S. D. Bandaranayake

The great maverick politician of Sri Lanka

S. D. the Family Roots in Sri Lankan Politics
Author: Somasiri Wickremasinghe, Nilmal Wickremasinghe
Rasika Printers - Rajagiriya
Pages 405

Review: Prof. Wiswa Warnapala
Minister of Parliamentary Affairs

POLITICS: Sri Lanka, like most new States emerged out of colonialism, has had a galaxy of colourful politicians who entered the national political arena as a result of the growth of mass-oriented politics in the country. This kind of politics came on the national scene, primarily as a consequence of the adult suffrage and the birth of modern political parties.

Though Sri Lanka has had a pantheon of colourful politicians, they, though made a remarkable contribution to the political advancement of the country, never thought in terms of recording their experiences. In other words, our politicians, who reached the national stage, did not display an interest in writing their memories.

Sri Lanka, though a country with tremendous educational potential and resources, has no tradition of autobiographical or biographical studies of politicians. Even the most capable politician with a flair for writing, this applies to many a politician of the left, has not taken the trouble to write their memoirs and this lacuna, even at this stage, needs to be corrected in the interest of the future generations.

It is in this light that S. D. Bandaranaike's biographical study. S.D. and the Family Roots in Politics. which has been edited by Somasiri Wickremasinghe and Nilmal Wickremasinghe, needs to be examined as a contribution to the study of politics in modern Sri Lanka.

This study on S.D. Bandaranaike can be divided into two segments, one section deals with the political career of S. D. Bandaranaike and the second part of the book is a detailed discussion on the role of certain select families in the political life of the country.

In other words, the first 146 pages have been devoted to a discussion on the politics of S.D. while the rest of the book, pages 147-381 are devoted to a discussion of the role of leading families in the politics of the country.

This section, in my view, gives a, good deal of sociological data on the families involved in politics and the details mentioned in the book are useful to students, who are interested in sociological explanations of politics. Politics of the families were a phenomenon of the Donoughmore period.

One wonders as to why such a lot of sociological information on families has been brought in when the purpose was to expose the family links which helped him to emerge as a politician. One could justify it if it has been done with the sole purpose of exposing SD's connections with the powerful political families like that of the Bandaranaike's who, undoubtedly, have played a remarkable role in the arena of national politics.

The authors, by introducing this part into the book, probably, though that family political histories would enrich the discussion on the politics of SD, but, it in my view, has not been achieved. Today people are not interested in dynastic politics, in other words, dynasticism is no more and it has been buried in many a country and they are today a vanishing tribe.

It has to happen in the context of a situation where feudalism has been buried and it, I mean feudalism and those unwanted relics and legacies of feudal families, have been destroyed to pave the way for mass-oriented democratic politics. SD was a man who emerged as a populist mass-oriented politician and nobody in this country, even those humble supporters of his at Gampaha will ever consider SD as a man who emerged via a powerful family link.

It may have had some influence at the very initial entry into politics but his entire political career, which contains both victories and defeats, was made colourful by his involvement in mass-oriented politics. His association and involvement with the masses was such that he became the Hero of Imbulgoda purely because of his innate ability to move forward along with the aspirations of the common man.

Populist stunts

SD's political career, which began just before 1951, became colourful as in the case of many a politician of the Left because of his belief in populist stunts and ideological pursuits. Such episodes and stunts were totally populist in character and orientation.

It was the character of the man, and the ability and alacrity with which he exploited the stunts and ideological pursuits for quick mobilisation made him a unique type of politician who was ever ready to delve into controversy in the name of the masses. It was this character of his politics which made SD one of the leading maverick politician of the country.

According to the authors who have taken the trouble to reconstruct and recount the political career of SD, he undoubtedly, has had a very colourful political career, beginning with his 'rebel within' attitude inside the, Land Army to which he first joined as a young agriculturist. Before this episode, there were many other factors which, as in the case of many a politician of the period, socialised him into politics.

In the case of certain politicians of Sri Lanka, the imprisonment of the father made an indelible imprint in the minds of young men, who through sheer acts of revenge, get involved in politics with a view to espousing the same cause to which the father served a term of imprisonment - for instance anti-colonialism.

This factor, apart from socialising the young men into politics, creates a kind of political psychology on the men who convert it into a political resource to enter the arena of politics subsequently.

The year 1915 was an important milestone, in the political history of Sri Lanka as a many a politician who laid the foundation for an effective nationalist movement which, undoubtedly, was elitist and constitutionalist in its character and in its mode of struggle.

Yet the movement could produce leaders who mobilised the limited constitutionalist forces for the achievement of independence in 1948. SD, as a young man imbibed the anti-imperialist ideas from his father who, like most of his contemporaries of the period, came out of prison with deep feelings about the independence of the nation (page 13).

The next stage of SD's socialisation into politics during his stay in India; he was at the University of Travancore and this was during the height of the Indian nationalist struggle against British imperialism.

SD, encouraged by the activities of the fire-brand nationalists of the period, watched closely the way in which they mobilised the people against the yoke of British Colonialism; SD was very impressed with such men as Sardar Vallabhai Patel, Jawaharlal Nehru and Subash Chandra Bose. SD is one Sri Lankan who had the rare opportunity of meeting Subash Chandra Bose in 1940 in Bengal.

It was during this trip to Bengal that he found time to visit Rabindranath Tagore at the Sahnthi Niketan; it was, though a seat of cultural learning, another place which provided an intellectual training to fight against British imperialism.

The meeting with Nethaji the great leader of the masses of Bharatha - made an indelible imprint in the minds of SD, who, as Nethaji, thought in terms of mass action to defeat imperialism. Therefore this meeting with Nethaji, which made a life-long impact on the personality and the political career of SD, guided him so much that his eldest son was named Subash, and this was at a time when the elitist politicians of the period were, still looking for English names of their children.

The first generation of leaders, who became involved in the nationalist movement, never hesitated to use English names in order to obtain social respectability and it also showed their servility to the imperial masters from whom their forefathers, at the beginning of colonial rule, extracted enough benefits, including massive tracts of land.

Land was really earned, it was grabbed in this way, SD, by naming his son with the name of a fire-brand Indian nationalist, displayed his attachment to the cause of the Indian Nationalist movement.

The meeting with Vinobha Bhave of the Bhoodan Movement of India made a similar impact on the personality of SD who, according to the authors of this book, imbibed the ideas of Vinobha Bhave so much that 'it was the ideology that guided him in his service to the people and made him allot large extent of land to them.' (page 19.)

Political career

SD's short career at the Land Army ended in 1951 because of his 'rebel within' role inside the Land Army, and this gave him the opportunity to pursue a political career for which the Indian Nationalist Movement had given him the necessary direction and indirect political training.

Now SD was ready to begin his political career, which, during a period running to more than half a century, took him to the national political stage and the lack of a commitment to consistency in politics made him both a maverick and a fellow-traveller in politics.

Though this was the pattern of his colourful political career, he remained within the progressive forces to champion the cause of the poor and the down-trodden. The authors have given him a lot of credit for contribution to the formation of the SLFP and his role in its initial phase and in the formative years but they have devoted only two pages for the discussion of this aspect.

His parliamentary career begins with his election to the Gampaha constituency in 1952, and this was again as the candidate of the SLFP, which was compelled to enter into this general election one year after the formation of the party.

The party was not prepared for a snap election in 1952, and it, despite, this initial difficulty, was able to muster its forces to win 9 seats in Parliament where the leader of the SLFP became the Leader of the Opposition which signalled the emergence of SWRD as the next Prime Minister of the country.

SD won Gampaha in 1952 after a closely fought election and thereafter he was able to win the seat on several occasions, making it more or less his pocket-borough but not as powerful a pocket-borough as the Attanagalla of the Bandaranaikes.

It was the General Election of 1952 clearly indicated that the SLFP, though a new party, has come on the political stage and the democratic alternative to the UNP has now emerged with such men as SD in the front-line.

There are indications to say that SD always admired the colourful politicians of the Sri Lankan Left movement. Yet another influence on him was the politics of the merging China, and he began to trek to China during the period 1952-1956 and xix pages have been devoted by the authors to discuss this aspect of SD's career.

He got the opportunity to tour the Soviet Union, China, Czechoslovakia and the German Democratic Republic and this exposure into the socialist countries made a life-long impact on his political career in the subsequent years. He still vividly remembers his train journey from Hong Kong to China and he was one person who enjoyed the rare opportunity of meeting such great leaders as Mao Tsetung, Chu En-lai and Chu Te.

Yet another fact, not known to many in Sri Lanka, is SD's silent role in getting the UNP Government to sign the famous Rubber-Rice Pact with China in 1953, and it was this trade pact which laid a firm foundation for a strong bi-lateral relationship between the two countries.

Progressive forces

Next stage of SD's political career is very much related to the upsurge of progressive forces in 1956. SD also became a language enthusiast and saw the need to de-throne English and enthrone Sinhala as the official language and it was with this that SD proposed to complete certain aspects of the democratic revolution in Sri Lanka against legacies of colonialism.

It was the - language crisis that developed after the passage of the Official Language Act of 1956, which gave him yet another opportunity to enact a kind of political drama with which SD emerged the Hero of Imbulgoda. This episode at Imbulgoda was of great significance as it successfully stopped the campaign led by J. R. Jayewardene who clamoured for the abrogation of the Bandaranaike-Chelvanayakam Pact of 1957.

It was this B-C Pact which envisaged the introduction of a scheme of devolution. J. R. Jayewardene, as we know, was a political strategist and he wanted to make use of the situation to his own advantage and planned a 'March to Kandy' a long walk to the Temple of the Tooth in Kandy to bring pressure upon the Government to withdraw the B-C Pact. (page 68)

It was the funniest pilgrimage in the history of Sri Lanka, as it avowed motive was to crate chaos under the banner of a religious pilgrimage. The UNP, as usual, anticipated thousands to join the March to Kandy but it attracted only about four hundred people.

From the very start, it displayed the features of a grand fiasco; in the end it became both a fiasco and a debacle. It became a debacle because SD staged a demonstration to obstruct the Imbulgoda junction where he and few others decided to sleep on the main road.

The organisers were given an ultimatum; either they get back to Colombo or proceed to Kandy at the risk of losing their lives and J. R. Jayewardene, accepting defeat and fearing to challenge SD, decided to retreat and marched back to Colombo, of course not by foot but by vehicles.

Since then, SD came to be known as the Hero of Imbulgoda. The populist politics of SD reached its peak with this episode which had a major impact on the political psychology of the masses.

The next stage of his colourful career came after the assassination of S. W. R. D. Bandaranaike in 1959, and the post-1960 period saw a number of adventures by this politician who used number of avenues to reach the high national stage in the country's politics.

It was during this period that he displayed the characteristics of the political fellow-traveller, who, at one stage, tried all stunts including ideological pursuits as well.

He thought that the massive emotional sympathy that came to be generated after the assassination of Bandaranaike would help one to emerge over this emotional wave and formed the Bosath Bandaranaike Party - totally a political contradiction; this party of course, was short lived.

It was formed in a political environment where everyone, sympathetic to Bandaranaike policies, wanted to form some party to take advantage, forgetting the fact that Mrs. Sirimavo Bandaranaike, with a charisma of her own, was waiting to exploit the wave of sympathy and she, within a very short time exploited it beautifully and converted it into a major political resource for nearly forty years.

SD began shifting this political loyalties and inconsistency became the integral part of his political ideology. It was this populist drive in the man and his pro-Peking stand on certain issues took him in the direction of N. Shanmugathasan, the leader of the Communist Party (Peking wing) This association of his with Shanmugathasan - though he was not involved in the 1971 insurrection - took him inside the jail and SD became the 20th accused in the case.

He was released in 1974 and people of the area wanted him to contest Gampaha again in 1977, which he won and became one of the eight members of the much depleted Parliamentary Opposition. With such a long career in politics SD is still active in politics in his own way and he is the live wire behind the success of Pandu Bandaranayake.

He organises a monthly meeting at his residence to discuss issues of current political importance, and his thirst for knowledge is still the same as in his young romantic days. So the contemporaries say. SD, by nature, is a political animal and politics is in his life and blood.

It is this virtue of his which has enlivened him even in his last phase of his life. His political career has been legendary, and his name will be remembered for his political episodes, which made him the leading, mavericks in Sri Lankan politics.

Harold Laski, once wrote that 'I believe that the social conscience of the citizen is the surest guide to the conduct he should display in the face of events. That means, of course, contingency of disobedience, the possibility that the individual should refuse submission to the powers that be when he is sincerely convinced that he can do no other.

The moral obligation to resist, on other words, seems to be the root of social well-being.' I think this can be attributed to the political career of SD and it was this philosophy-which guide SD to dabble in politics for more than half a century.

This is a book which should be read by all people interested in politics, and its second part on family roots, though not very relevant in the current context, provides an useful insights into sociological aspects of politics in the country.

Both authors have done a good job in recounting the political career of the most colourful maverick politician of Sri Lanka.

Pandu Bandaranayake, my amiable colleague in Parliament, does not need to worry as political advice, both in terms of tactics and strategies, could be obtained from this great personality.

Useful addition to legal literature

Law Relating to Powers of Attorney
Author: D. A. P. Weeratne B.A. (Ceylon) Attorney-at-law
'Samanala', Katulanda, Dekatana

Review: Sunil F. A. Coorey
(LL.B. (Cey.) Attorney-at-Law

LAW: This book is yet another very useful contribution by the author to the legal literature of Sri Lanka. The book is divided into eleven sections and runs into about 160 pages. The law relating to powers of attorney is an important branch of the law and this is the first occasion on which a Sri Lankan author has written a book on it.

The law relating to powers of attorney impinges not only on the law of contract, but also on such diverse subjects as the law of civil procedure, the law of evidence and company law.

The first of the eleven sections into which the book is divided is the Introduction (pp.1-34). In the introduction the author discusses the historical evolution of the methods of transfer of property in this country, from the early Sinhala period, through the colonial periods under the Portuguese, the Dutch and then the British, up to the present time.

He thereafter proceeds to discuss the broad concept of agency and alludes to the fact that there are different types of powers of attorney known to the law, including general powers of attorney which are to be distinguished from special powers of attorney. He also refers to "durable powers of attorney" or "springing powers of attorney", which are commonly met with in foreign countries, particularly the United States of America.

Legal practitioners on the civil side are familiar with the provision in the Civil Procedure Code, section 25 (b), which permits a party to engage in civil litigation through a power of attorney (a "recognised agent"). But that party should be resident outside the local jurisdiction of the court, and, his agent should hold a "general power of attorney".

As to whether a particular power of attorney is a "general" one or not depends on its wording, and this decision in a given case could be a difficult one. The author discusses the matter (p. 10) and mentions the decision of our then Supreme Court in Lanka Estates Agency Ltd. v. Corea (1951) 52 NLR 477.

It is relevant to mention here that the requirement of the said section 25(b), that the power of attorney or a copy thereof certified by the registered attorney-at-law or a notary, "shall in each case be filed in court", does not make it mandatory that it be filed at the very inception, and the defect can be cured by filing it later in court: Gricilda Hewa v. Thomas Hewa (1998) 3 SLR 43.

English law

In the Introduction the author draws attention to the basic English law principle that, "an agent having authority to execute an instrument must sign in the name of the principal, if he is to be bound. If the agent signs a deed in his name, he is liable to the party and not the principle" (p. 11), and compares the Indian law under the Powers of Attorney Act, No. 7 of 1882 of India.

In the Introduction the author proceeds to discuss several definitions of a power of attorney, and also the several ways in which a power of attorney is determined. He also discusses the conditions on which the validity of a power of attorney depends, including the capacity of the parties to it, and proceeds to compare our law of contractual capacity with the Indian law on the matter.

The Introduction includes a discussion (p.30) on the procedure for registration of powers of attorney, obtaining certified copies of a registered power of attorney and the evidential value of a registered power of attorney. The fact that registration is not mandatory is highlighted.

The discussion also includes the revocability of a power of attorney, whether registered or unregistered. The author then goes on to compare the corresponding Indian law and the law in the United Kingdom, reference being made to case law as well.

The second section of this book (pp. 35-39) is entitled "Some Aspects of Power of Attorney under the South African Law", and in the words of the author (p.35) "In order to make this compilation more exhaustive, this part of the South African law is also included".

The discussion includes as to how a principal can authorise his agent to renounce the Roman Dutch principles senatus consultum velleianum and authentica si qua mulier, with reference to relevant South African decisions. One does not know whether our courts have discussed this aspect of the Roman Dutch law and its applicability in our country.

Statutes

The third section of this book (pp. 41-59) is devoted to "Powers of Attorney and Other Enactments in Sri Lanka", and the author discusses powers of attorney with reference to the provisions of five statutes: the Evidence Ordinance, the Stamp Duty Act, the Companies Act, the Business Names Ordinance, and the Code of Criminal Procedure Act.

The different aspects of section 85 of the Evidence Ordinance is discussed in detail and the corresponding Indian law under the Indian Evidence Act is considered with reference to Indian cases.

The author discusses the definition of a power of attorney in the Stamp Duty Act and notes that the stamp duty payable on a power of attorney whether executed in Sri Lanka or executed abroad, is Rs. 10. With reference to the Companies Act, the author discusses the provisions of s. 133 which enables a shareholder to vote by proxy at a meeting of shareholders.

The author also discusses at some length a matter of great importance to the legal practitioner, namely, how a registered company may appoint an attorney at law to represent such company in civil litigation.

Having referred to two earlier case decisions, the author discusses the current legal position enshrined in the recent judgement of the Supreme Court in Paul Coir (Pvt) Ltd., v Waas (2002) 1 SLR 13, which reversed the decision of the Court of Appeal in Paul Coir (Pvt.) Ltd v Waas (2000) 2 SLR 167.

This decision of the Supreme Court is important on the question of how far it is mandatory under the Civil Procedure Code for an attorney at law to first file his proxy before acting even on behalf of a private party (not a registered company) in civil litigation.

Having considered the provision in section 5 for the Business Names Ordinance, the author goes on to consider that our Code of Criminal Procedure Act does not enable the holder of a power of attorney to appear or act for a party to a criminal prosecution, and the author then compares the Indian law on the matter.

The fourth section of this book (pp.61-73) deals with "Rules of Interpretation and Powers of Attorney". In this short but instructive discussion the author discusses the ordinary principles of interpretation of documents and statutes, together with illustrative case decisions.

Ordinance

As the fifth section of this book (pp. 75-78) the author has reproduced the Powers of Attorney Ordinance as it now applies, first enacted as Ordinance No. 4 of 1902, and later amended twice. This book being devoted to the exposition of the Law Relating to Powers of Attorney, the reader is greatly benefitted by the reproduction here of the entirety of the statute.

The sixth section of this book (pp.79-81) is a reproduction of the Powers of Attorney Act, No. 7 of 1882 of India.

The seventh section of this book (pp. 83-89) is a reproduction of the Powers of Attorney Act of 1971 of the United Kingdom. The reproduction of the Indian statute and the statute in the United Kingdom enables an immediate comparison to be easily made between our statute and the statues of those two foreign countries.

The eighth section of this book (pp. 91-96) is a most useful discussion on "Revocation/Cancellation of Powers of Attorney". The author has (p. 91) highlighted the fact that, "unlike the Indian and British judgements, there are no decisions as regards irrevocable powers of attorney, by the Courts of Sri Lanka." The author also discusses procedure for, and the consequences of, the revocation/cancellation of a power of attorney.

The ninth section of the book (pp. 97-137) is devoted to reported cases touching the subject matter of the book. The usefulness of this collection of our case law has been enhanced by the fact that the author has researched not only the New Law Reports, but also the Sri Lanka Law Reports, the Ceylon Weekly Reporter, the Ceylon Law Recorder, Times Law Reports, Bar Association of Sri Lanka Newsletter and the Ceylon Law Weekly.

The tenth section of this book (pp. 139-144) gives "Forms of the Powers of Attorney". A specimen form of a power of attorney is reproduced. The specimen of a power of attorney to secure letters of administration or probate is also reproduced.

Also included is a specimen form of an affidavit to be used when applying to the Registrar General for registration of a power of attorney, as well as a specimen form of affidavit regarding revocation of a registered power of attorney to be forwarded to the Registrar General. These last to forms of affidavits are said to have been prescribed by the Department of the Registrar General.

Latin maxims

The eleventh or final section of this book (pp. 145-160) is devoted to "Useful Latin Maxims and Phrases Relevant to Powers of Attorney". Seventy four such maxims, arranged in alphabetical order, are discussed. They are listed in Latin and explained in English.

They deal mainly with validity of powers of attorney as well as interpretation of powers of attorney. As such they are relevant and applicable in contexts other than powers of attorney. Much basic principles of law can be learnt from these Latin maxims.

The value of this book to the reader would have been enhanced by the inclusion of suitable reference guides. An alphabetical list of cases cited, and a chronological list of statutes cited and referred to, as well as a suitable subject index, would have greatly enhanced the utility of this work. This omission may perhaps be made good in a later edition of this work.

From the foregoing it is easy to see that this book is a most useful contribution to our legal literature. It is not merely an academic discourse but also a practical guide. In view of ever increasing commercial activity both nationally and internationally, and the ever increasing need for appointment of agents and the execution of powers of attorney, the appearance of this book has been overdue.

I would gladly recommend this book to the legal practitioner and to the student of law, who can find in it answers to most of the questions he could confront on the subject of powers of attorney. This book will be useful to the more knowledgeable section of the business community and their advisors, who will inevitably, at some time or another, have to face questions relating to the subject of agency and powers of attorney, dealt with in this book.

Treat for children

Tikiri Takes a Flight
Author: Chandra Ekanayake
Rathna Publishers, Colombo 10.
16 pp Price Rs. 90

Review : R. S. Karunaratne

CHILDREN: In Tikiri Takes a Flight, Chandra Ekanayake narrates the experiences she gained during an air flight. This is interesting because most local children have no such experience in air travel.

The story is fascinating enough to capture the young minds. Like any other child, Tikiri too is anxious to travel in a plane. When he finally gets the chance, he is more than delighted.

While in the plane young Tikiri sees clouds and stars winking at him. The clouds look like huge masses of ice cream. He wants to touch them but finds the shutters tightly closed. He gazes at the stars with amazement. He naturally thinks of his friends in school who would not get a chance to see such masses of clouds and radiant stars.

The language used in the book is within the vocabulary range of young children in local schools. The author has not used any high-sounding words that might baffle the reader.

The story is profusely illustrated with colour sketches done by L. N. Nanayakkara and Dr. (Mrs.) Champika Abeysinghe. They have enhanced the value of the book.

The book is published with the assistance of the Sri Lanka National Book Development Council. The text is beautifully printed with bigger font for easy reading. Except for a few typographical errors, Tikiri Takes a Flight is a treat for children of all ages.

Slipping past Socialism

Reflections on the Right to Development
Edited by Arjun Sen Gupta, Archna Negi and Moushumi Basu for the Centre for Development and Human Rights. (CDHR) New Delhi.
Sage Publications, New Delhi, Thousand Oaks, London.

Review: U. Karunatilake

DEVELOPMENT: The uneasy aftermath of the temporary triumph of capitalism (euphemistically disguised as the "market" for the credulous) marked by the end of the Cold War and the bid for control of the ex-Soviet states by an ex-Gulag transplanted Mafia has set the new power grabbing servicing class in those parts as well as in Asia the tight-rope walker task of talking the language of Socialism without really meaning it.

Thus we have the early 20th century phrases like 'right' to food, health and education' 'women's rights, right to labour and employment, right to land and housing, right to culture and religion, right to technology and development, right to fair wages and fair prices, right to optimum productivity' being suddenly introduced as brilliant new ideas for 21st century consumption.

Almost imperceptibly these papers introduce a new vocabulary to disguise socialist ideas, words and phrases with a veneer of good samaritans like Right to Development, Human Rights Frameworks, Human Rights Approach, Participatory Development (as opposed to Soviets), Human Rights Education, Capability poverty, Rights Based Development, accountability of development.

Derived from this RTD phraseology comes Right to Growth (who chooses the growth vectors?) Development Compact with Developed countries (voluntary subjection), International Cooperation as a human rights obligation (making globalisation respectable) International Economic Regimes( MNC's?)

The paper of specific interest to Sri Lanka is Godfrey Gunatilake's RTD in Sri Lanka, including an up-to-date analysis of the stages of development after Independence ,and the development related to political changes after Independence.

Gunatilake presents comprehensive statistics of the various factors and stages of development in Sri Lanka and analyses them, he says, from a RTD standpoint.

A disturbing result of this analysis is the evident success of RTD as a feature of the 70's and 80's of the last century which coincides with World Bank restructuring, IMF reforms and WTO liberalisation, which seem to put colonial welfarism on a more effective level than the claimed poverty alleviation of the contemporary liberalisation regimes.

Even Godfrey Gunatilake makes no mention of ideology other than the market economy and its local initiative which he labels RSL (regaining Sri Lanka).

A revealing analysis is made by Angus Deaton and Jean Dreze who highlight strong indications of negative development, marked increase in economic inequality, marked disparities across the states, rural and urban areas, and within urban areas in India, concluding that RTD theory has not brought a change in the rate of increase of economic inequality in India.

Glimpses into an illustrious life

A Doctor Remembers
The Autobiography of Dr. Nihal Karunaratna of Kandy

Review: Victor Alahakoon

AUTOBIOGRAPHY: The name Karunaratna is synonymous with modern Kandy, with patriarch Dr. G. W. Karunaratna taking over the family practice established by Dr. Krelzcheim in 1878, in 1913.

This is the famous 'People's Dispensary' which he shared down Trincomalee Street (D. S. Senanayake Veediya) with Dr. W. Soysa his long time family friend. It is Dr. G. W.'s second son Dr. Nihal the successor to the People's Dispensary that now pens his autobiography in this book.

Dr. Nihal is a well-known personality down town in Kandy and the Central Province as a family physician who often waives his fee after treating his patients who come from far and wide to consult him. He is equally famous as a writer on his researches into Kandy's history, past and present and his beloved Udawattakele the forbidden forest of kings. He is also a keen observer of nature and the honorary guardian to the trees planted around the Kandy lake.

Dr. Nihal is a dedicated social worker and a lover of his fellow men. He founded the Lions Club International in Kandy to serve the have-nots in and around Kandy 41 years ago, the Kandy Cancer Home 30 years ago, the Sri Lanka Family Practitioners Association in Central Province 17 years ago, Nivahana the home for rehabilitating mentally retarded people 11 years ago, and ably chaired the Kandy Hospital Committee for 28 years, served on the Peradeniya University council for ten years and was the representative of the Wildlife and Nature Protection Society for 46 years.

His dedication and involvement in social activity was such that even his home front was over looked and he didn't realize it until the grass was cut from under his own feet.

This and other episodes of his stay in Cambridge and the UK and his travels in the States some of which are hilarious are dealt with in his multifaceted and well organised life related in this autobiography, the central theme of which is his tour around the world on fifty rupees the princely sum that was allowed even to medical practitioners in those dark days of restrictions under the first Socialist Government of Sri Lanka.

He also writes with clarity of mind of his meetings in London where he went for his studies as a fledgling medical student on the likes of Jomo Kenyata, Cheddi Jagan and Julius Nyrere, the famous twentieth century freedom fighters of Africa, and Ali Bhutto a future Prime Minister of Pakistan.

Friendly way to reading poetry

English Poems with Critical Exercises and Comments
Author: Dr. E.A. Gamini Fonseka
Head, English Unit, University of Ruhuna, Wellamadama, Matara

Review: Deborah D. K. Ruuskanen
Professor of English, University of Vaasa, Finland

LITERATURE: The publication of this book should be welcomed by all students of English literature, especially those who are studying for their 'O' Level Examinations in Sri Lanka. Parents of these students, as well as others who are interested in English poetry for its own sake, would also benefit from, a reading of the book.

The book provides a sound basic introduction to critical terms and some basic theories used in modern literary criticism. This is then built upon in the critical comments on each poem presented by Dr. Fonseka in the final section of the book.

The twenty poems themselves are given in the first section, followed by sets of about a dozen questions designed to help readers comprehend the poems. One of the most important functions of the book is that it provides a 'Friendly Way' to helping readers of English poetry obtain as much of the meaning of a poem as possible, while simultaneously showing them how the poet has created that meaning, to produce the power and beauty of a poem.

In the exercises, the student is helped to 'penetrate into the semantic, semiotic, syntactic, and pragmatic aspects of poetic language,' while in the critical comments 'suitable meta-language' is provided for students to use in making future literary analyses of their own.

Such meta-language will prove invaluable for writing academic essays on English poetry, and will give those who read poetry for recreation a vocabulary for discussing poetry with others interested in literature.

The poems themselves cover a wide range of English poetry, from the classics through to modern, free verse, and not forgetting Sri Lanka's own poets who write in English.

The poems also present different aspects of poetry, which need to be analysed in different ways.

Students are thus exposed to literary analysis of the styles they need to be familiar with for their 'O' Level Examination in English Literature.

The selection of poetry presented in the book is based on the 'O' Level English Literature Syllabus for 2005. In his 'Introduction', Dr. Fonseka mentions that he believes that many of the poems are 'too adult' and 'too complex' for teenagers, in that they deal with topics such as sexuality or war that many young people might find confusing or painful.

As someone coming from a more liberal society, I may not fully comprehend the sexual naivety of a Sri Lankan schoolchild, but it seems to me that at least those teenagers growing up in urban environments will have been exposed to the internet, films, and print media in which sexuality is a common theme. As for the themes of death and war, as a teacher of young adults, I have found that young people have a desperate need to talk about their problems and their traumas.

Reading and discussing poetry often opens the door for teenagers to work through the problems that confuse them or frighten them or cause them pain. In that sense, the selection here is wide-ranging enough to provide many topics of discussion.

For example, the poem 'Matilda', from Hilaire Belloc's Cautionary Tales, could be the basis for a discussion of 'Black Humour' in poetry, or the fear of fire and the fear of death, as well as moralising on the reasons for not telling lies.

Overall, this is an excellent introduction to literary analysis of works written in any language, but particularly for poetry written in English.

As a professor of English in a Scandinavian university, I would unhesitatingly recommend it for students of English in my own country who are preparing for our corresponding 'matriculation examination' in hopes of entering university.

I believe the students for whom it was designed, who are secondary school students in Sri Lanka, will benefit from it even more than my own students would.

Incisive comments on literature

Literary Essays
Author: W. A. Abeysinghe
Sarasavi Publishers, Nugegoda
Price: Rs. 125, 72 pp.

Review W. T. A. Leslie Fernando

LITERATURE: The latest work of W. A. Abeysinghe, the reputed poet, lyricist, translator, prose writer and literary critic is Literary Essays. It is a collection of presentation he has made at colloquiums, articles written to journals and extracts from other publications by him. This is the 144th book written by W. A. Abeysinghe, the well-known literati.

In the essay "The Sinhala novel as a medium of Cultural Expression" W. A. Abeysinghe submits that literary creation is a social activity, because it is guided both consciously and unconsciously by the system of ethics and culture in which it is rooted. As such a novel is a vehicle of society's cultural expression.

He illustrates that novels like Yali Upannemi, Hevanella and Apprasanna Kathavak were not realistic because they went contrary to our cultural ethos. And whereas novels like K. Jayatilleke's Charitha Thunak, Leel Gunasekera's Pethsama and Athsana, Eva Ranaweera's Sedona, A. V. Suraweera's Heiyanmaruwa and Jayasena Jayakody's Aswenna were a portrayal of social life, because they reflect the aspects of our indigenous culture.

In the chapter dealing with the realism in literature, W. A. Abeysinghe emphasises that presenting a work naturally and authentically is not realism. The artist unveils realistic life in a complex pattern and in the process may even resort to circumlocution and exaggerations. "Leo Tolstoy's "How much land does a man need" is recounted in a most unnatural manner. The reference to landlords who own endless and vast extends of lands obtained without any payment is most unlikely.

In Akutagawa's Rashoman even the dead man's soul speaks out. But these stories cannot be classified as unrealistic. He adds that one who dismisses Jathaka Stories as nonsense or pseudo-realistic sees only the exaggerations in the stories and be blind to the subtleties of human behaviour portrayed in them.

Colombo Poets

W. A. Abeysinghe in the essay "The Sinhala Poem - Some Random Thoughts" refers back to the clash between the Colombo Poets and those of the Peradeniya School. He observes that both groups quarrelled over the mere superficial elements of poetry dwelling on the periphery of the poetry proper.

They were not concerned with the substance and the subjective philosophy of the poem. He is happy that the controversy has submerged and the young poets today have succeeded to communicate their feelings and ideas not only through traditional rhymed verses free verse and lyrical verse and also in many other vehicles.

In two essays on Anton Chekhov, W. A. Abeysinghe discusses how his short stories and short novels have considerably fashioned the theme, mood and the fashion of our short story. He shows that Anton Chekhov has become an inexhaustible source of inspiration for our theoretical scene.

Assessing the stature of Ernest Hemingway, the great American writer and literary colossus, W. A. Abeysinghe expresses that out of a dozen of his masterpieces, The Old Man and the Sea has no parallel in modern fiction. Nevertheless he considers the novel A Farewell to Arms in which Hemingway vividly and truthfully describes his life as an ambulance worker who falls in deep passionate love with a British nurse is the sweetest of all.

Intellectual giant

Coming on to our own Martin Wickremasinghe, W. A. Abeysinghe places him as an intellectual giant in the 20th century, one of the most actively involved personalities who has been a dominant and dynamic figure in the Sri Lankan literary scene. He finds that Martin Wickremasinghe has produced nearly two thousand pieces of writings both in Sinhala and in English inclusive of nearly 90 books.

W. A. Abeysinghe categories writings of Martin Wickremasinghe into three groups namely, journalistic, creative and academic. As a journalist he was an erudite personality disciplined into a variety of subject fields ranging from Sinhala culture to Indian Vedanta philosophy and Western rationalism.

As a fiction writer he was responsible for the emergence of the realistic novel and shaping novels and short stories into a serious form of art.

By his critical works he has proved himself to be an intellectual par excellence. W. A. Abeysinghe endorses that Martin Wickremasinghe well deserves the title "Rishi of Koggala" attributed to him by a grateful nation.

W. A. Abeysinghe hails W. D. Amaradeva for being able to create the correct idiom in musical expression, although in the quest for a form true Sinhala music he drew inspiration from his pioneers Ananda Samarakone and Sunil Santha.

It was W. D. Amaradeva who fused the Indian Raghadari form into the traditional Sinhala folk music. This has proved to be a successful story in the field of Sinhala music. He also identifies that the silken voice of Amaradeva, after many decades of singing has become the voice of the nation.

The book is neatly printed in glossy paper with an attractive cover and it is modestly priced. This book should be read by all those who are interested in literature.