Finally…Sri Lanka has woken up

Source:Island

We certainly did take a backseat and watch India turn our singing sensation, Yohani de Silva, into a mega star…a global icon, in fact.

While India went ga-ga over Yohani’s version of ‘Menike Mage Hithe,’ we were, surprisingly, silent.

Finally…we seem to have woken up, with Sri Lanka Tourism coming into the scene.

The past few weeks, I’ve been stressing that Sri Lanka Tourism should rope in Yohani to promote our tourism industry. Anyway, it’s better late than never!

I’ve been told that Yohani will be our brand ambassadress at the Expo Dubai Exhibition, to be held in January, next year, in the UAE.

A Sri Lankan cultural show, at this prestigious exhibition, will feature Yohani, and there are also plans to release a music video, with Yohani in the spotlight, highlighting the beauty of Sri Lanka.

A good move, indeed, and Yohani is our best bet to attract tourists to our beautiful island, especially from the Indian sector.

The Indian market is huge and they do travel a lot, overseas, for their vacation.

Last week, Abhishek Bachchan and family were in Paris, holidaying, while the Maldives is said to be one of the most popular destinations for Indian celebrities.

We need to change that scene and make Sri Lanka their favourite destination.

We can do it if Sri Lanka Tourism can work out an irresistible and a purposeful advertising campaign, with Yohani at the helm.

In the meanwhile the ‘Manike Mage Hithe’ star says she still can’t get over the fact the she is a global icon.

“I still can’t believe it. I’m still trying to grasp it because the song has gone to so many countries, and so many versions of it, and sung in so many languages. This is amazing to me to know that music can cross so many boundaries.”

And, guess what! Yohani’s version of ‘Manike Mage Hithe’ was recorded at home.

“Due to the lockdown, I had to record my part, in my room, with my mic.”

When asked if any of the Indian celebrities had contacted her, she said a lot of them had messaged her, online.

But…she was the special guest on last Saturday’s ‘Bigg Boss15’ episode, with Bollywood star Salman Khan doing the needful.

According to Yohani, ‘Bigg Boss’ is a wonderful show, and she added that she would love to be a part of it anytime.

Yohani, says these are just two of the memorable moments, for her, on ‘Bigg Boss.’ “First, when I taught Salman Khan ‘Manike Mage Hithe’ and, second, when I asked him if he would sing the song and he said, ‘why not. I will sing a few lines.’”

The Sri Lankan mega star is said to be getting constant calls for singing offers in India.

She was also extremely happy and proud to have met Jacqueline Fernandez, who is now a major attraction in the Bollywood scene.

Two of her favourite dishes in India – garlic naan and chicken tikka masala

“I’m a big fan of Jacqueline, so it was crazy to talk with her. We congratulated each other.”

Yohani is not a big cricket fan, saying “I try to be a fan of a lot of things. I like a lot of adventure, so anything to do with adventure, I just go for it.”

The Indian dishes she enjoyed the most, she said, were panipuri, garlic naan, and chicken tikka masala.

Yohani is working on her debut album, titled ‘Kella,’ which will contain 12 tracks, with ‘Ithin Adare’ as the first single release from the album.

The ‘Manike Mage Hithe’ star is schedule to arrive home, from India, on Friday, October 15th.