Serendipity 8 by Serendipity Magazine

Life. Luxury. Sri Lanka

the magazine for the global sri lankan community

From New York City

The Return of Ranidu The music superstar back with a new album From London

Kishani Jayasinghe

The Royal Opera Houseâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s Lankan sensation

From Galle

The Literary Issue

With Man Booker Prize winner Kiran Desai, Carl Muller, Yasmin Gooneratne and much more

issue 8

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52 66 18 34

contents 10 Kothu The latest news on arts and culture

34 Seven Days in Paradise The ultimate guide to Sri Lankan superluxury

12 Serendipity Spring Party Heating it up in May – Serendipity style!

52 Diva-tastic! Kishani Jayasinghe takes over The Royal Opera House

15 A Thousand Words Gemunu Amarasinghe 18 Hip Hotels Fortress Living 28 Riding the Red Carpet BAFTA winner Asitha Ameresekere

58 The Galle Literary Festival 2007 A visual review 66 Chatting with Uncle Carl Carl Muller, uncensored and unleashed 72 The Art of Complexity A chat with Man Booker Prize Winner, Kiran Desai

78 Wild Cinnamon and Winter Skin Poems by Seni Seneviratne 82 The Sweet and Simple Kind Literary delights from Yasmine Gooneratne’s latest offering 90 The Return of Ranidu New Album. New image. He’s back. 98 Making a Difference HelpLanka style

editor’s letter We’re back and we’re bigger than ever! Due to loads of you telling us that you were hungry for more, Serendipity’s bumped up to 104 pages of delicious content. But as you’ll see on the following pages, we haven’t sacriﬁced quality for quantity. This issue, we’re focusing on words….the state of Sri Lankan literature has never been better and we’re proud to have championed it in every issue. We’ve always worked to showcase the best talent, from Booker nominees like Romesh Gunasekara to fantastic new talent like Shiromi Pinto (editorial disclaimer: the fact that she’s also our very talented Fiction Editor has nothing to do with it).

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And this issue, we bring you a feast for the senses; Booker prize winner Kiran Desai, talking about life and inspiration, an interview with one of my heroes and grand old man of Sri Lankan letters Carl Muller, fresh new poetry from Seni Senivaratne, plus an exclusive excerpt from Yasmine Gooneratne’s Commonwealth Prize-nominated ‘A Sweet and Simple Kind’. There’s also all the action from the Galle Literary Festival, which has now won the coveted prize of being the best Literary Festival in the world, awarded by Harpers Bazaar, no less. But wait….there’s more! Proﬁles of the Royal Opera House’s Lankan soprano, Kishani Jayasinghe, BAFTA-Award winner Asitha Amerasekera and the multi-talented musician and our cover star Ranidu Lankage. It’s just fantastic to see Sri Lankans around the world achieving so much and we’re pleased as punch to be able to share their success with you. If you’d like to come and celebrate, then come to our Serendipity Spring Party in London on May 19th where we’re going to be rocking with Big Ted from Kiss 100 and Viran from the Blue Elephant together with his DJ partner-in-crime Jan. Its going to be spectacular! Details on page 12. From our family to yours, much love

Afdhel, Tony & the Serendipity Team feedback@serendipitymag.net PS – don’t forget to ﬁll in our questionnaire on page 9; we’d like to hear what you think about the magazine and how we can make it better.

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Published by Diasporic Media Ltd. Mailing address: Flat 6, 134 Elgin Avenue, London W9 2NS Email: letters@serendipitymag.net Publisher: Tony Thirulinganathan Editor: Afdhel Aziz Deputy Editor: Suranga Rajapakse Sales and Marketing Director: – Sam Goonatillake

Art Director: Geoff Cowan Picture Editor: Aleﬁya Akbarally Writers: Aleﬁya Akbarally, Taryn La Brooy, Navin Ratnayake, Tashiya Mirando Fiction Editor: Shiromi Pinto Occasional Editor and Fashion Icon: Nihal Arthanayake Cover image - Prasad Ranaweera

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Life. Luxury. Sri Lanka

Serendipity Magazine

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Would you like to take part in a Serendipity Magazine focus group please tick ❏ yes ❏ no If you include your business card or address details you qualify to enter the SERENDIPITY prize draw where a lucky winner will enjoy 4 days Bed and Breakfast for 2 at The Eden Resort and Spa and 3 nights at the Galle Face Regency wing Colombopthe sumptuous …Colombo courtesy of Elegant Travels www.eleganttravels.co.uk Validity dates and conditions apply .

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The best of Sri Lankan arts, culture and beyond…

SARI BAR ODEL recently launched a fresh and innovative concept in the form of the Sari Bar. This unique innovation in retail design features a stunning range of haute couture from big-ticket Indian designers like Tarun Tahiliani, Malini Ramani and Ravi Bajaj. Located at the exclusive and recently renovated Ladies SELECT section, 10

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the Sari Bar is the ﬁrst of its kind in terms of its retail offering. Moreover, ODEL has extended its collection of designers housed at SELECT by introducing exclusive prêt a porter pieces that have been individually hand picked from a selection of fashion houses in London, Milan and Paris.

IQONS April saw the launch of IQONS - iqons. com, a free on-line community focused on fashion and style for everyone from star designers and fashion photographers to fashion fans and consumers. Through IQONS, members get an opportunity to network and connect with fashion retailers, models, manufacturers and like-minded people around the world. Co founded by

Sri Lankan Suran Goonatilake and Rafael Jimenez, the site boasts rich and timely content generated by its members, and has a structure committed to providing support to new talent around the world in partnership with established fashion leaders. Stay tuned as we explore the world of IQONS in next month’s issue.

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image courtesy ODEL

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party people

Spring Party Words: Tashiya Mirando

On May 19th, Serendipity brings you one night of smooth grooves and chilled out vibes at the Agenda Bar in London. >> 12

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party people

A Thousand Words This section aims to showcase the work of exciting new photographers from around the world. Whatever the subject matter, we’re looking for a single image that is worth – you guessed it – a thousand words. If you’re interested in seeing your work here, please email our Picture Editor Aleﬁya, at aleﬁya@serendipitymag.net

This picture: A boy participates in a preparation event ahead of his ordaining ceremony as novices or Samanera in Anuradhapura. Though the minimum age for ordaining as a Buddhist monk is 20 years, boys under that age are allowed to ordain as novices. Novices shave their heads, wear the yellow robes, and observe ten basic precepts.

The photographer Gemunu Amarasinghe

With a sublime mix of R&B, hip hop and house from world class DJ’s Big Ted (Kiss 100), the legendary Viran from the Blue Elephant in Colombo and his partner Jan, the night is most deﬁnitely going to be rocking out until the wee hours of the morning. So if you’d like to party hard and make full use of this great opportunity, join us on the 19th at Agenda. To purchase your tickets, just contact Sam Goonetillake on 07963 331138 or email us at party@serendipitymag.net

A self taught photographer began freelancing in 1991 and Specializes in travel photography. Worked mainly in islands close to the equator, where there is plenty of light through out the year and a warm ocean to dive into. Photographs of Zanzibar, Seychelles, Reunion, Mauritius, Maldives, and the east coast of Africa have been featured in major travel magazines and he has contributed to guide books on India, Sri Lanka & Mauritius. Co authored The Maldives Celebrations with writer Royston Ellis.

His inﬂuences Eugene Smith, John McConnico, Royston Ellis.

His favourite Lankan things Sarong.

His dream assignment Long term social documentary work in the east coast of Sri Lanka.

Spring Party Date: Saturday 19th May, 9pm –3am

About his camera bag Canon 1D & a few lenses. + Photographer’s raincoat, leatherman. To ﬁnd out more about Gemunu’s work, email: gemunua@gmail.com

Venue: Agenda Lounge Bar and Club www.agendabar.co.uk Tickets: £15 advance, £20 at the door (Mixed Groups get priority entry) Dress: Smart Casual

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ÂŠ Gemunu Amarasinghe

a thousand words

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Hip Hotels

The Fortress Words: AleďŹ ya Akbarally Pix: Courtesy of The Fortress

It was one of those very long weekends when life in Colombo almost seemed like it was at a standstill. Making a beeline out of the city, I was on my way to Yala when I decided to make an impulsive stop over at one of the most talked-about hotels in recent times; The Fortress.

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hip hotels “The mood is set, the senses delighted and it seems you’ve left all your worries outside those gigantic doors.”

Some 20 km from the city of Galle, you deﬁnitely know when you’ve arrived at The Fortress. Greeted by the massive wooden arched doors, you enter through a smaller version carved out below. Immediately your eyes are directed straight ahead to the combined open reception and lounge, inﬁnity pool and then beyond, all the way up to the sea. The mood is set, the senses delighted and it seems you’ve left all your worries outside those gigantic doors.

Pix: Isuru Perera

After sampling some of the lightly infused iced tea from the hotels very own tea lounge, you are settled into your very own Fortress Room, with its open planned bathroom with bath and private garden balcony. Guests are then given their very own ipod for the duration of the stay, which plugs in to the rooms cutting edge entertainment system and samples some of the best of contemporary pop.

Deciding to explore the hotel’s great spaces, I start at Pepper and end at T; don’t get too serendipity

confused though, I’m referring to the restaurant and teahouse! Pepper, set alongside the pool and the Indian Ocean offers cuisine combining the tastes of old Ceylon and modern Asia. Dishes include The Fortress Banana Blossom Salad, The Lagoon Crab in Black Pepper Gravy and the most excellent Aroma Marinated Mirissa Reef Snapper. Aside from its succulent and tailor made menu, The Fortress goes one step further and prides itself in being the ﬁrst to launch its signature designed glass cutlery range, an innovation of Hunter Reynolds, the former Food and Beverage Executive Assistant Manager. The glassware is used in the exclusive setting of the Wine_, a translucent glass enclosure showcasing over 2,000 bottles of the ﬁnest wines available in the country. Old meets new, and sommelier Julien Pagliuchi promises to tantalize the senses and taste buds with a personalised dinner and tutored tastings for twelve very lucky guests. >> serendipity

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â&#x20AC;&#x153;classical elegance, hip avant-garde and breathtaking sea views meet seamlessly at The Fortress.â&#x20AC;? >>

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hip hotels “The in-room bath menu includes choices of a champagne bath laced in sensual oils or a nourishing honey and milk bath.”

Stepping outside and around the corner lies Heat, a laid back al fresco restaurant. A quick glance at the menu and guests will soon discover an unfulfilled appetite waiting to be satisfied. Moving on to the rooms, the Per Aquum experience aims to bring sensual living within the walls of the Fortress. Design reminiscent of classical Dutch architecture merges here with contemporary accents and post modern furniture; classical elegance, hip avant-garde and breathtaking sea views meet seamlessly at The Fortress. Aside from The Fortress Room, other styles include the Beach Room, the Ocean Room, the Ocean Loft and 2 very exclusive Fortress Residencies. All rooms offer super king size beds with Frette Egyptian cotton sheets in a choice of three colours, as well as its very own Pillow Menu. The in-room bath menu includes choices of a champagne bath laced in sensual oils or a nourishing honey and milk bath. The hotel also offers all-round wifi access and a handpicked DVD and book library. Pix: Alefiya Akbarally

It is clear that the resort prided its self on attention to detail and offers an excellent range of tailor-made packages to suit each and every visitor. Top recommendations range from Destination Dining, where guests can enjoy a private dinner in the hotels private gardens or beach, to a comprehensive menu of tours outside

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The Fortress - be it hiking through a rainforest, meandering through the Galle Fort or introducing oneself to folk arts and batiks of Sri Lanka. The highlight of my stay was yet to come when I indulged myself in a massage treatment at the hotel’s Lime – ‘An addictive experience getting straight to the core of the cutting edge in Wellness’. Visitors to the spa will be received by DR Prabha Weeranataka, The Fortress’s very own in-house Ayurvedic doctor. With her help, guests go through a comprehensive questionnaire to determine each person’s individual Dosha. Ayurvedic thought states that each individual is one or a combination of three Doshas; Vata, Pitta and Kapha, which are responsible for determining the functioning of a human being. When the three reside undisturbed in the body and soul, it is said that the person is balanced. However when unbalanced, they could be the cause of illness and deterioration. Vata (Wind) determines the condition of the chest and throat and this Dosha is key. While Pitta (Bile) and Kapha (Mucus) control the liver, eyes and skin and the stomach, head and joints respectively. Having determined I was a Pitta – Kapha, I was advised to take in lots of ﬂuids, and stay away from crabs (sigh!), prawns, tomatoes, pineapple and citrus fruits. With this, a personalized massage was created for me and I was taken >> serendipity

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to a peaceful and spacious treatment room by an Indian therapist. While I enjoyed the ‘Determine your Dosha’ massage, other massages also offered are Abhyanga; a synergized massage stimulating the energy ﬂow whilst clearing impurities from the body and Shirodhara; which offers to clear ones stressful thoughts. Aside from Ayurveda, other techniques offered are Reiki, the Japanese practice of healing and stress reduction and Yoga, be it a personalized or group sessions. After a most heavenly massage, guests are recommended to take in the evening with the edgy groove, style and music of the Sea Lounge. Make sure to sit on the funky bubble seat and treat yourself to a special array of cocktails; The Bombay Sapphire Martini with a Ceylon Blue Sapphire, should most certainly be a top priority. By nightfall, The Fortress is magically transformed, principally due to the changing

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colour and mood of the ﬁber-optic lights scattered in the large swimming pool, allowing guests to relax at the poolside whilst actually looking down upon the stars. The next day, I bid a sad farewell to The Fortress. Driving out through those massive doors heralds the end of a most pleasant and relaxing stay. I have just one complaint to make about the entire experience; time at The Fortress simply ﬂies! Oh well, there’s always the trip back to Colombo, I suppose. Maybe another impromptu stop was just what the Ayurvedic doctor ordered?

THE FORTRESS PO Box 126, Galle, Sri Lanka TEL + 94 91 438 0909 FAX +94 91 438 0338 EMAIL info@thefortress.lk WEB www.thefortress.lk

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people

Asitha Ameresekere used to be a teacher. After that he was a librarian. And then he won a BAFTA. His story is as amazing as his award winning short film - Do Not Erase. It tells the story of a family that sends video diaries to their 19-year-old son, fighting in Iraq; when the son goes missing, the family struggles to cope and the video becomes a lot more than just a mere diary. The 29-minute film was shot at three locations, used one camera, and a dog named Sprout. Needless to say, we had to ask him why. Congratulations for being the BAFTA WINNER for Best Short Film in 2007. Your film, was written in 2 days, shot in 3 days, and edited in 2 days. Why the short time frame?

Interview: Tashiya Mirando

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and also almost entirely shot indoors. With only nine people in the team, it was not a logistical nightmare on the shoot, and we’d worked hard on the pre-production. It helped that almost all the interior scenes were shot in a single location. The Thank you! The nature of the film essentially editing was a matter of assembling the 10 scenes decided the way we should shoot it, and this film into an order: as there was nothing to cut to, the just didn’t require a lengthy shooting schedule. process was different from a lot of films in postThe way I usually work is to think about a story production: I knew when shooting it that I was for a while, in this case two years, before writing effectively cutting at the same time, which was a anything down. I had to place myself in the wonderfully challenging way to work. The other mind of a 40-something working-class northern reason for the short turn-around time was money. mother of two, and approach the situation from Since it was self-funded, I didn’t have to wait for her point of view. I knew everything else would funds, or answer to financiers. Any queries I had fall into place once I arrived there, so writing I discussed with the team. Besides, we were all the film was relatively quick. The film is a video doing this in our spare time, so we had to get on diary where the camera is static for the most part, with it! >> with any movement dictated by the characters, serendipity

people Tell us a little bit about your winning cast and team.

“I am working with the same crew for my next project, and they will continue to teach me, as they did on Do Not Erase.”

How much time have you got?! Quite simply the kind of team I’d always want to work with. We are like a family. It took a while to assemble the crew, and all on the strength of a synopsis I’d written. I then searched for the cast by attending as many showcases and fringe plays in London as I could; I found Jeanette, our lead actress first, then Peter and Sasha. Thankfully they looked similar, which helped as they were playing a family! I then wrote the script. The first time everyone met was on the first day of shooting and I knew instantly we’d have fun making the film. The story brought us all together and the fervour with which everyone worked was truly amazing. I’d always known that the quality of the catering on a shoot is paramount which is why our chef Georgie was by far the most popular member of the team! I think the most important thing I can do for actors and crew on a set is to create a safe environment for them to take risks in and be vulnerable, which often leads to their best work. They all bonded so well that they created this environment themselves, while maintaining an attitude of professionalism, something that often disappears quickly in low-budget short films. I am working with the same crew for my next project, and they will continue to teach me, as they did on ‘Do Not Erase.’ What was the reaction to the first screening of the film in London’s Soho House? It was screened to the cast, crew & supporters for the first time at Soho House and I think the reaction was surprise. They didn’t really talk to me about it till a few days afterwards… which meant it stuck in their minds for a while! They felt it was one of those films that they wouldn’t mind watching repeatedly, grabbing a new aspect from each viewing. I remember the projectionist telling me how much he was moved by it. For me, the screening was giving

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something back to the people who’d created it. The first time it was screened publicly was several months and film festival rejections later, at the Hamburg International Short Film Festival where it won the Audience Award for Best Film. How did it feel to be invited by the Sri Lankan High Commissioner and screen your film at No 13 Hyde Park Gardens? This was the highest honour we could imagine. I remember the High Commissioner greeting me on the night saying, ‘It’s like we’ve all won!’ And she was absolutely right! It was the first time since the BAFTAs that the entire cast and crew had come together and we all felt it was a very special night. And how honoured did we feel when at least 100 people arrived, watched the film (2 screenings to fit everyone in) and celebrated afterwards? It was a wonderful time for my family and friends also and I didn’t want it to end. It was something to celebrate as a country and to think that we’d created that opportunity was quite humbling to say the least. The countdown to your big moment at the BAFTA ceremony was excellent. What was the idea behind it? If you are referring to the article I wrote for the BBC website, they contacted me soon after the BAFTAs and suggested a kind of diary from the time of being nominated. We decided it would be perhaps better to do a countdown of the ceremony day - and it was a strange day for me. I became a little anxious at the glamorous aspect of it – not really my style – but as soon as Jeanette and I arrived, it turned out to be a most comfortable atmosphere, almost a reflective time. During the ceremony, I did think a lot about what we’d achieved with such limited resources and reaffirmed my belief that anything is possible when you are passionate about a story. >>

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people How does it feel to be the ﬁrst Sri Lankan to win a BAFTA?

powerful mediums in the world was an attractive proposition.

Well that’s a pretty special feeling. I haven’t been back to Colombo since this all happened but could almost hear them celebrating for a couple of weeks afterwards! It’s a great privilege and honour and I just feel very proud.

When did your interest for storytelling begin and how?

Any advice to Sri Lankans coming into the industry? It’s a difficult industry to crack into. At some point you’ve got to ask yourself why you’re doing this. As long as you enjoy the process, which can be long, arduous, and involve not having a social life for stretches of time, then carry on. But the process also rewards you in ways you could never get from any other industry, and most importantly, teaches you about yourself, constantly challenging you and widening your horizons. Finish what you start, and believe in yourself and your team, is the advice I’d give. That, and have the courage to fail as well as succeed. You have been a classicist, teacher, and librarian. How did writing screenplays and making films come about? It kicked off at Bristol University where I began writing and directing stage plays. The move to film happened more or less at the California Institute of the Arts where the emphasis was on acting, writing, and directing, and the medium through which you practised these crafts was left to you. For me, the story dictates the format whether it be a short film, short story, feature, novel or play. As technology advanced and allowed almost anyone to make films themselves, the emphasis fell back onto the script and what subjects I wanted to explore. My generation was brought up surrounded by film, taking us to places we’d never dreamed existed and challenged our concepts of reality and morality. To delve into these areas using one of the most

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It all began with Classics. Reading Greek myth, tragedy, & comedy as a child, then watching films of the 1950s & 60s based on these stories is enough to trigger any kid’s imagination into overdrive. So writing stories began quite early: anything I couldn’t explain could be explored through a story, even if they weren’t true. And this would lead to others, like a web. As I read more, the options became greater and the intricacies more appealing. But I’m still learning and hopefully always will be! How has the industry treated you so far? I don’t really have much experience of the industry! The most difficult aspect is trying to get your work read or seen by the establishment. This is why I chose a long time ago not to seek help from the powers that be and instead use the tools I’d learnt to create things myself with the help of like-minded people. ‘Do Not Erase’ is a testament to that. Since the BAFTA, doors have opened in terms of getting things read and seen which is important. It’s a learning curve for me because the industry is a business and I’m only just dipping my foot in right now. What are you currently involved in? I’ve been developing a feature screenplay set in Mexico for the last 2 years about people smuggling. We are set to shoot another short film in September, because I love short film! I’m just starting work on another feature which I’d like to direct set against the Iraqi conflict again. And I’ll be re-working my novella this year also. It’s always been the case that several projects go on at once at different stages with me. When one is ready to be shot or written, then the others stay on the backburner till it’s their turn. My head is like a very large 24-hour kitchen.

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Seven Days in Paradise Words: Navin Ratnayake and Suranga Rajapakse

Pix: Jetwing Hotels & Sri Lanka InStyle

Sri Lanka’s unique combination of palm-lined beaches, stunning mountain ranges and ancient archeological wonders mean that you can get a lifetime’s ﬁll of the tropical tourist experience in as little as seven days. Still, a week of traveling across the country doesn’t mean you can’t do it in style. Serendipity is proud to present an itinerary that combines the essential experiences of the island, all mixed up into a smooth cocktail of style, ﬂair and superluxury.

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Down South Galle- Mirissa After arriving at the Bandaranaike International Airport, jump straight into your private SriLankan Air Taxi, before being whisked away to Bentota, a sleepy coastal town 62 KM south of Colombo. A quick ride in the Mercedes Benz that’s quietly awaiting your arrival and you are well on your way to a magical week ahead.

Pix: Aleﬁya Akbarally

The island’s most romantic city, Galle blends the past with the present, the native with the colonial. Marking the landing of the first Portuguese fleet led by Laurenco De Almeida almost five centuries ago, it is home to the magnificent 400 year old Fort, one of the best preserved examples of 17th century colonial fortifications in the world.

After taking in the majesty of the Galle Fort, head over at Point Sud, located 40 minutes south of Galle in Mirissa. Hidden amid ﬁshing villages and palm fringed beaches, this cliff top manor house boasts a most spectacular ocean view. Take a cool dip in the long inﬁnity pool before lying back on the garden terrace to watch the sun set beyond the passing ships. Bliss.

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Safari Pix: © Maas Ramli Mohamed for Kulu Safaris

Kataragama- Yala Next stop is the ancient town of Kataragama, a site that was even noted by Ptolemy as a place of worship. The site revolves around the cult of Skanda, the son of Shiva, whose trident or spear is buried at the site. The deity’s image is depicted either with six heads and 12 hands, or one head and 4 hands. If you time your visit around July and August you can see the amazing feats of the ﬁre walkers during the devotional processions. After taking in the sights and sounds of the sacred city, head over to the Yala National Park. Sri Lanka is one of the best places to see elephants, with the largest gatherings of the animal anywhere in the world and the park also boasts one of the highest concentrations of leopards in the wild. Kulu Safaris will guide you throughout your wildlife adventure in the park. After a long day, spend the evening staring up at the stars and sipping some cold beer before enjoying a delectable gourmet dinner at your very own ‘living room’ tent. Finally retire for the night into a luxury tent, complete with a queen sized bed and a hot shower. 38

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Tea Country Nuwara Eliya - Bogawantalawa Nuwara Eliya is the main hill resort of the country and the heart of the tea industry. A pleasure retreat for the European planters during the colonial era, the town still retains much if its old-world charm, hence its nickname ‘Little England’. The capital of the country’s tea industry, the scenery around Nuwara Eliya is quite breathtaking with miles upon miles if tea plantations all around.

Pix: Sri Lanka In Style

After traveling to Nuwara Eliya by private helicopter courtesy of Deccan Aviation, take a break from all that sight-seeing and tee off at 6,000 feet above sea level at the Nuwara Eliya Golf Club. The 117 year old course is considered one of the most naturally scenic golf courses in the world and is a most welcome distraction to any visitor. Afterwards, make your home at the Ceylon Tea Trails, in one of the classic colonial bungalows built for British tea estate managers in the days of the Raj. Situated on a working tea estate, each house come with its own manager, chef & butler so be prepared to be pampered. Take an evening stroll through the estate and visit the nearby factory for a lesson making the perfect cuppa.

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The Hill Capital Kandy – Pinnawela Before its fall to the British in 1815, Kandy was the capital city of the last remaining independent kingdom in Sri Lanka. Located 500 metres above sea level, it is home to the gold canopied Temple of the Tooth and preserves its function as the religious capital of the Sinhalese as well as a place of pilgrimage for Buddhists. In the months of July and August, visitors can also experience the grand Esala Perehera, a grand festive procession showcasing ﬁre-dances, whip-dances and richly decorated elephants, all carried out with much pomp and pageantry.

Pix: Aleﬁya Akbarally

After a tour through the city and the surrounding highlands, make sure to stop over at the Pinnawela Elephant Orphanage before taking to the Sanmara for the night. Nestled on the slopes of Coconut Hill this private villa blends luxury and privacy with style and ﬁnesse. Take in the stunning greens of the Victoria Golf course against the soothing backdrop of the brooding Victoria reservoir before unwinding in the Jacuzzi and dreamily reminiscing of what has been a most eventful day.

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Tomb Raiding Anuradhapura- Polonnaruwa Anuradhapura, was Sri Lanka’s ﬁrst capital, and the royal capital for more than 100 Sri Lankan kings. At its prime, the city ranked beside Nineveh and Babylon in its colossal proportions—its four walls, each 16 miles long, enclosed an area of 256 square miles.

Pix: Jetwing Hotels & Sri Lanka InStyle

Polonnaruwa was the second capital of Sri Lanka after the destruction of Anuradhapura in 993. A fascinating archeological desitnation, The Gal Vihara rock temple and ancient temple architecture are master pieces of Sri Lankan art. Besides the Brahmanic monuments built by the Cholas it also showcases the monumental ruins of the fabulous garden-city created by Parakramabahu I in the 12th century.

Getting from Kandy to this district involves another short and scenic ﬂight on your private Air Taxi. After the day’s explorations, make your way to Vil Uyana, the ultimate chill out destination in the area. One of the most spectacular tourism developments in the world, Vil Uyana is a matrix of wetland and organic paddy studded with luxurious dwellings and an island spa. The Plunge pools, butler service and the beautiful surroundings are just some of the features to put your mind at complete peace.

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On Top of the World

Pix: Aleﬁya Akbarally

The Dambulla Cave Temple is the largest and best-preserved cave temple complex in the country. Featuring ancient paintings and statures, there are total of 153 Buddha statues, three statues of Sri Lankan kings and four statues of Gods and Goddesses. The murals, covers an area of 2,100 square meters.

To make your experience completely unique, allow Adventure Asia to give you the bird’s eye view; literally. Picking you up from Vil Uyana at dawn, they’ll chauffeur you straight to the take-off point, alongside the Kandalama Tank. After that it’s up and away in your very own hot air balloon and at a thousand feet high, we’ll guarantee you won’t want to come down. After you do though, there’ll be a champagne breakfast all laid out for you. A perfect way to start the day, don’t you think? serendipity

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Pix: Jetwing and Sri Lanka in Style

Sigiriya – Dambulla The Lion Rock palace of Sigiriya was built by King Kasyapa as a fortress as well as a pleasure drome in the 4th century AD. Considered by some as the eighth wonder of the world, the site showcases the remains of an upper palace on the ﬂat top of the rock, a mid-level terrace that includes the Lion Gate and the mirror wall with its frescoes, and the moats and walls that surround the lower palace, all still exquisitely beautiful.

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The City Life Colombo While all things must come to an end, it’s important to ﬁnish with a bang! Your private helicopter will pick you straight from Vil Uyana and take you directly to the island’s commercial capital. The sleepless city of Colombo offers an endless array of shops, bars and restaurants, all waiting to be explored. Make sure you head to ODEL or Barefoot to get your hands on some excellent souvenirs, be it colourful batiks or beautiful hand made sculptures.

Pix: Bayleaf Bar: Aleﬁya Akbarally

Keep the champagne ﬂowing at one of the many nightclubs or casinos before heading back to the Galle Face Regency in the wee hours of the morning for a short siesta. Located in the heart of Colombo, the Regency is all about style, sophistication and luxury. If you prefer a quiet night instead, make sure to visit the hotel’s renowned restaurant, 1864, for a private tour of their ﬁrst rate wine cellar, followed by a most satisfying dining experience.

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feature For further information on booking destinations, travel options or anything else related to having the most fabulous time in Sri Lanka, the people listed below are most deﬁnitely the experts you should be chatting to:

Elegant Travels Ltd. Sumendra Edward 169 High Street, Barnet, Hertfordshire EN5 5SU, UK TEL + 44 (0)7841 602412 FAX +44 (0)1845 571328 EMAIL sumendra@eleganttravels.co.uk WEB www.eleganttravels.co.uk Eden Villas 65A Lighthouse Street, Fort, Galle, Sri Lanka TEL +94 91 2232569 FAX +94 91 2232568 EMAIL tom@edenvillasinsrilanka.com WEB www.edenvillasinsrilanka.com Sri Lanka In Style 23, Galle Face Court II, Colombo 03, Sri Lanka TEL +94 11 2396666 FAX +94 11 2396669 EMAIL info@srilankainstyle.com WEB www.srilankainstyle.com

Sri Lankan Air Taxi TEL +94 19733 3355/ +94 19733 2638-9 FAX +94 19733 5615 EMAIL airtaxi@srilankan.aero WEB www.srilankan.aero/airtaxi Deccan Aviation The Landmark, Level 6, 385 Galle Road, Colombo 3, Sri Lanka TEL +94 11 2370000 FAX +94 112370011 EMAIL info@simpliﬂy.com WEB www.deccanhelicopters.com The Kulu Safari Company No 6 Alfred House Road Colombo 3 Sri Lanka TEL +94 11 2599450 FAX +9411 2501287 EMAIL safari@kulusafaris.com WEB www.kulusafaris.com

Pix: Tashiya Mirando

Adventure Asia No.18, Elliot Place, Borella, Colombo 08. TEL +94 11 5368468/ +94 11 2681455 Jetwing Hotels EMAIL info@ad-asia.com Jetwing House, 46/26, Navam Mawatha, Colombo WEB www.ad-asia.com 02, Sri Lanka TEL +94 11 5545711-2 FAX +94 11 2345729 EMAIL hotels@jetwing.lk WEB www.jetwinghotels.com

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Now a in pa vailable perb ack

music

Diva-tastic Interview: Tashiya Mirando Pix: Shehani Fernando

At 28 years of age, Kishani Jayasinghe is living the stuff that dreams are made of. After completing her Masters of Law at Nottingham, life seemed set; legal practice, marriage, kids. Then she changed her mind. After four months of intense vocal training and one rapid career change, Kishani was awarded a scholarship to study opera at the Royal Academy of Music, where she gained a Masters in Opera . She made her Royal Opera House debut as Chloe in The Queen of Spade , followed by Ines in Il trovatore., Kishani is most definitely not looking back. Serendipity recently caught up with Sri Lanka’s budding Diva to chat about music, milestones and marriage. When did you first start your vocal training? I first started singing in Sri Lanka with Mary Anne David, at the age of seven.

So I stayed on in Nottingham to do my Masters in Law and simultaneously prepare for music school auditions with Pam. Four years of Law school seemed like a cake walk compared to those four When did you decided to pursue operatic months of vocal training! However, the hard work singing as a career? paid off and I was awarded a scholarship to study Opera was always something I grew up listening to at home. As much as I loved singing, and knew opera at the Royal Academy of Music. I had more than an average talent for it, I never How intense is your daily training? thought to make it my career. On an average day, I try to put in at least I came to England to study Law and at the end of my Bachelors degree I met a singing teacher in Nottingham called Pamela Cook. She was the catalyst and made me believe that I could make a successful career as an opera singer and that most of all, I owed it to myself to give it a chance. 52

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three hours of pure singing and then there’s the language coaching, acting, stage craft and physical training, so all in all it’s a full day’s work! However, there’s never a set routine and each day is different. When we’re in production, it can take up to nine hours a day. It all >> serendipity

music “I try to put in at least three hours of pure singing and then there’s the language coaching, acting, stage craft and physical training,”

depends on the scale of the production, size of the cast, the role, conductor and director. What would you consider as the biggest break in your singing career? Winning the soprano place on the 2006 Jette Parker Young Artist Programme at the Royal Opera House, Covent Garden. It was like a fairytale; three months after I left the Royal Academy of Music, I was doing my Royal Opera House debut!

glamorous legal dramas during my teenage years! Law was an established career path which would have enabled me to also have a ‘life’ since I also wanted to be happily married and have kids - the whole nine yards. At the back of my mind, I wanted to go into a career that would allow me to keep singing.

I am now a full time professional opera singer though, and Law is very much on the shelf – that title only rears its head when I’m looking >> How has the industry treated you so far? Has through my contracts and when it’s necessary to dispel any myths about singers and intelligence! race been an issue at all? Things have been absolutely incredible, and I Describe your Royal Opera debut as Chloe in feel blessed to be in this position so early on in The Queen of Spades? my operatic journey. I don’t feel my opportunities The most magical feeling in the world – second have been hindered by my race or colour; If only to what I felt the day Kaveenga and I got anything, I think it has been seen as exotic and married! Singing on that stage for the ﬁrst time I feel very lucky to be in this unique position! In as a principal artist was a thrill like no other the end, if you’re good enough, have a good work and the icing on the cake was coming out to take ethic and believe in yourself - irrespective of a solo bow during the curtain call! Realising race or colour - you will make it. that you’re lucky enough to live a dream is What was the hardest decision you had to make in your career? To ditch the legal career and become an Opera singer! So how did Law come in to the picture? When I was growing up, I always fancied being a lawyer – probably a result of watching too many 54

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indescribable. How does it feel to be the ﬁrst Sri Lankan to sing as a principal artist at the Royal Opera House? A very great honour. In many ways, I feel I have a duty to be an ‘ambassador’ for Sri Lanka and South Asia in the mainstream opera >> serendipity

music “…never be afraid to try and have the courage to live your dream.”

world, and I am very privileged to have that opportunity. I am immensely proud and very, very happy to ﬂy the Sri Lankan ﬂag on the best operatic stage in the world!

being a newly-wed has added a ‘sparkle’ to it! Being completely in love and being loved back so completely in return makes the heart and soul happy, which in turn is great for singing!

Any advice to Sri Lankans coming into the industry? As long as you have the talent and the determination to stay the course, anything is possible. So never be afraid to try and have the courage to live your dream.

What are you currently involved in? What plans for the future? I am currently involved in Verdi’s Il trovatore. It is an amazing opera, and my colleagues are some of the best singers in the world. Added to that the production is fabulous and the costumes are to die for!

You recently got married in Colombo, Congratulations! Will that change any of your career ambitions in the future? Thank you! My husband Kaveenga is the most incredible man I know and at the risk of sounding like a cliché, he’s the love of my life, soulmate, best friend and my very raison d’etre. He’s very proud of my chosen career and immensely supportive of my seeing it through. In time, it is inevitable that I will make certain career decisions based on my personal life, for my husband and eventually children will be the centre of my world. But having Kaveenga in my life has strengthened my very core, and added a whole other dimension to my life, which I’m told is reﬂected in my singing. My teacher says 56

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As for what the future holds, I am going to be the best Soprano that I can possibly be. The ultimate goal being to become an internationally renowned opera singer, and a pioneer of this art form in South Asia – not to mention putting Sri Lanka on the ‘Operatic Map’! However at this moment in time, life is pure bliss. I’m married to the man of my dreams who makes my whole world sparkle; I have an amazing family that one could only wish for; friends who are as loyal as siblings; and a career that I love which is very challenging, dynamic and feeds my soul. In a nutshell, I feel like the luckiest woman in the world! serendipity

literature

The Galle Literary Festival Words: Afdhel Aziz Pix: Shehani Fernando

Serendipity was pleased to support the inaugural Galle Literary Festival held in January. As our words and pictures over the next few pages show, it was an event that was both sophisticated and thought-provoking. We bring you exclusive interviews with the Old Lion of Sri Lankan letters – Carl Muller, an in-depth chat with the lovely Kiran Desai, author of the Man Booker Prize winning The Inheritance of Loss, and ﬁnally a excerpt from Yasmine Goonaratne’s newest novel, The Sweet and Simple Kind. 58

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from top left clockwise, Ashok Ferry, Channa Daswatte, Nury Vittachi, David Robson 60

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Pix: Aleﬁya Akbarally

“Our lineup for 2008 promises to be even more exciting with Michael Ondaatje, Jung Chang, John Julius Norwich, Shyam Selvadurai, Vikram Seth... and Anita and Kiran Desai all expressing an interest to attend. And this is just the beginning!” - Geoffry Dobbs

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Literary discussion at Lunuganga, Bentota

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Pix: Aleﬁya Akbarally

“The Number One Literary Festival in the world” – Harper’s Bazaar UK, Feb 2007

from top left clockwise, Mark Tully, David Blacker, Suketu Mehta, Madhur Jaffrey 62

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literature Koluu does his thang at the LightHouse Hotel, Galle.

2008 Galle Literary Festival Dates Conﬁrmed “The mix of literary chat, long walks on gorgeous beaches, the wonderful setting and the constant succession of mouthwatering literary lunches and dinners made it quite different from any other book festival I have ever been to. The perfect reconciliation of hedonism and bookish highmindedness” – William Dalrymple 64

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The dates for the 2008 Galle Literary Festival have now been conﬁrmed. The festival will take place from the 16th to the 20th of January 2008. For more info log on to www.galleliteraryfestival.com serendipity

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Muller, sharing a joke with Serendipity Editor Afdhel Aziz

Chatting with Uncle Carl Words: Taryn La Brooy

Pix: Shehani Fernando

Under normal circumstances it would be unfair to deﬁne an author by only one of his books, but it’s impossible not to do so with this man - Carl Muller, the author considered by many to have coined the phrase ‘Burgher book’. The book in question, The Jam Fruit Tree, created shock waves which were felt far beyond the shores of Sri Lanka and eventually went on to win him the Graetian Prize in 1993. Muller has since gone on to write many more Burgher books, short stories and poetry.

Taryn La Brooy chatted up the author over a cup of Dilmah at the recently concluded Galle Literary Festival. What followed was Muller at his best. serendipity

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people “I say what I want and don’t give a damn!”

It may have come as a shock to some at the Galle Literary Festival that Carl Muller, the robust, blustering giant of the Sri Lankan literary scene is now a wizened, grey-haired little figure of 72. However, it was a relief to see that his dauntless spirit and sharp tongue had not been diminished, as he did what readers have come to love (and some have come to despise) about him – tell it as it is. “My books are pretty autobiographical,” he said, when asked where he drew inspiration for his writing; a fact most of us true fans had already figured out, but were delighted to hear, first hand, some of the stories he has so vividly depicted in his books. “I was a regular runabout. I was sacked from this school, sacked from that school…So how was I supposed to learn anything if I didn’t read? I began stealing my father’s money and buying books.” As for how he became a writer in the first place is a mystery even to himself. “I came from a very ordinary middle class Burgher family, with a father who drank a bottle of arrack a day,” he chuckled. “We never had anything to be proud about as a family. I never thought in all my life I would be a writer!”

“Do you think they might also envy your liberation?” I ventured. “Yes, and I’ll tell you why: I say what I want and don’t give a damn!” As one Burgher to another I asked him how the Burgher community was faring in Sri Lanka now. “Is Burgher identity and culture being lost since they all left?” I asked. “You won’t ﬁnd it quite the way it was when the Burghers were a force to be reckoned with in Sri Lanka, but although they have diluted, the few remaining Burghers here, they’re holding their own,” he stated ﬁrmly. “They’re damn strong.” Pix: Isuru Perera

I pointed out that some of his harshest criticism

comes from other Burghers. “Why do you think that is?” I asked. “They resent me dragging it all out into the open,” he declared. “My brothers and sisters and aunts all say, ‘Why are you writing this? We never carried on like that!’ But I’m telling it as it is, no holds barred,” referring, of course, to the explicit sexual nature of all of his characters. “You’ll ﬁnd the other Burgher books as a sort of gloriﬁcation; all the skeletons neatly tucked away, all the sins swept under the linoleum. The Dutch Burgher Union here brands me as some kind of apostate, but I don’t give a shit.”

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people “You know what they say, a girl in every port. Well, I got one girl’s name tattooed on my right arm, another on my left, and one who I didn’t like very much tattooed on my backside, so I can sit on her!”

More importantly, he says, they have gained something by staying – an icon-like status. Once the ruling majority, the handful left today are considered something of a novelty. “We are respected, even admired by the Sinhalese for staying,” is Muller’s opinion. “Many of the Burghers got uppity and left, saying we speak English, we can’t learn Sinhala, and have since developed a sort of snobbery over the ‘unfortunates’ who stayed behind. But I say, what’s wrong with Sinhala? Who sells me my groceries? Who repairs my car? We deal with Sinhalese every day! We’re in this country, so we need to learn the language. I’m a dab hand at the language myself and because I love this land and enjoy being as much a Sinhalese as an unrepentant Burgher!” Moving on from personal tales, he launched into an attack on the Graetian Prize committee: “We have to see that the judges come from abroad because what’s happening now is that this year’s judges are next year’s entrants!” The publishing industry of Sri Lanka, something he is evidently passionate about, was also given an earful. “Publishing in this country is a farce. It has come to a point where companies demand that the authors pay for the publication of their books. What the hell is this, good authors having 70

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to pay to have their work published?” Summing things up with what may be called a Mullerisim: “Anyway, those are my feelings about it, you all can disagree with me if you want, it doesn’t matter to me, I don’t give a shit!” He even treated us to some characteristic humour, chatting about his navy days. “You know what they say, a girl in every port. Well, I got one girl’s name tattooed on my right arm, another on my left, and one who I didn’t like very much tattooed on my backside, so I can sit on her!” Muller has a self-confessed weakness for women, evident not only in his books but also throughout the morning, as he ﬂirted shamelessly with everything in a skirt in the room. “I’ll tell you what, how about I divorce my wife and marry you!” he called to one young lady in the audience, causing the blushing maiden to sit down in a hurry, as the audience roared. If that’s anything to go by, it’s our fervent hope that we be treated to many more years of Mullerisms, such as this one - Muller’s concluding statement (which revealed the marshmallow heart that beats beneath the bluster): “Thank you very much for putting up with me.” Carl – it’s a pleasure.

Diasporic Media Diasporic media is the company behind Serendipity magazine. for opportunities in the following areas: Publishing Solutions (magazines & books) TV, Radio and Print Advertising Media and Marketing Solutions

email us on info@diasporicmedia.com

people The steady rise of Asian writers in the West ﬁnds a new heroine in the form of Kiran Desai, winner of the Man Booker Prize 2007 (previous winners have included Salman Rushdie, Michael Ondaatje and Arundhati Roy). The Booker Prize has always been seen as a barometer of contemporary ﬁction, a stamp of quality for those readers who wish to be seen as discerning. Kiran Desai was born in India in 1971, and was educated in India, in England, and the United States where she studied creative writing at Columbia University. Her sophomore novel shows its class and style, as it tells the story of an embattled old judge living at the foot of Mount Kanchenjunga, whose quiet life is thrown into turmoil by the arrival of his grand daughter Sai, a Westernised Indian brought up by English nuns. She embarks on an affair with her maths tutor, Gyan, an Indo-Nepali man who comes from a poor family. (The book has also roused a real life controversy - what has incensed locals in the town of Kalimpong, where the book is set, is the negative portrayal of people of Nepalese descent, who form the bulk of the town’s 60,000 people.)

The Art of Complexity Words: Afdhel Aziz Pix: Shehani Fernando

One of the nicer things about the Galle Literary Festival was the relaxed informality with which we were able to meet authors who would otherwise be shielded by a phalanx of PR handlers and minders. When one of the authors just happens to be the current winner of the Man Booker Prize,one of the most prestigious literary prizes in the world, an award she won for her lush and intriguing work The Inheritance of Loss, it’s an added bonus to ﬁnd that the said author is also charming, unguarded and an absolute delight to talk to. Serendipity sat down with Kiran Desai for a chat about class, labels and Brooklyn. 72

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In sharp contrast, on the other side of the world, the son of the judge’s cook stumbles from one depressing illegal immigrant job to another in New York, hoping for the simple luxuries of life ‘ a sofa, TV, bank account’ as he tries to access the American dream. An absorbing and beautifully written read, a certain sweet irony also lies in the fact that Kiran’s mother, the well-known author Anita Desai has been shortlisted three times for the prize but never won. Well, at least they keep it in the family, Asian-style.

it – that writing about one’s own culture is almost a rite of passage for new writers. That you have to write about it as a theme and get it out of your system, and then it frees you up to write about other topics, some of which may have nothing to do with your culture whatsoever? People do say that, that your first book is autobiographical. My first book was not autobiographical. I don’t know if it holds true necessarily. Look at people like Rohinton Mistry for instance, he’s never left Bombay, and he’s never left the time period he writes about which is the 1980’s in India. So I don’t know if it’s as simple as that. I think the obvious answer to me is that it’s the only place which has the emotional depth, the historical depth that you are looking for when writing a novel. I can only go so far when writing an American story with American characters, you can go quite close to the culture…but what their grandparents said behind closed doors is beyond me. I cannot imagine it. But when I’m writing about Indian grand parents, I still may not know exactly what happened, but there is an instinct, there is an instinctive knowledge, an ability to imagine what might have happened. But you know, I think everyone’s sort of floundering over the question. But is the sword that kind of cuts through the Gordian knot about doing primary research? I mean some of the aspects of the book that you’ve written , especially about Biddu living in America, leading that third class citizen life , an immigrant sharing a room with fourteen men, how did you do that primary research, how did you get into that world?

One of the deﬁning themes of the whole festival has been over the whole ‘insideroutsider’ dilemma – one which is the central That world also started by growing up in India topic of discussion in literary academia. and realising that you can’t write a story about ‘Does one have to be an outsider to the middle class Indians without also writing the culture to be able to write about it properly?’ parallel story of all the people who work for those I’d like to take a slightly different tack to middle class Indians. And poverty is very >> serendipity

people close when you’re growing up in India. Growing up in India, you are very aware that those stories are part of your daily life, and your emotional experiences of people who are sometimes closer to you than your own family and know you more intimately, the side behind the façade. It’s not right to just tell one story – there’s another story which is equally important if not more important because it’s less highlighted – and it’s the same people. You know if you get into a taxi in New York… the stories aren’t difﬁcult to ﬁnd, my God sometimes you get an epic story. I think perhaps you’re right – that perhaps the greater divide in Asian literature is not about race but actually about class. About writers not writing outside of the middle class milieu that they come from? Yes. I don’t know why that is. Because I think once I started writing this book, I became very aware that I couldn’t just focus on my story and it didn’t make sense to only see it from the perspective of my own story. The story of immigration… you can’t look at it without looking at the past and you can’t look at it without looking at different classes who have immigrated. That’s so much a part of any argument, any debate. It’s mysterious to me why writers don’t do it more.

“I get all kinds of labels and they all irritate me!” 74

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You know, in New York where you live, one of my favourite places is Ellis Island, which was the main entry point for immigrants into the US for decades. It’s a temple of immigration, and what’s fascinating about it is going and seeing current ﬁrst generation immigrants, you know Sikhs in turbans and their wives and their children in pushchairs, going and reading about immigrants who arrived in 1812. It’s a very moving experience. You know, I’ve never been there. It sounds fascinating. But what’s interesting about

immigration in America is that once you arrive, in terms of the debate going on, it suddenly becomes totally American – about the Pledge of Allegiance, saluting the flag… all those rites of passage. But it seems to me the American focus can sometimes be a huge disadvantage, I mean in terms of their relationship with the other half of the world, and a total inability to get on with them. Its like one half of the brain doesn’t work. How much does living in New York influence you? A lot, I think. A lot. Really ? What is it about living there? It took me a while to adjust to living there and see my home there and eventually I felt at home there to some degree. Because it’s a very easy city to write in but also an easy city to depart from. I guess I’m like a typical immigrant… I decided to let complexity live on and New York is a good city for that to happen. Which part of the city do you live in? I live in Brooklyn now [laughs]. All the writers live in Brooklyn now. Let me take a step back – why did you do a science degree? Was there a part of you which wanted to become a scientise? I switched in the middle. I think I mislead myself, probably thinking I didn’t want to go into fiction; my mothers a writer, I should do something else. I loved science but it was a fake affection and this felt much deeper. Was there an epiphany, a moment where you said ‘Hang on a second’? Yes…as soon as I wrote my first short story, that was it. My affinity to science never went as deeply. >> serendipity

people Another question – you said something about the title of the book embarrassing you? Well, as a writer sometimes I think you need to almost direct your critics. And with a title like this I think people interpreted it as being entirely gloomy and expected it as such, whereas what I did want to do was show the richness of immigrant life. Even in these basement kitchens, life is difficult but you know the connections made are connections the upper class can’t make at all. You know the upper class can’t sit there living in incredibly close proximity to someone from Zanzibar, from Malaysia, from Mexico. I did want to show that …and it is a funny book too. But I think a lot of people took it only as a serious book. You’re right, I liked the passages where there’s the crazy American swearing at the Hudson River and Biddu hurries by pretending he doesn’t speak English, they’re very funny. There is a deceptive amount of humour in that book. It’s difficult to get humour in writing but I think this subject, the mixing of people, always does result in it. I mean it’s sad as well but people coming out of difficult times always have a good store of jokes, even people, for instance, coming out of the Holocaust. I think it was nice the way the book ended on a very personal reunion, instead of some big political scene. I think it was very joyful at the end as well, about how in the middle of historical turmoil, as long as two people can find happiness, that’s really great. What kind of labels do you hate having applied to yourself? [Laughs] Well, I get all kinds of labels and they all irritate me! You get the whole South Asian woman, you get the whole coloured politics, all these responses which are purely based on the skin colour and you get thrown in with everybody 76

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and there’s no common conversation necessarily there at all! You know that sort of thing… to get called firmly an NRI (Non-Resident Indian), or get called firmly an immigrant writer, at the very moment where your own idea of yourself is getting more and more complicated. I have this theory that the first generation of Asian writers was obsessed with what they left behind, the second generation was obsessed with how to fit in to the new culture, and that there’s this third generation who are comfortable with a fluid identity and that there are other things they want to explore. Well, I think there are some people who are comfortable with living in both the East and the West, and who think they can have the best of both worlds …but that’s really a class thing. I’m not sure the same thing holds for say an illegal immigrant who’s at the periphery …there’s not even the opportunity for them to even immigrate in the first place. Its almost like the opposite of historical slavery. Whereas before you were forcibly taken from one place to another, today you have to by hook and crook pull yourself into the First world . Yes, [laughs]. By now the momentum is provided by ourselves.

Man Asian Literary Prize 2007

The ﬁrst Man Asian Literary Prize will be awarded in the Autumn of 2007 for an ‘Asian novel unpublished in English’ and each year thereafter. This major new literary prize aims to recognize the best of new Asian literature and to bring it to the attention of the world literary community. For more information please refer to www.manasianliteraryprize.org

Serendipity online www.serendipitymag.net

poetry

Wild Cinnamon & Winter Skin Seni Seneviratne is a writer, singer, photographer and performer. She was born in Leeds, Yorkshire in 1951 to an English mother and Sri Lankan father. She has been writing poetry since her early teens and was ﬁrst published in 1989. Her poetry and prose is published in the UK, Denmark, Canada and South Africa. Publications include: - ‘Flora Poetica’(Chatto & Windus); ‘British South Asian Poetry’(Redbeck); ‘Healing Strategies for Women at War’(Crocus); ‘Language of Water, Language of Fire’, (Oscars); ‘Talking Black’,(Cassell); ‘Bad Reputation’, (Yorkshire Arts Circus); ‘Miscegenation Blues’ (Sister Vision Press) and children’s anthologies - ‘Mixed Masala’(Macmillan); ‘Free My Mind’, (Hamish Hamilton).

Seni won second prize in the Margot Jane Memorial Poetry Prize, Onlywomen Press. She has given readings and performances in Vancouver, Cape Town, and around England. Seni’s collaborations include: a mixed media installation - ‘Memoried Mosaics’ which was exhibited in Sheffield’s Open Up event in 2004 and at Outwood Grange College, Wakefield; an art song for piano and voice - ‘Dandelion Clocks’ commissioned for Leeds Leider Festival and performed in October 2005; ‘A Wider View’ – verse accompanied by saxophone quartet, commissioned for Leeds launch of architecture week June 2006. Wild Cinnamon and Winter Skin is her first collection of poems. She is currently working on a novel.

Opus tesselatum Diminutive tesserae, bright shards of marble and glass paste – copper, cobalt, nickel, gold and lapis lazuli. My fingers, sticky with Pliny’s mortar, three parts sand to one part lime, bind the fragments of my shattered history. Terracotta cones play geometric games with pebbled stone and random shells in landscapes of enamel, where a flax dresser combs the bark of linum trees, lays it out on grass to bleach its yellow fibres linen white, breaks and swingles with the swipple of his flail. Ready for the loom, it makes a canvas for the seamstress, embroidering familiar gardens with her alphabet of stitches; who takes the pen from the fingers of the registrar and holds it, like a needle, above inky swirls of red and black. Her eyes close to the paper, she copies a cross-stitch to mark her name. Tessellated tales of agate, boiled in sugar, stained as black as onyx, pave the path of a sea-captain, landlocked by grief, who trails three motherless daughters across the Pennines, to Yorkshire, where a boot finisher, eighteen years old, abandons his waxing wheel to join a Regiment of Foot, and wear out thirteen pairs of regulation army soles to defend the British Raj. Pictographs in amethyst and turquoise, set at angles, catch the light in the courts of Seethawaka. A Mudliyar strokes the gold of his brocaded sash and dreams of grazing water buffalo in the hills of Rakwana, where a mother, haunted by a vision of an upturned rickshaw, bows her head before the wisdom of the astrologer’s charts, to save her unborn son. >>

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poetry Ochre-tinted grout smooths the rough edge of voices in the family of a lawyer’s daughter. She discards her Burgher name for love of a Sinhala, a poet buried under too many letters of the law, a barrister paid by the poor with sacks of mangosteens. The stories coil like ammonite, are etched in epitaphs sealed in unmarked graves, stamped on soldiers’ passbooks released from faded photographs, whispered through the centuries. I gather every bright shard, collect every broken piece, wash and polish, press them into place. The mortar is damp and yields to the touch.

Searching in an English garden for a love poem Dandelions punctuate the grass. Lost for words, I stare from the gazebo at the promise of magnolia, an archway still to flower, empty summer house beyond an aging wall, a veil of moss on stones. April in Devon and I know I do not love you like these faint whispers of an English early spring. I love you like that first July in Jo’burg, with all the clamour of the street traders and the winter sky as blue as the roses on your curtains. I love you like the seasons turned upside down, like the long wait between letters, like holding my breath until we touched again. Now in the grey days of your exile I love you so close that our borders blur and the details threaten to fly from my desperate pages. So I pin it down, this love, like pressed flowers. Prized protea, crimson and sturdy, seeded by fire, strutting strelitzia, bird of paradise petals flying, long-stemmed agapanthus, hiding its resilience – and the showy blooms of Namaqualand daisies giving every bend in our road a surprise of colour.

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The beautiful game Next issue out in July

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The Sweet and Simple Kind Author: Yasmine Gooneratne

Serendipity is pleased to be able to present an exclusive excerpt from Yasmine Gooneratne’s novel The Sweet and Simple Kind, which was shortlisted for the 2007 Commonwealth Writers Prize -the ﬁrst time ever that a novel published in Sri Lanka has been nominated for this prestigious prize. Yasmine however, has been shortlisted for her 2 previous novels; something of a record to hit the shortlist on three occasions!

Pix: Aleﬁya Akbarally

Resonant in its social insights and beautifully written, Yasmine Gooneratne creates a richly imagined world of love, political chicanery and family turmoil in the newly independent Sri Lanka of the 1950s and 60s. As a highly political family attempts to balance language with religion, and privilege with equity, two smart, sassy young women pursue their personal freedoms. The Sweet & Simple Kind enchants us with its combination of authenticity, humour and passion, and haunts us with reminders of what we were and what we might have been. >>

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fiction Like all their fellow First Years, Tsunami and Latha had heard plenty of horror stories about the University Rag. When, and what form the Rag might take this year, were as yet unknown, but stories were rife on campus about rags in the men’s Halls of Residence that had deteriorated rapidly from good-humoured ridicule to physical brutality, stories of violence that were calculated to spread fear and unease. One such rag, it seemed, had ended in a terrified student jumping from a second-floor window to escape from his tormentors. Could such a thing possibly happen at Sanghamitta? Late at night on the Saturday of her first week at Peradeniya, there was a knock on Tsunami’s door. Outside stood three Hall students whom Tsunami recognized as seniors, one of them a Fourth-Year who had been a class-mate of her sister Tara’s at school. They walked past her into her room without waiting for an invitation, and took their time looking around at her belongings before deigning to address her. When they did, it was in tones of the utmost hostility and contempt. ‘Stand up when we speak to you, fresher! Is your name T. Wijesinha?’ ‘Yes.’ ‘Where’s L.Wijesinha’s room?’ ‘Further along this corridor.’ ‘Go along there, fresher, and bring her here.’ Tsunami did not move. ‘Are you deaf, fresher? Didn’t you hear what I said?’ ‘I only hear requests,’ Tsunami replied. ‘I don’t hear orders. And kindly leave my room. I didn’t invite you to come in.’ The visitors looked at each other, and there was a moment’s silence before one of them spoke. When she did, it was to address the other two in

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ﬁction a high falsetto. ‘Please leave her bee-yootiful green-painted room. The little darling never asked you yakkos in!’ ‘I noticed she didn’t ask us to sit down, either,’ replied one of the group. ‘Very rude, very rude, they don’t seem to teach good manners in those Colombo schools. But we’re going to sit down, aren’t we?’ Two of the girls plumped themselves down on Tsunami’s green coverlet, while the third perched on her desk and sat there, swinging her legs. ‘All right, fresher. Let’s start again. Where are you from?’ ‘Matal,’ Tsunami said calmly. ‘Trying to be smart, ah? Not your hometown, fresher, your school.’ ‘Ashcombe School, in Colombo.’ ‘That’s better. She’s getting the point. This fresher isn’t quite as dumb as she looks …’ ‘Her hearing’s improved, too.’ ‘Now, listen to us, fresher! When you answer a question, answer it in the proper way. Say: “Great and respected seniors, august representatives of the Sanghamitta Hall Rag, I am a humble fresher from Ashcombe School, in Colombo”. Got that? Okay, now say it!’ I’ll see you fry in hell ﬁrst, Tsunami said to herself. You can’t possibly hit me or burn my books, so what else can you do? She stood perfectly still and silent, in the middle of the room, and looked at the wall in front of her. ‘You made a mistake, Sumana! This fresher is dumb …’ ‘May be deaf, too.’ ‘Poor child.’ Tsunami did not move, and after a moment or two

the seniors decided that a judicious retreat would be the best way to save face. ‘All right, fresher, in view of your severe disabilities, we’ll let you off the hook.’ ‘Especially as we have a few more calls to make.’ ‘But before we go, we have a sacred duty to perform.’ The speaker got up from the bed, and flung open the door of Tsunami’s wardrobe. All three crowded round, to examine the clothes on the hangers. ‘Ooh, nice, very nice … Dadda’s got heaps of big bucks, hasn’t he? Look at this … and this! Never mind, we’ll choose your wardrobe for Monday’s lectures.’ That evening, Tsunami, Latha and Amali inspected the ‘wardrobes’ that had been selected by the Hall seniors for their first public appearance at lectures on campus. The ‘august representatives of the Sanghamitta Hall Rag’ had decreed that Latha’s sari was to be worn at knee-length, and her hair fastened with a table fork. Amali was commanded to wear a petticoat instead of a sari, and had been ordered to walk barefoot to the Arts Building, with her shoes suspended from shoelaces around her neck. Surveying the wardrobe chosen for Tsunami, even Latha and Amali had to smile. A pale green sari, with the elegant bedside rug her aunt Moira had chosen worn as a shawl around her shoulders, her hair in tight plaits tied with green butterfly bows … ‘They must really loathe me,’ Tsunami said. ‘Not at all,’ Latha said. ‘They think you’re privileged, and can do with being taken down a peg or two. So they’re trying to make you look comic and silly.’ ‘Well, I’m not going to wear this stuff,’ said her cousin. ‘You’re not?’ Amali was astonished. ‘But you must, Tsunami. They’ll never forgive you if you

don’t.’ ‘So what? I’ll survive.’ ‘Just think of me,’ Latha said. ‘Walking into my ﬁrst lecture at Peradeniya with a sari up to my knees, and a fork in my hair. I ask you! Could anything be worse?’ ‘And it’s only for that one day,’ Amali put in. ‘The one morning, really. We can change after lunch.’ With great difﬁculty, Latha and Amali managed to talk Tsunami into a more amenable frame of mind. As they left Sanghamitta Hall after breakfast, clad in their prescribed attire, they passed a group of their fellow First Years, who were being compelled to do PT exercises on the front lawn under the watchful eye of two seniors. Oh, the poor things, Latha thought. And in their beautifully pressed new saris, too … The girls’ progress to the lecture halls was impeded by groups of senior male students, whose amused smiles they pretended not to see. But they had still to run the gauntlet of Arunachalam Hall, from the lawn of which came the hoots and catcalls that they were to know from then on as the signature of the Peradeniya male. ‘Ado, sweetheart!’ ‘Look at me, darling! Why so shy?’ ‘Wait a little, honey, not so fast! I’ll keep you company …’ A young man ran full tilt down the steep slope of Arunachalam Hill, and fell prostrate at Amali’s feet. ‘Marry me, darling,’ he said, his hand on his heart. A group of his classmates surrounded the pair, and encouraged his wooing with enthusiastic cheers and boos. Cars passing by on the Galaha Road slowed down to a crawl, the better to observe the legendary Rag.

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fiction ‘Keep walking, Amali,’ said Tsunami, through gritted teeth. ‘Take no notice.’ They reached the Arts Building at last, and found their way to the lecture hall. A burst of applause greeted their entrance through the swing doors. All the seats in the first eight rows were occupied by grinning male students, and the three girls had to climb up a seemingly endless flight of steps to find seats. To their relief the daïs was unoccupied. They had evidently arrived early, and their lecturer had not yet put in an appearance. ‘Well, thank goodness for that,’ breathed Latha. She took her satchel from her shoulder, and opened it to take out of it the first of the Monitor exercise books her father had given her. An arm reached over her head and a hand snatched the satchel from her grasp. In a moment, she saw it tossed high in the air by one student, and caught by another. Helpless, she watched her property passed from hand to hand down the rows of laughing and cat-calling students, until, when it reached the front row, a student grabbed it and leaped with it on to the daïs. To prolonged applause, he offered his prize to the audience for auction. ‘Ladies and gentlemen, I have been offered ten rupees for this extremely elegant handbag. Ten rupees! Ten rupees! Any advance on ten rupees?’ ‘Nine-fifty.’ ‘Eight.’ ‘Fifty cents!’ ‘Any advance on fifty cents? Going, going …’ The doors swung open, and Dr Ian Vanden Driesen walked in, his black academic gown flapping behind him, to deliver the first First Year lecture in Economics. As Dr Vanden Driesen ascended the steps on one side of the dais, the auctioneer jumped down the steps on the otherside, and took his place innocently in the front row. Taking no notice whatever of him,

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fiction and ignoring the welcoming cheers of the front rows, Dr Vanden Driesen adjusted his gown and set his notes and books before him on the lectern. Latha, thankful that at least the contents of her satchel had not been auctioned in individual lots, resigned herself to the loss of her property, and borrowed paper and a pencil from Tsunami. The lecture began, continued, and ended without further incident. At its close, Latha rose from her place, and looking neither to left nor right, descended the steps with dignity. A group of male students pushed past her, and as if by magic, her satchel was returned to her hand. Once outside the swing doors, she opened it. The little money purse inside was intact, and pinned to her exercise book was a note. Thank you for being such a good sport. ***** At the Himalaya, where Latha saw movie after movie with her cousins, the price of a seat was one rupee and ten cents. For fifty cents you could have a place on a bench right under the screen, but for one-ten, cinemagoers were offered their choice of a seat in one of a dozen rows of canebottomed wooden chairs. In the crevices of those chairs there lurked, Aunt Helen said, generations of bed bugs. She warned Latha that as soon as the lights dimmed, those bugs would emerge and do their worst. The boys were all right, their trousers and shorts protected them, and Tara was old enough to wear some very smart slacks her mother had brought back for her from London. But Tsunami and Latha, in their short dresses, spent most of the time wriggling and squirming in their seats, their eyes glued to the flickering screen. Later, Aunt Helen would put calamine lotion on their bumps and weals, and suggest that next time the little girls might like to take a cushion each along with them. Her Aunt Helen also armed Latha against another kind of predator, the two-legged kind. On an early visit to the cinema with her cousins – the

film was Samsara, a Hindi movie epic which went on and on, as Ranil said, for several life-cycles, not just one – Tara leaned over to Tsunami and Latha just before the lights dimmed for the first part of the program, and gave them each a large, wicked-looking safety pin. ‘Here you are,’ she said. ‘If anyone bothers either of you while the film is showing, you can reach behind you with one of these, and let them have it!’ She had a similar safety pin in her own hand, and was prepared, it seemed, for any eventuality. The lights dimmed, and the newsreels began, followed by the trailers of films to come. Not knowing what to expect, Latha sat for a while wondering what Tara had meant. Nobody ‘bothered’ her, except of course the bugs. But as soon as the lights dimmed again for the main feature, and her attention, which had been temporarily distracted by vendors of devilled cashews and chocolates, was re-focused on the screen, Latha became aware that in the darkness of the theatre the empty seats in the row behind her had become occupied. Nothing untoward happened, so she forgot all about what Tara had said, and concentrated on the heroine’s problems. Until at last, very very quietly, a mysterious movement began at the back of her seat. The first touch, when it came, could have been accidental: people do put their feet on the seats in front of them, after all. Latha paid no attention, but after a while bare toes began to prod and tickle her in a way that could not by any means have been accidental. She turned her head sharply and looked over her shoulder. A man was seated directly behind her, his eyes fixed intently on the screen. Latha turned back to the movie. After a few moments, the prodding and tickling began again. She nudged Tsunami, and whispered her predicament to her. ‘Sure it’s him?’ Tsunami whispered. ‘Yes.’

‘Okay.’ She kept her eyes fixed on the screen. ‘You know what you’ve got to do, Latha. Get your pin ready, don’t let on you’ve noticed, then go ahead, and jab!’ Latha opened her safety pin and held it in position. The tickling and probing began again. She counted to ten while slowly, stealthily, she reached behind her. Suddenly, without any warning, she brought the pin down hard, and encountered bare flesh. A sharp intake of breath could be heard from the row behind her. ‘Well done, Latha. You scored!’ Tsunami said. She turned round quickly in her seat. Latha was too frightened and shy to look, but Tsunami was just in time to see a shadowy figure jump up in the darkness, and make quickly for the exit. ‘You drew blood that time,’ Tara said with ghoulish satisfaction, on the other side of Latha. She sounded very pleased. ‘It’ll be a long time before he tries anything like that again.’ Tara and Tsunami called this kind of thing ‘being bothered’ or ‘being interfered with’. Apparently it happened all the time at cinemas, though not to the boys. So if you were female and enjoyed going to the movies, you simply made use of the Safety Pin Strategy to deal with it. Most of the American movies Latha saw during those holidays were westerns and musicals. ‘Remember the Alamo!’ became a catch-phrase for the three girls, while ‘A man’s gotta do what a man’s gotta do’ was practically done to death by Chris and Colin. Latha accepted everything she saw on the screen as part of the natural order of things. It did not, for instance, strike her as being in the least odd that Carmen Miranda should tape a bowl full of fruit to the top of her head, or that traffic in New York should come to a halt while Doris Day or Betty Grable (attended by a flock of chorus girls attired as bridesmaids) was wedded to Howard Keel or John Payne in the middle of Fifth Avenue. What fantasies the boys entertained Latha never found out, but she and serendipity

fiction Tsunami longed to weave flower garlands like Dorothy Lamour, or surface smiling among floating waterlilies like Esther Williams. A few American movies came to Ceylon by way of India, where they had been censored in accordance with the Government of India’s strict standards of propriety. Even severer than Soma Wijesinha on ‘harmful matters’, the Indian censors cut every kiss out of every movie on principle: the result, Latha found, was extraordinarily frustrating – against a shimmering moonlit landscape the actors’ hands would touch, their smouldering glances connect, and a thrilling dialogue would develop on the screen which was clearly leading to an embrace and a passionate kiss, and then – just at what Latha and Tsunami would, if they had known the term, have called the crucial moment – CUT! and the children would find themselves looking at a day-time view of the Grand Canyon or the Rocky Mountains. Latha discovered that her cousins had turned this particular frustration into comic entertainment. She never forgot her first experience of this practice, which occurred during a showing of an India-censored version of The Rains Came, in which any symptom of tenderness between the Indian doctor and the English heroine had been sternly deleted for fear of giving Britain’s Indian subjects inappropriate ideas and thereby undermining the authority of Empire. The wooden expression of the American actor playing the Indian doctor under a heavy layer of suntan make-up took on, in these circumstances, a permanent air of irritation. His feelings were entirely understandable, but they were certainly not reflected in the one-ten seats where, as soon as a kiss was obviously imminent, the six Hamilton Falls children conducted an orchestrated countdown to the moment of non-consummation. ‘Ten!’ Ranil chanted sotto-voce, giving the signal, and the rest of them took up the cry in a sort of whispered hiss: ‘Nine–Eight–Seven–Six–Five– Four–Three–Two–One–Zero–CUT!’

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Pix: Isuru Perera

Emporium Gifts Uniquely different …… Contact Sampath tel : 0208 6691911 or email dalmeny14@aol.com

visit www.emporiumgifts.net

About the Author Yasmine Gooneratne was born in Colombo and educated in Sri Lanka, the United Kingdom and Australia. Acclaimed as a critic and as an editor she has earned an international reputation as a pioneer in the ﬁeld of Commonwealth Literature written in English. She has won many awards and prizes including being shortlisted for the Commonwealth Fiction Prize. She currently holds Emeritus Professorship at Macquarie University, NSW and divides her time between Australia and Sri Lanka. About the Publishing House The Perera Hussein Publishing House was formed in 2003 to enable and encourage talented South Asian writers to gain exposure and recognition by publishing their work. Maintaining high literary standards, PH is dedicated to publishing innovative work by emerging and established writers. For more information and to purchase a copy of the book which can be posted to the UK for: 14GBP (registered airmail) E-mail: ph-books@sltnet.lk Website: www.p-h.books.com

EMPORIUM offers an unique range of hand crafted, ethically produced gifts from Sri Lanka including : exquisite kithul or cinnamon wood picture frames, hand chiselled granite statues, hand painted collection of cushion covers & place settings & unusual masks made from Kullas.

Uniquely different ……

Contact Sampath tel : 0208 6691911 or email dalmeny14@aol.com Special 20% discount Offer to Serendipity readers in the UK till September 2007

music

The Return of Ranidu aweera and iiogroup.com Words: Afdhel Aziz Pix: Prasad Ran

Picture this…

venue is hot, on a cold Sunday night. Inside, the Hammersmith Town Hall in London, ing to the rock and s nine the to grounds, dressed rammed with Sri Lankans of all back osive expl ping drop ; forth and back l e. They prow sounds of four young men on stag ks hoo shed hop beats, mixed together with poli English rhymes over skittering hip for ons rtati exho and a t growing up in Sri Lank and melodies in Sinhala; lyrics abou , right an Asian version of the Wu Tang Clan hing watc like peace in the country. It’s to touch hed tretc outs s arm r thei row, t in the fron down to the screaming teenage girls of ion vers d stop the music to do a beatboxe the hands of their heroes. When they ory, hist – s esce coal ng ous baila song ever, ever ythi Surangani, probably the most fam present and future.

The crowd goes wild. >>

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One of the young men on stage is this man... RANIDU

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One of the icons of Sinhalese RnB and hip hop, he’s captured the imagination of the Sri Lankan masses with his breathtaking voice and enigmatic compositions. With his arsenal of wit, melody and sublime rhyming, he is responsible for single-handedly taken the genre of Sinhalese RnB/ pop to new heights internationally. Not only was he the ﬁrst Sinhalese artist to be played on BBC Radio1 but he was also responsible for the

ﬁrst Sinhalese single to be played on MTV and Channel V. To add to his mark in the industry, a song from his third album, dubbed Herde Keniththuwa and produced by Iraj, was the theme for the movie Anjalika which was released in the April of 2006. That was then. This is now. Enter his latest offering, Ranidu. >>

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music “Not only was he the ﬁrst Sinhalese artist to be played on BBC Radio1 but he was also responsible for the ﬁrst Sinhalese single to be played on MTV and Channel V.”

On this self-titled album, Ranidu has pulled together a diverse range of artistes including his long time friend and collaborator Iraj. West coast Rapper Delon, Anson of the DID Crew from Trinidad, Holee Smokez and the MDT crew from New york, Yohan Rakapakse, Yauwanan, Ranga D are just some of the other names featured on the new album. The first official single Paa Salamba Sala- featuring Anson was released on Radio1 and BBC Asian network in December ‘06 and was the first Sinhalese single to be on the A list of the Asian network. Currently, Ranidu, along with Iraj and the crew are busy putting together a tour of the US, Canada, Australia, Dubai, Cyprus and the UK. With all this activity 2007 seems to be just another record breaking year for Sri Lanka’s RnB ambassador. For more information regarding Ranidu and his upcoming tour, check out www.raniduonline.com 94

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Concert for Peace Coming Soon Watch this Space For more information log on to www.serendipitymag.net

making a difference

Making a Difference

HelpLanka Words: Taryn La Brooy Pix: Nalinda De Silva

Serendipity is pleased to introduce a new section to the magazine, one that casts a much needed spotlight on worthy charitable organisations and focuses on their work, achievements and how you can help further their cause. If you would like to nominate an organisation to be featured in this section, email us at feedback@serendipitymag.net

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making a difference

making a difference Anyone can join HelpLanka as a volunteer, advisor, coordinator or friend to help the charity continue their work. Making a regular donation to sponsor a child or getting involved in education and training at Sri Lankan schools through HelpLanka’s Volunteer Programme are just some of the ways you can help. For more information go to www.helplanka.co.uk Contact: 0870 112 8338/ 07963 331138 or e-mail info@helplanka.co.uk

Helplanka has proven yet again that they’re here for the long term with the launch of their latest project – The Mobile Library. Money raised by the Independanz concert organised by HelpLanka in London was used to buy a van in Sri Lanka, which has been turned into The Mobile Library. The event was sponsored by Sri Lankan Airlines and supported by HelpLanka’s patrons Bathiya Jayakody and Santhush Weeraman, who performed at the concert which attracted a one thousand-strong turn out. “I am very proud to say that we raised a huge amount of money towards The Mobile Library and it was fantastic to see so many people enjoying music and committed to helping disadvantaged children in Sri Lanka. Now we really can make a signiﬁcant difference in our long term work,” says Sam Goonetillake, Chief Executive of HelpLanka. Stocked with books donated by libraries and friends of HelpLanka, The Mobile Library will begin operation in July, starting in the Galle area. Nationwide Booksellers MD Gunasena will provide books locally and provide

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sponsored book vouchers for children. It will then visit all existing HelpLanka projects in Moratuwa, Panadura, Kalutara, Bentota, Matara, Hambantota, Tissamaharama, Kirinda and Batticaloa, providing reading programmes to children in tsunami affected schools. “We have spent a large chunk of the budget on purchasing a reconditioned vehicle. The remainder of the funds will be used for shipping the books, buying new books locally, staff wages and expenses for the driver and assistant as well as keeping money for repairs, new tyres, insurance, racking and diesel,” says Sam. “If we can manage further projects inland, depending on funding, we will endeavour to reach as many children as possible who need educational resources.” Twenty-ﬁve sixth formers from Somerset, UK will be the ﬁrst to travel with The Mobile Library to begin the reading programmes in Sri Lanka as part of the Volunteer Programme run by HelpLanka this July. “We also hope to obtain the support of our partner charities operating in Sri Lanka and offer

the service as an addition to their programmes. We want to share this valuable resource as we have managed to fulﬁl a much needed requirement,” says Sam. Some of HelpLanka’s supporters include organisations in the UK and Sri Lanka such as Ceylinco Group, as well as a plethora of generous donations from people eager to do their bit. HelpLanka has established an impressive network of partners in Sri Lanka and the UK and administers a successful school twinning project with 25 schools in the UK and in Sri Lanka. Set up as a UK Registered charity by 6 UK Sri Lankans in January 2005 with the immediate aim of helping children affected by the tsunami, HelpLanka has helped over 10000 children to date, providing food, shelter and education. While its speciﬁc objective is to help children in Sri Lanka affected by the tsunami, in the long term the charity aims to provide ongoing assistance in education, food and shelter for children in all areas including schools and orphanges inland.

shipments, medical assistance and funding, computers for schools, volunteer programmes, counselling and rebuilding schools in ten affected areas. In addition, HelpLanka have launched a counselling and trauma programme with UK Sri Lanka Trauma Group and Jigsaw4U, a project which shows impressive initiative and took considerable research. Plans for future projects include further development of sponsor programmes which fund the educational needs of individual children and rebuilding some of the damaged schools and orphanages on the east coast. A training and skills centre is also being planned to offer youngsters the opportunity of learning new skills to enable them to support themselves long term. HelpLanka is dedicated to helping all communities in Sri Lanka, an attribute reﬂected in the charity’s interfaith committee which comprises Buddhists, Christians, Hindus and Muslims. HelpLanka also uses an advisory committee composed of experienced social workers, childcare specialists and psychologists.

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Do you recognise this man? Next issue out in July