‘Ve Prashansa’: Divine evening of gospel music on 1 September

Let your faith ring loud and true at Ve Prashansa, a gospel music concert by Daham Pahana on 1 September at the Viharamahadevi Open Air Theatre from 5 p.m. onwards. The spiritual celebration of music is expected to bring together 5,000 people to unite on the common ground of music and spirituality.

Daham Pahana is a spiritual movement founded in the early 90s that uses music as the primary tool to spread its message. Founded by Brother Anton Charles Thomas, the movement rests on the belief that every religion in the world has an underlying vein of Dharma that cuts across the spectrum of each religion’s teachings. Daham Pahana employs music to bring this message of unity and peace across; for centuries music has transcended cultural barriers and thus functions as the perfect medium to communicate and converse with many faiths at once.

The first song was released two decades ago, and since then the Daham Pahana movement has composed and launched several albums that capture this message. Collaborations with some of Sri Lanka’s top musicians including Stanley Peiris, Suresh Maliyadde, Rookantha Goonatilake, Rohana Weerasinghe, Ranga Dasanayake and Leslie Thomas have led to the compilation of over a hundred Christian songs treasured by many. 

“The aim of Daham Pahana is to create a world governed by spiritual values, which is to say, to empower Sri Lanka and the rest of the world through the outworking of Dharma,” said Brother Charles Thomas, founder of Daham Pahana. “Daham Pahana unites people into one movement dedicated to maithree, love, and peace without regard to differences in their race, religion, language, class or caste. We have succeeded in uniting people of different faiths to spread the message of spiritual values through music, and this year’s Ve Prashansa concert will fulfil that mission once again.”

Ve Prashansa is not just a concert, but also a spiritual exercise that will enlighten the faithful at different levels of education and background on the hidden realities of the Good News of the teachings of Jesus Christ. The event will be attended by distinguished parliamentarians, religious leaders and clergy, students and teachers, members of the judiciary and medical profession, banking sector and businesses representatives alongside media and leading academics and figures from the arts. This year’s show will feature Brother Charles Thomas, Leslie Thomas and backup vocalists performing alongside Suresh Maliyadde’s renowned orchestra.