Young poets celebrate 71st anniversary
Dehiwela G. Karunaratne
POETRY: A festival to celebrate the 71st anniversary of the
young poets association of the capital city of Sri Lanka (Aganuwara
Tharuna Kavi Samajaya) will be held at the John De Silva memorial Hall
on 22 February at 2.45 p.m.
The distinguished chief guest will be Deshabandu Karu Jayasuriya
Minister of Public Administration and Home Affairs. The function will be
held under the auspices of Mahinda Yapa Abayawardena, Minister of
Cultural affairs. G. L. W. Samarasinghe, Secretary of the Ministry and
E. M. Abayaratne, Director Cultural affairs will also attend this
function.
The association was inaugurated in 1935 at the Victoria Park, Colombo
by prominent poets such as Arthur M. De Alwis, Kadawedduwe Peter Perera,
R. Wilson Hegoda and a few others. Thereafter meetings were held at a
“Jaya Niwasa” Dematagoda, residence of J. C. Jayatilleka a
philanthropist.
At a later stage meetings were conducted at Sri Lanka Vidyalaya,
Maradana which became the headquarters of the association. Ven.
Baddegama Wimalawansa Thera Principal of the Vidyalaya was the patron of
the association.
Past chairmen of the association were very popular poets such as P.
B. Alwis Perera and Sagara Palansuriya.
The latter was later appointed as a member of parliament,
Bambarakotuwe Sudharma Seneviratne, U.A.S. Perera, H. M. Kudaligama,
Bingiriye Wijayakumara, Wimalendra Waturegama, Upananda Batugedera,
Surasena Attygala, Walgama Somatilleka, Boralesgamuwe Wimalasiri Perera
and Chithrananda Abeysekera were the others.
The present chairman is Sesiri Wijesekera and he is holding this post
for more than ten years. The late R. Wilson Hegoda a founder member of
the society was the Joint Secretary for a very long period. Most of the
members of the association were holding senior positions in the public
and private sector.
Some were Editors of leading Sinhala Newspapers published by Lake
House, Times Newspapers and former Dawasa group, Principals of schools,
working Directors of Sri Lanka Broadcasting Corporation, Bank Managers,
Heads of Government Departments and Editors of popular monthly poetry
magazines “Meewadaya”, “Dedunna” and “Suwanda”.
In May 1960 the association held an exhibition of photographs of all
the poets and artists in the Island at the Art Gallery (Kala Bawana)
Colombo.
In September 1960 the exhibition was held at Anuradhapura Government
Central College. In February it was held at Pushpadana Government Girls
School Kandy and Government Art Gallery Kandy and Again in October 1961
at Art Gallery Colombo.
The exhibition was the first of its kind. Nobody else have exhibited
the photographs of poets and artists before this was done. arrangements
of this was done by the late R. Wilson Hegoda, Joint Secretary with the
assistance of the other members.
He was a well-known photographer and an officer in the Criminal
Investigation Department. He himself took the photographs of poets and
artists.
“KOKILA HATANA” organized by the Aganuwara Tharuna Kavi Samajaya was
very popular among the younger generation and the amateur poets.
Applications were called for from youths and schoolchildren in the
entire Island. They were given an opportunity to test their abilities.
This contest had two items. Reciting poems in various tunes and
reciting instantaneous poems (Hitiwana Kavi). A large number of youths
and school children sent in their applications. Successful contestants
were rewarded and certificates were issued to participants. This was
continued for a number of years.
Poets were sent to China with the assistance of Sri Lanka Government
from time to time to exhibit their poetic ability. It was a very
successful scheme. This continued for a number of years. Chinese poets
also came to Sri Lanka under this exchange of poets scheme..
There is another sister organization inaugurated four years prior to
this association named Samastha Lanka Kavi Sammelanaya by a very popular
poet Somaweera Chandrasiri.
He was elected as a Member of Parliament at a later stage. Malalgoda
a prominent poet was the Secretary. At this time almost all the poets of
Sri Lanka were members of these two leading associations of poets.
Aganuwara Tharuna Kavi Samajaya has done an immense service to the
poets as well as to the country.
The writer is a retired Commissioner for National Housing and Vice
Chairman-Aganuwara Tharuna Kavi Samanaya |
