Symposia & Conferences

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    The Influence of Television Media on the Promotion of Popular Culture
    (Department of Sinhala, Faculty of Humanities, University of Kelaniya Sri Lanka, 2023) Abeysinghe, Nisal Shanaka
    This research investigates the intricate relationship between television media and the dissemination of popular culture. Adopting a multidisciplinary approach, this study draws upon insights from the fields of media studies, sociology, and cultural analysis to dissect the intricate mechanisms through which television channels and programs actively promote and wield influence over popular culture. The main objective of this research is to discern the profound impact of television media on the promotion of popular culture. To facilitate a comprehensive inquiry into the promotion of popular culture on television, a mixed methods research approach was employed, encompassing both qualitative and quantitative research methodologies. Data collection involved rigorous content analysis, surveys, questionnaires, and in-depth interviews. Key findings emerging from the investigation of the promotion of popular culture on television underscore television's pivotal role in shaping and disseminating popular culture. Analysis of various television programs reveals the recurrent integration of popular culture elements, including fashion trends, catchphrases, and cultural references, seamlessly interwoven into narrative contexts, effectively engendering their widespread popularisation among diverse audiences. Audience responses illuminate that viewers frequently perceive television as a reflective prism of their own culture and society. They actively engage with the content, forging emotional connections with characters and episodes that resonate with their own experiences. This implies that television functions both as a mirror and a shaper of culture, significantly impacting the manner in which individuals perceive themselves and their communities. Moreover, the research reveals that television's influence transcends the realm of mere entertainment. The promotion of popular culture on television undeniably leaves an indelible imprint on consumer behaviour, exemplified by the proliferation of "product placement" advertising strategies. Viewers often emulate the lifestyles and preferences of their cherished TV characters, resulting in heightened consumerism and unwavering brand loyalty. In conclusion, this research underscores the pivotal role that television plays in the promotion and moulding of popular culture. It highlights the intricate interdependence between television and society, emphasising the medium's capacity to shape cultural norms, values, and consumer choices. These findings underscore the imperative need for ongoing research and critical reflection on the implications arising from television's promotional endeavours concerning popular culture in our contemporary milieu.
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    An Investigative Study of the Psychological Approach Evident in Euripides' Play Bacchi
    (Department of Sinhala, Faculty of Humanities, University of Kelaniya Sri Lanka, 2023) Premakumara, S.P. Sasinda Gimhan
    Classical Greek theatre is considered one of the oldest documented art traditions in the world. Critics claim that almost every Greek drama that exists today was born in the city of Athens in the ancient Greek kingdom. Among them, Greek tragic drama has received the attention of most critics. It is an art that reproduces human society and the nature of the world by an artistic rule. Euripides (480 - 406 BC) was the last scholarly pioneer of the tragic dramatic aesthetic bequeathed to the universe by classical Greek society. The great playwright Euripides can be called as a writer who followed an independent rule in the development of artistic reproduction that did not adhere to the ideology of the predecessor playwrights. Euripides' Bacchi can be called as a famous play in Greek drama. The legend of Dionysus provided the inspiration for Bacchi. Scholars point out that according to Greek thought, Dionysus is a symbol of fertility, alcohol and spiritual human feelings in the Greek pantheon. According to the story, when Dionysus arrived in Greece to introduce himself and the rituals, a dilemma arose between the philosophical views and the worship of gods by Dionysus. Against that dilemma, a psychological approach is evident in the play. Accordingly, the research problem here is how the psychological background of the fictional drama is depicted. A literary data analysis was used as the research methodology, which was done by taking the original Sinhala translation of Euripides' play Bacchi as the primary source and the critical books written on psychological principles as the secondary source. As revealed in this research, Sigmund Freud's psychoanalyticism can be identified as a psychological approach related to the main post-Freudian and neo-Freudian psychological approaches reflected in actual visual poetry.
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    Social Awareness of Sinhala Cultural Practices; An Investigative Study Based on Sokari Folk Drama
    (Department of Sinhala, Faculty of Humanities, University of Kelaniya Sri Lanka, 2023) Balasuriya, B.M.T.L.; Bandara, B.M.C. Madhusankha
    Sokari is the oldest folk drama in Sri Lanka, which portrays a story in a humorous way by imitating various characters in the society. Sokari folk drama is known as an independent local art form as well as a ritual popular among the villagers. The society's lack of proper understanding of these ritual concepts has an effect on the enjoyment of this folk drama. The main aim of the study is to investigate how the concept of rituals depicted in Sokari folk drama is understood by today's society. The sub-objectives of the study are to study the manner in which the rituals and beliefs of the culture are portrayed in Sokari folk drama and to investigate the use of folk drama to present the characteristics of the village society to a complex social context. The research question of the present study focuses on how the rural social belief concepts depicted in Sokari play are reflected in today's society. Exploratory research methodology has been used for the study. Haguranketha area of Kandy district and Anamaduwa area of Puttalam district have been chosen as the study area because folk art is widely popular in those areas. One hundred fifty people from each of the two areas have been involved in the research under stratified sampling. Structured questionnaire and 6 interviews were used as primary data sources. Books, newspapers, magazines and experimental studies were used as secondary data sources. With the main objectives of providing entertainment, and bringing about the fertility and prosperity needed for cultivation in agriculture, the Sokari village drama, which is staged on the threshing floor, is based on the folk norms of the Sinhala society. It is a highlight of the superstitious, theistic concept that comes from the villagers. Goddess Pattini and Kali are highlighted in this story while the social attitudes are recreated through the characters of Sokari, Guruhami, Paraya, Vedarala, and Sottana. Among the study results, it was found that the performance of Sokari drama is used to highlight the nature of village life, to ensure good fortune to the village and fertility of women and, in general, to seek God's blessings. Sokari drama is still performed to enhance the Sinhala village culture, and its performances, poems, and dialogues are presented with minor regional variations, and although the female and male character traits, weaknesses, and village social characteristics are played with humor, nowadays, tt can be concluded that there are positive and negative social attitudes depending on fandom.
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    An Investigative Study of Indian Influences in the Creation of Native Dance Costumes
    (Department of Sinhala, Faculty of Humanities, University of Kelaniya Sri Lanka, 2023) Kavindya, S.A.G.
    Dancing has a significant importance in the Sri Lankan culture. There are three main dance traditions in our country. They are known as Up Country Dance, Low Country Dance and Sabaragamuwa Dance. In the past, dance was used for different purposes. Since ancient times, dance has been used for various royal functions, festivals and rituals. The costume is the best way of expressing the idea of the dance. In the past, traditional dance was restricted only to men, but nowadays, women are also involved in the dance. Accordingly, the problem of this research is how Indian influence aspires to the creation of local dance costumes. Traditional dance costumes have been inspired by India for various reasons. However, our traditional traits were also assumed to be preserved. The primary objective of our research is to study the changes in the Indian influence that influenced the local dance art and native dance costumes at different times. The other research objective is to study the archaeological influence of local dance costumes on local dance traditions. Data was collected through the study of primary and secondary sources and interviews. This research follows historical research methodology. Conclusions were drawn following the logical analysis method. Consistently, the royal marriages between the two countries during different kingdoms and the influence of the Nayakkar dynasty led to the Indian influence on Sri Lankan dancing clothing. Also, it was concluded that the presence of Indian characteristics in temple dances and the dancers going to India for education also influenced it.
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    An Analytical Study on the Effect of Subtitling and Dubbing on Foreign Language Films and TV Series
    (Department of Sinhala, Faculty of Humanities, University of Kelaniya Sri Lanka, 2023) Piumantha, Oshan N.
    Cinema has its own unique language. It is created by combining the two basic components of image and sound and can be studied through semiotic approaches. According to the country of the original production of a movie or a TV series, the language contained in it also changes. Although it is possible to understand the language of movie through semiology approaches, in order to understand the original spoken language contained in it, there must be an understanding of that language. Local audiences use methods such as cinemas, television or internet access (OTT) to enjoy foreign language productions. Subtitles downloaded and used from the internet cause several major problems. However, because the subtitles provided for many foreign productions are different from the linguistic meaning of the original production or are arranged in a way that does not match the meaning, problems arise in watching the original production's original meaning. It is also problematic to limit the time to pay full attention to the movie or the TV series by focusing on watching subtitles. Also, dubbing is an accepted method of screening and distribution of foreign language productions on television and OTT platforms. In this way, even if the audience understands the basic narrative of the creation, the ability to absorb its subtle cinematic components is lost. Before dubbing works, there is a problem of translating it into the relevant language and whether it is perfectly translated to the meaning of the original work. It is presented through this research paper that the basic expression of the original work is damaged in some way due to having to adjust the dialogue segments to suit the character's lip movements. Due to these reasons, when watching foreign productions, the audiences who are not close to those languages have an obstacle to enjoying the creations properly. The main purpose of the study is to analytically present that the application of subtitles and dubbing for foreign language productions is harmful to the main purpose of the production. Data is collected through a questionnaire to study the topic experimentally, and it is based on the works compiled on the subject, and the opinions of authentic scholars related to the subject are analysed.
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    A Study on the Use of Cinematography in the Portrayal of Femininity and Sexuality in Prasanna Jayakodi's Movie' 28'
    (Department of Sinhala, Faculty of Humanities, University of Kelaniya Sri Lanka, 2023) Herath, H.M.S.S.
    Cinema is the youngest of the arts. But all kinds of arts born from the beginning of man are embedded in it. How does the use of language contribute to the excellence of the arts, such as novels and short stories? In the same way, for the excellence of a work of thought, its use of cinematography plays an important role. Cinema is a powerful art that uses images as a medium of language. The basic meaning of the subject of the film is based on the use of images or the way images are constructed in a film. The purpose of this research is to conduct a study on the use of cinematography used to portray femininity and sexuality in Prasanna Jayakodi's movie '28'. The research problem was to find out the appropriateness of the imagery used by the cinematographer to vividly depict women's feelings. The character of Suddi, who plays the main role here, unfolds on the screen as a young woman, a wife and a working woman. In this way, the pictorial phenomena used by the filmmaker to reveal the issues related to femininity and sexuality as well as the inabilities of women trapped in the cultural framework, are excellent. For this study, a qualitative research method was used to collect data in which Prasanna Jayakodi's movie '28' was used as the main source and critical works related to the previous subject, internet, and magazine papers were used as secondary sources. The conclusion that can be reached at the end of the research is that the cinematographer has been able to portray well the situations where women are oppressed due to sex and the role of women in a weak position in the society through the use of successful images.
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    Analytical Study of the Oppressed Social Circumstances Depicted by Plays of Jayalath Manoratne (Through plays: Mahagiridamba, Kaneru Mal, Buruwa Mahattaya, Sellam Nirindu)
    (Department of Sinhala, Faculty of Humanities, University of Kelaniya Sri Lanka, 2023) Arachchi, Eranga Kaushalya Godakanda
    Mr Jayalath Manoratne, a playwright who had commenced his productions in the 80th decade, made his contribution to upholding the drama industry. There are 12 plays which were solely composed by him, and out of those, Mahagiridamba (1980), Kaneru Mal (2000), Buruwa Mahattaya (2011) and Sellam Nirindu (2013) are a few plays which showed greater success traits. The objective of this research is to investigate the oppressed social circumstances depicted by the aforementioned plays. The research is significant as it distinguishes the approaches used by Manoratne to characterise the circumstances where different levels of society are oppressed. The main problem of this research focuses on identifying the playwright's definition of oppressed ideology and the extent to which the oppressed society is represented in aforesaid plays. Primary and secondary sources were used as the research methodology. The play scripts of Mahagiridamba, Kaneru Mal, Buruwa Mahattaya and Sellam Nirindu written by Jayalath Manoratne were used as primary sources while using few written sources related to the oppressed society and reviews related to Jayalath Manoratna's plays as secondary sources. Socio-economic difficulties faced by a young playwright is the subject matter of the play "Mahagiridamba" and the play "Kaneru Mal" signifies how the peasants of the country are oppressed mentally and physically. The tragic fate of labourers as well as their representative parties, are symbolised in "Buruwa Mahattaya" and the play "Sellam Nirindu" is based on the era of king Sri Veera Parakrama Narendrasinghe. This portrays how the foreign princess Sumithra, a queen of the king, is being oppressed because of her unfamiliar cultural background. The characters of the aforementioned plays had been oppressed for many reasons, such as social, cultural, economic and political. They tend to choose either death or struggle to get rid of the stress. This represents how physical and mental oppression rises despite the class gap. The attempt made by Jayalath Manoratne to illustrate the value of an unoppressed, fair society has been clearly identified by this research.
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    A Study of the Current Face of the Sri Lankan Angampora Martial Art (In Association with the Sri Lanka Traditional Indigenous Martial Arts Association in Athurugiriya)
    (Department of Sinhala, Faculty of Humanities, University of Kelaniya Sri Lanka, 2023) Ranaweera, S.
    The Angampora martial art is a distinctive indigenous martial art with a heritage tracing back to 125,000 years in Sri Lanka. The evolution of this martial art reveals a continuous process of adaptation and transformation, which persists to the present day. The Sri Lanka Traditional Indigenous Martial Arts Association, situated in Athurugiriya, is an institution dedicated to preserving the traditional Sri Lankan martial art, Angampora. The research objective is to investigate the organisation's effectiveness in safeguarding and upholding the practice of Angampora. The research examines contemporary trends in Sri Lankan Angampora martial arts and its adaptation to the modern era. It also seeks to identify the challenges encountered in this process and assess the extent to which the traditional foundations of Angampora have been retained. Furthermore, the research objective is to evaluate the success of the Sri Lanka Traditional Indigenous Martial Arts Association in addressing these aspects and their impact on martial arts' preservation and development in the modern world. Primary data for the study were obtained through interviews conducted with instructors and senior students associated with the Sri Lanka Traditional Indigenous Martial Arts Association Institute, while secondary data consisted of relevant books and research articles. Data analysis was carried out utilising the content analysis method. This institution offers training in the Angampora martial arts to both Sri Lankan nationals and individuals from other countries. Moreover, the institute has adapted its training methodologies to align with contemporary practices and is actively conducting the necessary activities for promoting Angampora martial arts as a sport. In conclusion, the preservation of Angampora martial arts necessitates proper regulation and procedures, ideally overseen by governmental or sports-related institutions. Furthermore, it underscores the importance of promoting Angampora martial arts on the global stage, akin to other internationally recognised martial arts, thus fostering cultural exchange and appreciation.
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    A Study on the Unique Oral Characteristics of the Rajarata Vannam Tradition Based on Madiya Vannama
    (Department of Sinhala, Faculty of Humanities, University of Kelaniya Sri Lanka, 2023) Muthukudaarachchi, S.M.P.S.
    The Rajarata Vannam tradition, which is a local Vannam tradition, is an unknown and important singing style heard in the Rajarata area of Sri Lanka. Some of them are unrecorded legendary singing patterns that have been orally transferred from generation to generation for centuries. According to the literary sources, it is said that there are 21 Vannams. Vagollaakada Kirihami Mohottala, who was a descendant of the Kawikara Maduwa of the Kandyan period, is known as the ancient heir of this Vannams. During the field studies carried out in the 1970s, a few vannams were found in the possession of Katagasdigliye Pahaladivulweva Mudalihami. The aim of this research is to study the unfamous singing features of the Rajarata Vannam tradition through Madiya Vannama. The primary sources used for this research were the recordings of the vannam singing, while the books and articles were used as the secondary sources. While analysing the data, it appears that this singing style is very different from the present vannam singing styles in Sri Lanka. Although a certain rhythm or thith pattern is a distinguishing feature of popular Vannam genres, this Vannam has an unrhythmic singing style. The life cycle of the frog is presented in a simple way, which is another unique feature of this vannama. Although the association of a particular beat or dot pattern is the main characteristic of Vannam styles, this Vannam style of singing is atypical. Accordingly, while studying the oral characteristics of the Rajarata Vannam tradition through Madiya Vannama, the final conclusion that can be reached is that it reveals the features of the prose singing style.
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    An Investigative Study of Somalatha Subasinghe's Ability to Choose the Subject Matter and Present it Creatively in Creating Children's Dramas (Based on the Children's Play "Punchi Apata Den Therei")
    (Department of Sinhala, Faculty of Humanities, University of Kelaniya Sri Lanka, 2023) Kaushalya, P. A. S. S.
    Somalatha Subasinghe, who takes the lead in creating children's drama, is a person who has managed to create a group of valuable children's drama scripts even though she is limited. It can be studied that Subasinghe's skill in choosing the subject matter and presenting it creatively has influenced the successful presentation of children's drama scripts. The research problem is to find out how the subject matter belonging to another country has been creatively presented in a suitable way for the child in Sri Lankan society. The aim of this research is to explore whether the play has been created appropriately by recognising the child's mind on a psychological aspect. There, as the main sources, Subasinghe's play script "Punchi Apata den Therei" and the folktale based on it were studied. Library observation, academic articles and research theses were consulted under qualitative research methodology. Information was also collected through interviews with authentic experts in the field. The subject matter is a strong influencer in determining the creativity of a creation. The same is true for the script. It is a characteristic of a skilled creator to choose the subject according to the nature of the people he hopes to present the play to. It is clear from this drama script that Subasinghe has managed to overcome it. It can be concluded from the study of the play script as well as from the study of the scenes that Subasinghe knew who the child was and the most appropriate method to address the child's mind in presenting a certain idea. Although the child gets to hear and see the folktale used in the creation of the children's drama "Punchi Apata den Therei", it is concluded that Subasinghe has managed to present the subject matter with more creative, artistic, instructional and educational knowledge in the compilation of her creation of the drama with an innovation compared to the folktale. It is observed from this drama that by creatively integrating the subject matter into dramatisation, the child's mind can be creatively approached with enjoyment as well as wisdom.