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| Sunday, 05 March 2006 |
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Short stories with a Sri Lankan flavour by Ranga Chandrarathne The baby was smiling at a few crows, who tried to follow the caravan. He even smiles at the dog. ......Do not fear the bumblebee it is a friend of the baby " is how the author describes the new life to the world in the short story " The Till in the Box at the Barbershop". He does not mince words in explaining the tenderness of the baby who is friendly with everyone in the surroundings including the bumblebee. The barber is also a friend of the baby.
However, towards the latter part of the story, readers come to know that this much-celebrated baby is suffering from a rare heart ailment which could only be cured by performing a costly surgical operation and the baby's parents cannot afford to pay the sum and at the end, a "till sits on a desk with its open mouth", this is how the collection for the baby will be made. Jagath Kumarasinghe, by his maiden attempt at fiction writing in contemporary Sri Lankan English writings, has challenged the very context and orthodox structure, sometimes compromising English grammar in order to convey authentic Sri Lankan experiences. It is not a surprise that the panel of literati who selected Jagath's book for the Gratiaen Prize found it extremely difficult in devising a common criterion in selecting books for the award. The other stories such as "Notes on Talisman ", " The Rosiest and the Most Tender Chicken" and "Circus Trinco " are also evocative, compelling, and insightful and deeply reflective parables of human existence. The Kider Chetty Street as it is a groundbreaking work in contemporary Sri Lankan literature in English in terms of its unique structure and style and would, hopefully, be a unique literary work in the international literary arena. It is a book that Sri Lankan must not miss out. For it celebrates the authentic Sri Lankan, perhaps, Asian life on par with works of Indian writer R. K. Narayanan. The most striking characteristic of all these short stories is the intrinsic Sri Lankiness in terms of structure and the kind of metaphors used by the author. It is a truly Sri Lankan book with distinct Sri Lankan flavour celebrating the lives of the ordinary citizen living in harmony along an impoverished street. Throughout the loosely knit stories, which are based on multi-ethnic background "Kider Chetty Street", the characters and scenes ever pervade the fragrance of Sri Lankaness celebrating the life, universal to humanity. It is a must for every Sri Lankan to understand and appreciate the heterogeneous population and their equally divergent lives, which is part and parcel of the nation. Ruwanthie de Chickera, chairperson of the Gratiaen Prize committee, said," This is an unusual book in the context of Sri Lankan English Literature. Indeed, it attempts to redefine such literature in terms of language, imagination, style and structure. This is a collection of short stories loosely connected to the imaginary, Kider Chetty Street, with its strange goings-on and cast of remarkable characters. The book provides poignant and delightful insight into human relationship. It is a celebration of life, of humanity with a keen Sri Lankan flavour." She commenting said "the book cannot be compared with the other short-listed works this year, or even maybe any of the previous winners of this award (though the exception to this might be Tissa Abeysekara's 'bringing tony home' while all these other books mastered and perfected the already existing art, this writer has created a world made up of his own rules. The challenge to us is to stop trying to make sense of things only on our own predetermined and limited terms. But to respect this text even if we may not understand or agree with it. " Jagath Kumarasinghe is a product of Uva College, Badulla, an educational institution established in 1876 by Anglican Missionaries. Jagath has worked as a Sinhala feature writer for the Davasa Group of Newspapers and later as Sinhala copywriter for two international advertising agencies JWT and Grant Kenyon & Eckhardt, in Colombo for twenty years. He is the author of a Sinhala novel and translated books on mysticism
into Sinhala and published a novel and a collection of poetry in English. |
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