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The Malay bombshell

"Dance of life"
Author - Maleeha Rajan
Published by Godage International Publishers (Pvt.)
Price Rs. 400

Maleeha Rajan is a middle-aged saree clad female sporting the time immemorial konde. Apparently not one to waste words she said, she was Maleeha. I blinked at the unfamiliar name. Sensing my confusion she said, "Malay name, you know."

If (due to ethnic prejudices grown over the years, often very unreasonable) had I begun to associate this Malay female with a deftness with the coconut ladle now the stamp on the idea was finally set. I envisaged her labouring day in and day out preparing those delicious Malay meals for the family to devour. What attracted her to the Indian cultural centre to listen to this Indian biographer effusing fiery larvae - like oratory and male magnetism now baffled me. Maybe just trailed behind her husband.

In short her world to me was galaxies of planets away from "Swaying big backs of kitchen maids" and "Back kissing buses" that fill her maiden publication, incidentally the first to come out of Godage International. Publishers (PVT). Author of Lajja (Shame) has been disowned in her own Moslem country for being too libertine. It is to the credit of Lanka and to its own Muslim segment that no offence has been taken (so far) taking for granted (by a mother and a grandmother and also a teacher) an old man with Naaki vise (bubbling lust of the very old) who should have been really hauled before a court of law for child abuse and sex abuse.

The thing is, as her maiden work, aptly titled The Dance of Life transpires the author is so large hearted that she has no hate in her. Even the sinners (so called by those who describe themselves as the virtuous) do not earn her hatred. Maybe this is the stuff that promising writers are made of, looking at life in its true perspective, in short looking at life as the dance of life, where the poor two-footed homosapiens often happen to find themselves in peculiar circumstances and have to manage their lives somehow till the final exit. The sinning often does not come deliberately. The demarcation between black and white is sometimes so thin.

When Maleeha told me she was about to launch her first book, quite unaware that it was going to be a Malay bombshell, it was as a matter of politeness that I remarked, "Maybe your work is a window on the Malay world of Lanka, which is rather a closed book." "No" she said emphatically "it is not."

And now, wiser after having read it, certainly it is not. Actually there is no set paradigm that a particular ethnic community should write on the world aligned to it alone though of course the inside story is more familiar to them than to those of other communities. But the strange fact that emerges from this literary work is that Maleeha seems to be completely at home in what can be called the enclaved or hidden episodes of almost all the ethnic communities of Lanka.

It also reflects the phenomenon of how much a migrant community has now fitted itself into the mainstream of Lanka's population. In fact my obsession with the varied communities that have got webbed into Lankan population has made me trace in a rather broad way the formative stages of this process. And as far as my readings revealed Malay antecedents originate with the hire of Malay regiments by rival local powers in the island to fight each other. It is well known that Slave Island or Malay street of the metropolis became the nucleus of their habitation from which they percolated with the effluxion of time to other areas.

So nobody would have foreseen the emergence of remarkable personages as Maleeha who transgressing the boundaries of her own small group silently began to observe and record the varied facets and figures of her contemporary society including, little Buddhist novice-monks, Sinhala mudalalis with Naaki vise, young Tamil damsels refusing to erase the Kun kuma pottu (vermilion mark) to pass check points, Sinhala matriarchs who devoted their whole lifetime for the welfare of their children ending up at city funeral parlours after years of neglect. In fact the only stories from the Moslem world seems to be "Purajal - the outing."

And does Maleeha have a moral to convey? Doesn't seem to. No where does she pontificate. No where does she condemn the actions of males and females who pirouette in this fantastic "Dance of Life". Actually this is a truly libertine way of thinking for a woman of Muslim faith whom many associate with very conservative thinking. There is also much boldness in the imagery and phraseology used.

"What are big backs for? At my age there is no sin in a little give and take." "At 60 Selina is like the CMC garbage lorry - stinking for miles" "The traffic is terrific. Even buses seem to be kissing the backside of other buses." And here is Upul who disdains Porondam (matching of horoscopes) in looking for a bride who says "Let Mars be in any House. Let gold be in my House."

And as to the holocaust in our country, she says via the mouth of a character, "Once the demons are unleashed the gods don't take them back. And they stalk our beautiful country." The reviewer hopes the stalking will finally cease not only letting Sri Lanka the paradisal country it once was letting all its myriad characters live in peace and harmony but letting talented members of these communities exercise these talents contributing to the academic and literary enrichment of our country, transgressing all communal barriers.

Finally, Mr. Godage, that simple unassuming gentleman should be congratulated for launching such an ambitious book venture at his age. He has also exorcised the printers' devil completely from the Dance of Life, making it very fitting to trot the globe. Printing is of a very high standard, though pricing is a bit too high for local readers.

- Padma Edirisinghe

Into a world with a mission

Ajantha Geethavali
Edited by: Samantha Herath and Samudra Wettasinghe
Publishers: S. Godage & Bros.
Price: Rs. 450.

For the last 35 years Dr. Ajantha Ranasinghe has been diligently writing and composing Sinhala song lyrics for professional singers as well as amateur artistes. This has prompted a University intellectual Samantha Herath and a veteran journalist Samudra Wettasinghe to select 250 of his lilting lyrics, some popularly sung and some still remaining unpublished, and publish them in the form of a compendium of songs to enrich and embellish Sinhala Literature. In the broad spectrum of modern Sinhala music, which is still about half a century old, this publication called "Ajantha Geethavali" is indeed a landmark, a milestone in the journey of the Sinhala song.

This book is a must for students of modern Sinhala literature and a beacon light for those aspiring to write song lyrics, and helps us to understand and appreciate the difference between a poem and a song lyric. The book jacket also contains appreciation of Dr. Ranasinghe's work by literary critic Tissa Abeysekera, renowned lyricist Ratnasri Wijesinghe and university intellectual Dr. Praneeth Abeysundare.

Having written thousands of songs, the hallmark of his lyrical compositions is the symbolism and imagery he uses to put across his ideas. The editors of this compendium have thought it fit to view the work of Dr. Ranasinghe from a classical angle and in doing so they have made a deep study of the meaning behind each selected song. They view the imagery and the symbolism embedded in these songs in their totality and not in isolation. It is thus that they successfully imbibe the vision of the lyricist Dr. Ranasinghe and are able to see the subjects of the songs in their correct perspective, just as how the lyricist sees them.

Dr. Ajantha Ranasinghe belongs to a rare breed of lyricists who have been writing lyrics continuously. The task of the lyric writer is not that easy as one thinks for it needs the careful selection of a literary structure, which should be communicated with the help of a musician. He has written Sinhala lyrics for over three decades for cinema and radio. He writes for the theatre and TV drama also. His compositions have captured the hearts of the people whether intellectual or not.

His lyrics show that he has firmly rooted in the Sinhala cultural tradition. His creations have stood the test of time.

The themes covered in this anthology include love, sorrow, death, heroism, poverty, motherhood and other similar subjects. It looks as if the diction for most of his lyrics emerge through learning in two main streams, the classical and the folk. In the collection of lyrics with themes of heroism, religious feelings, Ranasinghe uses a sensitively selected word pattern via the classical diction.

On the contrary, the feelings on the subjects such as motherhood, love and poverty, he uses the diction selected from the folk communication, especially those that resemble the folk ballads. Dr. Ranasinghe shows the ability to select his themes and word patterns to suit the contemporary needs and sensibility.

In 'Ajantha Geethawalee' Samudra Wettasinghe says as follows:

..... Sometimes Ajantha is accused of catering to the lower tastes by composing lyrics for so called for commercial films and commercial vocalists. however, he has been able to retain the qualitative value of his lyrics even when they are meant for these categories.

Samantha Herath in his review on Dr. Ranasinghe's lyrics says:

.... How can you become a successful lyricist? One has to have a lot of experience in life gained personally or through others. Similarly, a lyricist should cultivate a number of interests in various branches of knowledge. Most of the lyrics of Ajantha Ranasinghe follows this concept.

The following few lyrics that we come across the 250 lyrical creations in Ajantha Geethawalee can be examples for Samantha's statement. Here the reader may see the traces of his own creative pulse and the social commitment. Here are some: "Vikasitha Pem" (Amaradeva), "Dedunnen Ena Samanalune" (Sanath & Latha), "Sirima Bomada" (Victor), "Duraswannata" (Dayarathne), "Palu Pale" (Amara), "Rathupata Mal" (Indrani), "Raththaran Pem" (Jothipala), "Bonda Meedum" (Sujatha & Abeywardana), "Rankenden" (Nanda), "Paramee Dam" (Neela), "Suwanda Deni" (Rookantha), "Mage Dinapothehi" (Chandralekha), "Rana Hansa Yuwala" (Samitha), "Madura Wasanthe" (Athula & Samitha). It is not a merely eulogy written about a sculptor but a creative spark which kindles our inner

feelings towards the cultural heritage of our own country. Through this anthology, Ranasinghe helps us to penetrate into a world, which we rarely see through our naked eye. This is a work with a mission.

Dr. Ajantha Ranasinghe has also written songs for 239 Sinhala films, some of which are film hits. Samantha Herath in his well thought out essay on the quality and high standard of lyrics of Dr. Ranasinghe says," his portraying ability is unique and his topics for songs are so variegated that he is heir to a broad historical past as well as to a present with a kaleidoscope of colourful events. He rises sky high like a sphinx among the horizons of the Sinhala song."

- W. A. Abeysinghe

Wealth of data

"The nineteenth century was an era of profound socio-economic transformation for the island of Sri Lanka" begins the book. And as you read on, you find the many reasons and a detailed description of how this transformation came through. Profound, and yet devoid of the technical jargon and flowing in a simple story-telling fashion, The Colonial Economy on Track - Roads and Railways in Sri Lanka (1800 - 1905) by Prof. Indrani Munasinghe could be said one of those books you do not want to put down, until you complete reading it.

The historian in Prof. Munasinghe could be seen in her comprehensive approach as she bridges a gap in historical studies with a hitherto neglected subject. In her remarkably researched description she not only describes the development of the road and railway network in Sri Lanka, but draws out other various related aspects, such as the motives of the British in developing the transport network, the obstacles, such as capital and labour, and the various effects of this transportation network on the then Sri Lankan society.

Prof. Munasinghe uses a methodical presentation style. The introductory chapter, outlines the objectives and the methodology of the study.

The Colonial Economy on Track - Roads and Railways in Sri Lanka (1800 - 1905) will be launched at the Sri Lanka Foundation Institute Auditorium on Thursday, August 29.

'Amuthu Ilandariya'

Veteran dramatist Sugathapala de Silva's 'Amuthu Ilandariya' the Sinhala translation of Funny Boy authored by Shyan Selvadurai will be launched on August 29 at 4.00 pm, at Colombo Public Library. The story is based on the tragedies brought on the lives of the Tamil community resulting from the 1983 ethnic pogrom.

The author who left the shores after the 83 crisis is now domiciled in Canada. This new Creation 'Amuthu Ilandariya' is evidence of Sugathapala's literary genius remaining unaffected despite being immobilised from active life.

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