Literary revelation on gender equality
Book Review
Indrachaapa, the latest novel by Rasika Solangaarachchi tells the
story of the real situation of gender equality that exists in Sri Lankan
high class educated intellectual society no matter what the culture or
ethnicity of the person is. The story clearly shows how gender
discrimination exists without any problem in all social classes, all
ethnicities and in all cultures in Sri Lanka.
In this 21st century, some people tend to think that love can conquer
all hazards, especially gender-based discrimination. But this is a total
myth believed by the majority of present day young lovers in our
society. The story shows how love bows its head before gender-based
discrimination and overlooks gender equality. It shows how love conquers
all hazards and loses when it has a face to face fight with male
chauvinism and gender based discrimination fuelled by culture.
 The story sensitively describes how real love feels and how far away
it stands from physical bonds.
Unlike many other novels, Indrachaapa shows how love ends when it is
completely based on sexual attraction. It also tells readers how often
sexual attraction is mistaken as love and ends up in a real mess after
the couple gets married.
The day to day life activities, attitudes, respect for each other and
everything comes between the couple and takes away the sexual attraction
they share which was mistaken as love, understanding and respect. It
teaches a good lesson to present day lovers on sex, love, understanding
and respect. The word ‘love’ always blends and associates with the words
understanding and respect but not with the words ‘sex’ and ‘attraction’.
But still the writer has failed to explain where possessiveness fits
into. It is up to readers to decide where it fits into and how it acts
under various circumstances.
As a reader, I think that the word/feeling possessiveness fits with
both words, love and sex. But at the same time I do not believe that
true love can be sacrificed for anything other than to attain Nirvana.
The story tells the truth of human life and its biological facts. No
matter how hard we try not to make the same mistake again, it just
happens. Nobody has control over it.
The reason behind this unavoidable and unstoppable process of ‘making
the same mistake again and again’ is entirely biological. People call it
human nature. It is the natural biological attraction between men and
women which float here and there on cultural and social entities.
This is the second novel and the fifth book authored by Rasika
Solangaarachchi, a prominent Sri Lankan journalist. Earlier she authored
‘Anjanam Puranaya’ (a research publication), ‘Hinipela Negi Minissu’
(biographies of popular Sri Lankan businessmen and businesswomen), ‘Ahas
Mangallaya’(a research publication) and ‘Thotupola Herada’ (short story
book in print).
She told the Sri Lankan society how to get rich through her book
‘Hinipela Negi Minissu’.
Solangaarachchi possesses a Special Degree on Mass Communication
obtained from the University of Kelaniya.
- Nadira Gunatilleke
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