Comprehensive and fruitful exercise in cultural criticism

Enabling Traditions

Author: Prof. Wimal Dissanayake

Prof. Wimal Dissanayake's Enabling Traditions is a critical study of the cultural and intellectual lives of Munidasa Kumaratunga, Martin Wickramasinghe, Ediriweera Sarachchandra and Gunadasa Amarasekera.

Apart from these intellectuals, a wealth of information on the life and creative works of Ananda Kumaraswamy has been covered in section II of the first chapter-"Understanding Tradition".

The two outstanding features of Prof. Dissanayake's treatment on the subject are comprehensiveness of content and clarity of approach, which inspire the reader to become absorbed in insightful reading.

In the preface, the author makes a note about the objective of writing this book-mainly to examine the thoughts of the above mentioned four Sinhala cultural intellectuals. While many present day adults know of them as creative writers and critical thinkers, Prof. Dissanayake, through this publication, has exposed them to the global community.

Munidasa Cumaratunga has been described as an outstanding scholar of Sinhala. He was a free thinker, pioneer and grammarian. His writings, poetry, views on language and newspaper articles displayed his creative power and initiative in original thinking.

He did not worship tradition through blind faith. Martin Wickramasinghe was famous for his great essay 'Bamunu Kulaya Bindawetima'. He was a Buddhist humanist. He was a creative writer who was interested in social evolution.

Martin Wickramasinghe searched for the 'Sinhala Lakuna' in several of his essays and investigations. Prof. Dissanayake writes 'The idea of tradition pervades Martin Wickramasinghe's writings and informs his most profound critical and hermeneutic efforts' (page 81).

Ediriweera Sarachchandra apart from being a writer who together with Martin Wickramasinghe were primarily responsible for ushering a new era in Sinhala writing, was responsible for the genesis of the modern Sinhala drama, in particular the rich literary drama Maname and Sinhabahu were the key literary dramas that mobilized the classic poetic tradition as well as the securely rooted traditional consciousness of the rural masses.

'Gunadasa Amarasekara is arguably the leading Sinhala cultural intellectual' (Page 113). He is a great critic, novelist, short story writer and a remarkable poet with diverse talents. He is also interested in politics. His cherished views on national thought (Jatika Chintanaya) has pervaded many noteworthy essays on social evolution and national harmony.

"Unlike Munidasa Cumaratunga, Martin Wickramasinghe and Ediriweera Sarachchandra, Amarasekara did not shy away from active politics, channelling his expository writings on issues of tradition, history and cultural memory towards the re-defining of contemporary and contested issues", observes Prof. Dissanayake (page 127).

In the final chapter of the book Prof. Dissanayake writes about the central importance of culture which has been examined by all the four intellectuals as well as by Kumaraswamy. The author points out that all these four intellectuals looked at the community level of the social organization that is the precondition for the success of the individual (page 150).

Further, the role of the individual in changing tradition has been examined. In the final paragraph the author writes, "One important area that invites focused study is the way in which they engage tradition, and elucidate how its authority impinges on modernity." (page 153).

The readers will find this book a very useful, well resourced discussion on cultural criticism. "Enabling Traditions" is an invaluable source of ideas both for those experienced and interested in cultural criticism and for those who are learning about the pioneers of Sinhala culture and tradition.

A discourse community could be the format to focus attention on the literary contributions of these intellectuals and expand to include others too, to form a network of such pioneers.

Dr. Senarath Tennakoon

Fitting tribute to a spiritual guru

Vimala Amirtham (Vimala -Nectar)

Fast Printers, Colombo 6

Available at Vijitha Yapa Bookshops

130 pp. Price not mentioned

Vimala Amirtham is a book written by one of her "Sadhaka" living in Sri Lanka. The author who does not mention her name in the book says it was written as a 'love offering' to Vimalaji whose thoughts, words and deeds have given her the courage to live.

Vimalaji is a modern-day Indian sage who had visited Sri Lanka on several occasions. The author who has been influenced by J. Krishnamurthi's teachings regards Vimalaji as her spiritual guru.

Vimala Thakar had an inner spiritual transformation when she met Jiddu Krishnamurti. She was also an active participant in Vinoba Bave's Bhoodan (land-gift) Movement. She spent some time meditating in Himalayan caves. Once she was rescued by the inmates of Sivananda Ashram at Rishikesh when she was being carried down in the Ganges in an unconscious state.

On another occasion, while she was meditating in a jungle in Mount Abu, a ferocious tiger looked at her for a while and retreated. At that time her thought was "What a beautiful animal you are!"

The book under review is more or less a collection of letters exchanged between the author and her spiritual guru. Her words of wisdom in her own beautiful handwriting appear in this book. In one of her letters to the author, Vimalaji says: "Understanding is the beginning of life. It flows through the psycho-physical movement, if it is not obstructed by the thought structure or the biological impulses.

Unfortunately we have equated living - with the movement of biological organism and psychological structure. We have accepted the authority of patterns of behaviour, psychological evaluation systems and socio-economic systems. We are not only committed but also dedicated to them. When understanding shows the contradictions or exposes the isolationist behaviour, we brush aside the understanding.

We want to continue with the old." Vimala Thakar's views on religion are unconventional. This is what she says about religion: "For me, religion cannot be borrowed. For me, religious life is not impositions of theories, or patterns of behaviour on oneself. For me religion is not grafting the experiences of other persons, however holy they might be, dead or alive on our psyche. It's not imposition of foregone conclusions."

Vimala Amirtham is the author's personal experiences with Vimalaji. They are highly readable and illuminating.

R. S. Karunaratne

Hurrah! For Large Families

Sri Lankan author Anne Abayasekara will launch her new book Hurrah! For Large Families at the auditorium of the National Library Services and Documentation Board on October 8 at 5 pm.

The chief guest at the event will be Prof. Herbert Aponso, Professor Emeritus of Paediatrics of the Peradeniya University and a Consultant Paediatrician who is also the main author of the popular book, "Your Child, Your Family".

The book published by Vijitha Yapa Publications presents readers with a humorous look at the "quite ordinary doings and happenings" of the authors' family put together from newspaper articles written over a period of many years.

It deals with the first few years of the wedded life of the author which were spent travelling around the country until her first baby made her debut and how she was plunged into learning how to bring up children the hard way, through on-the-job training.

The book also serves as a message to readers that if a fair measure of harmony can be achieved in homes, there is hope that children who grow up in happy homes will, when they go out into society, not add to the problem, but will be ready to be a part of the solution to the discord and violence that prevails today.

Anne Abayasekara has been in journalism all her adult life, starting with the Ceylon Daily News in 1947. She has free-lanced for many years and still contributes to the Lanka Woman and the Sunday Times. The articles collected in her book, Hurrah! For Large Families, were all originally published in different newspapers over a long period of time.

She has also served as a trained family counsellor for the last 30 years. Mrs. Abayasekara has co-authored with Dr. Patricia Weerakoon a book entitled "Love, Sex and Marriage", of which Sinhala and Tamil editions too are available. She was married to the late Mr. E. E. C. Abayasekara and has seven children and several grandchildren.