Buddhi's bylines

by Aditha Dissanayake

At last it is only Buddhadasa Galappatty and me. No friends, no colleagues, no interruptions just him and me and the sound of a clock ticking in the distance.

The years since I first saw him at the State Literary Festival in 1999, the years since I first read about him in Professor Sarachchandra's autobiography Pin athi sarasavi varamak denne', the years since I reviewed his book Thuru liya akuru viya, and the months since I was introduced to him at the canteen of the Elphinston Theatre by my colleague Malini Govinnage, vanish as if an invisible hand had pressed an invisible delete button. The long wait is finally over. I am alone with Buddhadasa Galappaththi.

Staring into those deep black pools glittering with warmth it is hard to imagine that they had, at one time or the other been penetrative and sharp enough to focus on cultural malaises like the craze which has now become an annual madness, blowing up novice singers on TV channels, calling it Super star Unmadaya.

Yet, seen they had, for over five years, the changes that had taken place in the theatre, the cinema, the literary arena, which have all been penned into a series of articles published weekly in the literary supplement of Lankadeepa. The end result; a book titled Sahurda Satahan.

He traces the origins of the articles featured in this collection to the day his teacher wrote two unforgetabe words on the margin of one of his essays when he was in Grade 5 at St. Servatius College Matara, Pabada age (Excellent prose).

Thrilled by this compliment he had sent the essay to Kamala lama samajaya, the children's page of Silumina, at the time. "I checked the paper every Sunday for several weeks and was disappointed when I couldn't find it on any of the pages of Silumina.

Then one Sunday, there it was, with my name in big, bold black. The joy I felt was immense. But" he continues , "I really got into the business of writing when I was at University".

Having had teachers like Professor Sunanda Mahendra and Professor Amarahewamadduma to guide him when he made it to the Vidoyodaya Pirivena, with its library, and a faculty of scholars like Dr. Tissa Kariyawasam, Professor A.V Suraweera, Prof. Nandasena Ratnapala, with whom he formed close bondages which have lasted to this day, he believes he was in a "literary" heaven.

He is grateful to Dr.Kariyawasam for introducing him to Professor Ediriwira Sarachchandra. "Prof. Ediriwira was not one of my teachers in the sense that he taught me while I was at University and so I was never a student of his, but we were very good friends.

I enjoyed spending time with Prof. Sarachchandra." He remembers having a drink with the professor on an evening when the professor himself would go to the liquor cabinet and fix a drink for his visitor.

"He would ask us what we would like to drink and if we said arrack, soda and ice, the professor himself would fix the drink for us. He was that humble". With Professor Sarachchandra's demise he feels there is a vacuum now not only in his life, but in the cultural arena as well.

"I first started to work with Prof. Sarachchandra when he began the second production of Maname in 1969. I assisted Mr. Padmakumara Ediriweera, as a make-up artiste.

Mr. Ediriwera was a busy lawyer and could not travel out of Colombo when "Maname" travelled all over the country. I had to step into his shoes whenever we went out of Colombo. After he left for Australia I became the stage manager of all of Dr. Sarachchandra's plays". A career thus begun in the Theatre has seen him working with dramatists like Sugathapala Silva, Prasanna Vitharana, Gerome de Silva, Gehan Aloysius, to name only a few.

Getting back to his new publication which will be launched on September 4, he says anyone who is interested in the theatre, cinema, and the literature of the country will find it interesting reading. Giving a glimpse of what one might find within the pages of Sahurda Satahan he quotes the titles of some of the chapters "Kividiyage Shakthiya", Puwathpath Kalawe Kantha thrimoorithiya", Aluth Sri Lankawak, aluth cinemawak ha kalawa idiriye aluth policiyak".

The minute hand of the clock reluctantly reaches twelve. Time to leave,recalling the last lines of a poem in his book Davasa Hetai "endless, gathers the news/on the pages of newspapers" (puwath path pitu thula/ekwena puwath nim natha), with the invitation to the launch of the book safely tucked into my pocket.

If the turf in Sahurda Satahan is familiar; its craft is bound to be impeccable. For here is a writer who can make the well trodden ground seem fresh again.

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Notes of a connoisseur

"Sahurda Satahan" the latest piece of creative work by Buddhadasa Galappatty will be out on September 04 at, 4 p.m. at the Sri Lanka Foundation Institute Auditorium, Independence Square, Colombo 07.

Sahurda Satahan, (Notes of a Rasika) is a collection of selected literary columns by the writer published in the Literary Supplement of Lankadeepa the Sinhala national daily, over the past five years.

The 36 essays included in the book focus on contemporary issues related to the cultural scene of the day - literature, cinema, television and other performing arts and notable personalities in literary and aesthetic fields.

Popularly known as Buddhi among artistes, literary circles and friends, Buddhadasa Galappatty is a versatile figure. He has been a poet, columnist, lyric writer, T.V. presenter, literary and cinema critic and a theatre make-up artist.

The most notable event of the launch is Buddhi's symbolic gesture of gratitude to three veteran journalists/writers; Sumana Saparamadu, Eva Ranaweera and Sriya Ratnakara.

The writer will present them the first three copies of the book at the launch. During the early years of his literary activities, the three have given their unstinted support and guidance to Buddhi.

Professor Tissa Kariyawasam, Senior Professor, Sinhala Department of Sri Jayewardenepura University will deliver the key note address titled: A Distinctive feature in the art of Media while Jayalath Manoratne, veteran artiste, will reminisce Buddhi's literary life.

Professor Sucharita Gamlath will chair the launch which will be compered by Sunday Divaina Editor, Gamini Sumanasekara.Holcim (Lanka) Ltd, together with publisher Sarasavi Bookshop Nugegoda will sponsor the event.

A lesson from Chun

by Professor Sunanda Mahendra

Folklore had always been a subject directly connected with child rearing in most cultures. This is observed as one of the ancient as well as most modern methods of helping a child to know his cultural susceptibilities, the parental links, and in general trends and the aspects of socialisation.

In 'Childhood in contemporary cultures' (1955), the two sociologists Margaret Mead and Martha Wolfenstien mould their works in a more methodical and creative manner than one could imagine.

The existence of literature, it is said, is to teach parents how to bring up their off-spring in a changing culture. In Asian cultures, where the same pattern is repeated from generation to generation, the elders are authorities in these matters. Here, the creative writers have a task to perform, that is to visualize how the traditional modes of expression came to be understood by the members of a particular society.

The main source of inspiration in this direction is the oral tradition of story telling that came to be written down later.

Nirupa Thushari de Silva's translation of the Japanese traditional folk literature "Chun Kurulla" (Sarasavi 2007) centers round a kind-hearted old man, who finds a small house-sparrow.

The bird is a tiny wounded creature molested by an eagle and the old man brings home to name it Chun out of sheer love. The old man looks after the small bird like a child in his family. But his old wife does not even like the sight of her husband loving the bird.

When the bird felt hungry one day, it ate a good part of the sweet victuals prepared by the old woman; the woman gets angry and cuts its tongue as a punishment. The bird flies away leaving the house with pain. The old man tries to find his tiny bird, when he hears the sad news. The old man's ordeal of looking for the bird turns into a series of encounters with various types of people.

This ordeal is one of the finest areas in creativity typifying the agonies one undergoes. Initially when the old man asks the whereabouts of the sparrow, the unbelievable things, quite typical of folktales, take place. A number of times, he is asked to do unbelievable things such as drinking seven buckets of water left over after bathing the animals.

However, the old man manages to find his precious 'child' in a bamboo grove hidden from humans and other creatures. The lovely creature is overjoyed by the sight of the old man and comes flying to rest on the shoulder of the old man.

The encounter turns into a sensitive event as they find themselves once again in one another's company.

The old man is ushered into the house of sparrows in the bamboo grove, and is greeted with two boxes: a small and a big box. The old man prefers the small box over the big one, as it's easier to carry.

This situation teaches the child a moral lesson to stop being greedy for big presents, which is not good manners. Inside the small box is riches like gold, silver and money; this is found in many folktales as the gift of goodness over material wealth.

What happens next is quite interesting for the elders as well as children.

When the old woman sees her man with riches, she develops a craving for all those riches. She also undergoes an ordeal reaching the destination of the bamboo grove and she is treated in the same manner by the little creature's relations. The old woman however prefers the big box over the small one however difficult it is to carry. She is shown as an impatient old woman eager to see what is inside the box.

She rests a while under a shady place and opens the box to see what is inside. To her grave dismay and bewilderment she finds all sorts of evil creatures like devils emerging out of it as in the age-old Pandora's box of the Greek legend. They all follow her and ask one question: 'would you harm the little creatures in the future?' Then she replies that she will never ever do so and she is pardoned for her misdeeds of cutting the tongue of the little sparrow.

As for the story, it is narrated in the simplest form possible enabling the parents and teachers to either narrate the story orally or allow the child to read it while the elders listen; either way is possible.

In many ways it is good to have selected the original Japanese illustrations but some readers would prefer to see a local flavour as the translation is meant for the local children. The traditional sense of loving kindness that should be inculcated towards all beings is highlighted.

This Japanese trait is observable as a common feature which goes beyond geographical and cultural barriers possessing all the salient qualities of a local folktale. In a historical perspective child training begins with a simple story telling process related to codes of conduct, self-discipline, religious susceptibilities and other factors.

And then there were rocks ....

Geological history and geological formations of Sri Lanka:

by Professor C. B. Dissanayake

This booklet on the geological history and the geological formations of Sri Lanka is a welcome addition to the spars literature on the subject, particularly in the Sinhala medium.

Even though much research has been carried out by local and foreign scientists on the various aspects of the geology of Sri Lanka, schoolchildren and interested laymen have not had the opportunity of obtaining the relevant information in a simplified and easily understood form. The author, Ariyawansa Jayaweera has, in 58 pages been able to outline the most salient features of the geological history and lithology of our country, in a most readable form.

School children will now be able to comprehend the nature of the different types of rocks, their formations and their distributions quite easily. The easy and lucid style maintained throughout the book is most commendable.

The book has been dedicated to one of Sri Lanka's best known geologists, Late Professor P. W. Vitanage. Much of the contents of the book have been carefully summarized from the invaluable work of Professor Vitanage.

The pioneering work of this great geologist has withstood the test of time and the early explanations and diagrams are reproduced with reasonable clarity. It must be said that what Professor Vitanage prophesized decades ago is now being proved and that this geological vision was indeed remarkable.

The early diagrams as presented in this book will certainly be of great use to the student.

The first few chapters deal with the original views of some of the early geologists of Sri Lanka, such as, Ananda Coomaraswamy, J. S. Coates, D. N. Wadia and L. J. D. Fernando. The arguments and counter arguments against the hypotheses are lucidly summarized.

The rather complicated subject of rock formations and their origin has been dealt with in a very simple manner. The attempt to describe the major rock types and the influence on the diversity of landscapes has been largely successful.

The central highlands of Sri Lanka, is, indeed a geological paradise and the influence of the geological formations on the different river basins and their geomorphology has been very well illustrated. Even the geological structure of Sri Lanka, an immensely complex field of study, has, following Professor Vitanage's ideas, been simplified and made quite comprehensible.

Emphasis has also been placed on the geological evolution of the country and its position in the Gondwana super continent. The age relations of the lithological formations, the theories on peneplanation, arena distribution etc have been admirably dealt with.

The author who had accompanied Professor Vitanage in his extensive field surveys across the length and breadth of the country, has educated himself very well in the subject. His ability to impart this knowledge to the Sinhala medium schoolchildren and laymen is certainly laudable and has enriched the literature.

This book serves as an example to other media personnel interested in scientific studies to take up the publication of simple books with the guidance of those well entrenched in the field. The author, Ariyawansa Jayaweera, as a journalist has indeed made a useful contribution and he deserves our praise.