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| Sunday, 13 July 2003 |
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"This book is an unaffected expression of the fears, the fantasies, the humour and social sensitivities of Sri Lankan children. It is written, edited and illustrated by children, none of whom are above the age of fifteen years. It is a reflection of the kind of literature they read, the kind of media they are exposed to and the beliefs and attitudes they have developed with the world around them..." -Neil Fernandopulle. "Space to Ghosts War to Triumph Sad to Absurd Despair to Hope ...Whatever!". reads out the back cover of "Whatever" the newly launched book by the British Council. This is a one of a kind, no ordinary book to enter Sri Lanka's bookshelves and differs from the sea of others, as it is written, edited and illustrated by children. Yes, in it, is seen the various work of children aged five to fifteen. The topics and themes range from the absurd, magical, humorous to reality. And each poem, short story and essay has a unique distinction of its own. A voice which speaks his/her own thoughts, dreams and experiences. Speaking to three of the eight editors (who are between the ages of 12-15), Adila Ismail, Praveen Samarasinhe and Saveeta De Alwis, together with 13 year old Ruvini Silva the main illustrator of the book, and Michelle Mendis-Administrative officer of the Young Learners Centre, I get some background info as to what went behind "Whatever". It turns out, that it all began with a writers club begun by the British Council to develop creative writing in children. Over a hundred children were given the chance to discover and improve their talents through monthly workshops, conducted throughout out the whole of last year under the guidance of Neil Fernandopulle, author of the book "Shrapnel", which won the Gratiaen Award. "Working with Neil was fun" says Saveeta. "Yes" agrees Adilah "He was our mentor and inspiration". The outcome of these workshops was over five hundred kids submitting entries for the publication of a book, the British Council hoped to publish at the end of the workshops. Poems, short stories, long stories, essays and even pictorial cartoons by the younger ones were sent, to be scrutinised by the learned, intellectual panel of judges, consisting of Sybil Wettasinghe, Neil Fernandopulle, Odil Melder and Kamini de Soysa. One hundred and fifty eight articles being chosen, the next step was to recruit the editors. Says Praveen "They asked the older lot, who'd like to be editors. We guys volunteered. Some dropped out, but we stayed on, and here we are". A whole new experience in writing, rewriting, checking, editing, getting the illustrations done, was followed. "It was a lot of hard work, with a lot of fun" says Saveeta. The hardest part of the whole process, was choosing a suitable title for the collection of works, which had a variety of subjects and themes. In the end this young crew of editors came up with something which covered just about everything and more in it. "Whatever". (an exclamation if I might say is much in use in teenage vocabulary, in everyday life, in our modern world) The cover illustration of the book echoes just that, consisting of a series of pictures ranging from a dracula, a burglar, a singing woman, children trying to get away from all the singing, a teddy bear, a painter and a large yellow banner spelling out the words W-H-A-T-E-V-E-R in red. says Ruvini, its creator "These pictures just came out of my head. They are not exactly what you find in the stories, but do show the imagination and variety of them all". Everything being done, checked and redone, the big day of the launch arrived on March 22nd 2003. "Sybil Wettasinghe was the chief guest" says Adilah. "It as a great day and our book was a big success" says Praveen. "yes, even bigger than Harry Potter" laughs Saveeta. Certificates were given to all those whose articles had been published and the writers of the better ones made to read out their works aloud. Galloping through the book myself what struck me most was the simplicity and forthrightness of the language to the remarkable depths delved into the imagination. Many of the articles, especially poems speak directly to the reader, in a conversational style. One writer struggling to write a poem, which she calls in the end "No Ideas" says "I'm really stuck, won't someone help me". Another in a short story observes the minute details of the habits of those around her during a boring class "My best friend was yawning so hard you could see what she had had for breakfast"-(The Portrait) Most of the writings are fictional, many dealing with space, ghosts, witches, etc. A hint of magic here and there. (No doubt the H.P Mania lurked behind this). Dogs, ducks, elephants and horses meanwhile were popular subjects among the younger lot (those of five-eight years). An interesting subject which stood out in that grade was that of a six year old's "My milk teeth", asking where they have gone. In the other categories I loved "Neighbour Talk", "The Song" and "As he closed the door...". While "Neighbour Talks" gives a witty account of the narrator's somewhat eccentric neighbourhood, of Mrs.Bins, The Learns and the Thugsons, "The Song" is a lyrical, musical story on Music, and "As he closed the door..." deals with the building and breaking of a friendship with tragic consequences. Whatever the article, poem, short story, essay, whatever the age, "Whatever" speaks with the voices of children, and has captured forever, their thoughts, wonders, feelings, dreams, and imagination. by Farah Macan Markar |
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