Professor Sunanda Mahendra
LITERATURE: It's with mixed feelings that I attended the final
literary day held in Anuradhapura. I was accompanied by the leading
publisher of books Sirisumana Godage. The September month happens to be
in many ways an important day for the parents, teachers, and students,
in and around the sacred city of Anuradhapura, for they had the chance
to get a glimpse of the significance of the literary activities mainly
confined to Colombo for the last so many years.
The morning session of the final day for which I had the chance to
participate was a big event for a galaxy of writers consisting of about
fifty or so in number, whose books were launched under the sponsorship
of National Library Services Board's book project. Books of varying
nature were seen written by the new comers as well as the more
experienced writers, researchers and creators.
The third in a series of books compiled by our friend, the linguist
folklorist J B Disanayaka (JBD) titled 'Anuradhapura, the sacred city"
came out in both languages, Sinhala and English (Sumitha books, 2006).
Both books give insights to the ancient centre of historic
significance as well as the first national capital of religious
activities, well known for the shrines, the Buddha statues and the vast
areas of paddy cultivation.
This book, though flimsy, covers all the needed aspects of the sacred
city and its significance from various points of view. As JBD shows
Anuradhapura is known in the Buddhist world as the home of the oldest
historically documented tree in the world. It is called the bodhi or the
Bo tree, literary the ttree of wisdom. All Buddhists believe this tree
as a living being and name it as Siri maha Bodhin Vahanse, or Siri Maha
Bo Hamuruduruwo.
As JBD notes, this village folk call it 'Uda Maluve Bodhi Sami', the
lord of the upper terrace. Commencing from these notes, the writer
diverts his attention to the notable shrines in the sacred city, such as
Jetavana stupa, Abhaya giri stupa, Thuparama, Mirisaveti Stupa, Lova
mahapeya, Isurumuni viharaya.
He also focuses the socio-literary significance of the Anuradhapura
stressing the literary contributions, which would certainly cover an
entire volume. These two books launched on this day at the apt venue.
Then our attention is drawn on another aspect of significance to the
North Central province, which is also denoted by the term 'Vev bendi
rata' for the number of lakes as tanks built by the ancient kings. This
book written by one of the seasoned writers Ratna B Ekanayaka is titled
'Vev Bendi Rate viyakena vitti' (5th edition).
The gamut folk material cover the aspects of legends, place names,
types of personalities, lineages, customs and beliefs, fauna and flora,
the special dialects of the folk, herbs and medicines, etc.
All in all there are thirty chapters written in a moving narrative
form where the write researcher Ekanayaka records these nuances for the
sake of the posterity. A special mention has to be made on the
discovering of provincial language where the reader may observe that
some of the usages have seeped into the modern dialect from this
province in subject, where paddy cultivation flourished.
Though the subject of folklore is not a regarded as a strict subject
area either at the school level or university level, of educations this
book ought to help build the interest on the same in areas of language,
sociology, and communication.
To mark the first anniversary of the University of Aesthetic studies,
the senior lecturer Jayasena Kottegoda had published a book on mask play
or Kolam, as it is known to masses. The book is titled 'Kolam gami
natakayak nove' (Komal is not a folk play). What Kottegoda wants to
prove and ascertain is that Kolam cannot be regarded in the strict sense
as an accepted form of folk theatre instead a more elaborated complex
expression of human behaviour via a psychological means.
This is proved by the examination into various types of existing
masks, known as Vidanerala, Mudali, Maha Sammata, Nanik Bisava,
Kaaraksha, Surambavlli, Giridevi, Devagiri etc. Then he makes a
scientific enquiry into the making of masks emphasising the
craftsmanship par excellence.
A variant to the subject was compilation of several radio plays
written by Malaka Devapriya titled as "Uge hisa ivarai'. Being an author
publisher, Devapriya has collected ten of his Sinhala radio plays
broadcast over the last three years.
This books cover the recent trends in radio play writing, introducing
some of the aspects of pinteresque magic reality and all what is known
as absurdism in the use of sounds as a medium of communicating the
contemporary conscience.
The historical significance of the student movement in Sri Lanka, is
recorded in the publication of Dharman Wickraratne's 'Lankika Sishya
Vyaparaya'. This perhaps is the foremost occasion where the inception,
development, challenges, factors, some dreadful events in the life of
student population in our country, is recorded.
The author goes to the extent of perusing areas of the student
movement to uncover the salient elements in the movement, its political
biases, strengths and weaknesses. He makes the reader feel that the
student movement as an ongoing struggle has to be understood in it
correct perspectives.
These few books and many more came to be launched with brief
introductions on the part of the presenters who were given time to read.
The evening session was completely devoted to the main event of the
annual award ceremony.
Quite a number of politicians with their well-wishers came to be
observers. The city of Anuradhapura was gathering dusk when we left to
attend our normal duties in Colombo.
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