Book Reviews

Glitters indeed glitter

Dule Dulaya:

Glitters indeed glitter
Author: Sumitra Rahubadda
Price: Rs. 375, 238 pages
Publisher: Platform for Alternate Culture, Nugegoda, 2007

Reviewer: Professor A. D. P. Kalansuriya, D. Litt.

Bimsa Pathiratna in his prime youth, left his village home. He was a communist-oriented agitator nicknamed ‘Red Bimsa’, young intellectual, artist, poet and script writer. His dwelling was a small rented room in a house in the Colombo city’s semi-slum area.

His sister Amirita also left home to experience the city life. Her first aim was freedom from home and second is to be a good writer in a journal or a newspaper. Temporarily both her aims were accomplished. Long before both Bimsa and Amirita fully settled in their respective new jobs in the city, their father died.

In a short time their mother also died. These deaths did not change their work activities in the city. The next of kin not only criticised their attitude but also murmured as to the fate of ancestral property.

Amirita and Bimsa were sceptical about village ethos and the cultural pattern. It appears that author Sumitra Rahubadda is slowly attempting to paint an unconventional picture pertaining to this sister and brother. We shall see how the author weaves the discourse in the pages to come in this novel.

To begin with, once Amirita was back in the city after her parents’ funerals, she felt that she was surrounded by heaps of negatives. To quote her own words: “I (Amirita) have not gone anywhere; ignorant of cooking; ignorant of shopping, washing and related paraphernalia; have not got wet casually even; have not loved by any one other than her own brother Bimsa.

What could I write except by natural instinct? I should first experience, all what I noted above” (p. 20). One fine day Bimsa took her to an evening party in which she was non-professional in all aspects. This was the spot where she met Girija Samarasundara. The story is of Girija and Amirita.

Though these two were strangers, an adhoc talk began between them. A sense of security and kindness were felt in his company by Amirita.

Additionally, this young lady found agreeable in his words which implicitly contained globetrotting, sightseeing, having expensive food in hotels when money was at hand, eating extremely cheap food from low-quality boutiques when no money in the purse.

Amirita thought: “Do I need to say that we were attached to each other, though met a few hours ago? Do I invite to get my hot and raw youth being shattered?

Passion

“Men are attached by passion but women are attached by love and affection” (p. 36). Girija interrupted the dead silence of that memorable night by uttering that he would leave for Canberra, Australia, next morning. But would be back in six months because of his attachment to Amirita and Sri Lanka (p.37).

His sudden appearance as well as disappearance from her scene changed her life pattern, freedom and happiness. With tears in eyes but with great courage, Amirita narrated to her brother what happened.

Latter was sceptical about Girija’s arrival back in Sri Lanka together with Girija’s love for Amirita. It is as if our author, Sumitra Rahubadda, symbolically making explicit the nature of today’s permissive societal attitudes.

First Amirita thought that every thing would be ok soon. Later she realised as to nothing being ok. A very serious young believer in freedom, unlimited space resulting in permissive societal attitudes, now appeared in emotional shock (p. 39). Additionally, after three weeks, when she went to work, found herself being dismissed. However an invitation to do freelance was accepted.

Our author, Rahubadda notes the very characteristics of permissive-prone attitude at this juncture. For example, invitation to freelance and losing editorial job were appreciated as good by Bimsa. Again both of them have shed tradition inclusive of parents in the village.

It is highlighted by embracing views pertaining to unconventionally-oriented behaviour patterns, leading sometimes, to anti-organised society and culture. Needs special mention here is the restore to life of the hippy behaviour pattern.

The average Sinhala educated reader is enlightened (though he or she may repel) as to a new cultural pattern, hitherto unknown. For which, the author, Rahubadda’s fresh ceremonial entrance ought to be appreciated and commended also. Nevertheless its acceptance is a different story.

Troubled mentality

The base of Amirita’s present behaviour was emotional and her psychological attempt to uproot the memory of Girija made explicit two facets, namely, going back to her ancestral home for a holiday and thereby cleansing her own troubled mentality. To some extent both problems were dissolved.

The author, Rahubadda, symbolically makes use a method adopted in traditional occultism. That is, “exerting upon force of a troubling spirit into a bottle, seal it and throw it into sea.”

Literally it means cleansing of one’s psychological attachment, state of alarm, fear, etc. It is a kind of contemplation or meditation. This new symbolicism-oriented methodology of our author, Rahubadda, is also praiseworthy. The spirit here was Girija.

By way of Amirita’s search for jobs, this novel takes to task the unethical attitudes of certain people associated with editorial departments of newspaper officers. As allowances for freelance were very poor, Amirita, this time went to Nagananda’s newspaper office where she was granted a column.

However, the gossip was that the post been given to her not because of her ability but to satisfy the ulterior motive of Nagananda. This empty-talk was dismissed by Amirita because this chief editor often spoke of good qualities of his wife. One fine day, however, news came as to Nagananda’s arrest while in a hotel.

Our author, Rahubadda, I feel takes the chance to expose double standards practised in newspaper offices. This point is reiterated by indirectly noting the corrupt words of the new editor Suriyabandara, together with passing remarks, commenting etc. against him in this office.

Impressive turn

As if to make explicit permissive societal behaviour pattern, the story took an impressive turn when Amirita developed a new relationship with Mege Edirimanne, a wealthy, handsome man. He appeared as a good speaker on a variety of subjects inclusive of love stories, history, politics, etc. Rahubadda, finds good space to redefine contemporary politics on her own terms, simply as a worst type of vice.

One fine day, Edirimanne, on his own, proposed to marry Amirita who was delighted because of his open-mindedness and wealth. Bimsa was sceptical about the whole thing. She, however, resigned from her job, got married to him and went to live in Mege’s ancestral home.

To some extent, this is a contradiction she faced and overcame also. For example, Amirita left her ancestral home, shed tradition and migrated to the city were characteristic of freedom and limitless space. Now she felt as if tradition and serious limitations surrounding her.

Again, the baby she was expecting could bring added limitations, was her view. But determined to have the baby one day. To avoid all issues, Amirita named her would-be child as Shani Pathiratne. There was, however, a mishap, still-birth became the case.

Disappointed Amirita hated her husband and in-laws. She valued contemporary concepts combined with permissive societal environment maintained that “Woman is not a creature standing near dinning table until woman’s husband finishes his meals” (p. 161).

What religious literature makes explicit, namely, attitude of the traditional wife giving merits to her both in this life and next, is rejected outright by Amirita as a metaphysical view (p. 162). Rahubadda, at this point, correctly and logically made way for Amirita to take an existential decision.

That is, she leaving Mege and going to live with her own brother, Bimsa, the protector. There she met the other occupant of the flat, popularly known as dancer, who was of the view that still-birth was beyond mother’s control.

In the case of the dancer, five abortions were performed to get rid of five conceptions. Realistically exhibited features of permissive societal behaviour pattern are now manifest. Individualism, free association, divorce, separation are the central features.

Amirita’s divorce case against Mege was successful which also brought a windfall. That permissiveness bringing home a kind of optimism rather than pessimism is the case.

Times appear good for both Bimsa and Amirita. Bimsa changed from “script writing” to “creating advertisements” which was a money-spinner. He changed his life-style, clothing habits, eating habits, apartment on one hand and married Bhagya, the dancer, on the other.

Bimsa suggested Amirita to marry again because fortunate times have dawned on both of them: “We both come to the city in search of freedom and prosperity. Brightness is around; for brightness, anyway, is bright” (p.123). The name of this book “Dule Dulaya” (words appear in Thisara Sandesaya) I presume stands for “brightness is bright”.

Brightness receded into the background and a gloomy state appeared when Amirita saw Birija, a woman and a child. Though she meditated for her own survival away from being either dictated by or attracted to male partners, Girija’s appearance and his rhythmic speech did break her psychologically at this moment. She attempted to intuit by her writings, as to whether male and female are logically equal categories.

The ideal is equality but reality is different. Males associate females (may be girl-friends or prostitutes) but vice versa is a rare phenomenon. At pp147-8, Sumitra Rahubaddha very appropriately touches the point by stating a short discussion between the President and a State Minister.

Culturally, solutions to female issues (women’s liberty) are on the card but politically they are deleted. Possibly, females are but “female animals” (p. 147), hence treatment is culture-oriented deception.

The author’s view as I intuit is that “implicitly contains in ‘culture’ are male domination and female submission. That is, domination in reality is the case but submission simply plays the role of decorative ornament only.”

Though non-traditional Amirita, symbolically had arrived at this conclusion, she could not be helped owing to her psychological attachment to Girija. Bimsa correctly noting as to ‘love’ causing visible light yet behind it is utter darkness. That is, though light illuminates, yet before it fully illuminates, darkness embraces man/ woman without exception.

Implication

A depressed state appeared again due to Police implicating Bimsa for murdering a school teacher. This kind of implication amounts to serious breakdown of law and order in a country. Highlighting this vicious norm by the author, is appreciated. Police implications take place when governments do not genuinely govern.

In the narration, our author Rahubadda revealed the unfortunate death of Bimsa and Bhagya’s misery in the hands of the police. Bimsa’s funeral was characteristic of simplicity. The author of “Dula Dulaya” appears swinging from tradition to permissiveness.

However at this hour carried on the Buddhist concept of Gandabba, a sort of non-human energy of a dead person moving in air capable of being reborn again as a human person. That is at death, man/woman sheds his/her body but remains as non-human energy, expecting future life or no life.

Rahubadda, skilfully makes use this concept for two reasons. Firstly to draw our attention to the extremely poor responses of people at large for a dead artist (Bimsa) who was much known for his script-writing, politics and social behaviour. Bimsa, in the gandabba-appearance, notices only about ten people including Amirita, Bhagya and Girija gathered behind his own coffin and funeral procession.

The scene symbolically reminded us the non-celebratory but poorly attended funerals of Sri Lankan artists, writers, editors, social reformers, teachers etc. are accorded with, when they die. It is yet to be seen whether this general attitude of people at large is characteristic of simplicity or dishonesty combined with deceitfulness.

The other reason is Bimsa, now a gandabba putting across the message to the effect that “living is frightning”. But his death to him is happiness (p. 208). Rahubadda, our author, skilfully superimposes the ethics-oriented chain of reasoning of the Buddha, namely, “human life is suffering which comprises lamenting, disease and death.”

It seems permissive societal behaviour - pattern being receded into the background and gives way for the Buddha’s message relating to restraint of the senses. That is elimination of dukkha as the logically final accomplishment.

This point is highlighted by the predetermining events surrounding Amirita. Now neither she had mother, nor father, nor brother, nor Girija, nor Mege, nor her daughter (still birth), nor Ransiri. As she thought, her glitter, glory and prospects were around though negatives overshadowed them.

Most significant glitters were but small Bimsa (brother’s son), and youthful lives of both herself and Bhagya (her sister-in-law). Now the challenge is to make that difficult existential choice as noted previously.

At last it had been made in favour of traditional cultural ethos as against permissive societal ethos, whatever the negatives, denials, antitheses and prohibitions were near at hand. So those which glitter indeed glitter. Where there is a will, there is a way.

The present novel, Dule Dulaya (glitters indeed glitter) seeks to highlight the rolling forth of permissive attitudinal behaviour pattern and the struggle of traditional value system to retain its vitality and validity.

Finally, it must be said that the novel is profound in its theme, scholarly in treatment and lucid in style and language. Sumitra Rahubadda should be congratulated for this commendable achievement.