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7th Death Anniversary today 

Sarachchandra; the great savant of Sri Lanka

by P. B. Galahitiyawa



Ediriweera Ranjith Sarachchandra

Among the savants who appeared in our country during the 20th century Ediriweera Sarachchandra was one of the noblest. When considering the immense contributions rendered by this versatile don in a wide variety of pursuits, both academic and creative, there is only a handful of Sri Lankans who can match him in our long-standing history.

If one were to form in mind, a composite image of this multifaceted personality one ought to try and understand his mastery of many languages, (both eastern and western) his knowledge of many religions and philosophical traditions, his profound understanding of many arts and sciences and above all his affection for people, particularly his students. It is doubtful whether any substantive evaluation of him could be made without a proper understanding of the above fields.

Such a study would demand much understanding, dedication and devotion. Therefore, the purpose of this article is confined only to pinpoint in general, some of the achievements of late Prof. Sarachchandra on the occasion of his 7th death anniversary.

Vedithanthirige Ediriweera Ranjith Sarachchandra was born on July 3rd, 1914, as V. E. R. de Silva at Dodanduwa in Ratgama. His father, Charles Francis de Silva, was a post-master, and his mother, Lydia Pinto Moragoda, a teacher. According to his parents' wish he had his early education in highly westernised educational institutions, namely Richmond College, Galle, St. Thomas College, Panadura, St. Aloysius College, Galle and St. Thomas College, Mount Lavinia. At these schools Sarachchandra read only English Language and Literature in addition to the other subjects.

Although he received an English education at the school level, he never rejected the rich cultural heritage of Sri Lanka (then Ceylon). He read Sinhala classics and studied Pali and Sanskrit with the help of a Buddhist monk, while awaiting admission to the university college. This was a result of his close contacts with the Indian tradition which he gained through the writings of Indian leaders such as Mahathma Gandhi and Rabindranath Tagore, from his student days.

In his Mahatma Gandhi commemoration lecture, delivered at the Taj Samudra Hotel in 1989, Sarachchandra recalled his Indian influence thus:

"I must say that my first acquaintance with Gandhiji was through his autobiography which I read when I was only fourteen. I was so much impressed by it that I actually put into practice some of the recommendations in it. I was passing through a period when certain changes were taking place in my body and I was disturbed by them. These changes were accompanied by emotions that I have not known before, which Gandhiji's autobiography made me feel were evil, should be suppressed and he recommended hip-baths in order to achieve this end.

I remember hearing my parents relating to their friends in amusement how I sat in a tub of cold water, having become a disciple of Mahatma Gandhi." Rabindranath Tagore's impact and influence on Sarachchandra's life and his experience at Santiniketan are well-known facts and need not be repeated once again in an article of this nature. But it should be mentioned here that, Sarachchandra was not a mere imitator or a servant of colonial masters like the English-educated class at that time from his student days; upheld the Asian tradition, whatever the field he has engaged in. Once he was turned down at civil service interview, because of his Indian dress, though he gained first place in the written examination. Inspired by the struggle led by Gandhi and Tagore for spiritual and cultural independent from colonial dominance, Sarachchandra studied Indo-Aryan languages at the University College.

Sarachchandra was intelligent enough to realise that in India, the upper classes still had their roots in the traditional culture, although they learned the English language, read English literature became aware of new values and new ideals of life and art through their contact with the West.

This was the period, when our society was attempting to free itself from colonial bondage, and to find its feet among the other nations in the East, particularly the South Asian. Emerging as a formidable academic, Sarachchandra's very advent on our cultural scene occurred at a critical time of its development. In our introduction to the book titled "Tradition, Values and Modernisation; An Asian Perspective" - collected papers of E. R. Sarachchandra, edited by P. B. Galahitiyawa and K. N. O. Dharmadasa - this situation was explained as follows:

This was the period when our society was attempting to free itself from the colonial bondage and trying to find its feet among the other free nations in the East.

Sarachchandra's contribution in these circumstances can be placed in the larger context of the task of intellectuals in post-colonial traditional societies. These societies with long-standing cultural traditions such as India, Burma and Sri Lanka, once they became independent had to face some difficult questions concerning tradition and modernity.

Modernity in this context was connected with the culture of the former colonial master. English language, literature, theatre, critical and evaluatory concepts exerted a strong influence on Sri Lanka's cultural scene.

Although what could be called the 'English educated class' was a mere fraction - about seven per cent - of the population, the larger impact of English culture was more widespread.

The dilemma faced by the English educated intellectuals in these circumstances was a question of selection and synthesis; what aspects of western culture were to be admitted into the fold of national culture; what aspects of tradition were to be revived and how? How was a synthesis to be achieved so that the 'foreign' would no longer appear 'alien'.

The solutions did not come quickly, Sarachchandra had to go through several phases and experiment with diverse modes and it was as a cumulative result of all these experiment that a final synthesis was achieved. At one stage he was relying heavily on Indian tradition. He studied Sanskrit, Pali and Sinhala for his Bachelor of Arts degree which he secured in 1936. Next he studied Indian philosophy and Indian music at Santiniketan in Calcutta. Then he went for his post-graduate studies to London and studied western philosophy. He then returned to Buddhist tradition, but with a western outlook, for his PhD on 'The Buddhist Psychology of Perception".

Out of all of his experiences and systematic education which he acquired from academic and creative fields Sarachchandra was able to form a national form of art, specially in the field of theatre. It was the cumulative result of the ideal fusion of his creative talent and scholarly expertise. His production 'Maname' in 1956, followed by number of other plays gave modern Sri Lankan theatre a resurgence and provided a cue for rediscovering the roots of Asian theatre.

Ayyappa Paniker of the University of Kerala in his article titled, 'Sinhabahu and the theatre of the Roots' says, 'Ediriweera Sarachchandra's Sinhabahu (1961) seems to represent what is perhaps the earliest attempt in modern Asian theatre to shake off the influence of the western theatre and to rediscover the theatre of the roots'.

According to Prof. Paniker, 'In India too in the 1960s there began a crystallization of the tendency to rediscover the lost traditions of both the classical and the folk theatres. The ideal of the Indian renaissance was to effect an amalgamation of the eastern and western theories of dramaturgy. This is perhaps to be found in dramatic works of Sri Aurobindo and Rabindranath Tagore.

Even in the sixties the theatre of the roots was a distant dream. Some theatre people started thinking aloud of re-susitating the non-illusionistic and basically poetic drama of the pre-British days; with its emphasis on 'thouryatrikam' as enunciated in Bharata's Naytasasthram. But there was no immediate possibility of changing the practice of the commercial theatre which continued to operate with the picture frame stage and all that went with it. It is against this background that one has to recognize and evaluate the revolutionary importance of Sarachchandra's experiments in the theatre'.

As Prof. K.N.O. Dharmadasa states "His Maname (1956) was a syntheses of the artistic traditions of the east and west in the sense that a modern discriminating sensibility had been utilized to pick out the essential features of the indigenous tradition to create an outstanding work of art. Maname was also significant for the fact that it opened our eyes to the larger cultural world of the orient of which we are part. If Sri Lankan culture was until then, considered as being within the sphere of Indian culture, it was not revealed that there was a larger world of Asian culture to which we belong as evidenced by the theatrical traditions of China, (Peking Opera) and Japan (Noh and Kabuki)". Sarachchandra was never an intellectual who feared or ignored modernity. However in adopting modern attitudes he never rejected tradition in toto. Instead he sought a fine synthesis of tradition and modernity. All his contribution whether it is drama, prose or fiction or even his life style symbolises a unique combination of tradition and modernity.

In addition to Maname it is a well known fact that Sarachchandra has written and produced more than 35 dramatic works of varying length (of which 'Sinhabahu' is considered as the best). One observer, who argues that there could be only a few other authors, in the entire poetic literature in Sinhalese who could equal Sarachchandra in the miracle of speaking to his reader's heart, through the evocative use of words.

Although a large number of research studies have been done on the creative and scholarly work of Sarachchandra, no serious study of his philosophical work and its possible impact on his creative work has been done. It is doubtful whether any substantive analysis could be made of his creative writings or plays without a proper understanding of his philosophical outlook.

He was also the author of 13 academic treatises in English and in Sinhala (including the 'Sinhalese Folk Play 1952' which is highly commented by Bryce Ryan and by the 'Times of London Literary Supplement'), 14 works of fiction, (both Sinhalese and English), 6 works of miscellaneous character; besides a countless number of articles written for journals and newspapers both in Sri Lanka and abroad. At present his writings both in Sinhala and English form a major part of the modern Sri Lankan literature.

Other than Sarachchandra's magnanimous service to uplift the academic and creative life of his countrymen, his contribution to reintroduce the 'Asian tradition' to the asian countries; which were under colonial dominance and introduce it to the west, also deserves to be discussed at length. While serving at various foreign universities and through his writings, he was able to impart his knowledge to the international community at large.

His series of lectures delivered at the American and German universities; the series of articles which he wrote to the reputed Japanese Journal 'Asai Shimbu' in 1957; his famous lecture on 'Drama in the orient' which he delivered at the International House of Japan; and his essays on Indian philosophy to the reputed Indian and western journals; his critical analysis or rather the research work on some of the Indian writers which he completed while serving at East-West Centre in Hawaii in the United State of America (this work is yet to be published in Sri Lanka) are few such attempts to be mentioned here.

When Sarachchandra was honoured by the International community on a number of occasions, such as "The Kumaran Asan World Prize' from India (Kerala), 'Ramon Magsaysay' award from Philippine and 'The order of the sacred treasure; Silver and Gold' from Japan, his services in above fields were taken into consideration, as cited at the presentation ceremonies. His academic and creative talents were highly recommended by the special committee of the Swedish Academy in 1972, by appointing him to nominate writers for the Nobel prize for literature in 1974. (Sarachchandra was the 1st Sri Lankan to be honoured in that way).

Among the university teachers who have served and excelled in their respective fields during the fifty three years of its history Sarachchandra was unique. In the university he became a beacon light for students in every field he touched, whether it was academic or creative. The cultural movements he initiated were able to enter into continuous dialogue with the intellectuals within the university and outside as well as with the common people. Another significant aspect of Sarachchandra's career as a university teacher was his abiding interest in maintaining the teacher-student relationship.

As Chancellor of the University of Peradeniya he has stressed the important of the above aspect in one of his convocation speeches.

There he says, "A university like that of Peradeniya has come into being as a end result of the search for what a university should ideally be. It is easier to say what a university should not be. You all agree that it is not a tutory. It is not merely an institution where people, young and old are taught to sit examinations and get degrees". He further says, "In the context of today's society the best definition that we can give of a university is that it is a place where teachers and students come together in their search of knowledge.

In a university, one begins to realize that no one has a monopoly over knowledge. The teacher therefore must posses the humility that comes from this realization. Unlike in the past knowledge is available to all in the form of books and is disseminated through the electronic media. The teachers' task is therefore, the exposition of knowledge and not its mere 'communication".

The above aspect of Sarachchandra which he practised at the University of Peradeniya, during his days, is very eminently commented by the well known journalist, late Mr.D.B. Dhanapala in his book 'Among those present', written in 1962. 'Soon after he joined the University of ceylon he became a cultural Pope in the little world of the university, where he was a kind of informal institution. Ediriweera Sarachchandra has more than most of the other dons at the campus, given a sense of values and good companionship to the students who have come in touch with him. The more he grew in stature as a scholar, as a teacher, as a cultural Pope, the less he seemed to feel his importance. He has given his friendship freely and easily to his students and as they associated with him they learned the greatness of simplicity and pleasure of intellectual and cultural efforts.

'Sarachchandra sang songs with his student during off hours, staged plays, wrote books, talked long into the night taking them into his confidence and shaping their enthusiasms to the pattern of cultural gentleman .............' Those who had the good fortune to know Sarachchandra personally and those who have studied under him during the 'Golden Era' of at Peradeniya are aware of his deep attachment to the institution and it students. In Sri Lanka there have been an intelligentsia, who did academic and creative writing in Sinhala in the past; and some are there in the present as well.

We have among us a few who contribute to academic activity in English only; a few also engage themselves in creative writing in English. But Sarachchandra is the unique Sri Lankan who engaged himself in academic as well as creative activity in both Sinhala and English. He is thus unique and incomparable.

Considering the above facts our intellectuals and artists could benefit much by studying these unique capabilities of Sarachchandra as observed by Prof. Sucharitha Gamlath," A new art may not be crated forsaking, ignoring, ridiculing, leaping over or hiding from what Sarachchandra has bequeathed. Those who wish to create new art should fully imbibe his achievements and try to surpass them".

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