As part of the Indian Council for Cultural Relations (ICCR)-organised 8th International Dance and Music Festival here, an all-women drummer band, namely, Thuryaa from Sri lanka presented a scintillating concert of dance and drumming on Monday. It was hosted jointly by the ICCR and the KIIT University at the university campus.
The Colombo-based four-year-old band has created history as the first-ever women’s drums ensemble of Sri lanka. The eight-member band is led by its founder Sithara Madhuwanti, a young percussion expert in her late 20s, who has graduated from University of Visual and Performing Arts in Colombo.
The band that is touring India includes Nadeeka Asuranada, Chamini Anuruddhika, Sanduni Chathurangi, Shalini Yashoda, Chethani Rathnayake, Sachini Piyumali and Chathurika Sandaruvini besides troupe leader and artistic director Sithara. Two male musicians, Rachika D Silva and Sachintha Maduranga, accompanied them.
“Sri lankan percussion art tradition was always the domain of men till I decided to study and master it. I faced a lot of criticism and challenges by being a woman in the men’s land. But thanks to my table professor and my parents, I could carry on. Around 20 young girls have come forward to join me; and our band has started getting appreciation in our country. We are grateful to ICCR for inviting us to perform in India in such a prestigious international dance and music festival,” acknowledged Sithara.
The band had its first performance in the national capital of New Delhi followed by Bhubaneswar; and it would conclude its India tour with performance in Varanasi, informed ICCR Odisha Chapter Regional Officer Balbir Singh Negi.
Negi thanked the KIIT University for its collaboration with the ICCR in presenting a part of the ongoing 8th International Dance and Music Festival of India. “So far, the Department of Culture of Odisha Government was our collaborator in presenting our series of programmes at the Rabindra Mandap. By this collaboration with the KIIT, we could reach out to a different part of the State capital city where more than 50,000 students from all over India apart from abroad study,” he observed.
“We really enjoyed performing for a very large number of girl students here because all of are also students and we wished to pass on our message to them that girls can excel in any field and also can achieve big,” observed Sithara.