Words from the heart, autographs and photographs at the Mount
The much awaited literary celebration of the Mount Lavinia Hotel’s 210th anniversary- “Words on the Mount” took place last weekend. The celebration began in style with a grand reception on Friday night with Prime Minister Ranil Wickremesinghe and Prof. Maithree Wickremesinghe as special guests.
On Saturday, the invited authors Louis de Bernieres, Peter Grimsdale, Stephanie Calman and Rohan Candappa who revealed their individual connections with the country, captivated the audience with personal reminiscences and readings from their books. With the books being sold in the foyer outside the Grand Ballroom, many in the audience seized the opportunity to pick up a book and have a brief chat with the authors, who were happy to oblige with autographs and photographs.
Bringing the three-hour programme of literary performances to a close with “Rules Britannia, The Last Night of the Poms”, Candappa’s performance came from the heart, although he maintained a self-deprecating sense of comedy throughout. He touched upon in particular feeling a sense of dislocation, especially during Last Night of the Proms-an eight-week summer season of daily orchestral classical music concerts and other events held annually in England. Candappa shared how a quintessentially British song “Rule Britannia” sung during this would often make him feel disconnected, as the son of an immigrant who felt like he belonged neither here nor there. The writer was also eloquent about his father, evocatively bringing to life visions of the older Candappa brewing a steaming pot of rasam on a cold winter evening.
Sunday, July 10, was dedicated to master classes for budding writers along with activity workshops for the younger enthusiasts. The morning saw an exhibition of colourful paper knickers lined up on the terrace of the Hotel courtesy of youngsters between the ages of 6-12 under the guidance of children’s writer and illustrator Nicholas Allan, author of the “The Queen’s Knickers”. The author/illustrator also conducted a workshop for older children on illustrating picture books and comics.