Candy HUNT

Oppa Changumi Style !

Anuradha Malalasekara

Sujatha Diyani ’s Changumi

Living thousands of miles away from Sri Lanka has not been quite stressful thanks to modern technology. Every news and event is just a click away. With constant updates you get to feel every move of Sri Lankans. Nowadays everyone seems swept away towards South Korea – please don’t get it wrong – it’s not Gangnam Style.

Many Sri Lankans, no matter what their age or background is, seem really enjoying Sujatha Diyani or more commonly known as Changumi. At the time I lived in Melbourne, I used to visit a fine Korean restaurant called Dae Jang Geum and had not had a slightest idea that I would write about it in a literary column after many years.

After many hits on the internet, I found Dae Jang Geum is none other than Sri Lankans’ much loved Changumi. Anyway Jang Geum is a woman with courage who climbs up the ladder of life amidst of many obstacles. Dae Jang Geum is a tele series produced in South Korea in 2003 depicting Jang Geum’s rollercoaster ride of life and how she manages to achieve highs of her life.

I grew up with Oshin . Every girl of my generation might have got some influence from the life of Oshin. As I heard from a reliable source, former SLRC chairman, M J Perera has chose Oshin over a religious epic to telecast in the national TV because Oshin had a bildungsroman story. Titus Thotawatte’s magnificent translation and my friend Athula Ransirilal and crew’s painstaking devotion created a history in television with Oshin.

It seems never ending as they have again hit the nerves of Sri Lankan viewers with Dae Jang Geum .

I have never being a fan of ‘Mega’ or serial teledramas. But as a strong believer of media influence, I liked Oshin because it helped viewers to uplift their hidden souls. As developing country, we need a push to get directed towards personal as well as societal development. Media can contribute to this in a really big way. When choosing Oshin over that religious epic, Perera has embraced courage over revenge. This does not imply that religious

epic is bad or should be banned. As Lord Buddha watched over before he chose queen Mahamaya as his mother, we have to look for the relevance, timeliness and influence before we present something to masses.

Oshin

What is a Bildungsroman story? Bildungsroman is a popular genre of literature that focuses on the social and psychological maturity of its protagonist.

It is popularly known today as a coming-of-age story, but the name derives from the German word bildungs which means formation and roman which means novel. A bildungsroman novel typically follows a young character from innocence to self-awareness and emotional development.

Although many of these books follow a basic template, there can be much individuation. The framework usually begins with the introduction of a smart and emotionally sensitive young person at home who then exits into the world where he or she faces conflicts and tests of character before discovering a proper place in the larger scheme of things.

Nowadays, Harry Potter is considered as a Bildungsroman and in Sri Lankan literature, Madol Duwa by Martin Wickramasinghe is my favorite Bildungsroman. In modern days the electronic media is quite close to people and therefore, coming of age stories are vital on small screen as it stays close to people’s hearts.

I was amazed to find out that how Australian serial dramas address their day today social issues. They sometimes look just like ‘awareness programs’ on certain issues. While movies and literature present a panoramic view of life, TV should bring the best for the society. In that case, hats off to Athula and crew for bringing best to the nation!