‘Handa Nihanda’ stage drama on 7 July

The Sri Lanka Association of Australia Awards Alumni (SLAAAA) presents ‘Handa Nihanda’ – Renunciation and Invasion, a stage drama written by Dr. Jayalath Manorathna, depicting the lives of artists, their creations and their social, economic, political and personal problems. The cast will put up two performances, which are scheduled to take the stage on 7 July at the Lionel Wendt Theatre. 

The first show will be at 2:30 p.m. and will be a dedicated performance for war heroes under the Ranaviru Sewa Authority and for children in homes managed by the Social Services Department of Sri Lanka. The show will also be open to students at concessionary rates. 

The proceeds of the second show, which is anticipated to be staged at 7 p.m., will be used for funding projects of the Sri Lanka Association of Australia Awards Alumni.

‘Handa Nihada’

The drama discusses the dual lives that performers lead owing to their presence in popular cutler across the eras; one in the public eye and the other with their innermost circle of family and friends. A not-so-subtle theme of the drama is the tug of war between the artistes and recording companies. This is brought to the limelight as the production introduces the humane side of the musicians who dedicate their time and energy to please their audience and fans. 

Basing itself on the life of a musician, the drama unfolds over three eras; initially covering the period from 1900-1930, subsequently the 1960s and lastly, the modern era. The play takes the audience on a journey from the gramophone era, to the era of iconic Sri Lankan musicians including Amaradeva, Sunil Shantha and Ananda Samarakoon and shares with the audience the thrill of their musical experiments and finally introduces the birth of music infused with western influence in its present form.

The drama also addresses the necessity to establish a system dedicated to the upkeep of the senior artistes who lack financial stability. The production cleverly plays off true stories as inspirations, where artistes have succumbed to the innate misfortune that arises at old age due to the failure to manage their finances better during the earlier, more successful stages of their life.

The drama exposes the lives of musicians, their creations and their social, economic, political and personal problems. The artistes being public figures, the drama discusses the dual lives they are forced to lead; one in the public eye and the other with their innermost circle. A not-so-subtle theme of the drama is and the tug of war between the artists and recording companies. 

This was brought out when showing the humane side of the musicians who are dedicating their time and energy to please others. The drama also addresses the necessity to establish a system to look after the senior artistes who are not financially well off, having true stories as inspirations, where artistes have succumbed to misfortune in their old age due to failure to manage their finances at earlier stages of life.  

The play evolves through dedication and convictions of five committed artists in the roles of James Silva played by veteran Jayalath Manoratne, Lawrence Fernando by Laxman Mendis, Marshall Perera by Sanjeewa Dissanayaka, Hector Almeida by Ravindra Yasas, and Martin Appuhamy by Nimal Jayasingha. 

Music industry and the musicians of Sri Lanka face a crisis, which the drama shows a clash between generations and culture. While the audience gets a chance to be familiar with the history through aesthetic means such as music and dance, the drama aims at passing down knowledge. 

The audience feels the grievance stirring in the minds of the dedicated artists of the yesteryear and, a silent majority who bear everything deep inside as dumb or deaf or may be both, with a neutral nod. The cry of lament and repentance, or a sad acceptance of an invasion by usurpers of art exploited as a commercialised commodity is presented by the sorry and irresistible plight of the great artists of the early 20th century of Sri Lanka.

Partnering organisations

A number of seats for the 2:30 p.m. stage play of ‘Handa Nihanda’ will be reserved for the Ranaviru Seva Authority and the Social Services Department of Sri Lanka. The Sri Lanka Association of Australia Awards Alumni also hopes to assist the two charities by connecting experts in various field within its membership so as to enable the charities to capitalise on the resources and expertise available at the disposal of the said experts.