“The Bonsoir Diaries” by Kumar de Silva is a cocktail of chapters, bursting at their seams with pithy asides, a trail of faux pas, and tit-bits from behind the scenes, marinated with anecdotes and drizzled with nostalgia, revealing everything you never saw on your favourite television show…from the ‘80s through the ‘90s into 2000.
Sri Lanka’s Independence Day celebrations have taken place in various parts of the country, but certainly the most impressive ones have been at the Parliamentary Complex in Sri Jayewardenepura Kotte replete with the equestrian escort and attendant pomp and pageantry.
There was a time, I believe, when Chandrika Bandaranaike Kumaratunga was President, those horses came from France. The majestic creatures were in Nuwara Eliya and brought to Colombo’s Police Stables, weeks prior, for training and acclimatisation.
We thought it a bright idea to do an “Equestrian Bonsoir” devoted entirely to these French horses. So with permission from the police authorities, we did an initial reconnaissance of the location in Pettah – the sun, the shade, the shadows, and faithfully followed a day in the life of a French horse, on his way to becoming Sri Lankan-ised.
The horses came with a French trainer who showed the ropes to the police handlers. Each horse had a local handler who did his job to perfection. We were taken through the paces of food, hygiene, grooming, and exercise – all of which play an important role in the life of a healthy horse.
We got drenched when they had their baths and flipped their tails vigorously. We got yucky and mucky and sticky when they shook their heads with mouths full of oats. Poor Chintha ran behind them – himself trotting and cantering and galloping – visibly panting with camera in hand, as they too trotted and cantered and galloped.
Shelton, his assistant, scurried behind, microphone in hand. Shelton Francis Perera was the Cultural Counsellor’s Office Assistant, who willingly got abducted by us for outside recordings. And so we spent almost the entire day at the Police Stables with these majestic beasts. As lay human beings, we learnt a lot about these equestrian creatures.
At the end of that day, in hindsight, we thought our viewers might be sick of seeing our faces, grinning at them from their television sets every Monday night, and so we hit upon the idea of having one of those horses present Bonsoir instead.
Yes the television series “Mister Ed” was inspirational. We chose the friendliest horse…I mean the one who let us come nearest and did NOT kick us. Being the perfectionist he is, Chintha insisted on capturing the horse’s face in close-ups, in different moods and from different angles. Ah, we were on the same wavelength without having spoken a word.
The programme was in the first person singular. Monsieur le Cheval (Mr. Horse) borrowed my voice. The synchronisation wasn’t perfect…it couldn’t be…but then it was make-believe, wasn’t it. We sadly couldn’t use a female voice because he wasn’t a mare!
Monsieur le Cheval presented Bonsoir. He introduced his friends. He linked viewers up with the Living Horse Museum (Musée Vivant du Cheval) in Chantilly, France, one of the most visited equestrian places in the world with an average of 160,000 visitors per year.
It was architect Jean Aubert who built the Grand Stables at the request of Louis-Henri de Bourbon, the seventh Prince of Condé. The legend says that the Prince was convinced he would be reincarnated as a horse and therefore wished for stables worthy of his rank. He left France one of the 18th Century's architectural masterpieces.
In those days, the stables sheltered 240 horses and 150 dogs dispatched in different packs for the daily hunts held throughout the year. Louis-Henri was proud of this architecture and hosted sumptuous dinners under the 28 metre-high monumental dome.
Bonsoir made Monsieur le Cheval a “star” that night on Sri Lankan television and showed him the ropes for a greater “experience” to come. A few days later, there he was, with his colleagues from France, “live” on national television, trotting on the macadam as part of the Presidential escort – sirens wailing, headlights flashing in the bright morning sun…all the President’s horses and all the President’s men, in their pomp and pageantry, literally wafting in a haze, against the shimmering waters of the Diyawanna. We were elated. He did Bonsoir proud.
The views and opinions expressed in this column are those of the author, and do not necessarily reflect those of this publication.
Sri Lanka’s Independence Day celebrations have taken place in various parts of the country, but certainly the most impressive ones have been at the Parliamentary Complex in Sri Jayewardenepura Kotte replete with the equestrian escort and attendant pomp and pageantry.
There was a time, I believe, when Chandrika Bandaranaike Kumaratunga was President, those horses came from France. The majestic creatures were in Nuwara Eliya and brought to Colombo’s Police Stables, weeks prior, for training and acclimatisation.
We thought it a bright idea to do an “Equestrian Bonsoir” devoted entirely to these French horses. So with permission from the police authorities, we did an initial reconnaissance of the location in Pettah – the sun, the shade, the shadows, and faithfully followed a day in the life of a French horse, on his way to becoming Sri Lankan-ised.
The horses came with a French trainer who showed the ropes to the police handlers. Each horse had a local handler who did his job to perfection. We were taken through the paces of food, hygiene, grooming, and exercise – all of which play an important role in the life of a healthy horse.
We got drenched when they had their baths and flipped their tails vigorously. We got yucky and mucky and sticky when they shook their heads with mouths full of oats. Poor Chintha ran behind them – himself trotting and cantering and galloping – visibly panting with camera in hand, as they too trotted and cantered and galloped.
Shelton, his assistant, scurried behind, microphone in hand. Shelton Francis Perera was the Cultural Counsellor’s Office Assistant, who willingly got abducted by us for outside recordings. And so we spent almost the entire day at the Police Stables with these majestic beasts. As lay human beings, we learnt a lot about these equestrian creatures.
At the end of that day, in hindsight, we thought our viewers might be sick of seeing our faces, grinning at them from their television sets every Monday night, and so we hit upon the idea of having one of those horses present Bonsoir instead.
Yes the television series “Mister Ed” was inspirational. We chose the friendliest horse…I mean the one who let us come nearest and did NOT kick us. Being the perfectionist he is, Chintha insisted on capturing the horse’s face in close-ups, in different moods and from different angles. Ah, we were on the same wavelength without having spoken a word.
The programme was in the first person singular. Monsieur le Cheval (Mr. Horse) borrowed my voice. The synchronisation wasn’t perfect…it couldn’t be…but then it was make-believe, wasn’t it. We sadly couldn’t use a female voice because he wasn’t a mare!
Monsieur le Cheval presented Bonsoir. He introduced his friends. He linked viewers up with the Living Horse Museum (Musée Vivant du Cheval) in Chantilly, France, one of the most visited equestrian places in the world with an average of 160,000 visitors per year.
It was architect Jean Aubert who built the Grand Stables at the request of Louis-Henri de Bourbon, the seventh Prince of Condé. The legend says that the Prince was convinced he would be reincarnated as a horse and therefore wished for stables worthy of his rank. He left France one of the 18th Century's architectural masterpieces.
In those days, the stables sheltered 240 horses and 150 dogs dispatched in different packs for the daily hunts held throughout the year. Louis-Henri was proud of this architecture and hosted sumptuous dinners under the 28 metre-high monumental dome.
Bonsoir made Monsieur le Cheval a “star” that night on Sri Lankan television and showed him the ropes for a greater “experience” to come. A few days later, there he was, with his colleagues from France, “live” on national television, trotting on the macadam as part of the Presidential escort – sirens wailing, headlights flashing in the bright morning sun…all the President’s horses and all the President’s men, in their pomp and pageantry, literally wafting in a haze, against the shimmering waters of the Diyawanna. We were elated. He did Bonsoir proud.
The views and opinions expressed in this column are those of the author, and do not necessarily reflect those of this publication.