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Gleanings:
A foursome combo
K.S. Sivakumaran
The combined writes and artist concerned are:
Thanuja Dharmapala (Literary Editor-Silumina weekly), Sunanda
Mahendra (Literary Columnist, Saminadan Wimal (Translator) and Shantha K
Herath (Artist, Cartoonist, Sculptor and book cover Designer).
The main contributor is Thanuja Dharmapala who studied literature for
more than five years in Russia. She wrote a few poems in Sinhala.
Sunanda Mahendra was the first professor of Mass Communication in
this country.
He is a prominent writer and critic in Sinhala and also writes
literary columns for the Daily News.
Saminadan Wimal has translated books and articles, stories into
Sinhala and Thamil. He teaches Sinhala at the Department of Linguistics
in the University of Yaalpaanam.
Shantha Herath won the Mass Media Award for the Best Artist in 2007.
Such talents have worked together to produce a book in Thamil and
English titled "Byways-Short and Long" The original work was in Sinhala.
Both Sunanda and Wimal have given us the essence of Thanuja's creativity
in English and Thamil respectively. Wimal could read, write and speak
Thamil.
However he might have written the translation mainly from the English
by Sunanda.
Thanuja's book was titled "Digu Patu Manapath". Sunanda has
translated it as "Byways - short and long.The Poetry- Painting Blend.
"Byways" is split as "By Ways'.I do not know why. Wimal has translated
the title of the book as "Neenda Odunkiya Saalaihal". The Thamil
translation sound appropriate.
In this pocket size book of 128 pages there are 60 verses. On each
page there is a sketch and in the opposite page there are translations
in English and Thamil. The book is published by Inter Act Art- 46/3A,
Esala Playground Road, Obeysekarapura, Rajagiriya. Manubandu Vidyapathi
in his critique focuses on Shantha K. Herath's lines in the sketches.
His candid opinion is that "these poetry do neither try to convey a
philosophical concept nor place a strong social criticism... these
poetry naturally do not directly provide any light or guide assistance
to visualise or imagine visually."
Wimal's style reflects the style of the original writer's style.
Samples: English
The pure rainy waters
coming a long way
drops on earth
making muddy rust
severing from the seeds
cotton
floats in the wind
Heavy drops of rain
continues to platter
on flimsy leaves...
But they bear forth
while bending
What do
the floating clouds
that kiss the peaks of mountain tops
know of the
foot of the mountain!
I like the translation of these poems by Sunanda Mahendra from the
original Sinhala by Thanuja Dharmapala. But since the original is not
published in the book, I am unable to compare the poems in both
languages.
This applies to the Thamil poems as well. But going by the English
translation and the Thamil version by Saminathan Wimal, I feel good
reading the poems that are basically on nature and the paradoxes in life
and other matters.
As for the line drawings by Shantha K. Herath, I can only say that it
is an imaginative and artistic presentation which is novel of the poet'e
imagination and fancy.
This is an unusual work and my appreciation goes to all concerned.
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