Dance 2007

THOMIAN PARADE OF STRENGTH & UNITY

A brigade of a record number of Thomians, marched with pride and honor, to herald the events open at the annual St Thomas’ College Old Boys Association Dinner Dance, on the 12th of May, at the Grand Ballroom of the Marriot Hotel, Dixon Road Toronto.

Thomians of all backgrounds, “rallied round the College flag”, carried by Anil Wirakoon. They marched to the strains of specially written music, that combined the Canadian and Sri Lankan national anthems and formed an impressive semi circle that extended from the band stand to the entrance and beyond on either side. They then sang from their hearts, the College anthem, accompanied by a brass ensemble of children of Thomians in Canada. Ravi Niles, V.P of the STCOBA, a talented musician, wrote and produced all the music for this event and trained the group. It was a pleasure to listen and watch them.

President, Malik Candappa, in his speech, welcomed each and every one present, extended, on behalf of the association, sincere thanks and gratitude, to all the sponsors, advertisers, donors, the Dance Committee, chaired by Daya Ginige, the Executive Committee, and all Thomians, for their assistance and heartfelt contribution, to make this event a success.

Vijay Selvadurai, thanked the Lord for what we were about to receive, blessings were extended to our war torn country, Sri Lanka, as well as our Alma Mater. As the prayer ended, the musicians tugged at the hearts of all present with a rendition of Danno Budunge, or, as some know it, Song for Ceylon, a song that is synonymous with Sri Lankan culture, bridging cultural backgrounds. Spontaneously, the crowd remained standing through the song, moved by the moment, some with tears in their eyes.

Dinner time music was provided by the same ensemble of children of Thomians living in Canada. Would this be the next generation of Canadian Thomians? The repertoire consisted of a wide variety of well known songs, and exceeded the wildest imagination of the audience. In between the cool instrumental music, a short vocal spot by Hashani Welikala, daughter of a past President the late Sunil Welikala, was definitely a highlight. The music soared and the crowd showed their appreciation in no uncertain terms as proud mum, Shiromi, a famous vocalist herself, fought back tears! What an effort by these young musicians! Everyone including the professional entertainers, had nothing but praise for this group of High School and University students.

Marriot Hotel dished out a very exciting menu. The sirloin steak, chicken breast and the vegetarian presentation was well appreciated, but the Tilapia fish, spiced with Cajun and tomato salsa took the first prize. Special thanks to Krishan Waidyaratna for his valued input.

After a hearty meal which included a desert, out of the world, the audience was now ready to shake a leg, to the music of “Ascension Groove” – the crowd enjoyed the music very much, but when DJ Pradeep started the Baila, they brought the ceiling down.

Entertainment was exhilarating, the ballroom was a buzz, with the ticket draw and the raffle, which carried a grand prize of Dollars One thousand. It was heart warming to see the crowd happy, dancing their cares away, and enjoying the fun evening. Yes we had over 400 guests. Yes it was a FULL HOUSE. There were smiles on each and every committee members face, as the hard work put in, did pay off, the satisfaction and stimulation is immense and immeasurable

ESTO PERPETUA

Dance Committee:
Chairman – Daya Ginige, Malik Candappa, Sumith Samarasinghe, Ravi Niles, Indhiran Sundaralingam Chian De Silva, Jehan Ahmed, Eshan Samsoodeen, Paras Jinasena, Sakthi Arumugam

The children of Thomians:
Ivanka Candappa, Yaneeka Candappa, Shasheen Niles, Rishan Niles, Brendan Fernando, Dawn David, Harshini Welikala

Executive Committee:
President – Malik Candappa, Ravi Niles, Sakthi Arumugam, Indhiran Sunderalingam, Prasad Jinasena, Chain De Silva, Sonna Saravanamuttu, D R Weerasinghe, Jehan Ahmed, Bryan Simon-Rasaiah, Michael Glanville, Rajith Kannangara Dinesh Thiagarajah, Ashok Senadeera, Chrisantha Perera, Jerome Krishnamoorthy
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