Thursday, August 6, 2015

Birds of a feather flock together...........................?



I have a cousin sister elder to me. Now she has a daughter who is going to sit for the grade 5 examinations in this month. When I was ay my niece’s age my cousin was in her early twenties. She never had a time to play with me, but she had a considerable amount of papers which were known as “Mal Pathara” .These some kind of papers which were very popular during early 90s.These papers are not pornography, but full of sentimental love stories, every weekly published .Most of the time with the paper publishers issues a colored photograph of Bollywood actor. My cousin really loved those papers and weekly she was buying.
 My mother would rather prefer that I am going to my cousin’s home than playing with the boys. I don t think that she ever knew that I am going there to read this papers, When I was about 10 years old I have finished most of children books.
Every day I wanted to read something different, I ‘m  not going to Justify reading  those youth papers at that time, but frankly that was happened.
                                                             Mr.Bandula Padmakumara
The first time that I came to know Upul Shantha Sannasgala was from that paper. That paper was “Araliya” which means flower temple trees. The editor of that newspaper was Bandula Padmakumara, he is the one who started first adults only magazine in Sri Lanka, even I have seen this magazine with one of my cousin brother who was actually over ten years elder than to me.But I never got a chance to read, By the time I got in to his room the magazine was not there, god knows where it was?
                                           Mr.Upul Shantha Sannasgala

 Both Budula Padmakumara and Upul Shantha Sannasgala I met when I was in grade 7 again ,.Bandula Padmakumara  had started a newspaper  Samudura”.It was a time where we never got a chance to sit in front of a computer,  not  to mention that  we never had smart phones or I  Pad and surf internet.

I was very much curious to know what s happenings outer world. The “Samudura “basically translation of Readers’ Digest, National Geographic, Life etc. . .And it was full of images.Bandula Padmakumara was the editor of that paper. Upul Shantha Sannasgala was a very popular tuition teacher; He was a pioneer of starting whole classes’ students over 1000.
Then suddenly Bandula Padmakumara started” Lakbima “newspaper which is a national newspaper now. 
The Lakbima was the first newspaper which started issuing an entertainment tabloid magazine with the newspaper in Sinhalese. The first newspaper with the entertainment tabloid was “the Sunday times”. People love gossip, and  Bandula Padmakumara knew it very well.

While I was moving from child hood to youth hood Bandula Padmakumara also had moved from “Mal pathara karaya” to “Praveena Madhyawedii”.But still Upul Shantha Sannasgala stays as tuition teacher. But he was popular with youth writing a novel “Adaranneya wassanaya” which means loving spring I guess so.

Mr.Padmakumara while he was doing Mul pituwa
It was the  love story  Kasun and Chapa ,I too read it.That book was a very popular among the youth I  can remember my mother was scolding saying it’s cheap literature, but who cares ,that  book was a best-selling book in Sri Lanka .Even they produced a movie out of it, but movie was a  horrible crap from  the beginning to the end I watched it too.
From the beginning of the new millennium Sri Lankans started celebrating Valentine’s Day. The Valentine’s Day was implanted to Sri Lanka by the medias specially FM radios.Eventhogh my parents were married over 30 years they were never heard about this day.
 But  now even five years old kindergarten kids are exchange roses on that day. After  A/L examinations I was spent very lethargic time without knowing what will be next. Upul Shantha Sannsgala again appeared to the stage by organizing lover’s camp first time in Sri Lanka.

 The camp was held at Wihara Maha Devi Park, Colombo if I am not mistaken. Of course I did not go but I was close by .Those days I was spending lot of time in Public Library Colombo,Vihara maha devi park was next to the library. I still remember before start the camp there was a   protest by lovers they were asking for what that I don t remember. But all the couples walked around the Vihara Maha devi  Park holding banners. The entire event was not free. First time in Sri Lanka people paid to protest.

Vihara Maha Devi Park Colombo
I do remember this because of another thing that was the time Manjula Wediwardhana was writing to by his heart touching words in “Rawaya” newspaper. He had made an interview with Upul Shantha Sannasgala about this event, and had asked why this whole thing has become paid event. He asked much better way, like why love is expensive on valentine day or something like that. Upul Shantha Sannsgala had replied his ass is not aching to do things free.

But I don’t think Upul Shantha Sannasgala did everything  hoping only profit. He was the producer for Ashoka Hadagama’s movie” Aksharaya” which was banned showing in Sri Lanka.

By that time Bandula Padmakumara started reading newspaper headlines in the morning in a television channel .Common thread for both of them was they always think little different from  most of us. Both of them were never afraid of trying something new.
Bandula Padmakumara with Mr.Gotabhaya Rajapaksha
Then again Upul Shantha Sannasgala was charged stealing Advanced Level exam paper and discussing the questions before the exam in his tuition class. But end of the story Upul Shantha Sannasgala was found not erroneous and he wrote a book to prove that he is not guilty.
During the past years Bandula Padmakumara ended up being very faithful journalist to the previous government. Also he was appointed as the head of the Lake house; it’s a government publishing newspapers. But Upul Shantha Sannasgala ended up being out spoken against the government. He also made appear   that time opposition leader now prime minister in his tuition class. That was also first time in Sri Lanka .A politician addressing students in a private tuition class. 
Upul Shantha Sannasgala the president and the prime minister
Sometimes later Upul Shantha Sannasgala started acknowledging that he missed his parents specially his mother during his struggling years in Colombo. He started being ultimately genuine and explained to media what terrible life that he spent in his childhood. Not only was that he accusing his father being abusive. He did not stop at that level.

Upul Shantha Sannasgala  adressing at AMMA  book lounch

 He wrote a book “Amma” the mother ,well we can’ t compare this book with Maksim Gorky’s  the mother, Sannasgala’s  book does not have such gravity at all, but as usual after years it was again best –selling booking SriLanka.Even  the book launching was very dramatic ,very heart touching. While the distinguish guest addressing the audience a painter did a portrait of Sannasgala’s mother.
                                                             Sannasgal's Book "Amma"
My mother is not fan of Sannasgala at all. But due to the heavy publicity of this event she insisted that she wanted to participate, so I went with her. Throughout  the programme my mother was crying. This time Upul Shantha Sannasgala had touched most sensitive nerves of the Sri Lankan s.Sannasgala did not stop at that even he gave his for a tele drama director to do a soap opera in local television channel.

At this time Sri Lankan politics also started changing, Presidential election was announced two years in advanced and Sannasgala was supporting to the “Yaha palanaya” the good government. First week this year the good government came to power.
Since that Sannasgala appeared in almost every government’s every media channels. Meanwhile Bandula Padmakumara was kicked out of the both the Lake house and early morning newspapers reading from the TV channel. The good government ignored him completely and two weeks ago I saw he has come to the same tv channel has taken an award which his programme won during his time, unfortunately he had to return this because the tv channel had complaint to the police.

Upul Shantha Sannasgala did not start reading newspapers, but he started talk show “Sathya garaya” the chamber of truth, but all the peoples appeared in the programme was well known liars. As it appears to me the aim of this programme is  to clean their black spots look them clean and ensure make justify  what they did during the past time. 
This is not the first time we are experiencing this kind of programmes,
For the previous government this role was played by popular actor Jackson Anthony. He did this cleaning business at that time for everyone not only the politicians. Few years ago brought one of his fellow actor who was charged for raping a 14 years old girl at that time and let him to show his innocence by using government media channel. This person later found guilty and sentenced to 10 years imprison. But again he appealed and found not guilty the clever lawyers brought an argument saying it was not rape it was consensual sex they had and they won.

Now Sri Lanka child law has changed and it does not matter what is the verb or adjective, the age below 18 any sexual intercourse is a rape. Ironically this year for the parliamentarian election the same actor requested nominations from the good government, but he was rejected.

But from the good government Upul Shantha Sannasgala able to get nominations and now he already started his political campaign. But his victory in the election unpredictable but I ‘m sure he is well prepared to appear on behalf of the good governments whether it is good or bad. I wish he will not get inspired by his esteemed friend Jackson Anthony.

It was William Shakespeare said that;
“All the world is a stage
And all the men and women merely players;They have their exits and their entrances,”

But these clever actors do not allow us to see different play, they are changing only the actors, but the play remains.as it was before.
Do we want to see to again?

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