Anabera Kolama - Benthara Kolam Tradition

The ‘Anabera Kolama’ is a performance that belongs to the preliminary segment of acts of a Kolam performance. In ancient times royal decrees and other news of importance to the public were broadcast across the land through a messenger who would announce the news by beating a drum and then orally conveying the news/message to the subjects in the kingdom.
The very word ‘Anabera’ is a compound of two Sinhala words. The word ‘Ana’ means which orders or decrees, and ‘Bera’ means drums.
Traditionally the instrument that was used for this purpose was the robust yet cylindrically shaped drum known as the ‘Daula’, which has two circular surfaces made of hide, on either side, belongs to the Sabaragamu tradition of drumming and percussion. This instrument is played by drumming one side with a stick while the other side is drummed by hand.
The very basis of the ‘Anabera Kolama’ is built on this ancient practice, and the royal messenger who is known as ‘Anaberakaru’ opens his performance proclaiming that the king and queen will be arriving to watch this Kolam performance.
The ‘Anaberakaru’ was a character who, due to the nature of his occupation, was a popular and colourful character in the community. The royal messenger is usually cast in the light of a man who indulges in liquor.
To perform this duty the ‘Anaberakaru’ arrives in an inebriated state. The creator of this Kolama portrays the royal messenger in a humorous way as a drunkard with the sarcastic intention of emphasizing that ‘Anaberakaru’ is a character who is eternally inebriated.
The mask associated with the ‘Anaberakaru’ is characterized by a turban-like cloth wrapped around his head, a large white beard across his face, and a mouth that is slightly ajar. Both the upper and lower parts of his mouth have just one tooth each; thus depicting him as an old, and a somewhat feeble man
This character dons an upper-body garment known as a ‘Kambaya’ which is actually a female item of attire and also has a large kerchief type cloth known as ‘Pata lensuwa’ across his shoulders. However, in present times this character is attired in a manner similar to a traditional drummer. As the ‘Anaberakaru’ is an elderly person, the ‘kavi’ (four-lined poems/verse) associated with this performance, describe him as bearing a walking stick in hand, and are sung to give a versified character description about him as he enters the performance space.
The ‘Anaberakaru’ enters into the performance to the traditional drumbeat that belongs to what is called the ‘Guda Gani Gana’. After entering the performance space he dances to the beats which are called ‘Sural padha’. At the end of the character depiction, he engages in dancing according to the classical beat known as the ‘Suddha Mathra Padha’ of the low country tradition of ‘Shanthi Karma’ performances. Thereby he claims that he is a versatile artiste.

Traditional Fork Drama - Sri Lanka


Directed by Athula Samarakoon