Tribute to a grandfather
Vijitha Fernando
LITERATURE: In the welter of his prolific and noteworthy
writing for adults, it is sometimes easy to overlook the contribution
this renowned writer made to children's literature.
Through some of the best known prose and especially verse for
children at the time, he became an exponent of some of the most relevant
writing for children in the last century.
His focus on children's literature was on what he felt should be
child friendly in a meaningful way. At the time there was very little of
such writing to interest, entertain and enthuse children. Thus when his
early works for classroom reading such as the Siksha Margaya and
Kiyawana Nuwana were published, they became instantly popular. These
writings were relevant to each grade and are appreciated even among some
of today's children and teachers.
Cumaratunga was of the view that both verse and prose literary works
should have an element of entertainment for children. In fact this
aspect of writing became his life's work as much as writing for adults
did and he devoted a great deal of attention to this writing with the
production of his collection of verses for children Kumara Gee followed
by Hath Pana, Magul Kaama and Heen Saraya.
Amateur writers
These verses have the added attraction of being tuneful to be recited
- or chanted - aloud and appeal even to the youngest member of the
family. To the slightly older child there is the added attraction of
humour of each situation so vividly expressed in simple everyday words.
The refrain in verses such as Ha Ha Hari Hawa is captivating as you can
hear when children recite them.
Cumaratunga was alive to the need for advice to new writers on the
production of verses for children. To lend a hand to amateur writers he
published Prabandopadeshaya and subsequently on the same lines a
collection of his own verses Prabanda Sangrahaya and dedicated it to
children everywhere. Critics today say that his collection of children's
books are like lamps that lit up Sinhala literature in those early
years.
Sinhala writing
Alongside his commitment to providing children with stories and poems
to rouse their interest in Sinhala writing, he was also concerned about
writers who were half-hearted about the direction their writing should
take. He published two works Kavi Shikshawa and Virith Wakiya opening
doors to a new and more enlightened world of writing. At the same time
he directed verse writing in a new direction with his publication of
Piya Samara.
He was disconcerted and troubled by the state into which the Sinhala
language had fallen at the time and devised several ways of protecting
the language. His conviction was that protecting the language would lead
to the protection of the nation.
With this view in mind he began the publication of the newspaper Lak
Mini Pahana and later a periodical named Subasa. With the objective of
expanding and taking forwards these views, he formed the Hela Havula in
1914.
Chequered career
A thorugh knowledge of Sinhala gleaned through his early education in
several schools in the South and a chequered career as a teacher led
this renowned writer to his life's work of protecting and refining early
Sinhala works.
He realized the importance of maintaining this corpus of literature
and its worth for future generations. The 1922 publication of Nikaya
Sangrahaya was followed by over 25 refined ancient Sinhala writings and
nearly 30 reviews.
Today, on the 120th birth anniversary of this enlightened writer who
maintained through his writing the dignity of literary creativity and
his concern for the people, the country and above all, the well-being
and interest of children in the country, his grandchildren celebrate his
life and works.
They could not have made a more worthy contribution on this
significant anniversary than the republication of four of his verses for
children. Malek Malak, Ha Ha Hari Hawa, Goda Itha Loku Satha and Siriman.
The exquisite production is enhanced in no small measure by the vivid
and attractive illustrations by the internationally acclaimed children's
writer/illustrator Sybil Wettasinghe. The combination of the talents of
a writer of the last century with that of a modern day artist is an
attraction that many children will find hard to resist. |
