Indu's bridal creations :

A happy marriage of local traditions and beauty

Suharshi Perera

In an age where indigenous traditions are disappearing, it would be naive to think that weddings would be spared. Every bride wants to look her best on the most important day in her life, but the dress and make up as a whole rarely reflect a true Sri Lankan identity.

However, a new generation of beauticians are striving to change this picture and create a truly Sri Lankan bride. Indu Hewapathirana is spearheading this movement towards giving a totally Sri Lankan outlook to the bride.

Jasmine buds, araliya flowers, beeralu... these are materials freely and readily available in your neighbourhood. She skilfully blends all these natural and local materials to create an authentic Lankan bride.

Hewapathirana, a professional bridal designer, believes in tradition and beauty as the main components of Sri Lankan bridal design.

"I always try to get my hands on natural and indigenous material for my designs. It adds an authentic tinge to our brides and only a minimal make-up and cosmetics are needed to enhance their beauty," Hewapathirana says.

When she is assigned to dress a bride her imagination runs through her garden and then to her home town Matara. "I love to design the saree with beeralu and I have experimented with gunny cloth too.

A bouquet made of painted jasmine buds and araliya flowers, which are commonly found, brings about the Lankan style along with a local flavour to enhance the natural beauty of the bride. Finally it becomes a creation which stands out," she adds.

Hewapathirana entered the profession 15 years ago. She inherited the talent of painting from her father who was a mural painter in the temples in Matara. "Painting was my first stepping stone to bridal designing. I followed my father and love painting. Art was my favourite subject at school."

She learned the art of bridal designing from Premasiri Hewawasam and Haris Wijesinghe. Today she trains many prospective beauticians and designers and owns a salon in Battaramulla.

She paints sarees, T-shirts and makes jewellery with mural and crystal beads. "I don't have assistants. Every step from costume to make-up is done by me as I don't like to depend on anyone else. It is a fantastic feeling to see a bride I have dressed."

"I'm very committed to my work. I don't discriminate on the economic background of the bride. They all want to look glamorous. I cannot disappoint them just because their pockets are not deep. That is why I always look for low cost material. It helps the bride to get a great service with a low budget," she explains.

'Tidy and confident' is her mantra. Her husband, an engineer, has always been supportive of her efforts. "There are days that I sleep at midnight and wake up at 2 a.m. A lot of hard work and commitment go into my work," she muses.

Her hard work and dedication was rewarded as she won the first place in bridal designing in the Kandyan Bridal category conducted by Sri Lanka Association of Hair dressers and Beauticians (SLAHAB) in 1993.

When asked as to what is the 'latest' in bridal dressing, Hewapathirana pointed out that most brides prefer the Kandyan style with the traditional jewellery set, and the groom dressed in the Nilame suit.

"I don't believe in facials," she remarks. "Brides should be careful as for some, facials lead to skin irritation. Proper cleansing is more than enough. A well made costume, a beautiful bouquet and simple make-up enhance the beauty of the local bride," Hewapathirana says.

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Tattered but keen and placid

TRUE SPIRIT: "A woman is a mystery, outwardly calm and content but sometimes garish, dynamic, direct or movingly evocative when the need arises."

This stanza came to my mind when I read about three women in different parts of the world. One lives in France, the other in Iran and the third in a poor village in the Gujarati State, India.

They captured characteristics and true spirit of women, no matter where they live. Imbued with life, they have achieved their places in various spheres, sometimes overflowing with emotion. Self-assured they have endeavoured to carry out what they took upon themselves to do or were even compelled to.

Sabine Herold, a French woman just 25 years old, is attempting to build up a new party, 'Liberal Alternative' which she hopes will revolutionise France.

When interviewed she stressed, "French people are hungry for change but traditional parties will not break away from the past." She firmly believes that the new generation of politicians can relive France from its out-moded economy. She looks forward to introduce the 'free market policy.' She has studied Political Science at the exclusive 'Sciences Po' reading texts by liberal thinkers.

Here is another aspect of a woman named Hanan Turk, a young Egyptian actress who portrayed controversial and daring roles in Iranian cinema. She suddenly converted her lifestyle by wearing the Islamic headscarf thereby presenting her new image in the movies.

Hanan said that actresses who appear veiled seem very sophisticated but the veil itself does not affect the artistic content of a film. She confessed that donning the veil was really a religious journey that she embarked on. This incident coincided with the debate on the Islamisation of Egyptian society.

Hanan has also acted as a ballet dancer with intertwining themes of poetry, love and sexuality. Ever since she made a pilgrimage to Mecca there is a subtle change in her life which has pleased her husband.

For Laxmi, a poor farmer's wife life suddenly developed a different rhythm. She has been rented out to a rich landowner for Rs. 7,800 monthly. This is a princely sum to the poverty stricken farmer. So Laxmi lives with the landowner as his temporary wife, does all the housework and attends to his needs.

This is now quite a common phenomena with rural Indian wives being rented out on a monthly basis to wealthy men. The underlying cause is mainly because there is a shortage of women according to the national census.

It may be difficult for women like Laxmi, for Sabine Herold trying to break through France's traditional politics and Hanan Turk now taking on the Islamic headscarf, but incidents like these only show that even in the tattered confusion of life, women still remain outwardly keen and placid.

Caryl Nugara

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Experience international style in Sri Lanka

Ruwini Jayawardana

FASHION EXTRAVAGANZA: March, the month for weddings, fashions and bridal shows.

The Professional Hairdressers' and Beauticians' Association (PHABA) along with Sunsilk will be hosting "Sunsilk Style International", a hair, beauty and bridal show from March 8 to 11 at the BMICH coinciding with International Women's Day.

The four-day event, held for the first time will be an avenue to interact with the leading local figures in the beauty culture field and to sharpen the skills of fresh talent.

Bridal dressing, bridal make up, hair styles, designer clothing, wedding photography, cake decor, floral arrangements, wedding planning, nail art and much more will be in store. A range of exciting competitions and demonstrations will be set to woo the crowd.