Itipahan:

Analysis of political history through personal odyssey

By Ranga CHANDRARATHNE

Novelist Sumithra Rahubadde

As a special segment of Montage, dedicated to promoting and propagating Sinhala literature among the English readership and introducing Sinhala literature to an international audience, Sunday Observer serialises the English translation of the celebrated Sinhala novel 'Itipahan' by veteran Sinhalese novelist Sumithra Rahubadde. More than ten editions of Itipahan have been published and it was also converted into a teledrama.

The English translation will be serialised in Montage from next week.

Following is the critical analysis of the novel.

Since the novel covers the political landscape of Sri Lanka from 1947, the year prior to Sri Lanka gained independence from Britain, to 1987, the year which was marred by violent uprising of radical leftist political party, the masterly narration of the story revolves around the lead character Some or Suzan Daisy, is not a mere literary exercise of the highly sensitive author.

In fact, the crux of the plot is woven around the tragic real life tale of a girl who is a victim of the circumstances; her birth takes place at the tail end of British colonialism in Sri Lanka, she grows up amidst hardships in a rural hamlet fortified by its intransigent socio-cultural norms with a highly patriarchic social order and she spends her teens and adolescent against a turbulent political atmosphere where she tries hard to reconcile with her indomitable quest for upward social mobility with a strong class consciousness against her will to liberate the men and women of the same circumstances.

Itipahan owes its imminence popularity over the years, by and largely, to its brilliant portrayal of the volcanic tremors in the Sri Lankan political landscape from a perspective of a girl who refuses to yield unto the pressures mounted upon her by the socio-cultural norms of the milieu. The village community with its archetype beliefs condemns the lone mother and the girl whilst attempting to sexually abuse and exploits them.

"Oh, I could not give the child a comfortable life" said Some's mother when Some's journalist friend broke out the tragic death of her daughter following a vehicular accident. She (mother) sheds no tears. Itipahan is based on a tragic life story of a girl who was born as an illegitimate daughter of a British Government Agent to a servant woman who worked at the formers bungalow. Although this type of illegitimate children was a common phenomenon under the shadow of colonialism, the difference in this particular case is that the Government Agent seeks permission from the British Government to legitimise the affair.

However, the British Government turns it down calling back the officer to Britain. Some's mother refuses to give her to the officer to be raised in Britain and goes along with the child back to the village to face a hard life. When the British left the shores of Sri Lanka, they bequeath a system of education which was primarily designed to perpetuate colonialism. Along with this system of education emerged a privileged class which quickly replaced British bureaucracy and English officials who stayed in Sri Lanka until 1952-1953 as if to hand over the baton to the native brown sahibs who clad tail courts and wore ties.

As the theme of the novel, author wanted to depict the political upheavals from 1947 to 1987 as the lead character of the novel is actively involved in these upheavals. In fact, she (Some) represents all these turmoil. She was born, as soon as Sri Lanka gained independence, a daughter of Sri Lankan woman from an underprivileged background and an illegitimate child of a British Government Agent. So, by birth, she marks a watershed in Sri Lankan political history.

Her British Government Agent father has to leave the island following his attempts to legalise the marriage. If the father does not want to legalise the affair, he could have stayed in Sri Lanka. Thereafter, Some's mother has to return to the village with the child. She has to face the full brunt of social stigma attached to a mother of an illegitimate child. However, Some, the child, refuses to yield unto the social stigma; from childhood Some bears identical traits. For instance, Some comes to the village as a girl who speaks fluent English which is also subjected to ridicule in the village. Subsequently her fluency in English vanishes off. Dulina (Some's mother), now, is a domestic aid in a manor-house. Dulina, somehow, schools Some knowing well that Some is a daughter of a British Government Agent and that if she had allowed him to take the custody of the child, she could have been raised in a different social condition. So Dulina tries to educate the child.

Sirinatha and his sister Sriyadari are members of the aristocratic family in the manor-house where Dulina works as a domestic aid. Sriyadari is fond of Some, however, that fondness has its own limitations. Sirinatha harbours strong attraction towards Some. Although Some's real name is Daisy Suzan, she has been given the name of Some when villagers scorned at it. Some opposes the change. Subsequently, she becomes Some. Sirinatha commences a liaison with Some. However, it is not clear whether this is a love for Sirinatha though Some is sincere about the relationship. It is a kind of platonic love. Sirinatha leaves for Colombo for employment and Some makes up her mind to follow Sirinatha knowing well that her mother Dulina is not respected in the village and she also could not command any respect from the community if she does not educate herself. By 1965, village is engulfing in a kind of a fever in the run to the election. Village Council member exploits Some's talents as she is a powerful orator. Some campaigns for a certain candidate representing a major political party. The village community severely criticises the move. In her heart, Some has the uncompromising urge to prove her metal and to be in the lime light irrespective of the nature of the opportunities she comes across.

Meanwhile, Dulina and Some face an issue as they live alone in the village.

Although villagers look down on them, they also strive to sexually abuse them. Dulina fights hard against this tendency. However, Kumatheris who is married and the brother of Dulina's ex-husband sexually abuses her by force.

Towards the end of 1965, Some enters the university having passed the competitive examination. As she wants to be in the lime light, she studies hard and always scores higher marks at tutorial classes, she joins the radical Marxist students' movement which is affiliated to a political party, in the university. Soon she becomes a prominent leader in the movement and also involved in its armed rebellion in 1970s. By the time, she firmly believes in the ideology of the movement. She sometimes utters, "I can salvage myself from this mess but what is the use of it while thousands of others trapped in this ". The 1970's rebellion which is also a turning point in the political history of Sri Lanka is also a turning point in Some's life. She is captured by the army and imprisons her along with thousands of cadres of the movement.

By 1986, when the radical movement stages its second abortive rebellion, Some has been thoroughly disenchanted with the sincerity and objectives of the movement. As the Government violently cracks down the rebellion, the members of the high command of the movement flee the country in search of greener pastures while ordinary members perish at the hand of the army. She questions this stance on the part of the leaders of the movement.

"You would flee the country. Where are we and our children to escape to? "questions Some a prominent member of the movement who flees the country.

Some then joins a women's right movement. Whilst in prison, a soldier wins her heart and marries her when she is released from the prison.

Although the soldier creates a secure environment for Some and mother, Some's strong personality clashes with that of the soldier's. As this clash of personalities becomes unbearable at an instance, Some says," Give me your uniform for a day". What Some wants in the marriage to the soldier is to infiltrate the army on behalf of the movement. To a certain extent, she has also been succeeded in the mission. However, owing to a family crisis, Some's soldier husband commits suicide by swallowing acid.

A scene from the teledrama Itipahan

Following the death of her husband, Some meets up with Sirinatha who is, by now, a well-established person in the high society. At first, Sirinatha is shocked in meeting with Some. Some takes his spectacles off questioning him whether he is shortsighted. During the ensuing conversation, Sirinatha expresses his regret over the death of Some's husband. Some replies, "Death of my husband is a burden off my soldiers". Then Sirinatha tells Some, "Do not ever utter this again". This shows Some's honesty and Sirinatha's hypocritical nature.

Thereafter, Some commences a relationship with a politically conscious journalist who is a disgruntle character heavily involved in the LSSP and the Communist party. In the latter part of her life, the only man who closely associates with Some is this journalist. While continuing with the relationship with the journalist.

A significant aspect of the novel is the narration of the political history of Sri Lanka from 1947 to 1987 as a sub-text of Some's life story. Although the entire novel is not based on a true story, the story of lead role Some is based on a true story of a girl who is illegitimate daughter of a British Government Agent and a poor servant woman from an impoverish village.

"Before I wrote the novel I intensively studied the socio-cultural background as well as men and women associated with Some. I basically got the information from her lover. However, Some's lover wanted me to write a different story.

What I did was to put myself in Some's shoes and narrated the story from Some's perspective."said the author.

The novel will be translated by Ranga Chandrarathne and edited by Indeewara Thilakarathne.