HAPPY WESAK TO OUR READERS
Wednesday 26th of May is Wesak day.
Wesak celebrates the Buddha's birthday and also marks
his enlightenment and death. Wesak is the most important of the Buddhist
festivals and is celebrated on the full moon in May. Giving to others is an
important Buddhist tradition. Buddhists make a special effort to give to people
in need at Wesak.
The YouTube presentation below is to celebrate Wesak and
the lyrics were written by me friend Rasieka Jayatunga. Shanta Gunasekera (you
might know her as Neurosurgeon Lal Gunasekera’s wife) joined me in singing this
song which was composed by me and performed on my Yamaha Genos, followed by the
video production. We do hope that it imparts a serious message and that you
enjoy it.
Mahendra “Speedy” Gonsalkorale.
Dear Mahen,
ReplyDeleteCongratulations to you Rasieka and Shantha for this wonderful melody.
It will brighten our Wesak Poya.
It’s very quiet as the country is in lockdown.
There are some pandals and lanterns.The Daily Mirror carried some pics.Will forward them to you.
Thank you for for your immense efforts for the blog.Much appreciated.
May all beings be blessed by the Noble Triple Gem.
Kumar
Thank you Kumar. You too are responsible for keeping the blog alive.
ReplyDeleteRemembrance Day posts will start on Thursday and will be spread over a few days. We got some great contributions. Take care.
Dear Mahen ,
DeleteWhat I really meant to say ,was the song ,singers ,lyrics and music were all wonderful.I got distracted.
More strength to you all.
Mahendra
ReplyDeleteI enjoyed the lyrics, melody, the singing and the Genos. Blending it all together must have been a challenge but it is most enjoyable and also very poignant. I am a great fan of your Genos which you have used to good effect. Love the imagery too.
Thank you to Rasielka and Shantha for their part in this most beautiful creation for Vesak.
I normally use my headphones and iPhone to listen to music. Now for a quiet moan that I could not get access to the music on my iPhone but was available on iPad and Mac Os. So no real problem. Those are the vagaries of Technology for us.
Once again thank you for this wonderful creation.
Delighted that you liked it Nihal. I am sure you know that although a lot of hard work is involved, I don't mind it at all because it keeps me usefully occupied and most importantly, it is very satisfying. Rasieka is brilliant, especially in Sinhala prose although she is very strong in English as well. The Genos of course is without parallel.
ReplyDeleteI listened to the beautiful song and appreciated it a lot.
ReplyDeleteWish you and others a Happy Wesak.
Glad you liked it Lucky. happy wesaK!
DeleteMahendra
ReplyDeleteCongratulations to you for this fantastic creation. I can imagine the great effort involved. I enjoyed the lyrics. the melody and the singing. Well done! What Talent!
Thank you very much for sharing it with us on this Vesak day which is appropriate. You couldn't have done better.
Mahen, not only your contribution to the Blog with your multi talents and also looking after the Blog is much appreciated.
We cannot forget Lucky for initiating the Blog.
Happy Vesak to all Buddhist Batch mates. Chira
Mahen, Rasieka and Shantha, congratulations!, It was really superb!What wonderful talent!
ReplyDeleteChirasri and Sanath. Thanks for your appreciation.
ReplyDeleteVesak is a reminder of my childhood growing up in Nugegoda. Although ours was a Christian household my grandfather was a Buddhist and he made sure our maids were given a day off to wear all white to observe sil in the local temple. He took us to see those brilliantly lit up pandals and explained to us the stories they told. The story of Sirisangabo sticks in my mind still. In my teenage years in the school boarding we were always hungry. The Vesak Dansala was a special gift to us then. We broke the boarding rules and curfews to fill our stomachs. As the years passed the technological advances made those pandals more sophisticated and the Dansalas a lot more generous.
ReplyDeleteI’ve been away from Sri Lanka for half a century and wonder how Vesak and the celebrations have changed. In the UK although the people celebrate the Christmas and Easter the people are far less religious in their day to day lives. Busy jobs, love of money and personal enjoyment has made religion go to the back of the queue. I too now belong to that new breed but look back most fondly of the times gone.
If I may digress : As for Nugegoda it has changed beyond recognition. In the 1950’s it was a rural town. In a rural community it was important to bond with the neighbours. They shared the same problems of running a home, building a career and raising children. There was always an outpouring of help whenever it was needed. It was a good life. As I saw in the fading years of the 20th Century prosperity has come to the town too. There are better shops, super markets, wider roads, better communications and transport. The many bars and restaurants offer every kind of cuisine from cholesterol laden steaks to sizzling Chinese prawns. This is to be applauded. Many had cut adrift from the peasant outlook, dressed and lived better. Some had cars, hifi and televison to brighten up their lives. Bristling billboards and signposts line the roads. The streets are crammed with consumer goods and it’s money that counts. Buses and trains are still over filled with people and getting on them is a survival skill. Pop music of ghetto blasters compete with the screech of car horns. The roads are an obstacle course of animals and exhaust spewing traffic. The town which was a middleclass suburb now shows both great wealth and appalling poverty. Many of the old houses have been pulled down. The few that remained look like relics from a lost civilisation. What is preserved is pricey. The nouveau riche prefer to live in large detached houses, behind high walls and security gates.
Chira
ReplyDeleteI am ever so grateful to you for being a regular supporting the blog by your encouraging comments and wonderful dialogues and paintings.
Nihal
ReplyDeleteThank you very much for appreciating my support to the Blog.
I too lived in Nugegoda No. 6 Melder Place since 1950. Mahendra and family lived down the lane those days. I am still living in Nugegoda as I built a house behind my parents house.
Nugegoda has developed vastly over the ages. As you mentioned, every thing is available including an overhead bridge. Chira
Mahen, Rasieka and Shanta, This is a fine composition all round- The lyrics, the music, the images and beautiful singing, even the English subtitles taken care of, so we all can understand the message of Buddhism. A wonderful outcome from a great deal of coordination and hard work as I can imagine.
ReplyDeleteMay you go from strength to strength.