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The multitalented karate player Anuga Dulwan 

21 Aug 2022

Multitalented Anuga Dulwan Wijesinghe is a member of the Sri Lankan Junior National Karate team. The team plans to participate in the Indian National Junior Karate Championship and the 18th South Asian Junior Karate Championship that will be held in Kerala, India in September 2022. This 12-year-old karate champion is also a guitar player, swimmer, chess player, model, and actor who has taken part in local as well as foreign productions. His ambition is to become a pilot and he also dreams of winning a gold medal in karate for Sri Lanka at the upcoming international tournament. Q: Anuga, can you introduce yourself to us? A: I am Anuga Dulwan Wijesinghe and I am a grade eight student of Lyceum International School, Nugegoda. My hobbies are playing the guitar, reading, riding bikes, listening to music, and playing with my pet Bruno who is a Lion Shepherd. I am a good karate player and I recently got selected for the Sri Lankan National Junior Karate team. I am looking forward to participating in the South Asian Junior Karate Championship. Apart from that, I also love to swim and play chess. I pursue both of these as extracurricular activities at school. I have a small home library and a model car collection. I learn dance under the guidance of Gayan Srimal.   Q: When did you start practising karate? A: I’ve been practising karate since I was six years old. Now I train under my sensei Sujeewa Manjula Tennakoon. At first, I practised only at school but when my parents realised how good I am at karate, I was sent for private training. I am currently in the Brown Belt level.  During my karate career, I have bagged many awards including bronze at all island levels, gold at the provincial level and school inter-house level, and silver at the inter-international school tournaments. The most valuable achievement in karate for me was being selected for the national team. It’s a dream come true.  Q: Can you describe your experience in karate? A: It’s a part of my life. It helps me concentrate, improves my physical strengths, and helps me to build qualities like patience and discipline. These are very important life skills.  Q: You were given a new guitar last week. Can you tell us more about this? A: Our final semester exams were held last month and we received our results just last week. My marks were very good and I became the first in class as well as the first in the section. The new guitar was a gift to celebrate this achievement.  Q: Is this your first guitar? A: No. This is the eighth guitar in my guitar collection. This is a 12-string guitar. Q: How long have you been playing the guitar?  A: Not for very long. I started just over a year ago. It started as a hobby. Now I practise under the guidance of my music teacher – Sanath.  Q: You said you also love listening to music. What is your favourite genre? A: I love rock music and classic English songs.  Q: Tell us about your acting career too. A: I started acting when I was just five years old. I first took part in a stage drama produced by the school. It was based on the story of Mahadenamutta. Then I took part in a film produced by the Health and Education Ministry called ‘Anukarana’. I also took part in a short film which was based on a soldier’s life during wartime and in a movie named ‘Kunu Kolla’ which was produced in Sri Lanka with the Indian High Commission. I was recently in a teledrama called ‘Teacher Amma’ telecast on Swarnavahini. There is another teledrama that is ready to be telecasted. I was also lucky to be a part of the movie ‘Funny Boy’ which was a Canadian production.  Q: What has been your favourite acting experience so far? A: I enjoyed the ‘Teacher Amma’ teledrama very much. The shooting for that was done in Belihuloya and going there to film was like an adventure. The cast in that teledrama was also very supportive so it became a really nice experience for me. Q: Did you experience anything new during the filming of ‘Funny Boy’? A: Yes. A lot. It was very easy to adapt to their instructions. We got permission from my school before taking part in the movie. From the acting and directing styles to technology, there was a lot to learn. I loved that experience.  Q: Don’t forget to tell us about Bruno.  A: Bruno is a Lion Shepherd and he is now six months old. He was gifted to me because I performed well in my previous semester’s exams as well. He is very naughty but we are training him. He has now learnt several tricks. I spend most of my time at home with him.  Q: What is your ambition, Anuga? A: I want to become a pilot in the future and my dream is to be able to fly an airbus with SriLankan Airlines. I have already started a piloting course and I have also acted as the co-pilot in a Cessna 172 flight at Dilina Air. It was at the Katukurunda Airport in Kalutara and it was a really fun experience for me.  Q: Is there anyone you want to thank? A: My father and mother, my grandparents, teachers, and friends always support me. My costume designer – uncle Chalaka Nelenthige, my photographer Samith Jayarathne, Isuru Lokuhettige, Narada Bakmeewewa, Chamara Weerasinghe, Ruwan Perera, and Nishan Hasitha are only a few of those who have helped me in the field. I want to thank all of them.  Q: Is there anything else you would like to tell us? A: Yes. I dream of bringing an international karate gold medal to Sri Lanka. I hope I will be able to do that in the upcoming karate tournament.  After the Indian tour, I hope to attempt a karate demonstration called ‘tube light breaking’. As far as I know, I am the first 12-year-old to attempt this in Sri Lanka. My sensei Sujeewa Tennakoon and sensei Kasun Jayawardana are helping me train for this event.   


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