Musical exchange across seas

HEARING the latest Bollywood song, ‘Manike’, on the radio brought back fond memories of my trip to Sri Lanka last year. It was just before civil turmoil gripped the country, and life was peaceful. Originally a Sri Lankan song written in Sinhalese, ‘Manike’ quickly went viral thanks, to social media.

I had no idea that it was a Sinhalese song. I assumed that it had been written in a South Indian language that I unfortunately do not understand. But when I heard the song playing on Sri Lankan radio in a taxi ride from Colombo to Kandy and remarked how Indian music had transcended boundaries and made its way into Sri Lanka, I was admonished by the cab driver. He was proud of his country’s music, and rightly so. Sri Lanka has a beautiful musical culture which brings together the young and new, builds social bonds, and gives people an outlet to explore their creativity.

It was on New Year’s Eve last year that I discovered the jiving musical scene in Colombo in the courtyard of a pub that was formerly a hospital built by Dutch colonisers. Sri Lankans of all ages could be seen crooning to a live musical gig by a greatly loved local band. The band played some lovely rock ballads from the ’80s and ’90s featuring Bryan Adams and Cliff Richard, interspersed with some Bollywood numbers. But the crowd, including my friends and I, went wild when the band performed Sinhalese rock songs. Even though we didn’t understand a single word, the music was mesmerising, the beats catchy, and the energy infectiously revitalising — in stark contrast to the meditative discourses we had recently attended in monasteries. After a few pints of beer, and with the help of Google, we soon found ourselves arm-in-arm with some jovial locals, crying ourselves hoarse as we sang local songs at the top of our voices. After the havoc caused by Covid-19, 2021 was ending on a very good note.

With the night still young, our new-found friends hosted us at a popular club where a DJ was performing. Not to be outdone by Sri Lankan hospitality, I requested the DJ to play some popular Punjabi songs. After much cajoling, he agreed, and very soon, everyone in the club surrounded us, joining us in the revelry with bhangra and Bollywood dance steps, and teaching us a couple of Sinhalese dance moves. Sri Lanka felt like home, as we embraced each other’s cultures.

I continue to enjoy my favourite Sinhalese songs — even though I still don’t understand half the lyrics!