Building musical bridges

Gayathri Khemadasa

Premasiri Khemadasa- Sri Lankan music-maker for the universe

Unearthing new talent

By Randima Attygalle

As the 17th death remembrance of Music Maestro Premasiri Khemadasa approaches, daughter Gayathri Khemadasa, an accomplished musician in her own right, shares her vision for realising what her father envisioned for the next generation.

“Imagine a seven-year-old interpreting the symphony of Golu Hadawatha as a kind of music which reverberates across the universe,” reflects Gayathri Khemadasa. The internationally reputed composer and musician who strives to keep the legacy of her father – Music Maestro Premasiri Khemadasa alive, through the Khemadasa Foundation, is riveted by the musical talent she discovers each day in the backwaters of the island through her school workshops. “On another occasion a youngster commented that perhaps the composer of Golu Hadawatha symphony himself may have been heart-broken,” chuckles Gayathri. Having pursued her music studies at the Prague Conservatory and Masaryk University in Czech Republic, when Gayathri could have made musical strides anywhere in the world, she returned home to continue the good work of her father’s. Today she is an accomplished musician in her own right.

“My father’s biggest dream was to give a chance to the next generation, a chance he never had because as a youngster he didn’t have the kind of teachers, mentors or educators that he was looking for or who would have taken him to that next level of music appreciation, to help think out of the box. But he would relentlessly search for that kind of experience. This is why he started what was then called Manjariya in the 60s (which later evolved into the Khemadasa Foundation (KF) in 1992) way before internationally reputed organisations such as Carnegie Halls’ Weill Music Institute (WMI) or El Sistema which provide free music education to children came into being. My father strived to enable a platform for creativity, to foster the musical talents of youngsters, especially those coming from underprivileged parts of the country,” remarks Gayathri who is presently heading the Foundation. 

All trainings are offered completely free of charge by the KF, and since its inception, the Foundation has trained hundreds of singers and musicians who have become notable performers across the country. Several of them have performed major compositions even abroad. Built on the mission of creating an alternative vision for the nation, one which can generate a socio-cultural transformation and eliminate the barriers and animosity between ethnic groups, KF’s uniqueness lies in its strong commitment to upholding human dignity, respect and championing team work vital to music and the performing arts. 

Gayathri who revived the Foundation upon her return to the island, is today dedicated to its ‘artistic bridge-building’ exercise. The music workshops she conducts in the underserved schools across the country, completely free of charge, together with her students from the KF, is her latest labour of love. These sessions as Gayathri explains, are essentially interactive where Gayathri, other members of KF, children and teachers merge into one harmonious collective space. “Children create their own songs and they also interpret what we play- symphonies of my father’s they have never heard before such as Golu Hadawatha theme music or ammawarune for instance. What we discover at every place is simply amazing and each time I see these kids, I feel my father must have been one of them long time ago,” remarks the musician. 

KF’s music workshops are beyond providing music education or learning to sing in the correct pitch; it’s also about being empowered, to help children navigate sensibly in their chosen disciplines. “I think it’s high time we focused on asking children the question- what kind of issues they would like to address and what their solutions would be instead of asking what they would want to be. We have so many accomplished professionals, despite that the world is becoming scarier each day and it’s time we encouraged the future leaders to be problem-solvers,” reflects Gayathri. Parallel to the music workshops, KF strives to champion a civic-conscious generation of youth, sensitive to the environment around them. A big-time animal lover herself, Gayathri indirectly cultivates compassion in children towards animals as well. “I get kids to make little videos about plastic pollution, careless garbage disposal etc. so that it becomes a holistic experience.”

The workshops are full of pleasant surprises says Gayathri with a smile. Watching passionate teachers navigating ‘niyaras’ and mud-paths, literally walking an extra mile to assure that children become part of the workshops is simply heart-warming and inspiring she says. “I’m deeply inspired by these teachers who don’t shut down by 1.30 p.m. but regard teaching to be more than a job.” Despite economic disparities, the connectivity children experience through digital platforms is also encouraging, says Gayathri who also notes that along with this advantage, children should ideally be having a proper direction in terms of music appreciation. “Sometimes the information could be overwhelming and they may not be able to comprehend what is good and what should be filtered for which they need constant mentoring.”

As means of mitigating the gap and building bridges, KF also ensures that the creative labours of it are witnessed by children from these rural schools. This way, they get to see how international artists work, says Gayathri who is also planning a performance by participants of her school workshops. “We can have a brilliant vision but if we don’t have a team which doesn’t believe in it, it becomes futile,” says the musician who counts her blessings for having a supporting group of KF- members drawn from various ages and backgrounds. Yet, it’s an uphill task for the KF which is totally self-funded. “If not for Darley Butler & Co Ltd., we would not have been able to travel the length and breadth of the country conducting these workshops. I’m immensely thankful to them for coming forward to finance our transport expenses.”

Doyen of Sinhala cinema, Dr. Lester James Peries referred to Premasiri Khemadasa as ‘the innovator of Sri Lankan music – an experimentalist, as one who extended the frontiers of Sri Lankan music from a rural, folklorist, parochialism to the dynamic rhythms of the modern age’. Eminent musician Lakshman Joseph de Saram once wrote: ‘In a country littered with self-marketed cultural dilettantes and desperados, Premasiri Khemadasa stands out with his remarkable talent, uncompromising artistic integrity and undeniable relevance to the cultural avant-garde of Sri Lanka.’ Veteran journalist Ajith Samaranayake paid homage to the Maestro as the ‘Sri Lankan music-maker for the universe.’ The best way music-loving enthusiasts or organisations supportive of creative arts can perpetuate the name of this musical genius who is an inherent part of the Lankan heritage, is by supporting the Khemadasa Foundation to help realise Maestro’s dream of enabling a space for gifted musical minds.