Focus on books

A book for the new year season
 

by Prof Sunanda Mahendra

A right kind of cultural climate could be moulded on the publication of books, booklets, monographs and periodicals for the general public to create an awareness on a particular subject, may it be a festival, ceremony, ritual, a national or a religious event like Vesak and Christmas. The Sinhala and Hindu New Year is a national event that is linked to religious and seasonal factors.

Quite a number of booklets may have been written on these events in various languages. Out of the publications written on the subject of the new year, one small book titled, bak maha ulela written by D. B. Kuruppu emerges as one of the most significant publications.

Written as far back as 1975, and published by an organization called Samajavadi Sanskritika Sanvidanaya, the book contains twenty-one small chapters in the form of notes, and packed with lots of resourceful information revolving round the subject.

The first chapter titled as gama pibidena kalaya [the time in which the village is awakened] gives a vivid account of the nature of the season in which the month of the new year or the bakmaha dawns.

It is the season when the farmer collects his harvest from the paddy field to the threshing field and relaxes in order to face another period of work to come. But the farmer has his own rituals to perform for he believes in the next better season that should dawn without much trouble.

He believes in his good relations with the temple and the family and the like minded fellow folks in the village. He believes that his loft [atuva] is full only if his mind is full of affection.

The second chapter which is also linked to the first contains more accounts of how the farmer or the cultivator community relaxes in the village which is fast changing. The reader is taken to the threshing field [kamata] where a number of rituals take place which is a prologue to the seasonal functions.

The fact that the entire village is transformed into a carnival sort of event is recorded in chapter three [bak maha sanakeliya]. This carnival is not a mere event but a sensitive series of humane moments packed with auspicious moments.

But the fact that this is not going to be an everlasting carnival is scientifically argued in the next three chapters [atitayata apasu yamakda, or is it a journey to the past? gamen sidadiyata or from the village to the town and kolambata avurudu or New Year in Colombo].

The author-cum-compiler Kuruppu cites various important dates connected with the new year. One such date is 1913 when a meeting had been held in order to decide whether the new year event should be regarded as a National Day or State-sponsored event.

He cites a document written by Mudliyar E. A. Abeysekara to the then published daily Sinhala newspaper Davasa of 11th April, 1964. He too cites various other sources such as learned articles written by Paul Pieris, M. D. Raghavan and a few other authorities on the subject.

One of the main intentions of the author Kuruppu is to indicate that the seasonal festivities of the new year should not be shrouded with ill-effects such as gambling, intoxicants and factors of ill will towards others, while leading a community life of varying types of humans.

He brings forth plus points to show the necessity of the festival for common understanding of cross cultural links that should usher in a new society devoid of narrow barriers. The author sees a beauty in the human relations connected with the festival of the new year and underlines them as changing aspects which are inevitable and the forceful attempt to retain them is futile.

The author Kuruppu also makes use of the limited space to explain some of the terms such as nonagataya [the time when there are no auspicious moments or nonakata], vada allima [or the devotion of time to commence work at the auspicious time] hisatel gama [the significance of anointing herbel oil] bulat hurulla [the significance of the sheaf of betal leaf.] raban pada [the significance of the sound of the rabana drum and the various meanings revolved round it].

While the reader is taken on a journey round the aspects of the new year festival and the inspirational factors connected with it the author does not underestimate the aspects of some of the cultural meanings with denouncements in the modern context.

But he hints that in a changing world some of the age-old customs may have to undergo changes in keeping with the possible new lifestyles. I feel that this book should go into a new edition for the sake of the contemporary new reader.

Essential reference book for students

Lama ha Yovun Vishva Koshaya (Vol 4), Editor-in-chief: Percy Jayamanne, Published by Print Media Master, 93/B Kassinna, Ganemulla, Distributed by Sarasavi Bookshop Nugegoda, Prize Rs. 400

The fourth volume of Sri Lanka's only children's encydopedia entitled Lama ha Yovun Vishva Koshaya was launched recently. The series edited by veteran journalist and former Navayugaya editor Percy Jayamanne is an essential reference book for all students.

The current volume opens with an entry on "Asplenium" and ends with 'Iridium Anomaly.' The 192-page book is full of valuable information on many subjects such as Eye Bank, Asbestos, Conjunctivitis, Aswan Dam, Ehelapola Nilame, White Elephant, Apfirdite, Queen Anne, Epa Appuhamy, English heritage, Indian National Movement, Indian folk dances, Indian sculpture, Indian Cinema Indus Valley Civilization, Indo-Lanka relations, Iran-Iraq war, and Maize rain.

Although published in Sinhala Lama ha Yovun Vishva Koshaya maintains the traditions and quality of major works such as encyclopedia Britannica and the Wordsworth encyclopedia.

The encyclopedia is profusely illustrated and carries a number of colour plates. The colour pictures of all English kings and queens starting with William I to Queen Elizabeth II are very impressive and useful for children studying history. What is significant is that the encyclopedia is carefully edited and the layout is extremely attractive.

R. S. Karunaratne

Revealing the most baffling mysteries in the history of Sri Lanka

Alien Mysteries in Sri Lanka and Egypt, the New Version, 10th anniversary presentation, written and published by, Mihindukulasuriya Susantha Fernando Printed and bound by Tharanjii Prints, Navinna, Maharagama. Distributed by Vjitha Yapa Bookshops, M. D. Gunasena Bookshops, Sarasavi Bookshops, Lake House Bookshop, Godage Book Emporium and other leading booksellers. Price: Rs. 1,520

Alien Mysteries in Sri Lanka and Egypt, the New Version is a mammoth, scholarly publication, providing mystery, excitement, wonder and historical insight into the most colourful and curious aspects of Sri Lanka history. This rare book is the 10th anniversary presentation by Mihindukulasuriya Susantha Fernando to mark his 1996 discovery of the mysterious alignment of three Anuradhapura stupas with three stars in the Constellation of Orion.

The profusely illustrated book captures the reader's attention, page after page. Susantha Fernando, the veteran Sri Lankan journalist, researcher, historian, graphic artist and publisher, unveiled his discovery in his 1997 publication entitled: Alien Mysteries in Sri Lanka and Egypt (reprinted 1998).

The present publication is the updated, expanded version of his 1997 book, revealing many new findings, thus focusing new light upon the author's ground-breaking discovery of 36 mysterious parallels between the ancient civilisations of Sri Lanka and Egypt; the predominant parallel being the mysterious correlations between the ground layout of the three main stupas at Anuradhapura (Mirisavati, Ruvanvali and Jetavana) with three stars in the Constellation of Orion (Rigel, Mintaka and Bellatrix).

Such heaven-ground duplicity is closely similar to the correlations that exist between the three Great Pyramids (the pyramids of Cheops, Chephren and Myscernius) in Egypt, with another set of three stars (Bell Stars: Al Nitak, Al Nilami and Mintaka) in the Constellation of Orion. The Orion-pyramid alignment was first discovered by the two British authors of Orion Mystery.

Fernando's discovery gained commendable credibility by the recent findings of foreign scholars. Just two years after Susantha Fernando's 1996 discovery, and one year after its publication in 1997, two British scholars disclosed in their famous 1998 book, Heaven's Mirror, that they too had found Orion alignment with ancient monument in Thailand, Bangkok, South America and Egypt".

It is no wonder that foreign websites: Ancient Civilisations 2: Surfing Apocalypse; Star; among others, pay compliments to Susantha Fernando by praising his discovery as a 'trailblazing discovery' and 'the biggest mystery in the long history of Sri Lanka'.

Nonhumans

Susantha Fernando's new book is an essential purchase for all those who are interested in getting to know the mysterious side of ancient Sri Lanka and the mysterious alien beings (both benevolent and malevolent) who inhabited the island once upon a time, according to the chronicles, legends, folklore, travellers' records, cave drawings, inscriptions and other evidence from the past.

Whatever happened to those 'beings'? The author explains that they were living among us even today. But the power of benevolent devas or gods, who are mentioned in our chronicles as having looked after our island in the past, appear to be on the wane, while malevolent extraterrestrials, or 'demons' who are also mentioned in our chronicles as having inhabited our island in the past, are running riot in Sri Lanka today, disguised as humans.

Over the centuries, they have increased and multiplied. They are now systematically dragging the country into the abysmal depths of total annihilation and catastrophe.

The ultimate result is unimaginable disasters striking the island nation, one after another: 20-year ethnic war followed immediately by tsunami catastrophe. (The book shows some heart-rendering satellite photos of the horrendous killer waves causing havoc on the southern seacoast of Sri Lanka).

What more lies ahead for Sri Lanka is anyone's guess. Illuminating his point of view, the author presents various shades of views expressed by the world press and also the Sunday Observer of Sri Lanka. While describing his epoch-making discovery, the author comes up with any array of evidence from the following sources, in support of the phenomenon of extraterrestrial influence over Sri Lanka and Egypt; Sri Lankan chronicles, Pyramid Texts, hundreds of colour and black-and-white photographs, line drawings, maps, archaeological findings, legends, folklore, prehistoric cave paintings, astronomy, astrology, religion, scientific findings on extraterrestrial life, extrasensory perception, parapsychology and UFO sightings in Sri Lanka and historical UFO sightings from around the world through the ages.

There is an interesting collection of 'dated news items' from the past issues of Daily News, on the astonishing UFO sightings in Sri Lanka.

Bizarre coincidences

Bizarre coincidences are described in the book, which are historical puzzles indicating possible extraterrestrial influence having prevailed over Sri Lanka and Egypt in the past.

Examples: The ancient monuments of Sri Lanka and Egypt show a mysterious alignment within one tenth of one degree along the Equatorial Line which is an imaginary straight line drawn by cartographers, as running around the centre of Earth. Similar 'alignment' of several other ancient monuments in the world is described graphically in the book.

Ancient Sri Lanka, Egypt of the Pharaohs, and the Americas before Columbus are mysteriously linked with one another, according to Susantha's findings. Now American scholars are reported to have discovered recently that there are parallels between ancient Egypt and the Americas before Christopher Columbus.

According to the official view, of course, there was no contact between the Old World and the New World before Columbus. Fernando explains that the mystical year of the Mayas in South America, in which their calendar began, went back to 3111 BC. Egypt's historical era also began about the same time, i.e. in 2925 BC.

Then around 605 and 332 BC, when the Egyptian civilisation was phasing out, 'some kind of a prototype', or a trace of the Nile civilisation appeared mysteriously and swiftly in the island of Sri Lanka, consequent upon an outcast Aryan prince, named Vijaya, and his 700 followers from North India accidentally drifting into the island - also about the same time: 400 BC.

The aforesaid two historical events took place approximately 3,000 years from the time the mystical year of the Mayas in South America began. The Pharaohs of Egypt believed that after death, they would be reborn in Egypt, 3,000 years later, but what happened was stranger than fiction.

When the great civilisation of the Pharaohs ceased to exist 2,668 years (close upon 3,000 years) after the beginning of their historical era (on having been conquered by Alexander the Great in 332 BC), a prototype of the Egyptian civilisation blossomed in the island of Sri Lanka, from about 400 BC, after the Aryan advent in the island.

Dr. Keerthi Wijeratne

Los Angeles, California, USA

..................................

<< Artscope Main Page