The Muslim factor: Connecting communities

When one refers to Lankan Literature one has in mind the literatures produced in three languages: Sinhala, Thamil and English. On behalf of the Thamil community in Lanka, I wish to thank the writers and translators of the Islamic community in the island for serving as a connecting link among the three communities of the island nation.

I learn from the English and Thamil media of what is happening in the world of arts using the Sinhala language. And it is the Muslims living in the south, north central and the hillcountry that educate me through the medium of Thamil of what I want to know about the Sinhala culture. Similarly in English from writers belonging to the Sinhala community do I gather knowledge for me to be conversant with different subcultures of the country.

Some of the Muslims are trilingual and a great many of them are bilingual. I was reading recently a Thamil literary magazine published in Anuradhapura by a group of young Muslim students who are familiar with the cultures of the Sinhala, the Thamilian and the Muslims. The name of the magazine is Padihal. It is published from 788 Jayanthi Mawatha, Anuradhapura.

I was happy to note that a young man from Matara knowing Sinhala and Thamil is a popular writer writing ballads in Sinhala. He also writes poetry in that language. His name is Nilar N Cassim. In an interview with the magazine, he gave a lot of information that I did not know previously. For the benefit of our readers, I excerpt a few facts from Nilar N. Cassim's dialogue:

NNC has published a collection of 65 poems in Sinhala translation of 26 Thamil and Muslim poets. The book is titled Sahodara Piyapath. Puthuvai Ratnadurai, Cheran, Nuhman, Madura Kavi, and Aathma are the Lankan poets who write in Thamil.

Some years back Parakrama Kodithuwakku brought out a collection in Sinhala titled 'Indu' 'Saha Lanka'. In that collection P K had included poems of the late Mahakavi (T. Rudramoorthy, one of the finest Lankan Thamil poets. He was the father of Cheran who is one of the leading Lankan poets in Thamil.

NNC's collection of songs includes 'Pehasara, Arunak Kirikodu Hithata' (I hope I got the spelling correct).

Giving his opinion on the lyricist Rathnasiri Wijesinha, NNC considers the former as the most outstanding poet who advocates amity, peace and good relationship. RS's collections of Sinhala poems include 'Suba Uday Sanak', 'Biya Novan Aiyandi', 'Vathsanae', and 'Tharulaguna'.

NNC also mentions those poets in Sinhala that are opposed to multiculturalism, multilingualism, and multi-ethnicity. They preach something and act in the opposite manner, NNC says. However poets like Mahagama Sekera, Mahinda Chandrasekera, Rathnasiri and a few others are not like the former, he said.

NNC observes that the Sinhala lyricists are not engaged much in writing songs for the films. Conversely he observes that the Thamilnadu lyricists write mostly for the films. The Sinhala lyricists also speak on behalf of the downtrodden. Despite some drawbacks, the Sinhala lyrics are of a better quality than the lyrics written in Thamilnadu. He also informs that 'Ranaviru Gee' focuses on boosting the morale of the armed forces. It is hard to find good lyrics as the ones written by Kumaradasa Saputhanthri are also the judgment of NNC.

Talking of significant poets in Sinhala, NNC cites the poems of Parakarama Kodithuwakku, Dayasena K. Gunasinha, Appu Arachi, Manjula Vediwardhana, Ajith Perakum, Jayasinha Rohitha Pasana, Abeywardhana, and Ajith D. Herath.

Sunil Ariyarathna has written several songs depicting a sense of social consciousness and they are anti-capitalism in tone. He holds an important place in Sinhala poetry. Lucien Bulathsinhala too is important.

In one other issue of Padihal, M. C. Razmin has translated a few stanzas of Ratnasiri's poems. The poet has empathy for the Thamil community. Let me make an attempt to render into English via the Thamil translation.

What flowers in his plant in the morn

Is nothing but the sun flower

Rasiah Annai (the shoe repairer) is it an auspicious sunrise?

He would have a tiny can like a till box

Anyone can put any amount into it

If one day the till is filled

Under the lamp post

The breathing of delight

Will rest like snowflakes

What I observe is that not all Lankans are racists (on both sides of the divide) or racial supremacists, and in fact a majority of them are indeed lovers of the humankind. Only a handful of them are adherents of ultra - nationalism. For the greater good of everybody such a lot should be marginalized.

The language barrier is an obstacle for smooth relationship among communities. National Integration means not everyone becoming and forming into only one racial entity, but accommodating the 'other' into a fabric of unison while maintaining the characteristic individuality of the different indigenous cultures.

By necessity most Thamilians and the Muslims living in the South are adaptable to at least proficient in conversational Sinhala, but even those willing to learn Thamil from the Sinhala community are discouraged because the teachers are sensitive to teach proper grammar than teach spoken Thamil.

As far as Lanka is concerned there are different kinds of Thamil spoken in different parts of the island. Most Sinhalas are familiar with the Thamil spoken in the plantation areas and the Thamil they hear spoken in Thamilnadu films.

The Thamil spoke in the North is different and it has a Malayalam nuances. The Eastern people have different ways of speech. The Muslims in the East though very proficient in formal Thamil also have an accent of their own.

The Muslims in the south speak a different kind of Thamil influenced by Sinhala. So, there is a problem for the Sinhalese as to what kind of Thamil they should speak.

But still a way can be found to make it easy for the Sinhala people to master the different kinds of spoken Thamil Familiarity with the spoken Thamil should be the priority before learning formal Thamil.

If there is a will, sure, there will be a way.

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