Account of a prodigal writer

Nipuni Wimalapala

She is a versatile literary figure. Her impulse of penning down her own experience in an analytical manner had resulted in creating many literary works. Being a part of the so called 'rural society', Sheela Wikramaratne keeps on criticizing the social disparities, injustice and corruptions in her work.

Wikramaratne, a matured writer who has gone through heaps of experiences, is quite happy today for what she has given to the society. She recollected her past with a satisfied disposition in a recent discussion with the Daily News.

"I was born and brought up in a rural village area called Pituwala in Elpitiya that belonged to Galle district. I attended the village school which was not that developed.

Sheela Wikramaratne

Being a little girl, I always wanted to write down something since I had a lot of aesthetic thoughts in my mind. My childhood was totally different from modern days. Those days there was a firm attitude among people that girl children should not be well educated. Girls were supposed to excel in household work and to be domestic housewives. But my father, who was a government servant, determined I should be educated. It was a blessing for me to develop my radical thinking and pen them into either poetry of fictions," she said.

She has not limited her thoughts to herself, but she has put effort to send them to the society.

As a result she started writing to the 'Mal Kumaru', children's page of Sinhala Jathiya newspaper, in 1949. She wrote poems which possessed indirect social meanings.

Later on she started writing to the Kamala Lama Samajaya of Silumina paper and Lama Pituwa of Dinamina paper. Apart from writing she was very much into social work even at a small age. Those days she actively participated in social work in her village being a member of the Children's Society.

"My writing talent was first exposed to society by Dinamina newspaper where they carried my picture plus a description of me as a talented teen. It was really impressive for me and the whole village was overjoyed.

Turning point

Thereafter I was known to be a talented and studies oriented character and proving the fact I got through the SSC Examination in 1955 and in 1963 I entered the Peradeniya University," Wikramaratne noted.

The turning point of Sheela's life occurred once she started her academic career as an undergraduate. She saw an advertisement appeared in the paper about a novel competition done with the aid of UNESCO. She was inspired and completed her novel 'Sihinen Ge Suwanda' and sent it. Surprising her, the results indicated that her story was selected to be published.

It was like a dream which changed her life. She was recognized and respected among the university crowd and her radical thoughts made her a leading character in the university.

She was an essential member of Sinhala literary society, Cultural clubs and many other activities where she won a lot of victories.

After leaving the university, she joined Lake House as a journalist.

"The first book I launched was 'Purathana Sahithya' which was on our literary values. Through the book I explained the flow of Sri Lankan literature from Anuradhapura era to Kotte era. There was a very good feedback to the book and about 2000 copies were sold out.

It was an encouragement for me to keep on writing.

Continuity in writing

Later I launched many books where I basically talk about social issues in an indirect manner. Throughout my lifetime, I have gone through a lot of difficulties and I obviously know how hard it is to achieve what we need within the remaining social gaps.

Most of her books are on the issues faced by people in different ways and she criticizes the social set ups and the outcome of poverty.

Apart from writing, still she is actively involved in social service.

She is the Secretary of Prisoners' Welfare Society (Sirakaru Subasadaka Sangamaya) and she holds many memberships in many other social service institutions. She has done a considerable service to the war affected people even during the war times.

After completing a long term career in writing, today she is a satisfied with what she has done.

Even now she keeps on nurturing society with whatever way she could.