I would call cinema and music is somewhat like brothers and sisters,
because each of them need each other for their survival. The seventies
brought in a revolution in cinema and music as our Marlon Brando, Gamini
Fonseka and our Spohia Loren, Malini Fonseka rocked the Silver Screen
with Box Office hits with their epic performances.
The people who changed the entire music scenario are Clarence
Wijewardene, H.R. Jothipala and our Nightingale Angeline Goonetileke.
I would say Gamini and Malini were extremely very lucky to be blessed
with such playback singers. This is evidently proved beyond any dought
when we see the Sirasa Super Star contest, as these songs of yesteryears
are sung by young singers who were not even born when these songs were
released.
I would recall that the Sinhala Cinema had Box Office hits especially
competing with Eastman Colour Hindi, Tamil and English films.
I personally feel the success for Sinhala Cinema and music was due to
the healthy competition in that particular era, unlike today old hit
songs are raped and murdered thanks to the electronic gadgets available,
where every short cut under the sun and moon is used to create
musicians.
In the good old days, actors, actresses and musicians were born and
not made.
I personally feel people should be honoured when they are living and
not promoted as given credit when they are dead.
I humbly request the higher authorities concerned should honour
Malani Fonseka and Angeline Goonetileke for the great contribution they
rendered for cinema and music, as they had an everlasting impact on many
of us.
LI KUANG SHU
Kandy
I refer to Linda Van Shagan’s letter of October 5. Her view that
Burghers who fight between themselves and who insult those with darker
complexions with derogatory ‘labellings’ indulge in a form of racism
which every decent, right thinking Burgher will condemn in the strongest
possible way.
I am certain that many, not only among the Burghers but also among
our friends in other communities may not be aware of two other possible
(and lesser known) reasons for these insults and derogatory labellings.
These are, firstly, that inspite of one’s ‘published’ genealogy one
secretly envies the ‘Black Burgher’ who may possess such qualities of
refinement, good manners, honesty and diligence, which one oneself lacks
or is inadequate in; and secondly, one has or may not have realised that
it is a complex and an inadequacy attributable in some way to angst as a
result of one’s own social or family background and reputation.
One wonders if the above have anything to do with the requirement to
produce the birth certificate to become a member of an organisation.
There are in Burgher families today a sense of disappointment that a
second class category of Burgher had been created by this organisation
and hence their rejection of offers to join as members.
Linda rightly mentions that every person has a genealogy, a heritage,
a family tree. It is not exclusive to Dutch Burghers. In her research
she has observed that in the good old days genealogies were compiled
(and importantly, authenticated) by experts, unlike in recent times when
genealogies were put together by families themselves.
It is also a fact that there are self-styled genealogists, who
operate through the internet for a fee, often with no authentication
from official records kept in the Churches or in the archives dating
from the period of the Dutch East India Company.
The Burghers have made and are making a beneficial and rich
contribution to the national life of this country. They found leading
positions in the professions, business and State institutions.
Most significantly they have looked beyond ethnicity thereby enjoying
the respect, admiration and goodwill of the other communities, yet sadly
are unable to get along within their own community as pointed out by
Linda who rightly opines that “we ought to call ourselves Sri Lankans
and not refer to the different races.”
The late Mr. Kadirgamar, PC and former Foreign Minister , said in
1996, that “literally in every walk of life, the Burghers made an
outstanding contribution and in doing so showed that our national life
could be enriched, and that there is a contribution to be made by all
citizens of our diverse society if only they look beyond the narrow
constraints of ethnicity.”
Mr. Kadirgamar’s vision was eloquently put in these words: “To bring
about the day when all communities in this lovely island of ours can
“leap to a single bugle and march to a single drum.”
E. H. OHLMUS
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