Almsgiving of a different sort

Amritha Bethi Gee Pudasara

By Sajitha Prematunge

Amritha incense sticks is a product, without which no Buddhist or Hindu religious activity is complete. Darley Butler, the manufacturers, has engaged themselves in an almsgiving of a different sort; an album of Buddhist devotional songs in CD format, to be distributed free of charge, to temples, this Vesak season and to be aired on radio. The CD consists of songs sung by veterans and new generation artistes alike, such as Dr. Nanda Malini, TM Jayarathna, Sunil Edirisinghe, Prof. Sanath Nandasiri, Kala Suri Latha Walpola, Ishaq Baig, Dayan Witharana and Shanika Sumanasekara.

Ven. Balangoda Ananda Maitreya Thera, Kularatne Ariyawansa, Prof. Praneeth Abeysundara, Rambukana Siddhartha Thera, Samudra Wettasinghe, Sunil Sarath Perera, Mahinda Dissanayake and Vajira Mahakanumulla have enriched the album with their lyrics, while the music for the album was composed by veterans in the field, such as Nawarathne Gamage, Mahinda Bandara. and Dr. Rohana Weerasinghe.

The endeavour started a couple of years ago with a handful of songs accompanied by visuals. Eight more were recorded recently to make the 12-song album. Unfortunately, Vesak must be celebrated within the confines of one’s home this year, and Kularatne Ariyawansa believes that the launch of the album would help to lift at least some of the despair. 

On numerous occasions in the past Amritha patronaged causes such as popularizing Buddhist devotional songs. So, it came as no surprise when Ariyawansa was approached by Darley Butler Director Sanjeewa Gunawardena to do a Buddhist devotional song album. “There is an obvious reduction in Buddhist devotional songs as opposed to the gramophone age, when even non-Buddhist artistes such as Mohideen Baig, Latha Walpola and Edward Jayakody sang iconic Buddhist devotional songs. In every Sarala Gee programme on radio all the artistes sang at least one Buddhist devotional song,” says Ariyawansa, who was instrumental in putting the album together. Ariyawansa commends Amritha and its management for working to popularize Buddhist devotional songs at such a time when commercialization is stifling such artistry. In fact, the album was produced at a hefty cost to Amritha, with no personal benefit.

“Being a major religious and cultural celebration, Vesak is an integral part of our culture and what better product to initiate such a venture than Amritha josticks, which is sold mainly to Buddhists and Hindus,” says Darley Butler Director Sanjeewa Gunawardena. Darley Butler itself is a company with a proud history spanning 173 years. He observes that the Sri Lanka Broadcasting Corporation was responsible for the popularization of most Buddhist devotional songs. 

“Back when there was only radio, nationalist songs, songs that paid homage to parenthood and Buddhist devotional songs were quite popular.

Veterans such as WD Amaradeva, Nanda Malini and Sanath Nandasiri and later TM Jayarathna, Sunil Edirisinghe, Neela Wickramasinghe and Edward Jayakody received institutional support from radio stations, to engage in such quality work,” says Dr. Rohana Weerasinghe. “But this changed with the advent of cassettes and artistes were discouraged from engaging in quality work.

Even such companies as Singlanka, with which Rambukana Siddhartha Thera worked to popularize Buddhist devotional songs, is sadly defunct now, says Weerasinghe. He lauds the attempt by Amritha to fill this void. “We were forced to play age-old devotional songs during Vesak and Poson year after year. I agreed to help this venture because I was exposed to such a song culture previously. It’s a timely venture. Let’s just hope that TV and radio has the good sense to take it up.”

In fact Gunawardena is of the view that the new age commercialized TV channels and reality shows are partly to be blamed for the cultural deterioration that tolled the death knell for such quality songs. He opines that it is our duty to preserve such a cultural heritage. He counts himself lucky that they were able to bring together veterans in the field such as Latha Walpola, Sanath Nandasiri as well as new generation artistes such as Shanika Sumanasekara.

“Buddhist devotional songs are part and parcel of Vesak and considering the predicament the world is in right now, this initiative is commendable,” says Prof. Praneeth Abeysundara. He says that the album afforded him the rare chance of writing about the larger than life human with immense intellect, the Buddha, at a time when other lyricists are discouraged from writing such devotional songs due to cultural deterioration. “The Buddha and Sangha have always been one with nature, in that the whole universe and not just the ‘human animal’ were subject to their compassion and loving kindness. This is a beautiful doctrine that the lyricists of this album were able to render into words,” says Abeysundara.

Having studied in India in the 1990s Abeysundara often went on pilgrimage to places such as Lumbini, Bodhgaya, Sarnath and Kushinagar, “The kind of places we can’t even imagine visiting under the current circumstances. So I imagined them and rendered it into song.” He maintains that only a well read person can write such devotional songs that employ techniques as namasmarana (name commemoration) and gunakirthana (lauding). “Rambukana Siddhartha Thera is a case in point,” says Abeysundara. In addition the album contains a song, sung by Sunil Edirisinghe, based on a composition by Ven. Balangoda Ananda Maitreya Thera. “The songs offer relaxation to the listener. It is a form of almsgiving.”

“The continuity of the Buddha Sasana must be ensured for the Dhamma to be conveyed to the laity,” says Sunil Edirisinghe, who believes that, in a world proliferated by meritless creations, albums such as this is an ideal mechanism to convey the Dhamma to the public. Edirisinghe is particularly pleased with the message about the Noble Eightfold Path the song ‘Saddharmalokayen’ conveys. “It conveys a complex message in very simple and easily grasped terms.” His other song ‘Dura Gaman Yayi’, is based on the Dhammapada Chitta Wagga gatha,

‘Duran Gaman Eka Charan

Asariran Guhasayan

Ye Chittan, Sagngnamessanthi 

Mokkhanthi Maara Bandhanan’

(He who controls the mind faring far, wanders alone, is formless, and whose abode is a cave, is capable of escaping the grip of Mara [Death])

“The Chitta has the power to tie beings to Samsara. Learning to subdue it is half the battle. As such the messages conveyed in these songs are pure Dhamma,” says Edirisinghe.