Kudos to the Sri Lankan teachers now residing in the State of Victoria, Australia for keeping the flag of Sri Lanka flying high when they collaborated and presented the ‘Evolution of Sri Lankan Music’! This was a concert in which Sri Lankan schoolchildren who have migrated with their parents as well schoolchildren who were born in Australia, participated. The teachers and children are from the Victoria School of Languages and the Brunswick Sinhala School.
The concert was a biennial event entitled Ridma Charika 2017 – Evolution of Sri Lankan Music. It portrayed in parts, events recorded in Sri Lanka’s history from 543 BC to February 4, 1948, when she was granted independence from the British colonial rule.
This year’s concert included “songs from Sri Lanka’s indigenous people, the Adhivasis (Veddhas), folk songs, songs and poems associated with various livelihoods and games through various eras of Sri Lankan History”. But, that’s not all. “The influences of European invaders, to post independence, cinema and contemporary popular music was presented with colourful dancing performance”.
Through the untiring efforts of the teachers the children had a better understanding of Sri Lankan music and dance, and enjoyed every minute of rehearsal and performance.
From all reports, the performance of the Sri Lankan drums received a great deal of appreciation, considering the fact that, some of the children were born in Australia and had never touched a Sri Lankan drum before.
The program was a two-hour presentation and it is not easy to stage such a subject in two hours but they did it, thanks to the co operation of all the teachers, especially, Madhava Loku Hettige and the Manager of Area North, Victorian School of Languages, Khalaf Greiss. The event was a memorable moment of happiness for all those present.