Santani Foundation presents “Gurukulaya”

Documentary as part of vital Samula heritage festival - celebration of traditional Sri Lankan dance

- By Uma CHANDRASIRI

FOR the first time in history, the Santani Foundation has stepped up as a private entity to foster the dying art of traditional Kandyan dance form, with the introduction of Samula, a heritage dance festival in 2024 and the recent creation of “Gurukulaya” a documentary that showcases and honours the art and the lives of the custodian artisans of Kandyan dance.

The Santani Foundation in collaboration with Scope cinemas held a special screening of the Samula documentary recently at the Havelock city mall complex, as a tribute to Sri Lanka’s gurukula masters, the custodians of one of the islands’ oldest art forms, marking a crucial cultural milestone in Sri Lanka. The momentous occasion was graced by notable personage of the performing arts community such as Prof. Dr. Widyawathie Rajapakse, Upekhka and Anjalika Chitrasena, Heshma Wignaraja and Thaji Dias, along with scholars, media and patrons of the islands’ artistic heritage.