Call to sponsor an unborn princess
Jayanthi LIYANAGE
Kalashuri Dr. Basil Miripenna has authored a novel titled Sugandika
Kumari (The princess unborn) and is searching for a sponsor to turn it
into a film. The story, based on his own experiences when he was in his
early twenties, is about a princess of Kerala who falls in love with a
Sri Lankan dance artiste who is studying in Kerala Kala Mandalam. An
unusual and compelling story, it deals with how human foibles turn best
of situations into doomed ones.
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Dancing performance
"I want to produce the film in Sinhalese in Sri Lanka and will write
the script," Dr. Mihiripenna said. The storyline has a market value. He
has approached Jayantha Dharmadasa of National Film Corporation who in
turn had expressed his approval of the book being made into a film. "If
I can't find a sponsor here, I will go to Mumbai and find a director."
As a young man of 23 years, Dr. Mihiripenna had been studying in the
Kerala Kala Mandalam when he met a princess of Kerala. Her elder sister
was getting married and she came to see my teacher Rajaratnam to arrange
a dancing performance for the event.
Depth of love
She wanted to dance the role of Parvati and asked me whether I could
do the role of Shiva in the Shiva-Parvati dance. Dr. Mihiripenna
accepted the offer and in the process of dancing together, she fell in
love with him. He returned to Sri Lanka after studies and months later,
made a second journey to Kerala Kala Mandalam when the princess who was
studying law in London made a trip home to meet him. She asked me to
marry her. It was too much for me. I love my family. I refused and came
back to Sri Lanka.
The name of the princess is Sugandika. In India, Sugandika is
pronounced as Saugandika and supposed to be a flower which can only be
seen in heaven. When I came back, I was informed that Sugandika had
become a Buddhist nun and joined a sect of Tantrayanic Buddhists in
Tibet which has a special temple in the Sindur state. I felt sorry but I
had no alternative. I was too young to understand the depth of love. The
king of Kerala, her father, did not approve of the love affair although
the queen supported it. He could have even got me killed. These things
happen in Kerala. The royal family regards marrying a Sri Lankan as an
insult.
Ensuing years
These things were on my mind and I tried to explain to Sugandika but
she wouldn't hear of it. Princess Sugandika must now be about 62 years
of age, guesses Dr. Mihiripenna who had not kept in touch with the
princess in the ensuing years.
Two years ago, Dr. Mihiripenna had been to India to conduct a
research study on Kathakali dance. The habit of recording everything he
undergoes in a diary, enabled him to write a novel there. He did not
meet the princess. Sugandika Kumari is considered as the second part of
Dr. Mihiripenna's autobiography. The first part was the novel titled
Ektara Bodhiyak. He has also produced eight ballets and four dance
concerts and is the head of the Deepashika Kalayathana in Piliyandala. |
