EduNET.LK

DAILY NEWS, MAY 21, 1948

Sirens Will Usher
Vesak In

CROWDED 3-DAY
PROGRAM

THE annual Vesak celebrations begin tomorrow.

According to the preparations that have been going on for the last two or three weeks this year's celebrations promise to surpass in splendour and in extent the joyous displays of previous years.

This is the first time that the Dominion of Ceylon is celebrating this most sacred and popular Buddhist event and it is more than a coincidence that the celebrations on this occasion should continue for three days and nights from tomorrow.

This is because Monday, in addition to tomorrow, being a Government holiday owing to the intervening Sunday.

NO MORE HANDICAPS

In addition to this, the handicaps of the war years in regard to Vesak celebrations by way of restricted lighting, inadequate supplies of paper, lanterns, and other decorative material are now matters of the past and a brighter Vesak will be in evidence not only in the streets of Colombo and the provincial towns but also in the remote villages where Buddhists predominate.

In India too a request has been made that Vesak day should be declared a holiday.

A deputation of the Maha Bodhi Society of India led by Dr. Syama Prasad Mukerjee, the President, will meet today the Prime Minister of India, Pundit Nehru, to urge the Indian Government to declare Vesak Day a public holiday. Ceyon is also represented in this deputation.

Mr. Daya Hewavitarne, of the Ceylon Maha Bodhi Society has already reached New Delhi in this connection.

REVERBERATING REJUICINGS

The Vesak "Poya" dawns at 6.48 a.m. tomorrow and continues till 6.08 a.m. on Sunday.

The advent of the Poya will be greeted by the reverberating rejoicings of a Sabdha Pooja comprising the sounding of the sirens of steamers in Colombo harbour and at the Police Stations, the pealing of temple bells, the music of the "hewisi," and the firing of cruckers in Buddhist homes.

The religious observances of the day and the dispensation of "dana" "will precede the glamorous scenes in the streets on Vesak night.

Y.M.B.A. PROGRAM

The program of celebrations of the Colombo V.M.B.A. beging this evening with a talk by Dr. G.P.P. Malalasekera on "Vesak Adhistanaya" at 6.30p.m. This will be followed by a short musical program at which the Y.M.B.A. choly and Sunil Shanti will take part.

The members will observe "Ata-Sil" tomorrow and broadcast sermon, will be delivered by Heenatiyana Dhammaloka Thero at 9 a.m. and by Talalle Dhammananda Thero at 4 p.m. tomorrow. A "Sangika Dana" to 50 bhikkhus are among the other items on the program.

The eclebrations at the Vajiraramaya Bambalapitiys, commences with a special broadcast talk by the Ven.Pelane Vajiragnana, Nayaka Thero, just as the "Poya" dawns. Arrangements have been made for a large number of devotees to take "sil" and to spend the day in the temple listening to the various discourses that are spread far into the night.

SERVANTS OF THE BUDDHA

The "Sil" party organised each your by the Servants of the Buddha will be led this time at the Maitriya Hall by Mr, Justice Basnayake. The program includes sermon in the morning and a talk in the afternoon by Bhikkhu Kasatpa.

The Maligakande Temple will be thronged with a large number of Upasakas and Upasikawas tomorrow as arrangements have been made for an unprecedented number to observe "Sil".

The Ven. Baddegarma Piyaratane Nayaka Thero, will administer "Sil" and deliver a discourse. Several other discourses will follow in the course of the day and night. A large number of Buddha "Poojas" have also been arranged at Maligakanda Temple from various parts of the City.

At the Vidyalankara Pirivena the celebrations begin today with the exposition of the relies of the Buddha brought a few years from England.

RAILWAY ARRANGEMENTS

Special arrangements. have been made by the railway authorities to enable the crowds from the suburban areas on the Main, Kelani Valley and Coast lines to come to Colombo to view the illuminations tomorrow and on Sunday night.

One way traffic will be introduced in Colombo by the Police on these three nights beginning from 7. p.m.

Mr. G. H. Robins, Superintendent of Police, Colombo, in drawing up this program has taken into consideration the streets that are usually attracted by the Vesak crowds on account of the location of the popular temples and the illuminations.

The Broadcasting authorities have arranged a special broadcast program for the celebrations. This program appears elsewhere.

THE TIMES OF CEYLON, MONDAY EVENING, APRIL 19, 1948.

BACKGROUND OF MODERN
SINHALESE MUSIC

NDIAN INFLUENCE A DOMINANT FACTOR

IN the popular Sinhalese music of today the dominating factor is the avowed and long-continued imitation of Indian music.

The extent, effect and other aspects of this imitation will thus naturally be the inescapable background to this article.

The deliberate adoption of Indian music was begun in the year 1880 with the visit to Colombo of Balliwala's Indian theatrical company whose North Indian Hindustani tunes were copied by local musicians.
 
Since then this preference for Hindustani airs has been steadily maintained, a considerable accession to its moral prestige having been effected by the work of Pandit Visvanath Laviee, the musical collaborator in John de Silva's dramas which have so profoundly influenced the country.

In recent years music students from Ceylon. who have returned from Santiniketan and other Indian music centres have zealously and energetically evinced their musical loyalties with the result that the supremacy of the North Indian music is being seriously challenged especially by the music of Bengal.

The sources of the present-day Sinhalese music can be considered under four heads which are closely inter-related,-Indian gramophone records, Indian films, Colombo Radio Station and Indian Radio Stations.
 
Important source

Of the above, Indian gramophone records constitute the most abundant and important source. They range over a fairly wide area covered by gazls, geets, khyals, bhajans, thumris, and gats among which the Sinhalese singers and instrumentalists carry on a never-ceasing and most strenuous hunt for likely musical material.

Since the Indian recording companies began issuing records of potential "song-hits" along with their films, the spotting of these musical winners is not difficult.

Systematic and careful listening-in to the Indian radio stations also yields valuable results. In view of the large rumber of records which have to be tried in the course of this quest, the trouble and expense incidental to it, a good record worth adopting as an archetype is treasured as a lucky find.

To the aspiring gramophone artist the manifold advantages of a Buddhist theme for his song are obvious-hence the numerous Sinhalese records on Buddhist subjects by many non-Budd- hist artists.

There is hardly a single well-known Hindi record that has not been copied, and for one who reads Hindi, is reasonably familiar with the current Sinhalese songs and is also a regular listener to the Indian Radio, it is an easy matter with the aid of Hindi gramophone catalogues to trace the origin of most of our Sinhalese songs.

A very few might be said to surpass their originals in quality, like H. W. Rupasinghe's and Rukmani Devi's well-known song, "Sri Buddha Gaya Vihare" derived from Juthika Ray's and Kamal Das Gupta's "Kyun bramat phire" (H.M.V.-N-6720) sung several years ago. But it has to be admitted that the Sinhalese imitations of many famous well-established Indian favourites, such as "Duniya ranga rangili", "Sundara nári pritam pyári" and "Main manaki bát batá-un" are far from perfect.

Hindi via Tamil

Sometimes a Hindi song comes via a Tamil record which has slightly modified the original and very often several versions of the identical Indian record by different Sinhalese singers simultaneously compete for popular favour like the songs adapted from "Tumhiné mujhkó prém sikháyá" from the old film "Manmohan" or from Tagore's "Jana gana mana" utilised in attempts at composing a Sinhalese National Anthem.

Except for the linguistic difference (which too is sometimes sought to be by-passed) the mimicry aimed at by the artist seems to be absolute. This meticulous imitation extends to the jazzy overtures reinforced with western instruments which occur in many popular Indian songs which leave a listener uncertain as to whether it is going to be an English or an Indian song that is being so heralded, until he hears the words.

Similarly, interludes and any incidental dialogue are sought to be reproduced with the utmost fidelity to the original. Even in the matter of language, Hindi and Sinhalese being cognate languages, most of our Sinhalese composers attempt to render a phonetic simulacrum of the original-an easy enough task when the themes are identical.

Our song-makers import even peculiarly Indian poetical metaphors into their songs and represent Sinhalese village maidens as garlanded, flower- pelting rustic lovelies desporting themselves in idealised water-sports (jala kreedá).

Among the Sinhalese composers who have transplanted Indian music with a proper appreciation of difference in ideology, social customs and milieu, is the versatile Ananda Samarakone who has made some happy adaptations of the oft-recurring Radha- Krishna theme in his song "Punchi suda sudu petiya" and its sequences unsurpassed in situation, naturalness of language and feeling.

The Indian, and particularly the Hindi, cinema film is a never-failing musical reservoir tappable by the Sinhalese song-maker and so far as the music is concerned, the position is not altered by the new-born Sinhalese films as they themselves borrow Indian tunes for their songs.

The Indian film-song is, in certain respects, more generative of Sinhalese replicas than the Indian gramophone record as its aural effect on the potential song-maker is intensified by the visual. Owing to the elasticity of Hindustani music and its adaptability for film purposes, many South Indian film-makers are incorporating in their films songs to be sung in the North Indian manner.

The most sensational Indian film success so far achieved in Ceylon was the Tamil talkie "Chintamani" the frantic popularity of which, at least among the Sinhalese masses, is attributable to its smany catchy tunes borrowed from Hindi films which had then not yet come to Ceylon.

For example, the first song in "Chintamani", "Krishna, Krishna, muraye kerli" which was sung by thousands, at the time has "Suno, suno, banake prani" in the Hindi film "Amar Joti" for its archetype.

Iridian music is essentially chamber music, too mellow and subtle for its notes to be fortified in depth and volume with European orchestral instruments for diffusion in large modern theatrical halls.

Yet with these and other limitations Imposed upon them by their art, Indian film-makers have put into their productions a few songs of enchanting and enduring beauty not unworthy of serious study in some of the older films of the type of "Dharti Mata", "Vidyapati", "Street Singer',' and "Nirmala".

Of the more recent films, songs from "Kismet," "Ratan", "Tansen" and "Bandhan" have been extensively copied and recorded, Most of the songs of great Indian singers like Saigal, Pankaj Mallik and K. C. Dey are widely known.

Quick adaptation

So keen is the average Sinhalese music lover on these Hindi filmi gáné that many of these songs, though hardly understood, are transliterated into Sinhalese, very often with sarigama notations, and expeditiously published, making it possible for Sinhalese songs copied from a particular film to be heard whilst the film itseif is still being shown in Colombo.

Even Sinhalese films have not hesitated to borrow tunes from "Ratan" and other Hindi films,

The broadcasts of Hindustani reords, relays of Indian stations for Hinustani music and Hindustani conerts of the Colombo Radio are regarded by the Sinhalese listener. musically, as an integral part of the Sinhalese programme.

The Colombo Station has engaged the services of many amateurs of verying degrees or ability and almost all professional exponents. of Indian music residing in Ceylon, many of whom are Sinhalese who have undergone training in India and a few of whom are highly qualified in Indian music.

The making of the earliest Sinhalese records was a most expensive and troublesome procedure for which artistes had to go to Madras, and this was how John de Silva's songs were recorded by the Odeon Gramophone Company. But after this firm ceased operations in Ceylon, the recording business passed latterly into the hands of two firms located in India-H.M.V. and Colombia-until the Colombo Radio Station also recently began to record the songs of some of its artistes. Gifted Sunil Shanta, one of the leading musical personalities of the day, has thus recorded several songs of great distinction, delicacy and feeling phrased in facile and expressive Sinhalese and these songs are being sung among all all classes throughout the Island

Strange phenomenon

Many of these songs have bean published in two booklets entitled "Ridee Valava" and "Sunil Handa' and are claimed by Sunil Shanta to be original compositions of his own based on old Sinhalese music.

Most of the prominent singers over the radio are joined in part singing by female singers of ability.

A strange and unpleasant phenomenon in contemporary Sinhalese music is the manner in which the tunes of songs which have captured the popular fancy are copied by other singers who make and sing plausible Verbal facsimiles of the original "hits", thereby creating a deadly monotony highly resented by the discriminating listener.

Whatever may be the ethical aspects of what looks to the lay mind very much like musical parasitism, if not musical piracy. the inevitable effect of this practice is to swamp songs of combined musical and literary merit that would otherwise settle down permanently in the popular mind. Would any of John de Silva's valuable songs have survived such a practice?

Hindustani concerts arranged by the Colombo Radio Station are eagerly followed by the Sinhalese listener and Dr. R. Pestonjee's Hindustani concerts have unearthed des unsuspected musical talent of a high order.

In view of the universal imitation of Indian music, it might be thought that many Sinhalese would try to drink, by means of the radio, from the fountainhead itself so easily provided by the Indian Radio Stations, But this is not generally practised, except by professional musicians desirous of locating tunes for the purpose of making songs as the imitation extends only to certain types of Indian music.

Handful of devotees

Even if the highest kinds of Indian music are not available to the microphone, the variety and extent of Indian music that is radiated is wide enough as revealed by that admirable radio magazine, "The Indian Listener". But the more serious Indian muste is followed, perhaps, by a mere handful.

Whether music is a universal languageor not. this adopted musical language of the Sinhalese, with all its faults, approximates infinitely closer to their national psychology and  cultural makeup than the comparatively alien music of the West.

Considering the many affinities-religious, ethnological, linguistic, cultural-existing between India and Lanka, nothing is more natural than the existence of a marked similarity in their respective languages of emotion expressed through the highest of human arts. Nor should we be surprised at any influence exerted by the fully-developed Indian music over a basically kindred music whose natural growth has been arrested by various causes.

Possessing as she does fundamentally the same sub-structure as the Indian system, proud Free Lanka with her musical development retarded by what- ever historical causes, need not be so false to her own nature as to be an undignified, witless and frustrated mimic. This insensate, degrading mimicry cannot be the emotional language interpretative of the nation's inmost collective feelings as a true national music ought to be.

This conscious emotional falsification in the plane of sound, which is one of the most potent and mysterious forces in Nature, has to be viewed in the light of a humiliating national psychosis.

The lack of a true national music is an aching void in the nation viewed as a cultural and spiritual organism. Therefore, accepting the Indian musical theory in all its amplitude, it should not be difficult for Lanka with its accumulated spiritual experience and present resources to rear on its pristine musical foundations a musical structure vibrating in harmony with its own peculiar genius and traditions that would eventually be regarded by Asia and the world, if not with admiration, then at least with respect.

by
WILMOT P.
WIJETUNGE

VARIETY SHOW IN AID OF COLOMBO Υ.Μ.Β.Α.

Well-Known Artistes To Contribute

The Variety Entertainment organised by the Colombo Y.M.B.A. for Saturday, at 6.30 p.m. at the Town Hall, Colombo, in aid of the Association's Social Activities Fund, provides many contributions by well-known artistes

Vera Hammond who has appeared on the London stage in Shakespearean recitals and Yolande Anderson of the Wendy Whatmore School of Elocution and Dramatic Art will produce a scene from Shakespeare's "Two Gentlemen from Verona" and a burlesque entitled "The Usual Way."

Robert Hansen, the well-known American ballet dancer and Ayesha Isabel, one of Ceylon's foremost character dancers, will give an Acrobatic Tango and a Mexican dance, while other western numbers will be contributed by the pupils of Aloma Dender and the Bradley and Sample Schools of Dancing.

The Oriental section has the support of such well-known vocalists as Sunil Santhi, Somapala and Chitra, and Hubert Rajapakse. Manipuri dances by Sukhendu Dutt and his pupils and other Indian classical dance forms by Chitrasena's pupils, Neila Balendra, and Indira Menon are among the chief items in this part of the program.

A scene from Hawaii will be produced by Annesley Maxworth and his troupe.

D.N. ----- 1.6.95

ලංකාදීප, වර්ෂ 1948 ක්වූ අප්‍රේල් මස 3 වෙනි සෙනසුරාදා

ගුවන් විදුලි විවරණ

ක්‍රිස්ටල් විසිනි

ගී අසන්තෝක් ක්‍රමයෙන් කලා ගරුක වෙති

අසන්නෝ සංගීතයෙහි නියම රස දනිති

අසන්නන්ගේ ඉල්ලීම් යනු වෙන් පසු ගිය කීප වාරයකම ප්‍රචාරය වුනු තැටි ගීත වලින් අසන්නන් වඩා කැමති දක්ෂ සංගීතඥයින්ගේ සුමිහිරි ගීතයන්ට බව පෙනෙන්ට තිබේ. දැන් දැන් අසන්නන් තියම රසය සියුම් සංගීතයෙහිම තිබෙන්නක් බැව් සිතීමට පුරුදු වී සිටින බැව් මෙයින් පෙනේ. මෙසේ තිබියදී තමන්ට හිතු මනාපයේ තැටි ගීත ප්‍රචාරය කරණ විට සංගීතමය වටිනාකමක් නැති ගොර හැඩි සින්දු යොදන්නේ කවුරුන් සතුටු කිරීමට දැයි. ප්‍රකාශකයින් විසින් කල්පනා කටයුතුය.

නියම දුක්ඛාලාපයක්

මේ සතියෙහි සිංහල සංගීත අංගයන්ගෙන් සුනිල් ශාන්තිගේ ඉරු දින රාත්‍රියෙහි වූ විවිධ ගී ගායනය උසස් තැනක් ගත් බැව් කිව හැක. තම මිතුරෙකු වූ සූර්යය ශංකර මොල්ලිගොඩ මහතාගේ අකාල මරණය ගැන දුක් වෙමින් ගැයූ ගීතය හදපත්ලෙන් නැගුණු සැබෑ දුක් ඛාලාපයකි. රසවත්කම තිබෙන්නේ දුක මුසු ගීත වල බැව් සැබෑ කර වීමට එය හොඳ නිදසුනකි. ඒ මහතාගේ 'සිංහල අවුරුදු උලෙල නම් වූ ගීතයද සෑම සිංහලයෙකු
විසින්ම සිතට ගත යුතු එකකි. ගීතයෙන් අවුරුදු ප්‍රීතිය පිළිඹිබු කරමින් සිටි ඒ මහතාට පෙනුනේ, සිංහල සැම අයෙක්ම සිංහල අවුරුදු දින වල මල් පහන් රැගෙන තම තමන්ගේ ආගමානුකූලව පන්සල් පල්ලි ආදී ආගමික ස්ථානයන්ට ගොස් මංගල දින නිමිත්තෙන් පුණ්‍ය ක්‍රියාවල යෙදිය යුතු බවය.

ලංකාදීප, වර්ෂ 1948
අප්‍රේල් මස 15 වෙනි බ්‍රහස්පති ත්දවා

බොරැල්ලේ
අවුරුදු උත්සවය

බොරැල්ලේ තරුණ බෞද්ධ සමිති ශාලා පිට්ටනියේදී පැවැත්වූ සිංහල අවුරුදු උත්සවයේ දී පාරම්පරිකව පැවත එන සිංහල සිරිත් විරිත් වලට ගරු කරමින් ඒවා නොකඩවාම ඉදිරීයටත් පවත්වා ගෙන යා මන් ජාතික ගෞරවය ආරක්ෂා කර ගත යුතු අන්දම සුනිල් ශාන්ත ප්‍රධාන කණ්ඩායමේ මන පිනවන ගී ගායනයකින් ප්‍රකාශ කළේය.

උත්සවයට ස්ත්‍රී, පුරුෂ, බාල මහලු, ළමා ළපටින්ගෙන් යුත් විශාල පිරිසක් - රැස්ව සිටියාය.

උත්සවය ආරම්භ කළේ දක්ෂ උඩරට නැට්ටුවන් කණ්ඩායමක් විසින් දක්වන ලද සිත් ඇද ගත්තා නැටුමකිනි. පත්තේරු, වන්නම්, ගී සින්දු ආදියෙන් පැමිණ සිටි පිරිස ප්‍රබෝධමත් විය.

අනතුරුව පාරම්පරික සිංහළ අවුරුදු කෑම් බීම් වල ප්‍රධාන ස්ථානයක් ගත්තා කැවුම්, කොකිස්, කිරිබත්, කෙසෙල්ගෙඩි ආදියෙන් පැමිණ සිටි පිරිසට සංග්‍රහයක් ද පැවැත්විය.

Sunil Santhi

THE re-entry of Sunil Santhi into the field of Sinhalese music is hailed as an important event by all lovers of Sinhalese music.

It is a pity that this creative artist was forced to give up music  for a period of six years. This was indeed a loss to Sinhalese music which is still in its infancy.

The factors that contributed for his down-fall are varied and many. His bitterest enemies were cause of his contemporaries who were jealous of his popularity and his music and left no stone unturned to vilify him and discredit his music.

Most of Sunil's songs are derived from the folk songs of Ceylon like the Vannams, Pal Kavi, Goyan Kavi Karaththa Kavi, Viridu, Seepoda etc. They are gracefully blended with North Indian music and the final result is a very pleasant music, which can be called our own. Sunil Santhi called these type of songs as "Daeseeya Sangeetha", and he is perfectly right in calling them so as there is definitely a 'Sinhaleseness' in all those songs.

His compositions, dwell on simple subjects like birds flowers, fruits, clouds, sun, village maidens etc.

They are very fascinating unlike the present day film songs, which dwell mainly on love. Song like Olu, Pipeela, Erabasa yanne Katharagammae, Bovitiya Lanka Lanka Rella Naganna, Ridee Walawe Kelamala, etc. etc. have stirred the imagination of both young and old.

Sunil Santhi's music is in the film "Rekawa", which is considered to be one of the best Sinhalese films, is a challenge to most of our film producers, who yet think that there are no competent men to provide music for Sinhalese films.

W. M. BANDARA

Kandy.

ලංකාදීප, වර්ෂ 1948 ක්වූ ජූලි මස 16 වෙනි සිකුරාදා

සිංහල සංගීතය නොදියුණු මන්ද?

මෙතම් හිසින් ඔබ පත්හි සුනිල් ශාන්ත විසින් පළකරවන්ට යෙදුන ලිපිය නැරඹූ අපට ඒ පිළිබඳව අප අදහස් ද දක්වා ලන්නට ඉඩ දුන මැනවි. සිංහල සංගීතය සිංහල "රාග" අනුව ගැයුව යුතුය යනු අපේහැඟුමයි. සිංහල සංගීතයට "අපර දිග තාල" වැද්ද දෙන්නට යෑම විහිළුවකි. සිංහලත්වය අකාමකා දැමීමකි. මෙය මෙසේ අවධාරණයෙන් කිව යුතුව තිබෙන්නේ අපට ගුවන් විදුලි මගින් අසන්ට ලැබෙත සිංහල විවිධ ප්‍රසංග වැඩි හරියක්ම අපරදිග තාල-රාග අන්ධානුකරණයෙන් පිළියෙල වන ඒවා හෙයිනි. මෙය සිංහල සංගීතය ප්‍රිය කරන්නන්ට නොරුස්සන්නකි. සිංහල සංගීතයේ "තත්ත්වය" රැක ගන්නට නම් මෙයට වහා ප්‍රතිකර්මයක් කිරීම අවශ්‍යයි. මෙයට සිංහල සංගීතය ප්‍රිය කරන්නන්ගේ සැළකිල්ල යොමුවේවා!

ජේ. සමරජීව
ලෝරන්ස් විද්‍යාලය
කොළඹ.

'LANGUAGE VEHICLE OF
CULTURE'

PROFESSOR AT CUMARANATUNGA
CELEBRATIONS

"Language is the vehicle of our culture," said Professor G. P. Malalasekera, when he presided at the Munidasa Cumaranatunga celebrations held at the Central Y.M.C.A. on Tuesday.

"We have recently had a stirring call to patriotism", he said, "but I am afraid the response cannot but he feeble until we have the requiste factors for the growth of a fervant love of what is our very own. Among these language holds a most prominent place for it enshrines our thoughts and our aspirations. it is the vehicle of our culture, the culture which has been the envy of others for centuries."

The celebrations began by the Chairman garlanding a portrait of the late Mr. Munidasa Cumaranatunga. A Number of speeches were delivered dwelling on Mr. Cumaranatunga's skill as a poet and a writer and on his services for the rehabilitation of Sinhalese. Among the speakers were Rev. Kodagoda Nanaloka, Rev. Father Marceline de Costa and Mr. R. Tennekoon, Mr. A Gunawardena read a paper on Mr. Cumaranatunga's poetry.

The proceedings were interspersed with recitals of songs by Sunil Shanti
and his troupe.

6.3.1948
D.N.

කුමරතුඟු කිවියාව

CUMARATUNGA AS A POET

කුමරතුඟු කිවියාවෙන් හෙළ සගනුව
ලත් පණ.

යම් රැසෙකැ නියම පුබුදුවට එ රැසේ සියත් සගයුව ද මහ මැ පිටු බලයක් ලා දෙන බව ලොවැ කොහිත් එක්වන් පතළයි. හෙළ රැසට ද එ වන් සගයුවක් වු සැටි පහයා දුන් එක් මැ තැනැත්තෝ කුමරතුගු මුනිදස්හු යැ. ඒ එ තැනට මෙ තැනට නොණය වූ, නොගැති වූ, මෙ දෙසට මැ පෙවෙණි සගයුවක් වූ බව දක්වා නැඟෙයි හෙළ මීයැසියේ පළමු වන වෙළුම. මුනිදසුන් ගේ කිවියාව සගයුවෙහි ලා ද පිරී ඉතිරී පවත්නා සැටි ඒ එක් වෙළුම මැ එක හෙළා හෙළි කෙරේ. ඔවුන් සිතා පතා සිටි සේ මැ එහි සෙසු වෙළුම් ද එළියට වඩනා පින් පෑදිණි නම් සගයු රුවනාර-සංගීත රත්නාකරය - බඳු මහ සගයු ගත් පවා ඉතා හක වැ පෙනෙන අයුරු එ පිළිබඳ වෙසෙස් තතු උසස් ලෙස දන්නෝ කියා - පාති.

මුනිදසුන් මතු කළ සගයු නියර මැනවින් පිරික්සා එහි විදුහුරු බව සපුරා දුටු කෙනෙකි සගයු වෙසරද - සංගීත විශාරද - සුනිල්  සාන්තයෝ. අද එ නියරේ පිහිටා හෙළ සගයුව පණ පිහිටුවා එහි විසිතුරු දස අතට පාන්නට කැප වී එ වෙසර දුන් නැඟී සිටිනුයේ එ හෙයින් බව ඔවුන් මැ වදාරණ බණයි.

LETTERS TO THE EDITOR

NATIONAL ANTHEM
The Editor "Ceylon Daily News."

Sir, -Will you allow us the courtesy of your columns to make a few observations on the matter of choosing a suitable National Anthem for Ceylon. There are two main requisites for a National Anthem. First, a stirring yet simple melody capable of being
sung by all classes of people. Secondly, words with such a patriotic flavor that young and old of all races and communities will, when singing them, be united in a common love for Ceylon and a desire to serve her. In view of the three main languages spoken in Ceylon, it may be necessary to have versions of the words in Sinhalese, Tamil and English which could be sung to one common tune.

It must be borne in mind that our National Anthem will, on certain occasions, such as the arrival of the Governor-General or the Opening of Parliament be played by a brass band or string orchestra. At school prizegivings it will be sung by boys and girls in different parts of the island. The general public should be able to sing it lustily at the commencement or conclusion of concerts and plays.

This being so, the choice of a National Anthem for Ceylon becomes a matter of national concern. We understand that, in India, the Government is appointing a Committee of experts to select the Indian National Anthem.

There is a report in the press that a private individual has very enterprisingly offered a prize of Rs. 1,000 for the best composition of an anthem for Lanka.

May we make the following suggestions:- (1) That the new Parliament appoint a committee of experts consisting of musicians and scholars to select a suitable anthem, (2) That the competition be widely publicised in the English, Sinhalese and Tamil newspapers, (3) That competitors be invited to record their compositions at the Colombo Broadcasting Station. We are sure the Broadcasting authorities will readily co-operate in this matter. (4)
That all or a selected proportion of the entries (with numbers and no names of composers mentioned) be played over the Radio during good listening hours. (5) That the general public be invited to listen in and vote for the best anthem. (6) That the Committee of judges select the most suitable one, in their opinion, for the National Anthem, taking into consideration the votes cast by popular acclaim.

In this way the anthem selected will have the virtue of being tested both by expert opinion and popular taste.
-Yours etc.

IRENE R. VANDERWALL
T. V. SARAVANAMUTTU
SUNIL SANTHI
SURYA SENA

Colombo, Oct. 17.

21.10.1947 D.N.