Imagine it is 1964.Turn the volume up and maximise the frame & Dance to Kaprinna Chooty. If you do not enjoy it, I will be surprised.!
?Winter Blues.Herewith the remedy.Enjoy.
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News, Views and More from Batch'64, Faculty of Medicine, Colombo, SriLanka
"Best and the Brightest from 1964"
News, Views and More from Batch'64, Faculty of Medicine, Colombo, SriLanka 
Eddie
Loved the Baila session! Great job posting. (I switched to correct categories, so people can search and enjoy it over again.)
sam
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Thanks Sam.Hope I have not upset the settings on the site?Tried a few times!
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Not at all. Its always better to categorize your post so that we can search for it in the future. Its on the right hand side of the editing page. You can pick one or more categories, before you publish.
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Hey Eddie !
You can lead a good Baila Session on the Beruwala Beach – like the Drum Circle Session on the Siesta Beach- Sarasota !!
You can then add this to your Retirement CV . — ( ” Beach Dance Organizer ‘ ! ) which is already very impressive .
It sure took me back to 1964 KG Hall Colors Night and the many Block Dances not to mention our own RU’s – over the past 30 yrs !!
Thanks for this very funny and high energy post as a good remedy for Winter Blues .
That is why I am here in Sedona, AZ, for 8 wks, running away from the Canadian Winter .
I just spent a whole day at High Energy Yavapai- Apache Event- with lots of Traditional Drumming and Dancing, Food , in real Apache Style , with audience participation with a huge bon -fire going at sunset .
I am still reeling from the hypnotic effect of it !
I have to ‘calm down and come down to earth ‘ as I have to attend a Sweatlodge tomorrow afternoon , with some Lakota- Sioux / Apache people , and get my head in the ‘right place ‘ so to speak . !
Sam- I will be cooking a big pot of Rice / Vegt- with lots and lots of Karapincha from your place , as Feast Food , to be eaten after the Lodge .
Thanks Sam and Eddie , for this wonderfully funny and entertaining post .
Baila Kumari .
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Thanks, Eddie & Sam, got this ricketty old septuagenarian off the chair
And dancing to ancestral Portughese – Dutch rhythm like a drunken bear
Do not feel jealous, this is exactly what happens in Mount Lavinia beach
Every weekend, come join Ariya those who are spirited & young at heart
Ariya
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Thanks, Eddie, I am having very bad winder blues. booked a Zumba session this morning but cancelled it. Having a cold for about a month. But I will definitely going to dance to this music later in the day.
I admire you Deepthi for your energy. Keep it up.
Ariya are you still in Sri Lanka?
Swarna
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Dear Eddie
Thanks for posting that lovely Baila song. Is the singer that famous Corrine de Almeida? 💃🏼💃🏼💃🏼🕺🏽🕺🏽🕺🏽Lovely dance music and even with my bionic knees as Deepthie calls them I feel like dancing to the wonderful music 🎧 🎵 🎶. Cheers 🥂. Praxy
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Thanks Eddie – that was lovely. I tried to go back to the sixties , but did not see so many pretty girls on the beach. Where were they ?
Now I know ! they were all studying for the university entrance exams.
Nisantha
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Sorry Eddie
You have given the name of the singer as Kaprinna choirs . I overlooked this .Though I might know the songs I do not know the names of the singers☹️☹️☹️ Praxy
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Thank You Sam, Deepthie, Praxie, Arya, Nisantha and Simone for your comments.I thought this post will wake up many more from their slumber .But it did not.Praxie, I am not sure whether this is Corrine Almeida as I have seen an older version of her.!This girl has all the energy and if she is an Almeida, certainly has the genes for the Baila. Baila means dance in Portugese.The term Kaprinna is not quite correct.,it should be Kaffr- Inha.( meaning a reference to Kaffirs and inha meaning lady in Portugese.).
Baila is part of our culture introduced by the Kaffirs who came to Ceylon with the Portugese and even before with Arab traders as indentured labour.They intermarried and still preserve their Bantu cultural origin in their dance- Kaffirinha.There are pockets of the original people living in the Puttalam area.We are reminded of Wally Bastian for making Baila popular.Nisantha , the pretty girls were there even in the sixties, when you had your nose buried in the anatomy book.! Have you forgotten Mount Mary and the Bambalapitiya flats.? Unfortunately they have all gone now.? to Perth.The burghers of Ceylon were clearly a moderating influence in our society but sadly they are fast vanishing.!!The Dutch Burgher Union is where you will see those still around.Simone all dance forms are mentally and physically essential for continuing good health. The kaffirinha and baila in particular have jerky movements of most body parts, stimulates the mind with provocative challenges and includes some movements like the flaring of the skirt/sarong suggestive of the courting rituals of the bird of paradise.Deepthie, you should introduce this dance form to the Lakota-Soux and Apache. It should complement their already steady drum beat.The melodious beat of the Baila is due to the combination of the Violin, Banjo, mandolin and Bongo/Conga drums and the quintessential lyrics.Add to this the pretty girls in colourful attire and it is bliss.I hope you all enjoyed this as much as I have.
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Dear Eddie for sure, your post brought up many memories
Nostalgia at its best evoked by the song and the dancers
Like an elderly swan devoid of power in the wings,
Yet dreams of the panoramic view when it was flying high
I too was reminded of the singing and the evocative moves
Ariya
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HI Eddie !
I love your long note on the Baila and the Kappirinha dance moves introduced by the Portugese .
Here is good story – about 30 yrs ago I was attending a Portugese wedding- in all the glory and glamour .
There was a Live Band and me and my husband danced a lot to say the least .
Then,—- the band started up a Baila !
I just went wild !!!and the sari was flying !!!-
All the REAL Portugese left the dance floor and the REAL Indians ie , and me and my husband, gave a nice solo demo of the Portugese Baila- !
Later I was asked how an Indian could dance the Portugese Baila – and I explained the history like you described, and told the audience, how popular the Baila is in SL and thanked the Portugese Ancestors for their contribution to our musical heritage !
Well– not one of them even knew that Ceylon was once upon a time a Portugese Colony- starting with Vasco De Gama coming to our shores in 1505 !!
I gave them a great History Lesson and a Dance Lesson .
The bride- was one of the secretories who worked in a Doctor’s Office where I used to do regular locums .
I must have some good amount of Portugese Blood in me- as my father’s Great, Great Grandfather was a Portugese who married a local woman from Tudella- Seeduwa area , and every generation since, has at least ONE child looking like a REAL Portugese-
In my family- I have two sisters who are very light skinned with brown eyes . so much so, that at Holy Family Convent, back in the early 50’s , my grade 6 teaches asked me- if me and my sister had the same mother !!!!
Me and my brother have dark skin like our mother, and the two sisters have light skin and brown eyes like my father ‘s people .
Our last name was Perera and all my relatives in Tudella- Seeduwa area are’ Perera.’– Lakshman Senanayake knows most of them .
My grand father changed the name to Seneviratne, a little over a 100 yrs ago, when he re-located to Matara, to start his Notary Office, as a Portugese name was not the most welcome name in a mostly Buddhist area of Matara, Hakmana to start a Notary Practice .
He and my grandmother Cecilia lived there for the next 60 yrs .
He had a very good clientale and the office is still there in Maha Vidiya , Matara , even after all this time .
Sam- you Kathy and me, we should do a trip down Matara Memory Lane after the Beruwala RU !
Well- so much so for the Baila – started off by Eddie !!!
Baila Kumari .
By the way- Eddie –the Native People of America- Canada have their unique way of dancing to the Drum Beat- and I have mastered that technique– a lot less complicated than the Baila .
Women have to dance in a certain way – and ‘Elders ‘ have to dance in a certain way , and I love this way of dancing too , and never miss a beat to get on the Pow Wow Dance Circle during Inter Tribal Dance sessions , when ALL are welcome on the Dance Circle .
There are very strict rules as to Who should be on the Dance Circle and When , at a Pow Wow etc .
,
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Thanks Deepthie.You always have a great story to tell. I like this story of your ancestry.We are a mixed bunch.Strangely no honest politician ever talks about it.If we did and kept the less informed enlightened, we would never be in this state at home.If any one had the courage to do genome wide studies of all the races in Sri Lanka it will be very interesting,and a harmonising experience.One of the studies done by the university on coagulation markers shows very little variation in all the races.Here in NZ we have a company which does genetic markers for around NZ $ 700 a test.The test compares panels of genome of different races and points you to your ancestry.Narme, is there a similar out fit in Colombo ? In NZ it is called Ancestry.com.
Unfortunately, we have made our wonderful home an inconvenient destination to many of it’s own.
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Dear Eddie,
What a wonderful wealth of information. Thank you for the explanation and the origin of baila songs. Yes I though too that the baila will wake up a lot more. Once when I was in Sri Lanka I went to a performance by Corrine Almeida and this lady’s voice sounded like hers.
I do know the Dutch Burgher Union near the Thummulla Round about, as I love their rice packed in a banana leaf (Sorry senior moment and I cant remember the name of the rice ) When we had our apartment at Flower Road we used to go there, to buy those packets. What a wonderful flavour !!
You never know Deeptjhie and Simone might perform those provocative movements at the next RU.
Cheers. Praxy
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Thanks Praxie. Yes, the DBU has the best Lamprais in Colombo. Lamprais (locals mispronounce it as lump rice) is an Indonesian rice preparation brought to Ceylon by the Dutch.The Burghers have carried on the tradition with the result that they are very good at it.The DBU has excellent yellow rice too and their iced coffee is divine.You should not have left Flower road, even the Cricketers Cafe has moved to Flower road.! Very convenient place to socialise.Regards. Eddie.
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Dear Eddie
Yes we do regret selling our Flower Road apartment .
. Lamprais is the word I was trying to remember . Their quantities are the correct size not too big but very tasty . I had not enjoyed Lamprais at all till I tasted DBU packets. Did not know they did ice coffee so next time ( next week ) we are in SL must taste that. Cheers. Praxy
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ThanksEddie, for sending very enjoyable bailasong probably at Mount Lavinia beech. I really enjoyed it.
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Thanks Indragee. Yes, you can see Mt Lavinia hotel in the background. If I remember correctly, Ariya lives in an apartment close to the hotel.I am glad you enjoyed the post.
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Thanks Eddie for that lovely Kaffrinja and more so for the wealth of information in your post. This the contribution of the Portuguese to our culture and even though many burghers have left our shores the baila remains the most popular dance form even by rabid nationalists! I enjoyed the company of burgher girls then and after they all left SL got married to one who had the same colour. Thanks so much.
Narme
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Yes, Narme.The burghers were an essential part of our society.Sadly they are not around much any more.They were a moderating influence, far removed from the extremism that is so pervasive now.Sad.
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Thanks Eddie for the lovely baila song. Here in London it’s snowing so I took the time to sit in a warm place to catch up with the latest mail. Last February when I visited SL. I visited DBR and tasted both the lamprais and ice coffee. Enjoyed it . Tried making at home as most of the ingredients one could buy them in London including the banana leaf which adds the flavour. Praxi if you fancy,visit me again I will try and serve both.
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Thanks Marina.You seem to have great cooking skills.I am sure Praxie and Ranjit will turn up and take you up on your invitation.Be patient winter is on it’s way out.!
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No Eddie winter seems to have started today with severe snow falls and icy roads ❄️❄️❄️☃️☃️☃️. We are going to SL and hope we can make it to the airport on Thursday as more snow is expected. Praxy
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Dear Marina
You are a very good cook and we enjoyed your food .You are very adventurous too. We really enjoyed our visit to your place and the lovely food 🥘 you made. You are lucky living in London being able to find even banana leaf when we can’t even find chillies 🌶 here . I would definitely like to visit you again and then I would you like to go and see the Musical 42nd Street?
Why don’t you visit me here when we come back from SL? It would be nice and I can ask Swarna also to join us .Please come.
We are going to SL on the 1st March and from there go to Melbourne for 4 days then come back and go to Infant Jesus church in Prague and finally come here on the 18th. Please try to visit me .Praxy
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Thanks Eddie, for posting the Baila song,Definitely listening to it will recall memories and emotions of the past and ,it is an ideal “Panacea” to bring back life on a dull wintry day , when nothing else can.
In 1960, it was Wally Bastian A police officer turned a singer ,started adapting Sinhala lyrics to the “Kaffirhina” rhythm.
To add a few more words to the history of Baila ,posted by Eddie, the word “Baila” was derived from the Portuguese Verb” Bailar” meaning to dance.
The place to be ,when you are in Srilanka, to Enjoy a session of toe tapping, hipswingging Baila session,sung by Corrine, is the “Long Bar at Waters Edge “on a Wednesday night after 8.30 pm.
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Dear Praxy
I thought you spent Christmas in SL .however enjoy the trip and the warm climate. I am happy to visit you please ask Swarna when it’s convenient for her. For me any time after Easter . June I ‘ll be away in Canada.
As you know I am free to accommodate you please visit me whenever Ranjit comes to London to attend conferences.
Regards
Marina
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Marina- let me know, when in June you will be in Canada, and where in Canada .
I will try to come to Toronto/ Mississauga and see you with Rajes, if things work out well for the three of us .
EagleD
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Eddie – glad you liked my Ancestry Story- I think I made a mistake — it was my father’s Grandfather who was the Portugese man and NOT Great- Great GF .
My father would have been 102 yrs old this year, and his father ( my grandfather ) would be 142 yr and add another 30- we are going back 170 – 175yrs ago, when the Portugese blood line started in the family .
My Family folks in Seeduwa- Tudella refer to him as Pavulu Guru ( Paul The Teacher ) and there is a Pauvulu Guru Sangamaya ( Society ) that meets every Easter Sunday, in a special hall , and I took my Grand Father there in about 1966- 1967 and he was the oldest living person of the Pavulu Guru Clan at that time.
I was already in Med School at that time .
I dont know, if this practice still continues as I have lost touch with most of them .
Ancestry .com- is available in USA/ Canada too and lots of people are getting this done , for various reasons .
As for me- I am happy about who I am right now, and dont need any help from Ancestry.com !
See Eddie- your post on the Baila took us round and round the mulberry bush and ended up with Ancestry .com !!!
Nice Discussion and Thanks a lot- Baila Kumari !
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