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BOOK REVIEW

 

Tradition unique to Sinhala language

Hitiwana Kavi (Extempore verses)

Author: Piyasena Wickramaratne

Printer: Tharanji Prints

Reviewd by Dhanapala Nissanka

Culture, it is said, is the intellectual expression of societies. Any society has practices and habits endemic to it and so do we, the Sinhalese. The art of reciting extempore verses (hitiwana kavi) although not widely practised, is an intellectual expression of the Sinhala society unique to Sinhala language.

Practice of reciting Sinhala extempore verses has a long history. Andare, Gajaman Nona, Barana Ganitha, Patthayame Lekam etc. who lived a couple of centuries ago were some poets and poetesses who embellished our Sinhala literature and culture with their witty extempore verses. Some Sinhala kings added the hue of royalty to this art with their dialogues of extempore verses with others who at many times happened to be poor villagers. Their exalted positions never precluded them from mixing with them in practising this art.

Some critics hold the view that reciting extempore verses is a practice confined to imbeciles and hence not even practised in other countries. They attempt to degrade and relegate it into insignificance. But the fact that it is not practised in other countries except among the Sinhalese is the very reason why it should be preserved and protected. It is our identity and heritage.

Shaping an idea instantly into a quatrain with all the qualities it should have and reciting it before an audience with aplomb, is not an easy task. For its performance one must be very skilled, clever, sensitive, intelligent, witty and should posses a rich vocabulary.

Extempore verses which remained dormant for sometime during pre-independent era, received a new lease of life with the dawning of the Colombo School of Poetry dominated by the poets of the calibre of Ananda Rajakaruna, G. H. Perera, Alwis Perera, U. A. S. Perera, John Rajadasa, Bingiriye Wijayakumara et al. During that era extempore verses were so popular that people scrambled to gain entrance into the YMBA hall to catch a glimpse of the poets who so ably recited extempore verses. This art had its heyday during that time and YMBA was the usual venue where such pageants were held.

While many pay only lip service to protect this extraordinary art from becoming extinct Piyasena Wickramaratne by publishing the book "Hitiwana Kavi" had done a splendid job for its perpetuation.

Into a book of this nature, extempore verses recited by all the poets cannot be included. In his note the author too says so. However, a fair cross section of the verses recited by many reputed living poets and those who lived in the recent past are included in it. Late P. B. Alwis Perera and U. A. S. Perera are among them. Martin Jayawardene, Piyasena Rathuvithana, Tucker Premachandra, W. S. Berlin, Panditha Pemadasa, Patakada Kulatilaka, Sesiri Wijesekara, Dayaratna Ranepura, G. M. Ajith, Sriya Hindurangala, Herath Menike, Chula Sri Malawige, Kingsley Dissanayake, Sanath Piyasena are prominently featured in the book as they richly deserve to be treated so.

Piyasena Wickramaratne, regularly contributes a column containing extempore verses in the weekend "Rasaduna" a supplement of "Silumina", thus necessitating him to explore the subject profoundly.

This book is the result of his assiduous work on them. All those who have an interest in Sinhala culture owe Piyasena Wickramaratne a debt of gratitude for the arduous work he had undertaken to produce this book which helps revive and perpetuate an art that is overlooked and neglected by many.

 

Natural Resources of Sri Lanka; 2000 A Review

Reviewed by Ranjith Mahindapala.

This publication is an update of the 1991 version of Natural Resources of Sri Lanka - Conditions and Trends. Although dated 2000, the publication has actually come out in late 2001. It is divided into 15 sections, with the first two sections devoted to Sri Lanka's population profile and on economic trends and growth, respectively.

The publication deals extensively with almost all natural resources, viz, land, water, energy, mineral, forest, coastal and marine, and inland aquatic resources. There are also sections on water pollution, biological diversity, legal framework for natural resource management, and on sustainable development. A section on air would have been appropriate, particularly in view of the country's involvement relating to international conventions such as the Montreal Protocol and the Climate Change Convention.

The reviews on natural resources are well covered, and the sections are a storehouse of information essential for researchers, planners and policy makers. In respect of each sector, there is a comprehensive status report as well as a critical analysis. In a publication of this nature, the main challenge facing the contributors is to present the vast body of information in a concise and readable manner. The main concern is to decide on what should be left out. The contributors have by and large succeeded in this arduous task, and should be commended for their efforts.

The land and water resource sections draws heavily from the recent developments in these two areas. The problems of soil erosion and concomitant land degradation, as well as the critical aspects of ground water are well laid out. A brief commentary on the current status of land use policy planning, both at the national level and as recommended and adopted in both plantation and non-plantation agriculture would have added value to the chapter. Indeed, some comments are available on the new water resources policies, but I suspect that the delayed publication may have precluded the author from providing comments on the developments in this regard in the late 1999.

The sections on energy and minerals are comprehensive, and provide an insight into the issues that need be addressed. Similarly, the sections on forestry, coastal and marine resources, and inland aquatic resources are well researched and contain the important information in a concise and readable manner. The section on water pollution is revealing with a critical review of the issues. The section on biological diversity brings into focus the country's commitments towards the Convention on Biological Diversity, and the strategies and issues on the implementation of the newly enacted Biodiversity Conservation Action Plan.

The section on legal framework is well researched and well written, and provides a critical assessment of the current legal status relating to natural resources management.

The individual sections too have a brief overview on the policies, legislation and institutional aspects relating to the relevant sector. As a result, there are some overlaps. A more meaningful presentation would have been to have all legislative and institutional information under one section.

The book has several minor irritants. Firstly, the quality of printing. The glossy paper is not the best for reading under light. A little more attention in the preparation of the tables would have improved the presentation. In several tables, the units are not given, which makes interpretations difficult. Much of the statistics given are only up to 1996/97, and the reader might get baffled by the lack of up to date information in this year 2000 publication.

This is all the more important as the introduction to the publication assures that the intention of the National Science Foundation has been to revise and update the original publication, incorporating the most recent data available and any changes in policies.

Much research has gone into the preparation of this publication. The contributors, the Editorial Committee and the National Science Foundation must be congratulated for bringing out this issue, albeit delayed. It will serve as a useful reference for everyone for years to come.

 

New developments in organisation management

Edited by Anup K.Singh, Rajen K. Gupta and Abad Ahmad

Published by Response Books, A Sage Publications, New Delhi

Reviwed - Chandani Jayatilleke

Designing and Developing Organisations for Tomorrow, edited by three Indian academics brings together the reflections and experiences of some of India's foremost practitioners and scholars in the area of organisation design, development and change in relation to the new challenges thrown up by a globalising economy.

In this book, there are 20 original articles which are divided into three major sections: The first section relates to concepts and issues in organisational design and development.

The second focusses on designing and developing organisations and the third on experiences in organisation development and change. These articles discuss on issues and challenges faced by organisations and provide insights into the contextual and cultural influences that need to be kept in mind while designing and developing organisations.

The editors say that this volume is an attempt to reflect the concerns and responses of change leaders and change facilitators in the Indian context. The selection of the articles have been made following a 'three-day national level retreat on "Organisation Development and Design in India" organised by the editors.

"Organisation development is a vibrant profession. As it faces new knowledge challenges and learning tasks in the information intensive 21st century, the discipline will have to facilitate change in diverse organisational concerns, especially those in software, biotechnology and R and D. India has a high stake in such industries and innovative organisations in these sectors will call for cutting-edge interventions. Several chapters in this book highlight organisation development initiatives in these fields," the editors said in the introduction to the book.

The book will be a valuable study to practitioners and researchers in the area of organisation design, change and development. It will also be a study material for MBA students and human resource managers.

Anup K.Singh is Professor in the Organisational Behaviour Area at the Management Development Institute, Gurgaon.

Rajen K.Gupta is Professor and Chairman of the Human Behaviour and Organisation Development Area at the Management Development.

Abad Ahmed is Professor of Management at the Faculty of Management Studies, University of Delhi.

 

Crystal and Clay

Writer and illustrator: Sybil Wettasinghe

Publisher: S. Godage and Brothers

Reviwed by Malini Govinnage

There is a child in 'a few' of us. I write 'a few' because the child in many of us has escaped from us for ever leaving room for the robots within us to grow bigger and bigger until they choke our human empathies.

'Crystal and Clay' by one of the foremost Sri Lankan story tellers is befitting children as well as adults in whom the child was not been replaced by a robot.

'Crystal and Clay' is the story of two orphan siblings who in one of their innocent adventures unlock the world of silence and isolation of Jenny, who is another orphan brought up by her aristocratic grandparents. Jenny's parents die in a motor car accident.

Jenny, who was with the parents at the time becomes dumb with the shock. She remains so until the two children Wimal and Sama, 'discover' her in a room in the mysterious mansion they come across while their explorations in the jungle and make friends with her.

The two children manage to take Jenny out of her 'prison' and change her into a happy and sociable child. Jenny's arrogant grandparents too come out of their isolated cocoonery lives and begin to move with the poor people in the village.

The charm and beauty of the writer's story telling is that the reader is not at any moment given room to get immersed in any negative emotions such as anger, hatred, jealousy or enmity. Throughout, what is encountered is the feelings of goodwill, amicability and friendly concern towards each other.

The writer does not sermonise nor does she advise through her characters. But only helps open the world of childhood imagination and allows the reader to roam in it in the euphoric spirit of childhood innocence.

Wonderful rhythmic line illustrations add colour to the story while amusing and entertaining the reader.

Crescat Development Ltd.

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