Experience the difference!
Book Review:
Title: So It Happened
Author: Sachitra Mahendra
Publisher: Sarasavi Publishers
Price: Rs 290
Having spent years in the author’s company and reading many of his
writings on diverse topics one thing I expected when I came across
Sachitra Mahendra’s maiden book is for it to be different from your
everyday short story collection.
He has proven me correct for that is something that the readers will
discover for themselves when they browse each page in So It Happened.
 Some incidents are closely linked with day to day life that you
almost wonder how you let it pass by ignored while others are formed out
of a combination of facts and fiction. You get regular occurrences in
the form of ‘pious’ old dames frowning down on the younger generation as
they see a young woman going off key from the norms in Swarnatilaka’s
Attire while you get a story which could very well come out of the
Jathaka Tales via Eggshell’s Soul.
Getting into the shoes of an individual and voicing their thoughts is
Sachitra’s strongest point. He actually manages to convince us that this
is how it might have taken place when you consider The Great Wall. It is
not till the end of the tale that he reveals that the work is anachronic
and any resemblance to history is purely coincidental. Next we trace the
stream of consciousness of the young bride as she yearns for her beloved
husband Supun. Later we are transported to into the realm of lad who had
to console a damsel in distress in the visitor’s bench at the hospital.
Then on to a more tranquil topic away from the anguish as Siddhartha
awaits enlightenment and ponders over the people who had been close to
his princely life. Remarkable three figures emerge, the spirits of three
women who had a strong hold in his existence: Maha Maya, Prajapathi
Gothami and Yasodhara. They emerge with a mission: to reawaken the dying
embers of hope.
Turn to another different chapter and one that is an autobiographical
account.
The Grandmother is a fond recollection of a part of the author’s own
experience beside his grandmother’s coffin. It is a tribute to her
wisdom and how she had influenced Sachitra’s judgment. Flashbacks are
frequent and so are tales told by a second party.
These are all different stories in different setting told by
different characters.
You keep on leafing from one story to another because the book
provides a wide canvas of topics and experiences.
Sachitra should be commended for his debut effort in providing
readers a kaleidoscope of stories told in a fashion which is inimitable
his own.
- Ruwini Jayawardana |
