Super Star
A gripping social phenomena:
Kala Keerthi Edwin Ariyadasa
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Pradeep Rangana the winner of Season 2. Picture by Saman Sri
Wedage
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In the contemporary scenario of art and music in our land, some
unprecedented events have begun to capture the mass mind. Those who
patronise electronic media have begun to be overwhelmed, an impressive
scale, by a musical pageant that is being aired by a popular TV Channel.
It has evolved into such astounding proportions, that, it has assumed
the stature of potent social phenomenon.
The penetrative social impact that has been registered by this
musical presentation, has unified men and women of a vast variety of
social strata. In consequence, this musical event has to be taken note
of by everyone, interested in the progress of Sri Lanka's art and
culture.
I was prodded into recording my own impressions of this social and
cultural development, as I too was touched by its extensive influence on
the public at large. This musical pageant has elicited such a wide
ranging enthusiasm, that individuals of high intellectual and
professional stature and ordinary men and women at grass roots level
have all being unified by it, into a vast community of unabashed fans.
It has succeeded in winning such comprehensive popular adoration, due
primarily, to the combination of a significant series of factors. This
musical programme, creatively synthesizes, element of commercialism,
with aesthetically satisfying presentation techniques.
The quality of the programme is scintillatingly enhanced by the
skills of the talented personnel, who contribute towards its success at
each and every stage of its production and presentation.
The "SUPER STAR" phenomenon has burgeoned into an event of 51,000
this year from the 7000 participants of the previous year. The
contestants emerge into national prominence, though they come from
remote and little known regions of the island.
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The 12 finalists of Season 2. |
Young men and women, who would have been overcome with stage-fright
and shyness had they being asked to speak a word or two in public, are
transformed here, as if by some sort of magic, into singing to a
national audience, without betraying even a minute trace of
self-consciousness.
It is essential at this point, to probe into the influence that has
made it possible for this largely rural young people, to acquire this
astonishing self-confidence. While we are on this, we could consider the
musical programme titled "AMERICAN IDOL".
In keeping with traits peculiar to that country and culture, the
contestants in "THE AMERICAN IDOL" are subjected to gruelling sessions
of questioning, while an engrossed national audience keeps on watching
avidly. On the other hand, the Sri Lankan contestants are accorded a
cordiality, which distinguishes our docile, disciplined and restrained
cultural attitudes.
The noteworthy role played by Jagath Wickremasinghe, Raju Bandara and
Visarada Chandrika Siriwardene went a long way towards the ensuring of
the quality of the programme, eliciting the best in all the participants
in the "SUPER STAR" contest.
The "SUPER STAR" contest became obliquely as it were, a popular
opinion poll about the panel of judges as well. In the mass mind,
panellist Visarada Chandrika Siriwardene too emerged into a kind of
"SUPER STAR", as her sophisticated, well informed, authoritative and yet
humane style of judging the performances, communicated an impressive
measure of understanding. To my mind, this lady musicologist achieved
this status, due to a series of factors:
* Initially, there is her rarely matched expertise in music.
* Her admirable capacity to assess impartially the skills of the
contestants, while she herself is a vocalist of extremely high stature.
* Over and above all that, her impressive ability to make contestants
feel that they are winners and not at all losers.
* Her readiness and genuine willingness to praise and esteem the
performance of contestants.
* Her scrupulous care to see that the contestants who have to be
taken out are never made to feel humiliated even vestigially.
* Engendering within the contestants a sense of high self-esteem.
* Her marked commitment to appreciate the talents of the original
singers, whose recitals were repeated by the contestants.
* In pronouncing judgments, utilising only the theoretical criteria
and presenting them logically.
* Addressing the contestants displaying a maternal affection,
treating them as her own children.
* Clarity of expression and the capacity to select the most
appropriate terminology.
* Her ability to reveal without concealing the sensitivities that
emerge from the bottom of her heart, Visarada Chandrika Siriwardene has
become an adored mass icon, largely because of these winning qualities
she consistently displayed. It is no wonder, that Visarada Chandrika
Siriwardene, should achieve such a high status as this.
She is the only artist, adjudged and awarded the super grade status
in Sri Lanka Broadcasting Corporation in Sinhala and Tamil Services. She
was adjudged and elevated to this position by two prominent
Musicologists from India.
Visarada Chandrika Siriwardene acquired her musical excellence,
initially as a parental heritage. She assiduously developed these inborn
talents and received first Division Distinctions in Visarada exam
conducted by Bathkhande University.
This is an unprecedented achievement in the whole field of musical
expertise in Sri Lanka. With all her distinguished achievements she has
not been given the opportunity to appear in such major TV channels as
Rupavahini, for 16 long years.
The art-loving public should be grateful to the "Super Star"
programme, for allowing the people of this land to obtain a view of her
super musical talents. |
