Twinkling Tharaka!
Nilma DOLE
People have been wondering where that sweet-voiced, good-looking
television announcer Tharaka Wasalamudaliarachchi disappeared to? So it
was a pleasant surprise to see the journalist-turned-actress and now,
writer come to Lake House for an interview. The last time I saw her was
clinching 'The Outstanding Young Person's Award' in 2006 for her
contribution to media.
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Tharaka
Wasalamudaliarachchi |
Seeing her strong character in the teledrama Uduwiyal about a
childless couple still strongly in love, Tharaka told me that it was
quite a challenge which she took with ease when she took to acting.
"I liked the script Bimal Jayakody presented me with and with my
experiences on television, I felt that having the talent of acting was
immensely beneficial," said Tharaka. "My first teledrama was actually
Pipi Piyum and it gave me the confidence to take on a challenging role
in learning about characters," she said.
Today, Tharaka is happy with a pen and paper, writing novels with her
latest offering being Kalu which is about a mentally-unstable lady's
dream of getting married and starting a better life for herself. Unlike
other people who would rather write about love stories and non-fiction,
Tharaka has tackled a subject which is rather alien to literature.
"I delved into a fair amount of research that took me one year. I
acknowledge Dr. Gayan Mendis for helping me talk to the women of the
local Mental Hospitals because it shed some light as to how I was to
write the book," she said.
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Tharuka’s latest book Kalu |
Obviously, the cover of the book is a wedding ring on a fish hook
using the ring as bait. "It's the symbol of the marriage as the lead
character Chethi thinks, like a marriage is bait dangling over a hook,"
she enlightened.
She said that it's difficult for women in mental institutions and
many are put in such places for all the wrong reasons.
"I wanted to highlight that certain people do not admit their
mistakes but blame on the woman and the easiest thing is to forget them
in a mental hospital," she commented.
She hopes to change that mentality and that women like that are just
as able as any other woman in society.
"People should understand the plight of the women in mental wards,
not shun them away," noted Tharaka who has been a journalist on
Swarnavahini for about 15 years before taking to acting and now, novel
writing. Her previous books include one word titles like Dehi, Mati,
Andar and other ones like Konda Kirili (2002) and Andara Mandeya (2002)
where she won the prestigious Presidential Youth award in that year.
No doubt, Tharaka has come a long way from her Helidarawa on
Swarnavahini where she did expose stories on various characters and
their struggles. However, she sees that novel writing is more
long-lasting and useful than television because people can only remember
certain aspects visually but if it's possible to reach it when you need
it, then that's saying more.
"My next work is called Kodu Wipuna which talks about a mother's love
for a child by wanting to give the best life for her child. This story
is a poignant reminder that sometimes a mother intentionally leaves her
baby on the doorstep of someone else's because she wants her child to
have a better life more than what she can give," said Tharaka.
Speaking about the local literature field, she said that there is
growing interest for writers in all three languages to sell their books
because people are becoming interested in local books about their
country.
"We should properly research and know our subject and point out
issues that are not addressed in a bid to understand it better," she
said.
Her advice to would-be writers is that, "Don't be hasty and research
well, build a strong foundation so that when you tackle a cause or a
topic, you'll know more about it instead of gathering random points.
Today's journalists wait for the news to come to them but a true
journalist will sniff a story and decide how not only to report but to
protect and enlighten readers the best possible way."
Tharaka Wasalamudaliarachchi is married to political affairs
commentator and producer Chandana Sooriyabandara and they have two
children together, Gimhan and Muninera.
Speaking about life in general, she said that it has become
beneficial for her to write in her own time and take care of her
children.
"I'm happy that I have a relatively good life and after perceiving
the world, I would like to give my own stories to the world," she
concluded.
Tharaka is definitely a shining star and has proved that the 'pen is
mightier than the sword' by understanding and helping other people
through her love of language. |
