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Tree Talks

Episode 5

Garden Rituals

Mulle Widanalage Amarasiri


Transcript: English / Tamil / Sinhala


In celebration of the Lunuganga gardens 75th anniversary, Tree Talks podcast explores the lives of flora and ecosystems within the gardens. Bought on the eve of independence in 1948, Lunuganga is Geoffrey Bawa’s first and longest running architectural endeavour, join us as we unravel the intricacies of this living archive.


This episode is in reverence to Lunuganga, to capture the essence of the garden, brimming with life and wonder, as an auditory experience. The vistas around the garden house varying ecosystems with their own soundscapes that change through the day. Changes in seasons bring with it shifts in care. The delicate and mammoth task of preserving and planning through the years are a credit to the custodians of the garden; this episode is our homage to the pulse of Lunuganga, the gardeners.

The Head Gardener Mulle Widanalage Amarasiri has been tending to the garden since his youth in 1985. His love for Lunuganga and the art of gardening began at a tender age when he would visit the garden to watch the gardeners prune trees. He was taken under the guidance of Geoffrey Bawa and would run messages of instructions to the gardeners. Thus, learning the artistry behind the garden from Bawa himself. These learnt principles still guide the decisions surrounding the maintenance and care of the trees, and the upkeep of the visual experience intended by Bawa. As the years and seasons have worn down paths, uprooted trees and shifted the landscape, Amarasiri has met these challenges with swift action, tenderness and ingenuity. In the recent years he has been nurturing a young generation of gardeners on the care and preservation of the garden, with the hope that they may also be enamoured with the whimsy and beauty of Lunuganga. 






Auditory Highlights


  1. Red Terrace/Sandella
  2. Black Pavillion
  3. Leopard Statue
  4. Field of Jars
  5. Hâ Hâ
  6. Cinnamon Hill



Gardeners of Lunuganga



Mulle Widanalage Amarasiri
Head Gardener

Mathara Arachchige Chandralatha
Gardener

Mallika Arachchige Sirithunga
Sanctuary Supervisor

Bomriyage Don Premachandra Karunarathna
Gardener

Hettithanthri Patabandige Rathnawathi
Gardener

Mathara Arachchige Sandun Lakmal
Senior Gardener

Lokuralalage Pradeep Kumara
Gardener

Sembukuttige Ishara Madusanka
Gardener

Baddegamage Ashan Imanka De Silva
Gardener

Hetti Arachchilage Dilip
Gardener

Ramasundara Hettige Anuruddha Priyadarshana
Gardener







Credits


Produced by: Geoffrey Bawa Trust
Supervising Producer: Aneesha Mustachi
Coordinator: Dhaneesha Tharakie
Audio Engineer: Shamin De Silva

Disclaimer: The views and opinions expressed in this program are those of the speakers and do not necessarily reflect the views or positions of the Geoffrey Bawa Trust.









Lunuganga, Bentota, Sri Lanka