Book review: Compendium of songs on Jataka stories
Title: Jathaka Geetha
Sangrahaya
Author: D V J Harischandra
Publisher: Vijitha Yapa Publications
Dr. D.V.J. Harischandra needs no introduction to Sri Lankans. He is a
well acclaimed psychiatrist by profession for well-nigh five decades who
has rendered yeoman services to the nation.
His first book entitled “Psychology Aspects of the Buddhist Jathaka
Stories” published 2000 was an analytical study which penetrated into
the inner aspects of the Buddhist Jathatha Stories – which is almost
synonymous with the Sri Lankan Buddhists – hitherto no one has delved
into. His book was well accepted by a wide array of readership. This
book won the then State Literary Award.
 “No one has delved with such a consummate insight on the workings of
the human mind” wrote Julius Ketzer the translator of the Russian novel
Fyodor Dostoyeveky’s Crime and Punishement, Raduga edition, on the said
novelist. Harischandra with his rare uncanny, whirlwind romance in
psychiatry and classical Hindi music has left an indelible imprint by
releasing an audio CD which contains twenty songs “…….. with such a
consummate insight on the workings of the human mind”. For all these
songs lyrics has been written by him culled from the Jathaka Stories for
twenty Hindi enchanting tunes of well-known Hindi musicians. Eleven of
them belong to celebrated Noushad Ali’s immortal hits. The audio CD is
accompanied by a book which spans into 122 pages in which each Jathaka
story is provided with a captivating colour painting portraying the
Jathaka story drawn by Nimal Dharmasiri the teacher of Art’s of the
Mahanama College.
The cover of the audio CD and the book is adorned with a magnificent
scene from the Ummagga Jathakaya is an excellent work executed by an
artist who deserves more recognition and even hails from Ambalangoda,
Nishan Jayalath Wijerathna more known for his pandal drawings for
Buddhist This audio CD accompanied by a book is the first to a series of
such audio CD’s and accompanied books that would be released in the
future. Releasing of the audio CD accompanied by a book of lyrics on the
Jathaka stories is the novel concept or theme to the Sri Lankan
Buddhists. Songs based on Jathaka stories were known to Sri Lankan
Buddhists mostly through Vesak and Poson pandals. This audio CD and the
book of lyrics entitled “Jathaka Geetha Sangrahaya” will undoubtedly be
sense of solace to the people of all walks of life in our country.
The most remarkable feature of this audio CD is that a host of
amateur artists who are non professional singers have come into
limelight by this remarkable CD. The only shortcoming that I see which
should be corrected at least in a future edition of the book is some of
the psychiatric Sinhalese glossary terms used in the author’s preface
without the Sinhalese meaning or the English term being used at least in
brackets. Some words of the preface would not reach the layman who is
clueless to this medical jargon or terminology. It was Alexander Pope
who wrote: “One science shall one genius fit so vast is art and so
narrow is human wit”. Harischandra is an exception to these words of
Pope. Dr. Harischandra introduces a splendid audio CD accompanied with a
book entitled the “Jathaka Geetha Sangrahaya” – a compendium of songs on
Buddhist Jathaka stories, is indeed a panacea for all illnesses,
physical and mental alike. It is a prescription sine qua non for mens
sana in corpore sano – healthy mind in healthy body. All Sri Lankan
Buddhists would treasure in possessing and listening to Harischandra’s
mellifluous words on the Jathaka stories that has regaled them from
their childhood with an irresistible sense of nostalgia.
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