Every artiste is first an amateur
Rasini Weerasuriya and Risla Yakooth
Ralph Waldo Emerson, one of the great philosophers of the 19th
century, said that every artiste was first an amateur. True to the fact,
Captain Elmo Jayawardena is one such personality, whom we were
privileged to listen to at the launch of the Blink (the annual magazine
of the Department of English, University of Kelaniya) last month.
A pilot in profession for most of his life, Captain Elmo stepped into
the world of writing with The Sam’s Story that won him the Gratiaen
Prize in 2001. Despite being an amateur writer at this point, his
originality and style of writing succeeded in grasping the readers’
attention. His books such as The Last Kingdom of Sinhalay and Rainbows
in Braille bring out his simple, yet realistic expressions to life.
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Elmo Jayawardena shares his thoughts with students of English
Department, Kelaniya University. |
Being a simple man himself, Captain Elmo brought out the complexity
of life in a simple manner, so that everyone would re-think of living
his or her life once more. Incorporation of the subtleties of nature and
life into literary works would act as an invitation to all amateur
writers.
That was the highlight of the guest lecture. The greater part of it
was based on Captain’s life experience; from childhood to the present,
from hardships and embarrassed moments, to times of recovery and
success. As a person who was not privileged to be well-read as the
children of the current generation, he stands as a winning personality
in both his professional life (as a pilot) and as a writer.
“They who have won, and do not care for the runners-in this race that
is life-are nothing at all.”
It was his genuine love for writing coupled with determination that
made him take a step beyond his natural style; of writing on personal
experiences. As Captain Elmo mentioned, it was the ‘post card’ knowledge
of the Sri Lankan history he had that eventually inspired him to write
The Last Kingdom of Sinhalay. It was also stated that although this book
was written initially, it was published after The Sam’s Story. The
reason behind it was the hesitation to publish an 800-page book as the
maiden work by an amateur.
This, he stressed, should be avoided to accomplish one’s goals. In
order to draw our attention to this fact, Captain Elmo appropriately
brought in one of Aesop’s fables; that of The Miller, His Son, and their
Donkey. While making us laugh heartily, he inculcated in us a lesson of
a lifetime; not to give up on anything that may appeal to you and to be
determined no matter what.
We were inspired in no time to realize the importance of his words,
understand our hidden potential in the field of writing and to identify
the self-obstructions that stop us from realizing them. We appreciate
Captain Elmo for being with us in spite of his busy schedule, and
sharing his life experience. It was an eye-opener to all of us.
As a note of conclusion, we would like to mention that Captain
Jayawardena is willing to extend a helping hand to all of us; the
amateur writers, who aspire to be successful personalities. |
