66th death anniversary:

Munidasa Cumaratunga - the consummate master of language and style

Sandadas Coperahewa Deputy Leader, Hela Havula Movement

Continued from yesterday

The teachers were aware of the aesthetic sensibility, and were afforded an ideal opportunity to impart the knowledge to students. I have seen many elderly teachers who have had the rare chance to guide the children in the language and literary forms and aesthetic pursuits, started to read them, once again and enjoy them and appreciate them in their second - childhood.

The verbal neatness, simplicity and variety, literary elegance, in the language, the harmonising effects constituted in the language - the harmonizing effects well set in the form of content and form, in most of the literary and poetic compositions, contributed to carve in the child’s mind and in the minds of teachers as well - the art and technique of carving out a nice piece of self-sculpture. (Those who are interested are advised to go through Shiksha Margaya I-5 and Kiyawana Nuwana I-6, and Kiyawana Nuwana I-7).

Cumaratunga was aware even at that time that the evolutionary progress could be brought about by the orderly medium of language based on classical elegance and by the correct modifications of speech - rhythms, and dialogue - patterns, not corrupted by slip - shed loose constructions as advocated by some pedantic teachers bent on commercial trends, the so-called literary forms, utterly devoid of all elegant values (words slipping into place as though they were greased) seem to attract the minds of certain misguided students.

Cumaratunga was aware that classical works can keep their power of influence endlessly and turned out to be masterpieces of expression paving the way for the orderly evolutionary progress as in the classical ages of the past.

Quest for truth

Cumaratunga’s main mission has been expressed by a leading Biologist, Julian Huxley (1887) who has stressed that the quest for truth and knowledge, virtue, beauty and aesthetic expression and its satisfaction through the channels of science and philosophy, mysticism and morality literature and the arts becomes one of the modes of evolutionary progress.

In most of his literary work, both prose and verse in elucidations, criticisms, essays, and specially in children’s verses, he has created a style and was an applicable vehicle for his wide breadth of vision and the magnitude of his mind. He used the language with a rare freshness, vivacious and vivid and dynamic in form.

In classical text he has made use of language manifesting the corrective, informative, rhetoric, emotive, aesthetic and a dynamic style.

But in most of the children’s literature, he has made use of an appealing and inducing type of language in order to bring about the robust memories of a fanciful world indicating a freshness of style.

In the above language - patterns he was aware of the fact that the significance lies not in words, but in their precise application. Cumaratunga had an innate instinctive impulse towards relative styles.

It is rather difficult to bring out some examples in an article of this type. Note the following example in ‘speech of flowers’ Mal-bas’.

In taking into account the Buddha’s exhortation of purification given in the following Pali Stanza, he has given the significant meaning most precisely, in an appealing simple style to attract the attention of children.

The Pali Stanza:-

Suddhassu ve sada paggu
Suddhassu Posatho sada
Suddhassu suchi kammassa
Sada sampajjathe vatham.

The meaning of the Pali verse:-

For the most purified mind,
Eleventh asterism benifits bind.
Poya prevails forever
For the pure mind sober.
Purity in speech, mind and body
Set rites in harmonic embody.

The Sinhala verse:-

Gasa vathusudu
Vee pirisudu
Pohoya nathidu
Sil gath bandu.

The English translation:-

The Vathusudu tree
Having purified
Devoid of Poya decree
Seems to be sanctified.

In this case it is quite apparent that in these poems Mal-Bas speech of flowers ‘the simpler the instrument of language made use of the more effective it is. Thus he has made use of systematic - Symbolism by means of selection and comparative contrast. It is interesting to note how a consummate master of words fitting precise meaning to the particular purpose with the exquisite workmanship of a versatile jeweller.

Here Cumaratunga has attributed a symbolic character to the flowers, something that represents or stand for something else. In cognitive perception, long before the Gestalt - psychologists pointed out the tendency of the perception to modify the formal qualities of the thing perceived he was able to bring out the simplicity, regularity and the symmetry of the perceived objects.

Elegance in language

Cumaratunga’s selective and exhaustive vocabulary constituted with the means of communication and expression, supplied for him the capacity to acquire diverse styles sustaining his genius. In addition to it his elegance in language which maintained the purity of expression, and his remarkable mental restraint helped him to acquire lively styles.

Cumaratunga’s diction has rejected unmeaning pomp, all the low cant phrases and loose, unconnected slip - shed allusions. Thus, it is the regular precision, elegance and the purity of expression that supplied for him the peerless style. It is indeed a high-spirited mental development.

Alfred North Whitehead reputed philosopher, mathematician, and educator, has stated that the style is an acquirement of an educated mind:-

Educational methodology

“Finally there should grow the most austere of all mental qualities; I mean the sense of style. It is an aesthetic sense, based on admiration; for the direct attainment of a foreseen end, simply and without waste. Style is art, style is literature, style is science, style is practical execution, have fundamentally the same aesthetic qualities, namely attainment and restraint...... style is the finest sense, is the last acquirement of the educated mind.. It is also the most useful.” (The aims of education page - 24. Alfred North Whitehead - A Mentor book, 1956). When there is much talk about social development, it is regrettable to note the attitude of the leading educational authorities, principals of schools and the teachers who have not directed their attention towards the most resolute and resourceful activities and measures taken by the versatile genius of the Sinhalese language in the educational methodology taking into account the physiological and psychological aspects in the preparation of the most elegant and lively readers-the Rasayana readers - especially Shiksha Margaya and Kiyawana Nuvana readers.

Please take the corrective measures immediately to rectify these-lines prevalent throughout the communicative modes, and provide the most precise provisions for the teachers and the students to choose the corrective and profitable methods, once again, and stand arrayed in their own colours, with the consummate mastery of their mother tongue - the Sinhala language.

Concluded