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| Sunday, 5 October 2003 |
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by LAKMAL WELABADA "Once upon a time there was a little dolly in Merryland, the land of dolls. This dolly's name was Lullie. She was the princess of that land. So other dollies used to call her princess Lullie." The little girl was spouting out a fairy tale which was created beautifully out of her toys in her imaginary world.
Her little sister who was sitting next to her never felt bored or tired of listening to her elder sister's unending story-telling. With half opened mouth she listened to all that the sister had to say, little knowing that she was listening to an award winning author. Punyakante Wijenaike was the little story teller who developed her talent for reciting stories, into writing. Her excellent skill was rewarded with 'Sahithyaratna', a special award presented to her at the State Literary Festival in 2003 for overall lifetime achievement as an English writer. Writing of this versatile woman is a challenge. How to start, what to write, when and where to end, writing of her work is a 'question', as Punyakante is among the few world class writers in Sri Lanka. "I studied at Bishop's College, Colombo. I was not a shining student at school. If I concentrated well I could have come up. I always preferred to sink into my own imaginary world. Except for Sri Lankan history I had no interest in any other subject. At home I spent almost all the time either dreaming or reciting stories to my sister, the domestics and my dolls. And it was very much later; even after I got married and after becoming a mother of three daughters that I started penning my thoughts on paper," said Punyakante talking to the Sunday Observer. Her mother who believed in horoscopes was bewildered when an astrologer predicted her eldest daughter, Punyakante would be a well-known person in the country one day. "After hearing that my mother started scolding me whenever she noticed the lethargic dreamy postures of mine saying, 'My God, I can't believe that this one will shine in life one day. Must be all lies,'" said Punyakante with a smile. Punyakante recognised her 'writing power' when her short stories started appearing in the Ceylon Woman magazine and the Sunday Observer. Her family was surprised when she won the first prize in the short story competition conducted by the Sunday Observer in the early 1960s. It was the first public appearance of the work of a potentially famous author. Punyakante published her first short story book 'The Third Woman' in 1963. Though born to the Colombo elite English speaking class, her yearning towards Sri Lankan culture and history and rural village lives are well manifested in her stories. 'The Third Woman', 'The Waiting Earth' (her first novel published in 1966) spoke of village lives. 'The Waiting Earth' was accepted as a supplementary reader by the University of Scotland in 1966. In Sri Lanka it was a text for Advanced Level students. It was translated to Sinhala as 'Uhulana Derana' in 1967. "When I meet people I look beyond their face value. If I feel it's an interesting character, a series of fictitious pictures emerges in my imaginary world as if in a movie. And then I pen it down precisely, as a short story or a novel," she explained. One of her famous novels 'Giraya' which was adapted for a teledrama in Sinhala by Dr. Lester James Peries, highlighted the shaky positions of Kandyan 'Radala Walawwas', and the curse on their family lives brought about by homosexual behaviour. She talks about incest in the novel 'Amulet' which won the Gratien prize in 1994. The re-incarnation of the victimised wife in the popular Dr. Kularatne Murder case in Galle is the story on which her novel 'The Unbinding' is based. In this story, Punyakante reveals the mental conflict of the wife who gets lost between her horrifying past birth and present life. She tends to ponder about her past life through the repeated nightmares she has. They coincide with the frictions she faces in her present marriage. In this novel, sexual imbalance which causes problems in many marriages of today, is discussed openly using subtle and refined language. 'The Unbinding' won the State Literary Award for English writing in 2001. In the short stories 'The Rebel' and 'Yukthi' published in 1979 and 1991 respectively, the author talks about the periods when the JVP insurrection occurred. In 'An Enemy Within' published in 1998, was two novels in one, based on true stories of the various victims of the Central Bank bomb blast. Punyakante's writing is not restricted to adults. 'The Betel Vine' (1976), 'The Sepalika Tree' (2001) and 'Podi Nama' (the child monk - 2001) are among the children's books she has written so far. 'Podi Nama' was translated to Sinhala. Though Punyakante, the dreamy child was not among the bright lights in school, she later held many significant posts in society to her credit proving the astrologer's prediction which surprised her mother long ago. She was appointed to serve on the panels of judges for the Eurasian region of the Commonwealth Writers' prize in 1993, Michael Ondaatje's Gratien prize in 1993 and English Writing in Sri Lanka held by the Cultural Department for ten years. She also served as a member of the censor board of public performances (cinema) for a brief while. In 1996 she won the Commonwealth Short Story competition for radio along with a writer from Sierra Leone. What is next in line? "Two novels in one book, 'Missing in Action' and 'Sunset Years'," said Punyakante revealing her newest work in print. 'Sunset Years' is her own autobiography. Punyakante still likes to recite stories. All her six grandchildren love to listen to their Grandma's made-up tales. She also finds time to recite stories and play with little orphans at the 'Sneha Home', and children with mental imbalance at the 'Sahanaya' day care centre once a week. "My husband died very early. So I had to continue my lonely dreamy life throughout. But it made me a writer. When I look back I feel contented. Now, every day I spend at least three hours to write. If I can fill three complete pages daily I am happy," said the author. |
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