FACE 2 FACE WITH SUMANA NELLAMPITIYA
in London
by Dr. Tilak S. Fernando
Picture Credit: Google
An
Icon of Sri Lankan Radio and Television, Sumana Nellampitiya, is a veteran
Sinahala Media journalist with a long-standing career. Her debating skills, as
a schoolgirl from Gothami Balika Vidyalaya, has groomed her with confidence and
given the experience to become a successful Radio and TV presenter. She
believes that newscasters should not look too glamorous on the TV; instead the
news content should be the most attractive element.
Providence
served her with a sledgehammer blow on her University education when her mother
expired, and the whole responsibility of looking after six of her brothers and
sisters fell on her shoulders, when she got through her ‘A’ level exam.
She
had to look for a job, and then chose the radio. Soon her melodious voice
struck a code with the Commercial Service at first, which brought her to the
pinnacle of her career. She is forthright and believes in the maximum
that facts are sacred and the comment is free
During
her eighth visit to the UK, she agreed to speak Face 2 Face for Newslanka, and
did not mix her words in answering some of the questions very boldly. She
firmly believes on the word ethics in a radio, and was very critical
of some of the private radio stations in Sri Lanka today, which she sees as
a detriment to the present generation and the society.
She
fearlessly challenges any Sri Lankan expatriate to say whether they are really
and truly happy away from their homeland, and laments on the disunity among the
Sri Lankan expatriates in England, saying ‘it
would be far better for all of us to unite and work as a single unit, putting
individual differences aside when the mother country is facing a dire crisis.’
Q. Welcome
to London. What was the purpose of your visit to London this time? Are you on
holiday or on business?
A. This is my eighth visit to the UK. The
purpose of this visit is to participate in the musical show performed by the
disabled soldiers’ (Ranaviru) Band, and also to take part in the Buddha
Perahera, which took place for the first time in London, and to convey
that message to Sri Lanka.
Q. When you
are invited from various persons or organisations in London to participate in
London performances, do you evaluate the pros and cons of your visit before
coming over, or do you simply grab the opportunity?
A. I can speak only for myself. This time the
invitation came from Gamini Kirthichandra. I did some research to find out what
kind of service he has rendered to our country through his organisation, The
Sinhala Bala Mandalaya, and how the expatriate community in Britain had played
a part in such endeavours.
Q. The number of
shows in London, with Sri Lankan prominent artistes, is on the increase. In one
month we have seen quite a few Sri Lankan artistes, from the cinema, drama, TV,
and Radio, performing in London, within a week, and to put it in another form,
it has become somewhat like a ‘contagious’ disease! From the point of
a professional artiste based in Sri Lanka, do you think it’s wise for Sri
Lankan artistes to accept invitations from abroad ‘blind folded’, or do you
think they do it to earn an additional
income now that the American dollar and the Sterling pound are appreciating
very much in the money market ?
A (Laughter) There are many questions within your question. During this
month, I also have seen so many Sri Lankan shows in London with invited
artistes from home. I don’t see this as a healthy sign, because people here
don’t have the money nor the time to spare to that extent on a week on week
basis and the week-end is the only time people have time for, to attend to
their affairs and chores etc. The other point is that when a show is organised
in a foreign land we expect to make a profit out of it. Whether such shows are
organised for charity or as a private business, only result I can foresee out
of frequent shows is only a loss, at the end of each show. It does not matter
how the dollar or the pounds behaves in the money market, but if everyone can unite and do one good show a
month, it would certainly benefit all concerned. That is my personal feeling.
Q. How
do you see this in the eyes of a performer?
A. Yes. Every artiste's ambition is to perform
to a fully packed audience, and they get inspired that way. It does not
help them to come out with their best performances when they see a hall full of
people. Performing to a somewhat empty audience will be like an exorcist doing
a dance on a cemetery!
Q. I mentioned the
Dollar and the Pound especially to see whether the Sri Lankan artistes are
coming here to entertain the expatriate community and propagate Sri Lankan
culture in England or simply to make a quick buck from a show or two?
A No, I don’t see any cultural side here at
all. If an artiste visits merely for a fee, say for Rs.50,000 or Rs.100,00,
then it cannot be equated with culture. I don’t think it’s right. True, we all
need money, but there’s more to it than money in an established artiste's
reputation, talent, professional standing , panache etc. Therefore, when
someone organises a show in London, and cannot fulfill the above conditions, I
don’t think it serves anyone any purpose.
Q. What made you
seek a career in the Radio as an announcer rather than pursuing your studies at
University level and becoming a professional woman?
A. I did not have adequate marks to qualify for
University entrance. After sitting two exam papers, my mother expired and it
affected my exam and the university education altogether. I was seventeen years
old then, and I had the responsibility to look after my sisters and brothers (a
total of six). While I was at home only, I managed to pass my A.L examination but
I could not pursue my education after that. But even to-date I go to school in
my dream world.
Q. What do you
think of women’s role as Executives and high-powered managing persons these
days in Sri Lanka, as against the dominant attitude men took towards
women those days?
A. ( Infectious laughter) When you compare Sri Lanka with a
sophisticated country such as England and look at the female population in Sri
Lanka, yes, they are doing well in executive and management levels. My feeling
is that it would be better if females were involved more in the management and
executive levels.
Q. How
do you substantiate your argument?
A. I believe that a
woman is capable of handling any situation more effectively than a man. Reason
is simply this. When you talk about a married woman, she undergoes various
stages of responsibility, especially after becoming a mother. No doubt, even
men go through this phase, but during that phase, there is a vast difference
between a man and a woman's areas of responsibility from absorbing pain to
family management. There's another angle to this. If you take Britain and Sri
Lanka for example, what we have in Sri Lanka is a completely male dominated
chauvinistic society. Now see, if you are a married person in England, you also
have to help the wife in household chores etc. In Sri Lanka we don’t see much
of progress on that score still. But we, as women give prominence to the man in
the house - even when we go to eat, we offer the plate of rice to the husband,
father or the elderly male first!
Q. Do
you belong to the old school or the new trend of modern millennium woman?
A. (Laughter). I am a mixed person. I have been
working for a long time, and there is what is called a generation gap when I
look at my young colleagues today. But I don’t feel a generation gap at all,
and I should be able to sail along with the new generation smoothly. If not, we
will automatically get cornered. In short, we have to move with the times.
Q. What is your
personal opinion on the language and the spoken Sinhala emanating from some of
the new commercial and private Radio stations in Sri Lanka? Some believe that
at times it can be very irritating to one’s ears
A. Tilak, this is a point, which I have been
discussing on many occasions. In Sri Lanka today, we have extremely talented
youth but in a Radio establishment there should be a code of practice and
a code of ethics. This magic word ethics
cannot change from generation to generation. There is certain decorum to follow
in a radio, and there are certain topics, which are taboo on radio waves. Have
you ever heard of a radio teaching its audience to tell lies?
Unfortunately today some of these private radios teach
people to tell lies with competitions to choose who can come out with ‘ the most effective false story’! It
does not matter, if the speaking style changes, and I admit that it’s
important to have various methods to woo listeners, but to stoop to such
low levels in an interaction with the audience would be disastrous.
Let me give you an example of a conversation
out of a private commercial radio:
One announcer asked a listener: “ What are you doing this evening” ? The listener
replied:
“ I am going to the Majestic City today”.
“Why are you going
there”? Asked
the presenter
The listener boldly replies: “ To see girls’ legs”. This is the gospel truth I am saying and today some of our Radios in Sri Lanka have
come down to such gutter level. The result would be that the whole concept
of having a radio would be lost.
Q. When I asked one
of your colleagues recently about her experience in England, she was very
impressed with the orderly nature of things in this country, and she seemed to
think that the Sri Lankan community is very happy and a contented lot. What are
your feelings out of your many visits’ to London and experiences?
A. My colleague may not have been exposed to
the Sri Lankan community living in London during her short visit as much as I
have done over eight times. I don’t believe any Sri Lankan living in England is
living happily. I don’t see that. When we come to a foreign land, and even if
we become permanent residents, we will always be treated as second-class
citizens.
.
In our country (Sri Lanka), we can breathe freely. You say
England it’s a country where democratic freedom is at its height, but Tilak,
this is not your country. Can you tell me that this is your country? No!
Every time mentally you live in Sri Lanka, and physically in a confined
frame. Can you get the same feeling as you
get in Sri Lanka by sitting under a tree here? Can you get the same inspiration
of the breeze and the calm environment from a village lake by standing in front
of Thames River here? I don’t say this country is bad, but however much
problems we have in Sri Lanka, our country is ours. We cannot come to a foreign
land and say this is my country.
London
2001- News Lanka