Keeping the beat of the nation alive

Eminent musician Lionel Ranwala, a legend in Lankan folk music once commented that any Lankan who is not stirred by the reverberation of bera cannot be a true Lankan. Such is the pride of place our traditional drums or bera occupies in the local culture; its deeply seated roots going back to time immemorial.

G.G. Nimal Wickramasiri, now in his early 60s, has lived all his life to the timbre of geta bera, yak bera, dawul, thammettam, and raban. Born into a family of traditional artisans in Alawala off Aththaanagalla, Nimal has traversed several eras of their traditional bera or drum-making industry. Today he is also a much sought after figure by many schools as a source of bera for hewisi or oriental bands.

Although the art of bera-making has still retained some of its time-honoured practices such as dimensions unique to each traditional Sri Lankan drum, rituals associated with it are largely obsolete today, says the craftsman. “Several generations ago, from the time a tree was cut to source timber for the drums until it was completed, so many neketh (auspicious times) were followed. A special pooja was offered to a ruk devatha (gods of the trees) as means of apology for felling a tree. None of these rituals are followed today,” says Nimal to whom the family tradition was passed from his ancestors. Now the mantle has fallen upon his sons to take the tradition forward. However, this is uncertain says Nimal as in the case with many other traditional Lankan industries. “The future of our traditional drum-making is bleak as most youngsters are not willing to learn the ropes,” laments the artiste who is willing to tutor any enthusiasts.

Nimal’s outlet of wattle and daub in the Ape Gama premises in Battaramulla is always a hive of activity. It is a slice of his ancestral drum-making setting in Alawala. Drums all packed to be dispatched and unfinished orders keep him busy. His assistant Shamali Kathriarachchi, now completing her 14th year with the master, is always immersed in putting intricate final touchings to raban and other instruments. In addition to the traditional local bera, Nimal also manufactures drums of Punjab tradition on orders.

Among the connoisseur choices of timber for bera are Rath Ehela, Kohomba, Gansooriya, Milla and Jak. Out of them all, Rath Ehela is uncontestably the best, explains Nimal, although not freely available now. Among the industry-specific challenges, red tape on sourcing of timber is the most pressing for the craftsmen. The tools involved in the craft still largely remain traditional although lathe machines are now used to make the hollow for the drums. Traditionally, as Nimal explains and demonstrates, this was done using traditional tools such as niyana. 

Apart from supplying brand-new drums to schools and temples, Nimal also undertakes repairs and offer them on rent. Many leading Colombo schools seek Nimal’s trusted services. He also provides customised services. For overseas cultural tours, Nimal also provides special carrier bags for drums. “The size of bera depends on the age of each user. If they are meant for primary school children, we make them much smaller than the standard sizes done for senior students and adults.” Nimal assures the quality of his creations. Although tourists find our local drums very attractive, they find carrying large ones impractical, says Nimal who goes onto note that small raban are popular among them, given their light weight.

For Nimal, an affable and a content man, drum-making is not just his means of living, but a labour of love. (For his services he can be contacted on 0759208047)

Story and pix by Randima Attygalle