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Focus on Books:
Along a winding path
Professor Sunanda MAHENDRA
The musician Rohana Weerasinghe is known by all for more than one
reason. He is a melody maker of much fame. At the same time he had sung
several songs. He is also a teacher of music at various levels. Among
other things he is known to me as a capable organizer of much wanted
get-togethers of artistes for a special cause. Rohana was instrumental
in rallying round most artistes of the country to change the political
situation clarifying the need for a better governance. Hence he
shouldered the task of holding rallies around the country where he got
his pals to explain the need for such a situation in and around 1994. I
had the chance of meeting him personally on account of this. But may it
be said that this does not mean that he was a political lackey of any
sort.
Instead I felt that he was a socio-political thinker of a particular
type who is so sensitive, and feels that a positive change was needed.
On reading his book titled 'Along a winding path', - the work first
written in Sinhala (Gaman Magak by Delicia Tillekeratne - first eidtion
2009 printed by Fast Printers, Colombo). The work is written in the form
of a semi autobiography, intermixed with various memoirs of random
jottings. Split into 33 small chapters which came in the form of
episodes. Record the life story of a musician, it is a journey of ups
and odwns along a rugged round.
Three stalwarts known to him and his creations have dealt on the
subject of his creative skills by way of brief prefaces to the work.
They are Amaradeva, D. B. Nihalsinghe and Somaratne Dissanayaka. They
explain who Rohana is, and what he had contributed to the field of music
television and film respectively. Sunil Ariyaratne, as usual, takes a
synoptic view of Rohana's career writing a simple back piece. It looks
as if the journey of Rohana had been a magical one. As a child as he
explains he was a sort of a different child who shifts his interest from
one to another, ultimately becoming interested in music as a Sitarist.
Gradually he selected the smooth path, which he deems as the right path
by entering into the much known college of Music in Colombo. But that
too becomes not only a place of boredom and disgust.
He, with a group of others, at times protest the type of learning and
teaching that they were administered to. What happens is a change in
their destiny if I may use the term. But it is not sheer destiny that
takes him to India. He becomes a full fledged young master of the
subject under capable and seasoned music maestros. Then he returns to
his homeland and faces many more episodes of struggle.
In several short episodes he depicts, by way of selecting particular
events of how people behave temperamentally. He has experiences with
such senior teachers as Amaradevea, Khemadasa, Lester James,
Panibharatha, Makuloluwa to name a few. He remembers long lists of names
with whom he associated at good and bad times, as well as sad and merry
times. He recollects how he was utilized by others for their sake, and
left high and dry. Then he recalls what he had learned, and how some
people genuinely helped him at moments of despair.
Today Rahana Weerasinghe ranks as the foremost musician of the
country, as a result of his sheer dedication. He implies that he had to
work with his fellow mates, sometimes from midnight to the wee hours of
the morning, especially during the sound recording sessions. It is
observed that he had been a good record keeper as the appendices to the
work shows. The number of activities he had been engaged are listed
well. Perhaps this is one of the rarest task of a sensitive creative
artiste. He tries his best to pay a tribute to his well wishers and
friends. They include his friends, and others who fostered him to come
up to this level of existence. All in all I felt that the work encircles
the richness and the creative spirit of an individual who shares the
human values of living. Being too good spirited he creator who may have
purposely omitted his entry into the public sphere of likes and dislikes
in the political structure. May it be so, but I felt that the
undercurrent or the subtext of the work bears ample testimony to depict
the same in an indirect manner.
Undoubtedly Rohana is not only a much sought after musician but also
a soul in search of a better living standard in the country. |
