A reader's response to Cicada Cry by Parvathi Solomons Arasanayagam:

Life's like a railway journey

by Ovaiza SALLY

It was with great interest that I read Parvathi Solomons Arasanayagam's 'Cicada Cry' -a collection of short stories - her fourth publication. Her parents are writers and Parvathi is continuing the tradition. I have known her mother, Jean, not only as a writer, a poet and an artist, but also as someone skilled in the art of fine hand-embroidery and needlecraft. With such a background, Parvathi's interest in literature and the arts comes as no surprise.

Just like Jean's, Parvathi's writings pulsate with creative energy, drawing inspiration from sources as varied as Buddhist and Hindu philosophy, Greek mythology and the classics.

Yet Parvathi is no imitator. Her style is her own, as she gives expression to her feelings born of experiences of university life and the world outside, both happy and not so happy.

In her first story 'Metta' she speaks of her journey to the meditation centre at Galaha 'the haven of peace and tranquillity'. Parvathi is not sure whether 'metta' 'that all forgiving love and amity' will help her to survive in the world. She has to learn more.

In many of the stories, the writer seems to be in search of inner peace, trying to reconcile the past and the present in terms of self-discovery.

The most powerful story in the book is 'Cicada Cry' where the events of the late 80s are portrayed with telling reality. Rehana, an English speaking student of the 'Kaduwa' group empathises with Rizvi and his Radical Movement, but fears to join it for many reasons. Rizvi is fiercely involved in politics and is recklessly fearless. As the leader of the University Action Committee he shakes the very foundations of the university, disrupting the entire system.

Is the cry of the cicada a cry of foreboding? Is it a cry from the heart of Rehana for the safety of Rizvi and his companions, hounded as they are by the law? Is it a plea for saner means of solving problems instead of destroying and being destroyed in the clash of ideologies? These are some questions that confront the reader.

Other 'university stories' are 'Masks' - Parvathi's reaction to the brutal ragging that goes on in universities and 'The Gulf'.

'The Gulf' is simple and well-crafted. Its focus is on the prejudices of undergraduates and the lack of communication between one faculty and another. Ranjan, a student of the Science Faculty, a high achiever in sports, feels like a fish out of water at a meeting of the 'English Dramsoc and Debating Society'. He is unable to immerse himself in the culture of the 'Kaduwa group'!

Some stories outside the world of the university are 'Nayika', 'The Tower' and 'The Diary'.

In 'Nayika' Parvathi recollects wistfully her visits to the home of George Keyt who lives with the kind and gentle Menike. After Menike there is Kusum who takes away many of Keyt's paintings to Bombay, after his death. Ironically, there is no one to claim the urn with his ashes from the undertakers, although his paintings are sold for millions of rupees. The sensitive nature of the writer is disturbed.

'The Tower' describes the nostalgic return of Druvi's mother to her childhood home in search of the past filled with poignant memories of friends and loved ones. At the end of the visit Druvi feels she can understand what her mother wishes to share with her.

Parvathi is a keen observer of nature and this is particularly evident in 'The Diary' which is a collection of notes actually taken from a diary during her last visit to Tapalwatte in Mahawa in the Vanni Hatpattu.

It is mostly descriptive of rural Sri Lanka, but with a story element which applauds selflessness, an admirable quality in human nature.

'Cicada Cry' is a book for everyone. It is an interesting record of the moods and feelings of a sensitive mind. For the undergraduate, there are insights into the life at Peradeniya in the 80s.

For the reader in general, there is a message. Life, like a railway journey has to be endured and lived in spite of hazards and uncertainties on the way.

Read the book. You will enjoy it.