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Abstract thinking as creative processFICTION: Writer Malini Pieris in her creative debut, a collection of Sinhala short stories titled Paradisaya Yali Meve, the re-appearance of the (paradise) (Pix and Words 2006) mentions she had the opportunity of attending a certain conference in England 1980, where she also had the added chance of listening to a special talk on ?abstract thinking? delivered by a professor named Bono. Since then, she says that her way of thinking creatively had changed paving the way for literary creations compelling her for the structuring of most of these short stories. The reader is made to come to grips with some of the more unusual creative processes like the human behaviours followed by the extraneous beliefs caused through the appearance of planetary objects like stars and comets in the sky, or a dialogue that ensues between an invisible amoeba, and a group of humans, who raise questions to gauge their stance in the plane of evolutionary existence, the fear of humans on knowing that ill-will that exists between humans may result in their down fall and may cause them to be short-lived, and the resultant force being the good actions for a short period of time, the meeting of mosquitoes, who so wish to go against the humans in their endeavour to bring disasters to them. The writer who is also inspired by folklore restructures the character of the role of the foolish king Kakille in a modern garb, and makes judgements of the same calibre evoking farcical remarks on the living conditions of people. In this manner, the reader encounters a number of instances where the writer engages in the presentation or the _expression of the abstract form of thinking as creative process. The local reader, I presume, may not regard the structure so seriously as modernistic and the themes as alien though we tend to observe them as an admixture of science fiction and folklore, where a certain degree of surrealistic form is discernible. As such, most of these narratives, though modern in cxontent are observable as age old fantasies, and could be compared to some of the folk narratives born out of religious susceptibilities that address the mass conscience over the ages of the local reader of attuned to the Sinhala classics and folk tales. In hudekalava (loneliness), the writer introduces to a serene mannered person, who likes to live in isolation, as he wishes to complete some literary activities undisturbed by his home surroundings. As such, he finds a place suitable for this venture in a semi-urban venue where he presumes that he will not be disturbed by anyone. In this frame of mind, he makes himself his isolation in a distant place in a small cottage like dwelling looked after by a manservant of the same village. But to his dismay he is kept disturbed continuously by the stray dogs around the house. They not only disturb him, but also cause other problems, like fear of rabies, and other disasters compelling him to drive away the dogs in a more suitable manner, where he succumbs to a severe action by informing a certain sanitary inspector known to him, which in turn results in the killing of all the dogs by shooting, where an innocent pregnant bitch too becomes a victim of the circumstances. This unforeseen behaviour of the writer who so wants to engage in the literary pursuits is no longer a secret to the people around. Once, when the killing had been over during the absence of the writer, he returns to the place of stay to continue his work. Though he is not disturbed by the dogs, he is kept rather aloof by his servant, as well as the rest of the people enabling him to think that this literary genius or the learned man is a cruel good for nothing person. The thought that he is victimised for his action makes the man feel too sensitively enraptured in mental disturbances that he decides to leave the place stooping down to the _expression of pardon from others for an action unknown to him. Even the servant who looked after him is shown as a person, who indirectly hates him and the moment of illumination is the verdict given by the servant declaring that ?you may leave the place but it does not matter whether you return or not?. This narrative, I felt, is one of the most sensitive creations in the collection, where Pieris is seen laying several creative layers one on the other: the story line, the subtext containing a human episode, and the folk beliefs in cruelty as a visionary impact, which lurk in religious susceptibilities. The other narrative maduru madhurya [mosquito symphony] is the opposite of the creative process dramatising a summit meeting of mosquitoes of the Afro-Asian countries pinpointing the mosquito stance in the existence with humans indirectly exposing the various methods explored by humans to exterminate the mosquito progeny and thereby the accumulation of colossal earnings on their part in the whole world in the name of medical research interlinked with various anti mosquito products on the part of multi-national companies and other commercial exploitations. The mosquitoes are shown as social critics of their own menace bringing more scientific details creatively. The writer is seen poking fun at the misgivings of elderly outdated persons who air their views on such matters as politics and social reforms. One good example is the story titled Seba Novana Sihinayak [a dream not coming true]. Here the protagonist is an ageing politician, who sees that he is made to close his political career through strange manipulative means by holding a felicitation ceremony organised by his own son born from his first wife, in order to step down to substitute himself for the same vacancy. In the process the politician is shown as recollecting his own past deeds and actions and gauging his career for himself where he visualises what he has actually performed and what he has forgotten or made to forget over the years. He also realises that though he had gone to all parts of the world in various political missions he had failed to make a pilgrimage to holy places in Dambadiva. In conclusion, the politician decides that it is not himself who should be felicitated, but a retired good old principal of the village school known to him, as one of the few great persons closed to him. This realisation comes to him as a result of the principal?s extension of his goodwill towards the politician at a tea party surrounded by his lovable kith and kin. He compares his lifestyle with that of the principal, who is being loved by all around him thus resulting him to write a letter to the felicitation committee informing them to substitute the name of the principal as the most suitable recipient of the felicitation ceremony as against himself and to act in that manner on the day assigned. This political satire has several layers of contemporary significance hinting the need to honour those who deserve above the others in mediocrity. I feel that this literary venture with new innovations will pave the way for the newcomer Malini Pieris as a creative writer to step ahead without fear. |
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