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Book Review:
Sojourns in vanishing jungles
The paradise that has been in sad and wicked slumber for thirty years
has woken up. The man-made divisions are slowly being eradicated and the
barriers that obstructed travel, both literal and phobic, have become a
thing of the past.
It is time for us Sri Lankans to explore the beauty that we inherited
as a birth right. Of course the places are many and the information on
prominent sites is readily available in fancy books with glossy pages
written by people abroad. Fancy prices too, as 'Lonely Planet' and
'Footprints' stare at you from book shelves telling you where to go and
what to do in your own country.
Author Ranasinghe has come out with a winner. "Sojourns in Vanishing
Jungles" is a bargain at four hundred rupees and gives first hand
information of excellent places to visit. Most are off the beaten track,
mere names that we know and never contemplated visiting, yet fascinating
even just to read. It is a 'must' book for anyone who has the 'itch' to
see the real Sri Lanka.
 The author's selected places are well-detailed and the first-hand
information given by the author who has travelled them all is excellent.
Knuckles, Wasgamuwa, Nuwaragala, Sinharaja, Adam's Peak, Ritigala and
Horton's Plains are all here with informative descriptions on how to
travel and enjoy. His 'pit-stops' are all little-known villages (may be
not even dots in a map) and the streams he walked with his teams are
equally unknown; all this gives a resonant awakening to how much we do
not know. The writing itself has no monotony as author Ranasinghe
intersperses everything with very colourful characters who shared his
sojourns. Gomba the Vedda who recited their clan songs, 'Jungle dweller'
John Aiya and his 'Kunudiya Parvathaya' are worthy of mention among the
many flamboyant 'wild men'.
The beauty of this book is it is filled with details of places and
people and historical fact, quoted by someone who has seen or read them
all. The wild is vividly covered, both the fauna and the flora so that
the reader gets so much information that is accurately presented. It is
obvious that the author is very familiar with 'roads less travelled' and
the associated folklore and has the ability to express and share his
knowledge in a manner that is very readable.
What more can you ask from a book?
In addition to the places he and his friends had explored, Ranasinghe
has a chapter 'Invitation' that gives a lot of prominence to
lesser-known places among the National Parks, Sanctuaries, waterfalls,
plains, hills and caves where he invites 'would-be-adventurers' to make
their plans to visit. He adds another important dimension by giving
explicit instructions to 'amateur travellers' on how to plan and what to
take on a trip to the wilderness, here he has keet clear footprints for
others to follow.
The book is a must. Read it and one would want to grab a back-pack
and start off to see at least some of the places Ranasinghe describes.
The newspapers are filled with advertisements to go to the Holy Land, to
Serengeti, cruise in Alaska or train ride in China. All that is fine
though purse- draining, yet a must to most. Why not try the home remedy
for the travel bug? Go get Douglas Ranasinghe's Sojourns, see the
vanishing jungles before they vanish forever, and postpone Jerusalem and
Africa to a fairer day. The Sri Lankan natural beauty is all there,
waiting for the inheritors to come and witness its pristine and perfect
splendour, just as the gods gifted. Postponements might make it a bit
too late.
At least read the book, may be you can tell your children and
grandchildren what our unexplored paradise is all about.
- Capt Elmo Jayawardena
[email protected]
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