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Artscope/Book Reviews
Buddha: A Story of Enlightenment
HarperCollins: 2007
Author: Deepak Chopra
This book of fiction, which is based on the life of Gautama Buddha is
an unusual initiative by Deepak Chopra who has so far written books of
inspirational guidance. As Chopra says at the outset, he took a deep
breath and created fictional characters and incidents around the life of
the enlightened one. In doing so he has given us a wonderful narrative
which critics have described as 'storytelling at its best' and a 'page
turning masterpiece'.
The life journey of the Buddha is given in three parts, the first
being titled 'Siddhartha the Prince' and the second being titled 'Gautama
the Monk', and the last: 'Buddha the Compassionate one'. At the end the
author adds his own perceptions of the teachings of the Buddha in an
insightful tool kit of Buddhist practice called 'The Art of Non Doing -
A Practical Guide to Buddhism' 'which states that the best way to be a
Buddhist is to lose one's self for the reason that it is one's self that
is suffering and that if one separates himself from that self all
suffering would cease.
At its core, this story is endearing and almost credible since it is
narrated with a certain unobtrusive authenticity and fluidity. It is
endearing because of the closeness Chopra identifies Gautama the monk
with any ordinary human being by narrating events that the latter could
identify himself with - such as when he is moved emotionally when
Sujatha presents her dhana of sweet milk rice when Gautama was dying of
starvation, because her name reminded him of his adolescent love; and
when as the Buddha he meets his ageing father King Suddhodana and cries.
Often in the narrative, a sense of poignancy and desolation overtakes
spirituality which could evoke intense feelings of endearment between
the reader and the protagonist. This is seen in instances such as when
firstly Siddhartha leaves his wife Yasodahara, secondly between
Siddhartha and his young son Rahula, whom the father does not kiss when
leaving him forever, fearful that if he does so he might not leave, and
later between Siddhartha and his friend Channa. The characterisation is
vibrant, from the brashness and greed of Suddhodana which borders on
vulgarity to the callous insidiousness of Devadatta, from the pristine
innocence and helplessness of Sidhdhartha's childhood love Sujatha to
the down to earth competitiveness of the young prince. Through his
characters the author weaves a tale of separation and compassion, of
mortification and enlightenment.
This is not a piece of Buddhist literature but a compelling work of
fiction which makes the reader realise his own vulnerability and
intellectual confusion in the face of an illusory world. This book will
delight and move both Buddhists and non-Buddhists. It evoked particular
emotional sentiments in the reviewer who read the book whilst inside the
cabin of an aircraft plying 34000 feet high somewhere between Toronto
and Hongkong.
Dr. Ruwantissa Abeyratne
A brief jaunty story of Oxford English Dictionary
The man with the long white beard (right) is James Murray, a Scot,
who became the third editor of the Oxford English Dictionary. He worked
from a garden shed in Oxford which he called the 'scriptorium' and co-ordinated
the efforts of a flock of amateur researchers from around the world.
 This
may sound like a somewhat hazy introduction, but I'm now looking into a
miraculously brief and fascinating story, 'The Meaning of Everything:
The Story of the Oxford English Dictionary' by Simon Winchester (OUP,
Oxford - pp 260).
It is a story of a great Victorian undertaking and the extraordinary
people who made it happen. Winchester celebrates this remarkable feat of
scholarship only too well.
You know, many of us take the Oxford English Dictionary (OED) very
much for granted. But it took more than 70 years to get it all together
- and it has never been such a - shall I say quirky? - undertaking that
has been so well and colourfully told of by the author.
I have no doubt that many other countries would have loved to have
such an institution. Sweden tried to put out its own equivalent of the
OED - and in 2000, she was still floundering in the middle of letter S.
The OED was commissioned by the London Philological Society in 1857,
and when it was finally published in its entirety in 1928, it consisted
of 15,490 pages with 414,825 defined words, nearly two million
quotations and, to take count, a staggering 178 miles of small type.
Winchester's main fascination is with the many people who contributed
to the work, and he weaves in colourful anecdotes about such notable
contributors as J. R. R. Tolkien, Dr. W. C. Minor - a murderer who was
imprisoned in Broadmoor, Fitzedward Hall - a recluse philologist - and
James Murray, the most notable personality in the book.
When Murray took over the project in 1859, the OED was in a shambles.
The section of Hs was missing. Someone had stored the Ps in a stable in
County Cavan, and the pages had been inadvertently used to light fires.
The Qs were in Loughborough. Murray clutched his beard in agony and set
to work. By the time of his death in 1935, he had done much. His
ambition was to reach the last word - 'zymotic' - but he died just
before he reached 'umbrella'.
Of the contributors, Tolkien pitches in with the Ws. Hall was
altogether a strange man.
He had quarrelled with a rival academic and, cutting himself away
from the academic world, devoted himself to the OED.
He wrote daily to Murray for 20 years, sending useful quotations and
explanations, much of which Murray declared was 'fresh meat for his
table'. But the two men never met.
Winchester certainly made my day!
CARL MULLER
Inspiring autobiographical tale of guidance
Visammuthi Sammuthiya
Author: Wilfred Perera
Pages: 151
Price: Rs. 250
 In
short, this is an inspiring autobiographic tale. The author, Wilfred
Perera, has compiled this volume to share his experiences with the
present day reader so that they too may get something out of the tale of
his journey through life.
Perera is a reputed figure in society for he had guided many students
as a teacher. He noted that the best method of realisation comes through
the mind and experience rather than punishment.
He belongs to the rare category of teachers who strive to teach his
students from A to Z rather than make them go in search of tuition
classes. Even loathsome and boring subjects like Mathematics and
Sinhalese were fun to learn and many students who were considered poor
in these subjects excelled under him.
With more then 35 years service and experience as a teacher, Perera
had seen much of the world. He had begun his teaching career at St.
Benedict's College in 1952 before graduating at the University of
London. He joined the Lanka Samasamaja party and took over the post of
associate editor for the party's newspaper Samasamajaya and later its
editor. He resigned from the party in 1974 and after retiring from his
teaching career he took over the post of editor for Sadaranaya magazine
under Rev. father Tissa Balasuriya. He was also the editor for Sanvada,
the Catholic labourers magazine for five years.
He had translations like Muthu Ataya and Samaja Sadaranaya Ha
Adikaranaya to his credit along with work like Salalihiniya, Viyarana
Huruwa and Abhiyogaya. He had translated 'Child Labour', four books
printed by the National Labour Union supported by UNESCO in a book
titled Lama Mehekara Saveaya. He had penned a collection of short
stories, children's stories and poetry and is looking forward for
sponsorship to publish the work.
- Ruwini Jayawardana
Three books launched
Well-known media personality, lyricist, former Director General
Rupavahini, Chairman Sri Lanka Broadcasting Corporation and Additional
Secretary, Ministry of Environment Sunil Sarath Perera launched three
books authored by him titled 'Geeta Pada Rachanaa Vimarshana, Sandagala
Nuvara and Wimal Dissanayaka Ge Kavya Darshanaya' at the National
Library Service Board auditorium at a large distinguished gathering
recently before his departure to Kuwait on Diplomatic Service.
The three books speaks for the versatility of their author for they
are three different works in outlook. The author is no doubt a creative
writer who has enriched the Sinhala literature widely in modern time.
Not only has he enhanced the Sri Lankan culture and its literature in
the contemporary context but also has contributed to modern thinking
significantly as his writings clearly indicate. These three books are
specific examples of this quality.
Earlier he had written and published books on environment and
communication. In these subjects too he brings out important facts on
environment and the vital role communication has to play as an educative
medium. In his works on communication he is associated with the
internationally acclaimed expert on communication Prof. Wimal
Dissanayake. What is special in Sunil Sarath Perera is that he is both a
creative writer and a critic of creative writing. This is a rare
attribute present in Lankan men of letters.
There are, but so few. Most of the literary critics we have are more
'label' critics. They just paste labels of literary works. Such a label
criticism is calling the poem Guttilaya, 'Guttila Geeta.' This is a more
label which does not lend itself to any analytical criticism.
What is redeeming is that Sunil Sarath Perera does not indulge in
such label criticism.
He makes it a point to substantiate his critical view with textual
evidence and shows how a work of literary art can be considered a thing
of value. His book on Wimal Dissanayake's Poetical Concept and the
attempt to analyse his poetry with a variety of examples indicates what
he intends by literary criticism. In such circumstances it is indeed a
relief to read Sunil Sarath Perera's criticisms.
Geeta Pada Rachanaa Vimarshana, a review in which the author examines
a variety of poems and lyrics composed on varying themes. He attempts to
emphasise the function of music in poetical writing. He points out the
meanings in songs and lyrics, which post critics fail to recognise. They
consider then as merely pleasing sounds, which is an error in
appreciation. He has made a serious effort to bring out the specific
meanings expressed in the songs, poems and lyrics he has examined. He
also illustrates how each composer has employed the language to achieve
effect. Very rarely do we notice this type of analytical criticism of
those genres of creative composition.
The author is concerned with sound and sense in lyrics. These two
elements should harmonise to bring out the required effect. A lyric
should not be a mere conglomeration of sounds in his view. He is also
concerned with the cultural value of music and song. Above all he has
much to say of the communicative quality of music and song.
P.N. Cumaranatunga
An introduction to film making
Book: Asaiyum Padimangal
Publishers:
Meera Publishers
Author: K.S. Sivakumaran
Many of us are good filmgoers, but hardly bother to analyse as to
what a good movie is or what its characteristics are or the struggle the
film director with his team undergoes in the process of making a film.
 Film
making is not as easy as just sitting in one place for three hours and
watching it intently. To get the audience to watch a film for three
hours and to make them watch it more, the film makers in the cinema
industry when making a film introduce new attractive techniques. Usually
these attribute to the success of the movies, but there are times it had
turned otherwise.
Asaiyum Padimangal (Moving Images) by K.S. Sivakumaran is a
comprehensive introduction to the Tamil cinema which deals in detail
with various aspects of the cinema industry. At a time when there is
inadequate knowledge about the Tamil cinema this publication delves
adequately into the tactics and techniques handled by the experts of the
industry. This book undoubtedly will be of immense use to those who want
to get an understanding of Tamil cinema industry and those who wish seek
prospects in literature.
This book released on October 1 on the writer's 65th birthday, is a
compilation of the experience he gathered during his 45 years in the
field of cinema and literature.
He starts with Rodger Manwell's critique on cinema in points form
detailing the vital perspectives on the subject. Through this he not
only touches an expert's opinion but also gives a detailed account of
what a film critique should possess.
Being a longstanding film critic himself, his attempts to pursue a
research on cinematic field deserves appreciation. Here he attempts to
distinguish the different observation of the film maker, audience and a
film critique, and thereby gives a vivid stance of an authentic film
critique. These tips could be of immense use to the Tamil cinema
directors themselves in terms of evading criticism.
There are salient points on what a censor board should adhere to when
scrutinizing a movie. These points cannot be ignored as it blends with
his experience as a member of the censor board.
When watching a movie with an artistic creativity, he explains, there
are five aspects that should be identified. They are frame, shot, scene,
sequence and phase. These five aspects are analysed in depth by the
writer giving a clear picture of the external elements involved in film
making. The book cover carrying a picture of the writer posing with a
popular South Indian film director, Balu Mahendra is a best example of
the writer's involvement in the Tamil cinema industry.
K.S. Sivakumaran is a writer in English and Tamil. His collection of
short stories in Tamil was titled 'Irumai' (Duality). His forte being a
literary critic, he has written a dozen books in Tamil. Two of his books
in English are: "Tamil Writing in Sri Lanka" and "Aspects of Culture in
Sri Lanka: Le Roy Robinson in conversation with K.S. Sivakumaran". He is
a regular columnist of the Daily News and other Tamil and English
dailies.
Siva, won the best columnist of the year award for 2008 at the
excellence of journalism award ceremony organized by the Editors' Guild
of Sri Lanka. His entries on Lankan Tamil Literature have been included
in the Encyclopaedia of 20th Century World Literature.
In this book Asaiyum Padimangal, he handles the topic of art of
cinema, its approach and its techniques in a unique way with much
involvement. This book serves as a platform to all those who are
interested in Tamil cinema.
Shyamala Devi Karunakharan |
