A chance for talented youngsters

Then there were ‘thoran’ and ‘Vesak koodu’. Now it’s ‘Vasak kalaapa’ – Vesak zones. So much have changed with time. We are certainly moving with the times. Doing it big!

When we talked about Vesak Kalaapa in the old days, we referred to the ‘Dinamna Vesak Ka[aapaya’ or ‘Gunasena Vesak Kalaapaya’. They were eagerly looked forward to and were collectors’ items. Unlike today there were no weeklies or monthly papers or journals devoted to Buddhism. 

Those days we only talked about the ‘Totalanga thorana’ and ‘Borelle thorana’. ‘Navaloka thorana’ was added much later. The only big Vesak lanterns was the ‘Kawdane kooduva’. I can’t even remember the approach roads being closed. Parking was no problem. We could park cars quite close to the pandals. We only walked a short distance.

Good to see that the pandals are still there. There were photographs of ten in Colombo in one of the Sinhala newspapers. I am sure there are many more.

Most Vesak zones are tied up with TV channels. There was heavy advertising on Vesak Poya day ‘selling’ the zones. 

The zones offer a variety of items and activities. They showcase the immense talent we have. Taking pride of place among creations for Vesak are lanterns with a wide range of designs. Invariably these are selected through contests which give the upcoming artists an opportunity to do their best and collect a prize. 

Even if they don’t win, they are able to display their hard-work which will be appreciated by many. They will spend months in turning them out. Once the job is completed they not only have to being them to Colombo but also carefully put them up and protect them from sun and rain. 

Entertainment in the form of dramas based on Jataka stories, recitals of verses, devotional songs, puppet shows keep the sight-viewers pretty busy. Then we only saw ‘Olu bakkas’. Among the major Vesak Zones are the ones in Bauddhaloka Mawatha, Gangaramaya and the Samobodhi Viharaya. 

This year, Vesak in Sri Lanka has got a big boost with the UN Vesak celebrations being held in Colombo and Kandy. Thousands of visitors are expected and they will get a glimpse of how we celebrate Vesak.  They will certainly talk about what they saw when they return. 

As one monk ‘warned’ the devotees during a Vesak Dhamma sermon last Wednesday, “We should be on our best behaviour and impress on the outsiders that we really believe in practising what the Buddha has taught.”