Enlightenment electrified
The Vesak celebrations are upon Southland and 13 members of the Sri Lankan community are going all out this year.
It’s going to be a bright end to May in Invercargill.
The Vesak celebrations are upon Southland, and 13 members of the Sri Lankan community are going all out this year. Vesak is a commemoration of Buddha’s life, enlightenment and death.
Thushara Nayanajeewa and his co-workers at the Driffield dairy farm, in Mossburn, have been working on a thorana to celebrate. Nayanajeewa used to be an electrical superintendent in Sri Lanka and wanted to use his skills.
A thorana is a decorative, freestanding piece of art or architecture popular in Southeast Asia, and this is the first time one has been made for a Vesak festival in New Zealand.
‘‘We have been working on this over five months now. We all worked with one goal, which is creating a spectacular [thorana] – first time in New Zealand and South Pacific region,’’ he said.
The ornamental piece cost $9000 to make, funded by Sri Lankans throughout New Zealand, especially in the South Island.
This thorana will be a bit different from traditional ones due to Nayanajeewa’s electrical background. The whole installation will have 6500-pixel LED bulbs, with 500 different patterns to show. It is all automated by app.
The large installation will also have art depicting Buddha’s life, made by Sasitha Chathuranga and sent from Sri Lanka.
Nayanajeewa’s wife, Samanthi, has been helping him with picking the designs. ‘‘Even if you are not Buddhist, in Sri Lanka everyone gets together to celebrate Vesak regardless of religion,’’ she said.
The free Vesak celebrations are on from May 26-29, at the Gala Street Reserve in Invercargill.