previous editions of the festival.
Anasuya Subhasinghe’s Salt Theatre Company (STC) is the first from an island-nation to participate in the open-air festival. The company based in Sri Lanka’s Angoda performed ‘My Sweet Rotten Heritance’ on Friday, the second day of the 13th edition of the community-driven festival.She said the festival had given her group a break from the crisis Sri Lanka had been facing since the COVID-19 pandemic. “I was drawn to this festival after getting photos of the open-air ambience online,” she said.
‘My Sweet Rotten Heritance’, the debut theatrical endeavour of STC, is based on the “extraordinary world” of Kolam, a dance-drama of rural Sri Lanka where the actors wear masks and costumes and perform with mime, dance and some dialogue.
“In the play, the past meets the present where strangely- familiar narratives unfold with bittersweet encounters. The play emerges as an attempt to explore the pertinence of Kolam beyond its moribund, fixed repertoire in an effort to reimagine the form as a living, evolving performance practice,” Subhasinghe, the scriptwriter and director of the play, said.
The festival, inaugurated by renowned writer and theatre personality R. Kaaleeswaran, began on Thursday with ‘Rishi Jolongka’, a play in the Rabha language performed by the members of Badungduppa Kalakendra. Madan Rabha, the managing director of the Badungduppa group, scripted the play, based on a folk hero of the tribe.
What sets Under the Sal Tree apart is its natural setting without the use of artificial lighting or audio system.The festival was started by Sukracharya Rabha, the founder of Badungduppa, in 2008. He sought to underline the importance of theatre in the midst of nature.
The other plays staged at Rampur were ‘Alor Gaan’ (Song of Light) by the Maharashtra-based Tiny Tales Theatre Company in Bengali and Marathi, ‘Atho Hidimba Katha’ by the West Bengal-based Birati Samuho Performers’ Collective in Bengali, and Erendira’s `Metamorphosis’ by the Assam-based AANKA Creative Line in Assamese.
The Indian Naval Ship (INS) Sahyadri which arrived at the Port of Colombo on a formal visit on 04 Apr 25, departed the island today (07 Apr). The Sri Lanka Navy bade customary farewell to the departing ship at the Port of Colombo, following naval traditions.
During the ship’s stay in Colombo, crew members of INS Sahyadri took part in several programmes organized by the Sri Lanka Navy, aimed at enhancing mutual cooperation. In addition, they also explored some tourist attractions in the country. Further, personnel of Sri Lanka Navy had the opportunity to visit INS Sahyadri, gaining insights into her operational capabilities.
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Advisory for severe lightning issued for Sabaragamuwa, Central and Uva provinces and in Hambanthota district
The Natural Hazards Early Warning Centre has issued an Advisory for Severe Lightning for the Sabaragamuwa, Central and Uva provinces and in Hambanthota district.
The advisory issued at 02.00 p.m. today [07 April 2025] is valid for the period until 11.00 p.m. 07 April 2025
The public are warned that thundershowers accompanied by severe lightning are likely to occur at several places in for Sabaragamuwa, Central and Uva provinces and in Hambantota district. There may be temporary localized strong winds during thundershowers. General public is kindly requested to take adequate precautions to minimize damages caused by lightning activity.
ACTION REQUIRED:
The Department of Meteorology advises that people should:
Seek shelter, preferably indoors and never under trees.
• Avoid open areas such as paddy fields, tea plantations and open water bodies during thunderstorms.
• Avoid using wired telephones and connected electric appliances during thunderstorms.
• Avoid using open vehicles, such as bicycles, tractors and boats etc.
• Beware of fallen trees and power lines.
• For emergency assistance contact the local disaster management authorities.
The report of the “Census of Population and Housing 2024,” conducted by the Department of Census and Statistics, was officially handed over to President Anura Kumara Disanayake this morning (07) at the Presidential Secretariat.
This preliminary report has been prepared based on island wide data collected between October and December 2024.
The report provides details on Sri Lanka’s population, its growth and the distribution of the population across districts.
The information gathered through the census is vital not only for the government but also for other institutions in formulating policies and development plans essential for the country’s progress. Significantly, for the first time in the history of census-collecting in Sri Lanka, data collection was carried out using tablet computers and user-friendly mobile devices.
The event was attended by Deputy Minister of Finance & Planning, Harshana Suriyapperuma, Secretary to the President Dr. Nandika Sanath Kumanayake, Secretary to the Ministry of Finance Mahinda Siriwardana, Director General of the Department of Census and Statistics D.D.G.A. Senevirathne and several other officials.
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Advisory for severe lightning issued for Sabaragamuwa, Central and Uva provinces and in Hambanthota district
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