Dr. Prashanthi Mendis is an Ethno-musicologist, Attorney-at-Law and an accomplished musician who plays the violin, piano, African xylophone and the Caribbean steel drums. She has lived in many regions of the world for over 30 years and thrilled many audiences abroad. During her stay in Vienna, Austria as wife of Sri Lanka’s Ambassador, Prashanthi performed as solo steel drum artiste at many prestigious concert halls in Vienna, accompanied by concert pianists and members of the Vienna Symphony Orchestra. Prashanthi the only Caribbean Steel Drum Soloist and Performing Artiste in Sri Lanka and perhaps in the region, spoke about her zeal for music, playing drums and happy times, to the Sunday Observer last week.
SO: How would you introduce yourself?
As a lawyer and an ethnomusicologist, plus an instrumentalist. My passion is music.
SO: How did you get in touch with drums?
I migrated to California, USA, with my family, 15 years ago and did my PHD in ethnomusicology in California. As soon as I heard the sound of drums, I said “this is for me, this is me.” But, I didn’t see how I could do this because there are about 20, 30 drums in different sizes which comprise steel bands. When I went to California, I saw a steel drum player playing with a rhythm box. So I went back to the Caribbean and said I need to learn. I went to the leader of the steel drum orchestra and he showed me the notes. He thought I would come back next week knowing nothing, because, the notes were not in logical scale sequence at all, like in any other instrument. So, I went home, got a piece of card board from which I cut two circles, and wrote down the notes. I hummed the notes and practised the tunes. In the next class, I was playing songs, not notes. He had a spare set of drums, and said to me, “Till you get your drums, you deserve to have these drums, take them.”. Within three months, he was accompanying me, and I was playing the main parts at hotels and concerts.
SO: Were you into drums since childhood?
No, but I had the interest. I was used to playing the piano at the age of four and started playing the violin at age seven. But when I heard the sound of steel drums, I knew it was for me.
SO: What kind of atmosphere helped you to grow as an artiste/ drummer?
When we moved to Africa, I learnt to play the African xylophone and once I moved to the Caribbean, I started learning the Caribbean drums because I loved their sound so much, it’s unique. During my stay in Vienna as the wife of Sri Lanka’s Ambassador to Austria, I played as a Caribbean steel drum soloist at many concerts with members of the Vienna Symphony Orchestra. Though Vienna is the music capital of the world, they didn’t have Caribbean steel drums. So I took the Caribbean steel drums to all the famous concerts since I didn’t have the other instruments which are also steel drums. The Symphony Orchestra harpist, cellist, violinist, pianist, all accompanied me and they loved to perform with me because it was unusual. Otherwise, there is so much competition among them as there are so many pianists, and violinists so that it is not unusual for people to hear good music. But, when they say okay to Caribbean steel drums, they are interested to come and see what it is all about. I played their music like waltzes, and all the lovely classical pieces, such as, ‘Vienna, city of my dreams.’
SO: How could you make a name for your talent?
In South America, they recognised my input to the drums and made me a judge of the ‘Steel Pan’ competition which is done only by Caribbean people. I was an exception for four consecutive years, I was made a judge in the panel of judges, and was very proud and happy because they recognised my passion.
SO: How does ‘music’ help you to get along in life?
During the 30 years that I lived abroad, I have no memory of any bad day, because music is in my heart. I don’t feel lonely. I find a lot of my friends there from different countries, complaining that they were lonely, and homesick, but I never had any of those problems because I moved straight into society and they wanted me to play for many concerts even before I had settled down. Without words, music is a universal language.
SO: Have you any musical background in your family?
Yes, my mom used to play the guitar and sometimes the piano.
SO: How did you get along with the people in Sri Lanka?
After my arrival in Sri Lanka, I came to this particular hall, the Russian Cultural Centre for a concert. My friend who is the director of ‘Friends in Harmony’, Indrani Wijesundara, was accompanying various people, so I met her after the concert, and invited her to visit me to show her my special instruments. The drums were associated with slaves. I changed that idea. People thought I was a little off my head, to play a high class instrument like the violin, and then to play the slaves’ instrument. When I started learning, everybody said, oh okay, if it’s something she can do, then why are we ignoring our own instrument? It was then introduced to schools. By the time I left, many people started learning the drums. It has made a big difference, changing their minds.
SO: How do you feel about Sri Lanka in the international context?
I was able to merge with people. The Caribbeans are fun-loving, they have their calypsos. We have the same nature, in that way too, I fitted in very well.
SO: Do our people embrace music as the people there do?
They are born with music, they have music in their soul. If they hear good music on the radio, they would stop everything and start moving to the music. They get very much thrilled by music. Our people, too have the preference for music, but I think, when it comes to the exposure we get for music, they are way ahead of us.
Pix: Vipula Amerasinghe