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| Sunday, 23 February 2003 |
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Features |  |
| News Business Features Editorial
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A fresh approach to a hackneyed theme My Mind is made up Reviewed by Carol Aloysius Not everyone can write a love story that rises beyond the trite, the sentimental and the stereo-typed. Aditha Dissanayake manages to strike the right balance and give a fresh approach to this much hackneyed theme in her collection of short stories that mark her initial debut as an author in her own right. Whether it is love between friends or the first stirings of romance between a young couple, love undoubtedly is the single unifying theme that binds together the short stories in this random collection of short stories, collectively titled "My Mind is made up I'm afraid its you!" From the opening story 'Avisha and Kanishka' to the final tale 'Earthbound Romance', the young author explores different facets of Love with a maturity beyond her years. It is not surprising then that the author should dedicate her book to, " Everyone who has known love, who is in love or who is about to fall in love". Using flashbacks, monologues and dialogues , the stories stand out for their simple directness. Her uncomplicated simple style is in keeping with the writer's own argument that ," Love is not something complicated, as poets and philosophers would have believed. True love is something simple, so simple you hardly know it is there ". Among some of the more memorable pieces in this book are ' Avisha and Kanishka' where the reader is made aware of the first faint stirings of love between two young persons through their separate monologues. By skilfully using this technique she lets her readers 'read' the minds of two young persons who although attracted to one another have not spoken to each other. In 'Check Mate' we see how an ordinary friendship between Niloo and Kumi develops into something deeper over a telephone line which is kept busy as the two young people gradually realise that they share something more than just friendship. 'Not Love but something else' discusses and explores a different kind of love - of close intimate friendship between two people of the opposite sex which only just falls short of romantic love. What Marshi and Dinki share, the former realises, " was not love , but something else. It could be anyone of the following, Companionship? Peace? Harmony? Whatever it was obvious that Marshi was quite content with the sort of friendship she now enjoyed with Dinki. An interesting deviation from the usual love story is 'Heathcliff's story' which has obviously drawn its inspiration from Emily Bronte's classic 'Wuthuring Heights'. While the love theme acts as the central unifying thread in this collection of short stories, the author also weaves in other core issues in today's society that give a broader dimension to her central theme. Burning issues connected with love and marriage are thrashed out by the protagonists themselves. 'Savithri' for example revolves around the theme of arranged marriages , while 'He knows her, he knows her not' goes a step further to show that such marriages even between two children can still work. 'Petals on a wet black bough' is about ignorance of the facts of life that cause unnecessary fears in a young girl. These sub themes add depth and enrich the content of the stories presented in this collection. With its enigmatic cover page illustration and provocative title, Aditha's maiden effort at novel writing is a promising start. Easy to read and easy on the purse, the book is ideal for all lovers
young and old alike considering that Valentine's Day has only just passed
us by..... couple, Love undoubtedly is the single unifying theme that
binds together the short stories in this random collection of short
stories. Benazir Bhutto Benazir Bhutto Printed by Sikuru Publishers Polgasovita The auto biography of Benazir Bhutto, with true experiences which she had to face during her father's detention and her and her mothers detention is a translation of 'Daughter of the East.' Benazir Bhutto the first woman Prime Minister in Pakistan, has achieved a status of a royal princess who spent nearly five years in detention. Benazir Bhutto's life has already been full of drama. Her own story presented in Benazir Bhutto is an interesting book
written in simple language is an inspiring one. Welcome addition to economic history "Sri Lanka Arthika Vikashanaya" Reviewed by R. S. Karunaratne The tendency of professional economists and historians - as of scientists in other fields - is to specialise in particular aspects of their subjects. Some of them write text books which can be used at schools and universities. However, Prasad Milinda Siriwardane's "Sri Lanka Arthika Vikashanaya" appears to be a research study of the island's economic history from 543 BC - AD 1832. Although there are many research studies on Sri Lanka's economic history, almost all of them have been published in English. Therefore, Mr. Siriwardane's book fills a vacuum in this field of studies. It cannot be forgotten that economics is a social science dealing with a particular aspect of human existence. Similarly, history deals with another aspect of our life. The present volume attempts to trace the economic development of Sri Lanka in relation to history. That itself is a daunting task because to write such a book one has to be conversant with economics and history as well. Flipping through the pages of this volume profusely illustrated with relevant pictures, I found it to be a commendable task by a young author. Any book on economic history of a country has to deal with a host of other subjects, such as, productive resources, land, labour, population problems, scale of production, location of industries, markets, the national income, expansion of the economic activity of the state and fluctuations in employment. The book under review opens with a classification of Sri Lanka's rural economy which had self-sufficiency as its base. People cultivated their lands and gave a portion to the king. There were certain industries and the technology that was not much developed. There is evidence that Sri Lanka had trade ties with foreign countries even at early stages. The author has mentioned some of the details to prove his point. Stone inscriptions also depict economic expansion in different ages of the country's history. Having dealt with various periods in history dominated by kings, the author describes how the economic scene changed during foreign invasions. For instance, when the Portuguese ruled certain parts of the island, there were visible changes in the economic sphere. Although the Portuguese initially had no intention to invade the island, internal dissension enabled them to have control over the Kingdom of Kotte. During the 450 years of foreign domination the country's economy underwent drastic changes. Although Sri Lanka regained political independence on February 4, 1948, economic independence remains to be won. Unfortunately the hangover from colonial rule continues to this day. Books of this nature remind us what we were in the past and what we are today. I presume "Sri Lanka Arthika Vikashanaya" will be a welcome addition to the literature on the country's economic history. |
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