{"id":119026,"date":"2021-10-08T16:17:49","date_gmt":"2021-10-08T23:17:49","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/www.lankaweb.com\/news\/items\/?p=119026"},"modified":"2021-10-08T16:24:55","modified_gmt":"2021-10-08T23:24:55","slug":"the-yohani-phenomenon-has-opened-a-window-on-the-little-known-sinhala-and-the-sinhalese","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.lankaweb.com\/news\/items\/2021\/10\/08\/the-yohani-phenomenon-has-opened-a-window-on-the-little-known-sinhala-and-the-sinhalese\/","title":{"rendered":"The Yohani phenomenon has opened a window on the little known Sinhala and the Sinhalese"},"content":{"rendered":"

By Rohana R. Wasala<\/em><\/span><\/h2>\n\n\n

Sadly, outside Sri Lanka, little known are the Sinhala language\nand the ethnic community known as the Sinhalese who have spoken it as their\nnative tongue over the millennia. Both have been eclipsed by Sri Lanka\u2019s huge\nnorthern neighbour India with its teeming millions speaking diverse languages,\nwith none of which Sinhala has any dialectal relation (i.e., Sinhala had its\nown distinct historical origins and evolved in an entirely different\ngeographical location, the small island of Sinhale or Ceylon, today called Sri\nLanka). A natural concomitant of Yohani\u2019s rise to stardom is that, for most\npeople in the world, it opened a window on the Sinhala language and the\nSinhalese who are the majority in Sri Lanka. Yohani is an ethnic Sinhalese. My\npurpose here is to provide some background information, or add a kind of\nfootnote to this additional advantage that Yohani earned for her motherland.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

SHIDDAT – JOURNEY BEYOND LOVE\u201d is a Hindi language film made\nunder the banners of T-Series and Maddock Films Pvt Ltd in India. Yohani is\nreported to have signed a contract with the first. The film was released on\nOctober 1, 2021 (a week ago). The official female version of the theme song of\nthis film was sung by Yohani de Silva of Sri Lanka. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

My daughter learnt some Hindi at school and later on she picked\nup a bit more of it on her own.  She translated Yohani\u2019s Shiddat song into\nSinhala for me. And I have here put it into English, also with her help. I wish\nto share it with those of  my interested readers, who like me, have little\nor no Hindi. (Both translations – Sinhala and English – like all translations\nare only approximations. But our attempts, I think, are close enough in literal\nmeaning and suggested imagery to the original for them to recapture at least\nsome of the Hindi song\u2019s mysterious magic. Yohani\u2019s singing is emotionally\ncaptivating. The unique mesmerizingly ethereal quality of  her gently\nlilting voice emanating from her slender svelte sylphlike figure is, I think,\nher chief strength as a singer. Her melodies, lyrics and singing (she often\naccounts for all three elements), while being avante-garde,  echo the\nclassic Sinhala  musical rhythms.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u0db8\u0dcf<\/strong> <\/strong>\u0d94\u0db6<\/strong> <\/strong>\u0db4\u0dd4\u0daf\u0db1\u0dca\u0db1\u0db8\u0dca<\/strong> <\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u0d94\u0db6 \u0db8\u0dcf\u0d9c\u0dda \u0daf\u0dd9\u0dc0\u0dd2\u0dba\u0db1\u0dca \u0d9a\u0ddc\u0da7 \u0db8\u0dcf \u0d94\u0db6 \u0dba\u0daf\u0dd2\u0db1\u0dca\u0db1\u0db8\u0dca.\u00a0
\u0db8\u0dcf \u0dba\u0daf\u0dd2\u0db8\u0dd2, \u0d94\u0db6 \u0dc3\u0db8\u0d9c\u0db8 \u0dc3\u0dd2\u0da7\u0dd2\u0db1\u0dca\u0db1,
\u0d91\u0dc0\u0dd2\u0da7 \u0db8\u0d9c\u0dda \u0dc4\u0dd2\u0dc3 \u0d94\u0db6 \u0d8b\u0dbb\u0dad\u0dbd\u0dba\u0dda \u0dbb\u0db3\u0db1\u0dca\u0db1 \u0dbd\u0dd0\u0db6\u0dda\u0dc0\u0dd2\u00a0<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u0dc4\u0dd4\u0dba\u0d9a\u0dca \u0d9c\u0dd0\u0da7 \u0d9c\u0dc3\u0dcf \u0db7\u0dcf\u0dbb \u0dc0\u0dd9\u0db1\u0dca\u0db1\u0db8\u0dca
\u0d94\u0db6\u0dda \u0dbb\u0dd4\u0dc0 \u0db8\u0dcf \u0dc4\u0daf\u0dc0\u0dad \u0db1\u0db8\u0dca \u0d9a\u0da9\u0daf\u0dcf\u0dc3\u0dd2\u0dba \u0db8\u0dad \u0d85\u0db3\u0dd2\u0db1\u0dca\u0db1\u0db8\u0dca
\u0d94\u0db6 \u0dad\u0dd4\u0dbd \u0dc0\u0dcf\u0dc3\u0dba \u0d9a\u0dbb\u0db1\u0dca\u0db1\u0db8\u0dca, \u0db1\u0dd2\u0d9a\u0dca\u0db8 \u0db1\u0ddc\u0dc0 \u0d9a\u0dd2\u0dc3\u0dd2\u0daf\u0dcf
\u0db8\u0dcf \u0dc0\u0dd9\u0dad \u0d86 \u0db8\u0dd0\u0db1, \u0db8\u0dcf \u0d94\u0db6 \u0db4\u0dd4\u0daf\u0db1\u0dca\u0db1\u0db8\u0dca<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u0d94\u0db6 \u0db8\u0dcf\u0d9c\u0dda \u0d89\u0dbb\u0dab\u0db8 \u0d9a\u0dbb\u0d9c\u0db1\u0dca\u0db1\u0db8\u0dca
\u0d94\u0db6 \u0db8\u0dcf\u0d9c\u0dda \u0db4\u0dca\u200d\u0dbb\u0dda\u0db8\u0dba, \u0db4\u0dd0\u0dad\u0dd4\u0db8 \u0d9a\u0dbb\u0d9c\u0db1\u0dca\u0db1\u0db8\u0dca
\u0d94\u0db6 \u0db8\u0dcf\u0d9c\u0dda \u0dc4\u0daf\u0dc0\u0dad\u0dda \u0dba\u0dcf\u0da5\u0dcf\u0dc0 \u0d9a\u0dbb\u0d9c\u0db1\u0dca\u0db1\u0db8\u0dca
\u0d94\u0db6 \u0dad\u0dd4\u0dbd \u0dc0\u0dcf\u0dc3\u0dba \u0d9a\u0dbb\u0db1\u0dca\u0db1\u0db8\u0dca, \u0db1\u0dd2\u0d9a\u0dca\u0db8 \u0db1\u0ddc\u0dc0 \u0d9a\u0dd2\u0dc3\u0dd2\u0daf\u0dcf
\u0db8\u0dcf \u0dc0\u0dd9\u0dad \u0d86 \u0db8\u0dd0\u0db1, \u0db8\u0dcf \u0d94\u0db6 \u0db4\u0dd4\u0daf\u0db1\u0dca\u0db1\u0db8\u0dca<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u0d87\u0dba\u0dd2 \u0d85\u0db4 \u0d85\u0dad\u0dbb\u0dda \u0daf\u0dd4\u0dbb\u0dc3\u0dca \u0db6\u0dc0\u0d9a\u0dca?
\u0d85\u0db4\u0dda\u00a0 \u0d9c\u0db8\u0db1\u0dcf\u0db1\u0dca\u0dad\u0dba \u0d91\u0d9a\u0db8\u0dba\u0dd2
\u0db1\u0db8\u0dd4\u0dad\u0dca \u0d85\u0db4\u0dda \u0db8\u0d82 \u0dc0\u0dbd \u0d87\u0dba\u0dd2 \u0db8\u0dd9\u0dad\u0dbb\u0db8\u0dca \u0dc0\u0dd9\u0db1\u0dc3\u0d9a\u0dca?\u00a0<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u0db8\u0dcf \u0d94\u0db6 \u0dc4\u0da7 \u0db4\u0dd9\u0db8\u0dca \u0d9a\u0dc0\u0dd2\u0dba\u0d9a\u0dca \u0dbd\u0dd2\u0dba\u0db1\u0dca\u0db1\u0db8\u0dca
\u0da2\u0dbd\u0dba\u0dda \u0db4\u0dc0\u0dcf \u0d85\u0dad\u0dca \u0d85\u0d9a\u0dd4\u0dbb\u0dd2\u0db1\u0dca \u0dbd\u0dd2\u0dba\u0db1\u0dca\u0db1\u0db8\u0dca
\u0db8\u0dcf\u0d9c\u0dda \u0dc4\u0dac \u0dc4\u0dd0\u0db8\u0dc0\u0dd2\u0da7 \u0d94\u0db6\u0da7 \u0d85\u0db1\u0dd4\u0db1\u0dcf\u0daf \u0daf\u0dda\u0dc0\u0dd2
\u0db8\u0dcf \u0dc0\u0dd9\u0dad \u0d86 \u0db8\u0dd0\u0db1, \u0d94\u0db6 \u0db8\u0dcf\u0d9c\u0dda \u0d86\u0dc1\u0dcf\u0dc0 \u0d9a\u0dbb\u0d9c\u0db1\u0dca\u0db1\u0db8\u0dca<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u0db8\u0dda \u0db8\u0dd4\u0dbd\u0dd4 \u0dc3\u0dcf\u0d9c\u0dbb\u0dba \u0db8\u0dcf\u0d9c\u0dda \u0dc4\u0dd8\u0daf \u0dc3\u0dcf\u0d9a\u0dca\u0dc2\u0dd2\u0dba \u0dc0\u0dda
\u0db8\u0dda \u0db8\u0dcf \u0d86\u0daf\u0dbb\u0dba \u0daf\u0ddd \u0db8\u0dcf \u0daf\u0dc0\u0db1 \u0db4\u0dcf\u0db4\u0dba \u0daf\u0ddd
\u0d94\u0db6 \u0db8\u0dcf\u0d9c\u0dda \u0d8b\u0dc3\u0dcf\u0dc0\u0dd2\u0dba \u0dc0\u0dd3, \u0daf\u0dac\u0dd4\u0dc0\u0db8 \u0daf \u0d94\u0db6 \u0dc0\u0db1\u0dca\u0db1
\u0db8\u0dcf \u0dc0\u0dd9\u0dad \u0d86 \u0db8\u0dd0\u0db1, \u0db8\u0dcf, \u0d94\u0db6 \u0db4\u0dd4\u0daf\u0db1\u0dca\u0db1\u0db8\u0dca<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Shiddat – Votary of Love<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

I\u2019ll make you my divinity and pray to you
I pray, I want you to stay with me
Then I\u2019ll be able to rest my head on your shoulder<\/p>\n\n\n\n

I will tie a thread and give myself up to you
I will draw your image on the paper of my heart
I will reside in you, never leaving you,
Please come to me, I will revere you!<\/p>\n\n\n\n

I will make you my destiny
I will make you my love and hope
I will make you the prayer in my heart
I will reside in you, never leaving you
Please come to me, I will revere you!<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Why is\u00a0 this big difference between us?
Our destination is the same
But why is this difference between our paths?<\/p>\n\n\n\n

I will write a love poem for you
I will write it even in water
My voice will always ring to you
Please come to me, I will make you my desire!<\/p>\n\n\n\n

All this ocean is my conscience
Is this my love or my sin burning me?
You be my court of justice, and my sentence as well
Please come to me, I will exalt you!<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Although, the Sinhalese are the majority (numbering just over 16\nmillion) within Sri Lanka, they are a global minority of about 17 M. The\nSinhalese and their language – in spite of their very long history and their\nstill vibrant existence – are being overshadowed by the adjacent India with its\nhuge multilingual population of nearly 1.4 billion; Hindi being the most common\ntongue in that country. Hindi is taught, at least in some Sri Lankan schools as\na subject in higher grades (OL and AL). Ordinary Sri Lankans also pick up some\nHindi from Hindi films and film songs. Classical Sinhala music has also been\nheavily influenced by North Indian musical genres. Yohani\u2019s \u2018Manike Mage Hithe\u2019\nand other songs display classic Sinhala rhythms interlaced with Hindustani\nmusical elements. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Sinhala is the mother tongue of the ethnic Sinhalese who account\nfor well over 75% of Sri Lanka\u2019s population. They are indigenous to the island\nand have a written history of over 2500 years. That recorded history dates from\nthe time some sort of invasion seems to have come from Vanga Desh in\nnorth-eastern India, and initially subjugated them. A Vanga prince by the name\nof Vijaya who led the invasion was considered the progenitor of the Sinhala\nrace. In excavations carried out in the inner city (Atul Nuwara) of\nAnuradhapura, the ancient capital of Sri Lanka, in 2009, under the supervision\nof the late Dr Shiran Deraniyagala (who died on October 5, 2021, at the age of\n79), once the Director-General of Archaeology in the Department of Archaeology,\nprehistoric evidence (potsherds with Brahmi writing, fragments of gold\njewellery, horses\u2019 teeth, pieces of broken bricks, an underground channel, etc)\nwas found that suggested that there had existed an earlier civilized society\nthat predated the alleged arrival of Vijaya by about three hundred years. Dr\nDeraniyagala showed that the indigenous people who comprised that pre-Vijayan\ncommunity were the Yakkhas, who were the real ancestors of the Sinhalese. The\nlocal woman Kuveni that Vijaya befriended according to the legend was actually\na Yakkha princess. The Yakkhas\u2019 prehistoric beginnings in the island are lost\nin the mists of time.  The language of  those people was the\nprototype of the Sinhala language. That was the language that Thera Mahinda,\nwho officially introduced Buddhism to Sri Lanka under emperor Asoka of Bharatha\n(India) during the reign of king Devanampiya Tissa of the island of Lanka \nin 236 BCE, used to explain the doctrine to the native people, the Yakkhas.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

So, Sinhala is a very old language with a separately evolved\nscript. The sacred scriptures of Buddhism which are in the Pali language, the\nlanguage spoken by the people of Magadha of ancient India  – The Three\nPitaka or the Three Baskets – which had come down orally were committed to\nwriting at a Buddhist monastery called Alu Vihara (Aloka Vihara or Shrine of\nLight) in Matale in central Sri Lanka in the first century BCE, i.e., more than\ntwo thousand one hundred (2100) years ago, during the reign of king Valagambahu\n(89-77 BCE). The script used for that purpose was Sinhala, because Pali did not\nhave a script of its own. Even today Pali texts are transliterated in different\northographies (Sinhala, Thai, Burmese, Khmer, Roman, etc.) In its long history,\nthe contact with Pali, Sanskrit and other Indo-Aryan languages has greatly\ninfluenced the vocabulary of Sinhala. The Sinhala sound system (vocal sounds –\nconsonants, vowels, semi-vowels, etc., are unique to it, which makes Sinhala\nsound entirely different from Dravidian languages like Tamil and Malayalam,\nwhich also have borrowed from Sanskrit (the language of Hindu sacred texts like\nthe Bhagavad-gita). But Sinhala usually sounds close to Hindi. Many ordinary\nHindi words are comprehensible to Sinhala speakers like Yohani. Sinhala is even\ncloser to Bengali in its phonological and lexical aspects. The Indian national\nanthem Vande Mataram I bow to thee Mother) is in heavily Sanskritised Bengali.\nHindi and Bengali speakers seem to have understood the Sinhala word Ma\u201d (which\nactually means I\u201d) in Yohani\u2019s Manike Mage song as meaning Mother\u201d; so lyric\nwriters have composed songs on Mother India using the melody of Yohani\u2019s\nSinhala song. This linguistic kinship with North India is one reason why\nYohani\u2019s songs are catching on in India so fast.     <\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

By Rohana R. Wasala Sadly, outside Sri Lanka, little known are the Sinhala language and the ethnic community known as the Sinhalese who have spoken it as their native tongue over the millennia. Both have been eclipsed by Sri Lanka\u2019s huge northern neighbour India with its teeming millions speaking diverse languages, with none of which […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"closed","sticky":true,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[91],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-119026","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-rohana-r-wasala"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.lankaweb.com\/news\/items\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/119026","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.lankaweb.com\/news\/items\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.lankaweb.com\/news\/items\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.lankaweb.com\/news\/items\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.lankaweb.com\/news\/items\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=119026"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.lankaweb.com\/news\/items\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/119026\/revisions"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.lankaweb.com\/news\/items\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=119026"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.lankaweb.com\/news\/items\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=119026"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.lankaweb.com\/news\/items\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=119026"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}