Upali Attanayake & Komisama

MAIL EXCHANGE HAPU, PRASANNA & SELA
Received from Hapu on Apr 20 2006
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Dear Rosanna & Seal,

I normally go to bed early, and get up early. See all mails. Ha!! What a nice way to start the day. News of all friends, local and foreign. Here is another of Great Guru Upali Attanayaka.

When they were at the Teachers Training College - Maharagama., a Dramsoc was formed to improve the English and Sinhala of the future would be teachers. Mostly English classics of Shakespeare were the popular ones. At one premier, Upali Atte was Brutus, who stabbed Caesar from behind. The time came when Senna stabbed from the front front, with the dagger still intact, Caesar turned to say "Et Tu Brute" (And you too, Brutus) but there was no dagger on Brutus’ hand to complete the stab from the back. The audience realized the miss, catcalls and hooting started as usual, finally the missing dagger had to be thrown across to complete US part. Anyway they were hooted out the stage.

First college bell went. Have to go to Rupatees class.
Hapu

Received from hapu on April 18 2006
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Q Soda, Sela & Nangi
Dear Sela,

What a small world we are in. It looks like old Greenland's days and more importantly, Royal days are coming back. Ha! Ha!! Ha!!!.

The greatest will be the day we meet in Aust. in the near future. That might take about an year, if everything goes well.

We were the luckiest lot of old boys to have a bit of both ends in College. Komisama crowd has dispersed so vividly, it looks difficult to have a 40th anniversary. DSDJ is Prof of Sociology Uni. SL. Walla de Silva lost for the count. Jayamanna the bard is OK. Gompa is in some remote island in the pacific, (Share some stories of Gompa from Prasanna).

We meet often thanks to Kota Livera (Greenland's). Bloody great to have news of you and thelot. Sunil Andradi in PNG. He and some other chaps organized Komisam At Panadura Balika soon after the great victory at School Drama Comp.

We had another small playlet to go with Komisama. There was a scene where four friends having a drink of alcohol. D Gunda, got us real arrack from Panadura tavern at my request. Some arrack spilled on the table while drinking. The sweet smell extended to the further corner of the hall. Later the principal PBV, queried from the organizers, who vehemently denied any involvement in the real stuff. After the playlet, I forgot some lines in the KOMISAMA but managed to box on with a substitute line. DSDJ said no more arrack in any of my plays.

Great Guru Upali Attanayaka was the first to violate that DSDJ condition with the help of a chap called Hapuarachchi.

Bye Machang
Hapu

Received from Sela Amarasekera on April 18 2006
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Dear Hapu

so nice to be taken by surprise to a place of fond memories - yes i do remember the old tamarind tree - the safe haven which gave us protection from more things than the mere midday sun in the unfamiliar place called form 1b RC - and the "GYM" where only the brave would venture to. i've been a pretty bad old royalist - hardly kept in touch with old class mates with Prasanna and Sunil Andradi (another Panadurite) being the exception and occasionally bumping into Bandula Dissanayake - and of course tubby - being part of familly..

That is not to say i have forgotten the rest - i do have fond memories of many - of you in your many incarnations at royal - not least you in the play 'komisama idiriye sakki dunno' - in a classic performance providing evidence via 'nurthiya' dance form - is something i simply can not forget and YK making an entrance pushing a bike is hard to beat for a start up scene.

Have you'll ever though of having a 40th anniversary performance - by the same cast - that would be hilarious. Happy to hear from you.sela - with no more hairs. my home email is

selaa@optusnet.com.au

- but best to use the office address sela.amarasekara@qbe.com