Creative advice from a father to a daughter

Prof. Sunanda Mahendra

LITERATURE: Readers all round the world know of the letters written by the first Indian Premier Nehru to his daughter Indira, while being in the prison that later came to be known as letters from a father to a daughter, translated into dozens of languages.

For a moment I could recall it, though there is no apparent resemblance when I read journalist Karunaratne D. Phillip's latest work Rattaran Duve (literally means 'to precious daughter', Dayawansa Jayakody, 2005) a series of 36 features packed with creative advice mixed with anecdotes both ancient and modern, human interest stories, poems, memorable real life incidents, religious and philosophical dialogues and various other creative materials that go into the making of readable notes.

Reference is made to such great persons as Socrates and Bernard Shaw, as passing comments in order to exemplify some social issues. Basically the book is meant to be understood as guidance on positive living in a much hassled world of turmoil, corruptions and misgivings.

Living conditions

Born out of a writing assignment meant for a popular Sinhala magazine, this is a series of random remarks in the form of a long column writing where more popular psychological jottings are observable.

The writer over the years has collected various information pertaining to his creative mode of writing. This comes about when the demand is such that the feature journalists later compile the bits and pieces they contributed, into the publication to retain the value for years to come forgetting that it was meant only for target audience in the inception.

The reader is made to visualize the aspects of living conditions of a daughter precious to any father or any mother. But the pressing need to give her a better mental stability to face the needs becomes part of the socialization process which most parents fail to understand.

But this particular father, the narrator is a person keen on seeing a change in the lifestyle of his daughter and as such, he makes various observations in the day-to-day life in the house as well as in the open world and makes her, the daughter understand the actual conditions or reality, which he addresses sensitively to make her feel that the life that one should lead on this earth planet is not so easy as one sees superficially.

The reader observes the mentality of a well balanced and kind hearted father who is a rare species I presume these days, who remembers things from the past and makes them known to the daughter without being prejudiced.

The open hearted father is the symbol of many aspects of a philosopher sage anticipated in reality but never seen. But this is the wanted father head, who makes the living conditions far more easier than one realises.

It is seen that the writer, who emerges in the form of the father image himself has collected material from various sources over the years from his younger days to the present adulthood with a clarity of mind visible in the pages.

He takes such issues as happiness, changing bodily signs, puberty, adolescence, schooling days, love and romance, food, contentment, accumulation of money, festivities, parties, friendships, positions hobbies, passing examinations, family connections and other aspects into discussion intermixed with parables and anecdotes for further illustration Folk songs and poems and popular songs have been included for further clarification laying emphasis on the words and images they create within one's mind.

As a reader I found that writing this kind of books is not quite easy but interesting as the writer has culled material from various sources that could kindle reading interest among the younger generation of readers. Intrinsically this series of essays is in a way a research on the part of a journalist.

Human factor

The need to help each other in order to build a better world is suggested in many pages all over the book. For example, one teacher is shown as seen the plight of his downtrodden students failing to face a competitive examination.

A good hearted teacher discerns this human factor immediately gropes for his wallet and hands over the required sum for the examination. This example is lifted on an even from real life where the good hearted teacher becomes the university professor and renders an immense service in the field of education.

Some of these psychological insights are also seen as dateless diary entries. I sincerely feel that this is an apt gift from a father to a daughter. Such a gift is symbolic of an eternal positive thinking present to the modern generation.

Author Karunaratne Philip is seen as a person humanistic in his attitudes towards the partialities and injustices to the society at large.

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Plethora of pleasing pageants from past to present

Atitha Janma (Past lives)

Author: Kumari Gunaratne

Ratna Book Publishers, Colombo 10

589 pp. Price Rs. 600

Review: Somapala Arandara

BOOKS: In the latter part of last year, Kumari Gunaratne, the young versatile translator, launched her latest publication, “Atitha Janma” (Past Lives). This is “An Investigation into Reincarnation Memories” created in English by Peter and Elizabeth Fenwick. Kumari Gunaratne has risen to maturity as a writer with this translation.

Translation from one language into another is not an easy task. Only a person of erudition becomes a good translator. Paucity of words, lack of the right choice of words and the ignorance of the correct idiom of both languages concerned are the drawbacks that manifest in many translations.

As a result, such works with literal and insipid quality inherent in them do not appeal to the discerning reader. On the contrary, good translations deserve the reader’s approbation and can fittingly be known as transcreations.

Here, I feel it pertinent to mention a few excellent transcreations the world over. Michael Grant, for example, enables us to enjoy Greek drama, poetry and prose translated from Greek into English.

And he offers us with a chance of studying Greek achievement in the literary field, history, biography, oratory, philosophy’ and in works of fundamental scientific thought.

In translating “The Sixteen Satires” by Juvenal, the Roman writer, its translator, Peter Green remarks: “Textual problems apart, the translator of Juvenal is hampered by two main difficulties in achieving a version which will both convey the force and flavour of its original, and have immediate relevance for a modern non-Latinate audience.”

On finding fault with Wilhelm Geiger’s “Sinhalese Grammar, “Munidasa Cumaratunga’s response to it,” notes Professor Wimal Dissanayake, “is equally reflective of his views on the Sinhala language. He published a series of thirteen articles in the journal, “Subasa”, pointing out the errors in Geiger’s work.

Two of the points he makes are that Geiger fails to recognize the power of Sinhala as a living langauge and its unique structure which is different from Sanskrit or Pali.”

A few more examples of translations chosen at random are: W. A. Silva’s re-creation of Rider Haggard’s novel, “She”, rendered admirably into Sinhala as “Luxmi Hewat Nonasena Rajiniya”; Hemapala Munidasa’s translation of “the Mahabharatha” turned from Sanskrit into Sinhala by the same name, I. M. R. A. Iriyagolle’s “Manuthapaya” a superb rendering of Victor Hugo’s “Les Miserables” from French into Sinhala; and, Professor Somarathne Balasuriya’s winsome version of Albert Camu’s “L’ Etranger from French into Sinhala as “Pitastaraya”.

Resourceful versions

These veteran translators have helped awaken our senses to the resourceful visions of life. The opinion of another expert translator, Lakshmi de Silva, deserves our attention. She says in her Forward to “Lay Bare the Roots:” “The way of a translator must always be attended by two feelings - hope and a prickling doubt.

From the fact that a writer’s distinctive skill lies in the very shape of the words he chooses, the pattern into which they are thrown, we have to realize that language is the flesh, rather than the clothing, of feeling and thought...” And she further comments elsewhere: “The ‘free’ translator sets himself to capture the spirit of a writer generally superior to him.

The literal translator strives to preserve the form, fearing like the ancient Egyptians that the spirit cannot survive unless its body is preserved. A translation is an introduction, not an equivalent.”

Progress

Kumari Gunaratne’s “Atitha Janma” shows me her progress from being a budding translator to becoming a sturdy figure in the art. Now she is toeing the line of the tradition of celebrated translators as quoted above.

She presents us with a whole and heavy heap of hypnotic and enlightening information elicited by the original authors through persevering and perennial research on memories of past lives.

When you read this book you feel like being admitted to a fanciland. Her merit lies in her rendering of abstruse religio-social matters in very simple, lucid and readable Sinhala.

I, however, feel after finishing, with the book that the Western ideologies based on past lives or reincarnations as presented in Kumari Gunarathne’s work are congruent with the Oriental Buddhist theory of rebirth effected by Kammic force.

The couplet from the Dhammapada would help give a clearer view in that respect:

“Na ca so Na ca anno.”

The being is not the same (as in the past birth) yet not a different one altogether, either (in the following birth)

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