Warrior named Samarapala
Title: Samarapala Nam Voo Ranaviruva
Author: Prematilake Perukande
Genre: Sinhala short stories
Publisher: Author publication
 Narratives
could be created in many forms. They are denoted by many titles such as
tales, parables, stories and short stories. Some widely acclaimed
storytellers are observed as reluctant to denote their creations by any
of these titles. They just say that they have created a sort of
narrative. As such the study of narratives has come to be known as
narratology.
Tagore, Tolstoy, Gibran and Voltaire are writers who have not given
any special term to denote their genre of creativity. Instead they are
mere stories or narratives. The term short story has its genesis via the
appearance of newspapers and periodicals.
Newspaper demand
Most pioneering editors of newspapers and periodicals world around
wanted human interest stories and short stories and drama of real life
to be read by their readers. As time went by there appeared masters of
short stories like Flaubert, Chekhov and Maupassant.
As I finished reading the flimsy but interesting collection of
stories of Prematilake Perukanda titled Samarapala Nam Ranaviruva
(Warrior named Samarapala) it just happened that though he had mentioned
it is a collection of short stories in form and content they are mostly
modern day tales. The first interesting factor is that all these ten
stories are readable stories of the highest form. They are life
experiences written with an embedded story line.
All the stories are selected from various walks of life. The ten
stories have ten points of view embracing ten types of human
experiences. Take for instance the opening story titled Natya Pitapatha
(Drama Manuscript) is woven around the life of an actor who, in a
relaxed moment of action, recalls a sensitive illuminating moment of his
life on the stage. Then on opening his eyes he feels that he has to get
ready for the real action on the stage.
Narrative masters
Here I am reminded of some of the narratives of Alain Robbe Grillet
in snapshots, where the reader may not find any knitted rounded plot,
instead a piece drawn from a situation. The story titled Tadiyama
(Tension) revolves round the experiences of a government officer, who
deals with files of public members coming to obtain his services. It so
happens that at a particular moment the officer is seen in a bad mood or
a mood of tension.
When an elderly person comes to obtain a certain help, he in the
first instance rebukes him silencing him with his powers. But later as
the man who needed help goes out, a fellow officer has a chit chat with
the moody person to the extent that he becomes apologetic to the point
he is pacified and helps the former.
The moment of illumination in the character of the officer concerned
is that he retires from the work the following week. The sudden
awakening in people becomes the hallmark of most of these stories. Two
or three stories are created on politicians and trade union matters.
Perukande the storyteller
Perdukande is at his best in the observance of sensitive layers
embedded in politicians and their lackeys. He, as a storyteller, tries
to reveal the pseudo relations that lay buried in politicians and their
lackeys.
The story titled Kumbiya (Ant) is one of the finest narratives woven
around the tragic life of a certain hired killer. The killer who kills
others form the want of money never knows that he would be killed one
day. This perhaps is the underlying viewpoint or prophecy as E M Forster
lays down.
As a reader of stories I found it quite an interesting parable of a
kind that should go to a wide audience. The title story Samarapala Nam
Vuu Ranaviruva is a trick ending narrative.
The warrior who comes home is shown as waiting for his pay. He is
penniless at the moment but has to attend to some household duties. In
his civil status as a member of the public, he is not a warrior. He has
to buy a ticket. He has half starved. Then he sees a thousand rupee note
on the floorboard of the bus. He needs to pick it up hidden from the
eyes of the other passengers.
Having picked it up, he steps out of the bus and goes to a nearby
eating place known to him. But alas! When he takes the note out of his
pocket to pay the bill the warrior realizes that it is a fake note
printed as a Vesak card. The stories of Perukande in this collection are
written with more dialogues than commentaries. This gives way to peep
into an inner layer that becomes a subtext which gives more meaning to
the text. There are a few more stories that revolve round the lives of
farmers and labourers.
One can always complain that the writer has not paid any attention to
the development of the themes, characters and situation. But may it be
said in honesty that these tales have their own identity as they stand
alone as a writer’s creative identity.
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