Cumaratunga found Sidath Sangarawa as not being genuine Sinhala grammar standard - Dr. Ananda Tissa Kumara
 

Colombo East Group Corr.

"Munidasa Cumaratunga's study revealed that Sidath Sangarava, the accepted standard of grammar of the time was inadequate, confusing and not helpful to the language study," said Dr. Ananda Tissa Kumara of the Colombo University.

Dr. Ananda was delivering a lecture organised by the Munidasa Cumaratunga Foundation to commemorate the 118th birth anniversary of Cumaratunga Munidasa at the National Library Service Board Auditorium.

Prof. Chandrasiri Palliyeguru presided. Musician Albert Fernando and choir sang commemorative songs and lyrics composed by Cumaratunga.

'He had to study Sinhala grammar and literature with numerous difficulties.

Hence he endeavoured to unearth genuine grammar of the language as found in the Sinhala literature. He critically studied the Sidath Sangarava and rejected it as not being genuine grammar of the Sinhala language'.

'He then wrote the Kriya Vivaranaya and the Vyakarana Vivaranaya to expound the genuine Sinhala grammar'.

To achieve this result Cumaratunga had to scrutinise almost all the standard literary works and produce copious commentaries and editions which brought out their real meaning and how the standard grammar of the language had enabled the respective authors to project their literary works to be meaningful.

He had come to realise that the accurate meaning of a stanza or a set stanzas in verse literature or passages in prose literature could not be correctly understood without background knowledge of Sanskrit, Pali, Tamil and allied literatures. Hence the commentaries on the poem Muvadevdavata and the prose work Nikaya Sangrahaya became landmarks in his effort to understand and teach the standard Sinhala literature.

Dr. Gunadasa Amarasekera speaking on 'Kumara Gee to Piya Samara' said that Cumaratunga had many contemporary poets like Ananda Rajakaruna, Boralesgamuve G.H. Perera, Mullepitiye K.H. De Silva and poetical societies like Sinhala Kavi Sammelanaya and Colamba Kavi Samajaya. They followed the Kotte poetry almost in every way.

But Cumaratunga's poetry was significantly different in theme, subject matter, diction, technique and attitude from that of his contemporaries. He realised that a new variety of poetry was essential for the expression of modern thought and life in Lanka. He created an inspiring poetry tradition.

His tradition is capable of fulfilling modern requirements. Reading the poetry produced by others in his day and after, it is quite clear that there is no other alternative for the modern poet than to be inspired by the poetry of Munidasa Cumaratunga, he said.