Role of creative writer in development

Text of the Deshamanya Dr P R Anthonis Memorial Oration 2012 delivered by Prof Kusuma Karunaratne, Professor Emeritus, University of Colombo, on June 16, 2012 organized by the JICA Alumni Association of Sri Lanka

I, indeed thank the organizes for giving me this opportunity, which I consider a very pleasant one. As most of us are well aware, Deshamanya Doctor P. R. Anthonis was a colossus in the medical profession, a surgeon par excellence who had performed a hundred thousand operations during his medical career.

Born the second in a family of 16, on January 11, 1911, Dr Anthonis had risen from modest beginnings and reached the pinnacle of his profession by his superior intelligence and relentless effort.

He was taught his first Sinhala letters by Ven Vajiragnana of Dharmashalawa at Welipara, a narrow sandy path (presently the Vajiraramaya on Vajira Road).

His regular schooling commenced at the Milagiriya Sinhala School at Bambalapitiya when he was about seven years old.

Dr Anthonis had once said “my brother, sister and I walked barefoot to school. I wore a white sarong. Grandmother gave us five cents each everyday with which I bought a seeni sambol roll (three cents) an ice cream (one cent) and gram or veralu achcharu (one cent)” the younger generation today I am sure will be truly amazed at these prices.

This goes to show how he started life despite the common belief we have that great men of the calibre of Dr Anthonis have been born with silver spoons in their mouths.

Private library

One more anecdote I wish to record here is when young Anthonis was taken to St. Peter's College, Bambalapitiya, Father Rector refused to admit him as the school was an English school. His father pleaded with the Rector and he was admitted conditionally that if he does not learn English within three months he would have to leave. At that time he was 10-years-old.

By the time he was 17-years-old he was getting practically all the school prizes and Father Rector had advised young Anthoni's father to get him a pair of long trousers and a rickshaw to carry the books that the young boy won as prizes. Receiving many books as prizes in school may have laid the foundation for his desire to collect more and more books which resulted in his huge collection of valuable and rare books he had in his private library, finally donated to many libraries in the country. Not only young P. R. Anthonis showed his brilliance in school receiving many prizes, his achievements went further making him the best and the first in all examinations at the Medical College from 1930-1936.

These are stories, that I have read but the first time I heard of Dr P. R. Anthonis was in 1959 when the newspapers carried news of how Dr Anthonis performed the operation on S W R D Bandaranaike, the then Prime Minister when he was shot by an assassin.

In 1981, I had the chance of meeting Dr Anthonis when he became the Chancellor of our University, the University of Colombo. I felt that he was a very inspiring and a pleasing personality. In 1996, I had the good fortune of personally knowing Dr P R Anthonis when we served together as members of the selection committee for the award of Bunka Awards (Japanese Cultural Awards) given by the Sri Lanka - Japan Friendship Cultural Fund in association with the Embassy of Japan. It is then that I came to know of his warmth of friendship and gentlemanly manners and I had the rare privilege of working with him in this committee and attending all the meetings and parties organized by the Embassy of Japan almost till his demise. At the later stage, he was seen often at parties, seated on a special chair provided for him, surrounded by many friends and important personalities, chatting away with the usual friendly and cheerful smile on his face.

Buddhist cultural values

Despite the growing years, his power of observation was indeed remarkable. He once told me that he had observed that I had worn a particular saree on two occasions at parties. Once when I asked him again at a party how he was feeling, he said he was quite alright except that he wished that someone gives him a pair of legs, as his legs are not steady enough. His humour too was at the highest level despite his discomfort.

With this brief memory of Deshamanya Dr P R Anthonis, I wish to commence my address. I have selected the title of 'Role of the creative writer in the development of social values.' I believe this is topical in view of the fast changing attitudes we observe in our society.

On this important occasion, it is not my intention to deliver an elaborate lecture on literature. Instead, I intend to focus on a few pertinent ideas on the art of literature in general and how effective a creative writer is, in advancing the social values of our society.

In our country, with an inheritance of traditional Buddhist cultural values over millennia, human relations are certainly expected to be in accordance with the teachings of the Buddha.

This being so, our environment has to be conducive to strengthening of human relations within the family, outside in the overall society, among races and among religions.

However, it is unfortunate that we are faced with unprecedented violence and strife. Such things seem to be the order of the day. Quite a number of young people in our society are veering towards decadence perhaps due to lack of proper guidance and advice, knowledge and understanding of our social values. We normally place the main responsibility on the parents, teachers and elders in guiding the younger generation.

In addition, the creative writer, in my opinion can and must play an important role to influence society towards righteousness.

Early literary writers

Our early Sri Lankan society, especially Sinhala society was guided by the Buddhist Dhamma, a teaching not just confined to personal salvation alone but designed for the welfare of the society, infact for the well-being of all human beings irrespective of differences.

Early writers of Sinhala literature were well aware of their role as literary writers. Venerable Dharmasena who wrote ‘Saddharmarathnavaliya’, one of the outstanding literary works during the Dambadeniya period had stated that his writing is for the benefit of fair persons who are desirous of performing wholesome deeds, amenable to good advice, living in accordance with the teachings of the Dhamma and seeking ultimate supreme bliss of Nirvana, though they may not be of the highest intellect.

He expected the reader to lead a wholesome life conforming to well accepted social values in accordance with Buddhist ethics. The early writers, mostly Buddhist monks, with their interest in didactic literary writing were the guiding lights to the lay society.

The social values established and accepted in the early society, based on Buddhist Dhamma did not concentrate only on the life hereafter. The early society was well aware that leading a good life according to moral values could result in strong human relations within the family and in society. Thus it was considered the prime duty of the literary writer to guide people to lead good lives and to live in harmony as members of society.

We as a nation, have a long recorded history and we have inherited a literature most dignified and distinguished. Similar to other literatures with such long history, our literature too, has had its ups and downs during varied times but has progressed continuously to the present times. In its evolution, the focus of our literature has widened and has encompassed multifarious aspects and facets.

According to Professor Ediriweera Sarachchandra there are three main components of literature.

Thy are; creativity, appreciation and criticism.

Accordingly, creating a literary work is for aesthetic appreciation and enjoyment of the reader.

“A delightful statement is poetry or a work of literature.” According to this statement by Vishvanatha, the aesthetics of literature is its essence. The implication here is that the writer's task is to ensure a pleasurable sensation in the mind of the reader.

To be continued