Book reviews
Biography of the queen of song
Latha: Hela Gee Rajina Charithapradanaya
Author: Deepthi Fonseka
Pages: 255
Sarasavi Publication
Rs. 450
Ever wondered about the success story of many an idol in the world of
showbiz? Latha: Hela Gee Rajina Charithapradanaya includes the inspiring
true life story of none other than Sri Lanka’s celebrated nightingale,
Latha Walpola.
For over six decades the golden voice of Latha had mesmerised fans
through music tracks and background vocals for films. She had donated
her voice for generations of actresses and is the only Sri Lankan
vocalist who is recognised to be on par with India’s singing legend,
Latha Mangeshkar.
Though many know facts about her public life, there are still more
who wish to read articles based on Latha’s memories of her childhood,
her rise to the top and the many interesting individuals whom she met in
her career and personal life. Imagine sitting with the renowned
songstress and giving an ear to her reminiscences. That is exactly what
you would feel if you get an opportunity to go through this delightful
book for the language is simple and engaging so that you will have no
trouble taking up on the tit bits of the life of the songstress.
The book is authored by Deepthi Fonseka who served as a journalist,
editor and consultant to ANCL’s Sarasaviya magazine for 20 years. During
her stint as a media personnel one of the key figures she had been
involved in writing many a time is the gifted veteran vocalist Latha
Walpola. Latha’s contribution to the advancement of the music and cinema
industry was noted by Fonseka who took up the task of writing the
biography.
Latha: Hela Gee Rajina Charithapradanaya also includes a list of
vocalists Latha had dueted with along with a list of lyricists who
penned her songs and musicians who composed her melodies. In addition,
it also comprises the films she had rendered her voice to and a line-up
of names of the local and Indian actresses who had performed to her
playback songs. Around 50 lyrics and melodies of some of her hits are
also included with many rare photographs. No doubt Latha Walpola fans
will find the book a treat and a precious possession to add to their
collection.
Ruwini Jayawardana
A proper guide to English language
Book: A Helping Hand To English
Author: Bernard de Silva
Page count: 240
Price: Rs. 250
It’s common knowledge that English was hacked off from its official
status in 1956. The proper guidance of the language ceased to exist
since then and, ironically though, still the language maintains a regal
stand; the situation has - in a way - left us, the average Sri Lankans,
in the lurch.
For that matter I need to comment on many a local compiled English
guidebooks we come across. Most of them are author publications,
hotcakes sold on either pavement or by tinkers. These books contain a
good deal of print fallacies, leading the average reader into the
erroneous command of the language. The books sold on the bookshops are
no better either, unless they are targeted at a particular exam. The
major issue with most of these local compilations is that they are not
systematic and comprehensive.
Bernard de Silva’s A Helping Hand to English - though not very much
comprehensive - is a systematic work, a rare asset discovered among the
local publications.
The 1956-scene led to many controversies in the teaching of English
language. One major conflict was on teaching the language in the
mother-tongue, which is not a proper method in the least. Many present
schoolteachers follow the same method, as they do not have a proper
speech command of the language.
The school curriculum focuses on the theoretical use of the language
and this ends up in producing an individual who cannot use the language
in a practical sense.
What is the difference between the theory and the practice in
learning English? The school curriculum has role plays and grammar
points. They are modeled for practical usage. However the teacher just
parrots and spells out in Sinhala what is printed in the book and the
student mechanically takes them down. Even at the A/Ls they cannot claim
for a proficiency of the language. This applies to some who study
English as a subject as well. Sadly this is the reality.
In this background de Silva has taken a painstaking effort to keep
Sinhala off his book, restricting it into the latter part of the
vocabulary. The book is written in Simple English sketching out the
basic rules of the language, and it is divided into four sections:
grammar, writing, spelling rules and vocabulary.
Vocabulary and spelling rules are two major episodes we find so hard
to cope with as non-natives. De Silva has sub-divided the ‘vocabulary’
section: synonyms, antonyms, one word for many, same word under
different meaning, words confusing the learner, verbs, phrasal verbs and
idioms.
The finish of the book is also good compared with other publications
on English learning. It is a happy sight to see a local publication
coming under such standards. May be de Silva’s experience of teaching at
Royal College, Colombo, has helped him a lot to achieve this task.
De Silva touches the essentials in the Grammar section: articles,
pronouns, verbs (auxiliaries, ordinary verbs, question tags and
subject-verb agreement), prepositions, conditional sentences, active and
passive, and reported speech. Many foreigners, let alone Sri Lankans are
not familiar with the basics of the grammar, hence they are prone to
make mistakes in writing.
Although de Silva has made efforts to maintain the standards, we
locate some trivial loopholes: Active Passive & Voice. It is not only
that ‘and’ should come between Active and Passive, but symbols such as
ampersand (&) is hardly used in writing.
De Silva must have obtained a wealth of experiences during his period
at Royal College, Colombo, as a teacher. For those who seek a good local
guidebook on the basics of English language, I can’t think of a better
work than de Silva’s.
- Sachitra Mahendra
Foresight into future disasters
Title: Love in the City Below
Author: Bhadraji
Jayatilaka
Pages: 365
Price: Rs. 600
Sandakada Publication
The idea was triggered out of a news article printed in 1992 and
imagination took over to form a tale of the future life on earth. Life
is intolerable due to the depletion of the ozone layer. Throughout the
years we have witnessed startling change in climate. News of natural
disasters which have claimed man as victim had been reported from across
the world and many link it with man’s impact on the ozone layer.
Bhadraji, well known for his music as well as his writing skills, had
opened a door to the future with his newest novel, ‘Love in the City
Below’.
According to his insight, beings had to construct a city underground
to survive from the stinging rays of the sun. Life is dreary but not
without lack of hope and romance which keep the protagonist Trez’s
spirits burning till the end.
The story flows with ease and provides light entertainment for the
readers however one constantly reminded of the result of man’s deeds in
destroying the ozone layer and the consequences are brought to light.
This is not a simple love story. Readers have to be wise enough to get
the hint.
Bhadraji is the author of over 90 books focusing on diverse areas in
both Sinhala and English.
He had won many accolades for his work including the prestigious D.R.
wijewardena Award for best novel, the Golden Poet Award for best poem
and Pahan Pela Sarachchandra Award for best stage play. He is also a
talented painter and is engaged in teaching Theatre and Art Media in
California where he had been residing since 1973.
- Ruwini Jayawardana
Three minutes to read
FRIENDS
Author:Sanjiva Wijesinha
(Vijitha Yapa Publications)
(available from www.vijithayapa.com and www.amazon.com )
A nursery blue cover with two children on an elephant ride; that’s
the book, with bold letters saying “FRIENDS” by Sanjiva Wijesinhe.
Vijitha Yapa has it. Inside, you’ll find fifty nine simple and beautiful
stories that take the reader to a past in the sixties and to people of
the ordinary. The medical profession too is well represented in the book
and familiar city dots from a world map gets mentioned where the good
doctor vagabonded.
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Sanjiva Wijesinha |
The theme is excellent, facile for easy absorption and the gist is
all about people Sanjiva met and events that were saved onto his hard
disk memory. He peels off the layers in soft and tender light,
presenting them to the reader in an easy to leaf through manner, which
in my humble opinion is very well done.
If time is your problem and you still appreciate good literature,
read “Friends”. It takes you a quick three minutes to complete a story
as none exceeds two pages. That is the beauty of the book and Sanjiva
has very cleverly constructed the tales to cover many aspects of his
life commencing from his time at S. Thomas’ College Primary School. He
then moves to far places in geographical latitudes, from Oxford to Hong
Kong and then to the lecture halls of Monash University and includes a
toasting at a chapel wedding in picturesque Cuff’s Harbour.
Let me pick a few of the fifty nine for elaboration. Take Tarzie
Vittachi’s Republic of Amnesia; self created to avoid cholera injections
or Tiny Reid throwing a horseshoe over his shoulder to wish for his math
teacher to die. Then there is Ernest the Sergeant, Asoka and the long
lost bosoms, “Bulto” going to the Visaka debate and Joseph of the
passports, so on and so forth as the author meanders in simple style
giving anecdotes and opinions on puns, places and people who enriched
his life.
I loved the one that compared a Kattadiya’s minatory chants and
dances to a clinically clean operating theatre of masked surgeons, all
abiding by the Hippocratic oath to save a patient’s life. Here Sanjiva
very cleverly collates different worlds with similar meanings, great
story. Then the author changes tracks completely and analysers why we
Sri Lankans have scant regard for punctuality.
The answer to him is simple; having evidentially trampled the planet
for four millennia from the circa Valmiki wrote about King Ravana in the
Ramayanaya, what is an hour late when we have been around so long?
You would be richer for having read FRIENDS, wiser for re-awakening
to the simplicities of life, happier to go back down your own memory
lanes and dwell and discuss chapters that you have almost forgotten in
life. Perhaps re-kindle the flames of a long lost friendship that had
lain dormant for decades. That’s what Sanjiva book will do for you.
I keep this review, short and simple, just like the book, for who has
the time nowadays to read ramblings and fancy rhetoric when the truth
can be simplified and presented in unvarnished terms simply as the
truth.
‘FRIENDS’ to me is a lovely read, a worthy contribution to
contemporary Sri Lankan literature which is veiled in the past and
spread in a wide spectrum.
Sanjiva, thank you for teaching me to write soft and giving me fifty
nine ways to brighten my day.
- Capt Elmo Jayawardena Winner Gratiaen Prize 2001, Winner State
Literary Award 2005
New book on Sri Lankan wildlife
The Diversity of Sri Lankan Wildlife is an extremely interesting book
which has just been published. Written by well known naturalist Jayantha
Jayewardene it covers a large extent of Sri Lanka’s wilderness
landscape.
The book, written in a very readable style, covers whole lot of Sri
Lanka’s fauna and flora - mammals, birds, reptiles, fish, amphibians,
national parks, forests etc.
The intimate knowledge that Jayewardene has of our wildlife comes
through very clearly.
With detailed descriptions the book is both interesting and
educative. His experiences, starting from his schooldays is
systematically documented to delight the reader.
Jayewardene, a well know expert on the Asian elephant, displays,
through this book, another facet of his wide knowledge.
His skill in writing is also evident as one reads through the book. A
rugby star in his youth, Jayewardene has produced a very readable book
which is a must for all those interested in Sri Lanka’s wildlife and
natural environment.
The book is available at Vijitha Yapa Bookshops, Barefoot Bookshop
and ODELs. It is also available with the author at 615\ 32 Rajagiriya
Gardens, Nawala Road, Rajagiriya. His mobile no. is 0777 895770 and his
E-mail [email protected]
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