Forty
six years ago, on the 1st of July 1962, a young man, just
22 years of age, partook in one of the most profound ceremonies
any Catholic could aspire to.
It was one of ordination to the Catholic priesthood, and
it took place in Rome.
In Rome that day, the Catholic faith welcomed its newest
priest – he was Rev Fr Nicholapillai Maria Saveri
of Sri Lanka.
As his vocation unfolded, in the vineyards of the Lord in
Sri Lanka, Fr Saveri showed a penchant for language and
the arts – so much so that he became intensely involved
in the fields of Arts and Culture from a very early age.
Fr Saveri was born in Illavalai, Jaffna and schooled at
St. Henry’s College, Illavalai and St.Patrick’s
College, Jaffna. He joined the National Seminary, Ampitiya
when he was 16 years of age where he completed his philosophical
studies.
He proceeded to Rome to pursue his theological studies and
was ordained a priest for the Diocese of Jaffna.
Through the years he qualified to receive the ‘Tamil
Pulava Vidvan’, Madurai, his MA, Ph.D (History) from
the London University, UK and a Ph.D in Philosophy from
Germany.
But this is only the start to what is to be what Fr Saveri
himself considers his special calling…what he believes
he was chosen to do….and what has today become one
of the most vital initiatives in a Sri Lanka torn asunder
by violence, misunderstanding, mistrust and strife.
A Saga Begins to Unfold…
Three
years into his priestly service, in the parish of Urumpirai,
Father was to take the first steps in what has now become
a journey promoting love, understanding and unification
of people across Sri Lanka, through the pursuit of a common
love for the arts and culture of this great land.
The first
step was the formation of Thirumarai Kala Mandram (the Centre
for Performing Arts {CPArts}) in 1965, with Fr Saveri as
its Founder Director, a post he holds to this day.
CPArts
as it soon came to be known, began as a theatre group in
the Jaffna district. Its main aim was to use the arts as
a base to promote social awareness among youth and women.
In operation, CPArts was gathering young people from village
and town to participate in and enjoy activity in the field
of art and culture, whilst in the process interacting with
each other, forming lasting, healthy and inclusive relationships,
breaking through ingrained barriers of caste, creed and
gender.
It was
also hoped that young people who involved themselves with
the programmes and activities of CPArts would also be inspired
to use their talent and energy in service to the wider community,
in whatever location they were situated.
Over the
years, CPArts has grown to encompass people from an ever
widening geographic spread across Sri Lanka with branches
in Avissawella, Anuradhapura, Batticaloa, Galle, Haputale,
Hambantota, Ilavalai, Kandy, Mannar, Matara, Moneragala,
Panadura, Puttalam, Polonnaruwa, Ratnapura, Trincomalee,
Vanni and Vavuniya.
In 1992,
a Co-ordinating Office was opened in Colombo to initially
expand the activities of CPArts in southern Sri Lanka and
later, to act as the co-ordinating centre for branch programmes
conducted all over Sri Lanka as well as in many countries
overseas – in Asia, Europe, North America and Australia.
The Colombo office soon came to be known by the name –
Ranga Kala Kendraya.
By 2002,
CPArts had developed so well that it was recognised by the
Ministry of Social Services and awarded NGO status.
CPArts
remains one of the few cultural organizations that embrace
all Sri Lankan ethnicities and language media, bringing
people together to learn, play and develop a deep understanding
and appreciation of each other’s traditions. Every
CPArts programme provides opportunities for ‘new connections’
and friendships to develop in an enabling environment.
For communities
where different ethnic groups live in isolation, ignorance,
mistrust and fear, the healing effects of such initiatives
cannot be under estimated.
Being
an organization working in some of the areas worst affected
by conflict as well as other disasters, CPArts has first
hand experience of the tragic impact of such situations
and is ideally placed for the role of advocacy it plays,
with the many stakeholder agencies working to alleviate
conditions in those areas.
Consequently,
CPArts maintains strong and abiding partnerships with other
organizations in the peace constituency, humanitarian agencies
and with writers and artistes who are committed to peace.
CPArts’
vision is to ‘create a family of artistes representing
all ethnicities and religions in Sri Lanka, that strives
to inculcate the values of peace and tolerance’.
It’s
mission is to –
•
Promote peace, justice and equality among all communities
• Protect and nurture the rights of children
• Assist in healing the wounds of war and the trauma
of natural disaster
• Create opportunities for intercultural exchanges
across all regions of Sri Lanka
• Eliminate social and gender discrimination
• Promote the rights of women
• Identify and encourage artistes to become ambassadors
for peace and development in their
communities, and around the world.
CPArts
in Action…
Whilst the activities of CPArts are too numerous and detailed
to adequately record in an article of this nature, the organization
is very visible in many areas of the country.
In the
arts, there are training programmes in theatre, art, music
and dance among other pursuits. Once proficiency is reached,
programmes are staged for the public, where there has been
consistent acclaim for the high standards achieved.
There
are peace camps conducted regularly within the districts,
and many programmes of vocational training for women, career
guidance programmes for youth and so much more.
Post tsunami
activity has addressed psychological as well as physical
rehabilitation of communities – particularly children,
women and youth – gradually leading them to productive
and stress free life once again.
CPArts
programmes have become a ‘haven of refuge’ for
many traumatized by conflict – the opportunity to
enjoy respite, however brief and temporary, from the horrors
and trauma of war, and to enjoy an indulgence in arts, theatre
and music, have been cherished by hundreds.
The work
goes on…the saga continues to unfold…enterprise
will not end until lasting peace reigns in our beloved land.
Some Thoughts…
At another
time and place Father Saveri has said, “I thank God
every day for using my talents and my failures in equal
measure, to accomplish His work. There can be no greater
purpose for the life of anyone, let alone a priest. He has
blessed so many people in this enterprise – all who
work for CPArts; so many stakeholders in the peace process;
donors; well wishers…so many from all over the world.
There is nothing left for me to do than to carry on serving
Him by tending His flock. I am emboldened when I think of
whom He chose to be His first ‘assistants’ …the
Apostles were men of simplicity, with no special talents…but
look what He turned them into!”
We wish
Fr Saveri, passionate devotee of the Lord Jesus, passionate
believer in the healing power of arts and culture and Founder
Director of CPArts many more years of service in the vineyards
of his Master.
