The hidden gems need to be aired and heard - Sinhala Verse

A sub-editor of a poetry section of a daily newspaper came today to inform us of the phenomenal amount of content of high quality poetry in Sinhala he receives for publication and he can only include one in a thousand in the publication. THATS RIGHT! ONE IN A THOUSAND.

I was completely floored by the ability of our poets and their search for a medium to be heard and recognized. I mistakenly assumed that today's youth would think it rather old fashioned to indulge in poetry to which he said that some of the best pieces come from you school kids, namely school girls who indulge in their passion for poetry to express how they feel about life and loves!

When I considered these statements it made me realize what a poetic language Sinhala is and it is definitely made for poets, with such expressive words and meanings of words that English just cannot match or hope to match.

This person was hoping for some avenue such as the Internet or publication, to edit all these zillions of poems and give them an airing and even some person who could read them out with a voice over on the net for one to listen. Internet is a great medium for that as one can get good quality delivery of these literary gems with a click of a button. In a way the Internet is made for that as I am more inclined to listen to poetry than read it myself. The way it is said by one who knows to say it is in itself a joy to the ears.

So lets try and create the space and the following to hear these gems from our people of all ages and sexes who still have an innate ability to express themselves in verse.

I was so heartened to hear about this Hidden Gem I so hope we can use this medium for its spread and popularity. We can have competitions and prizes and so many avenues to open up this closet so that we can all improve the quality of our lives with an area of arts that is thriving within us.