‘The Shadow’ shows up

Reviewed by Kalakeerthi Edwin Ariyadasa

“The Shadow”, the English version of Siri Gunasinghe’s Sinhala novel “Hevanella”, appears pat at the centre of two Golden Jubilees. Siri Gunasinghe and Hemamali celebrate the fiftieth anniversary of their wedding this year.

Sri Gunasinghe

Incidentally, it is fifty years ago, that Sri Gunasinghe’s “Hevanella” appeared initially. In a way, as an avuncular gift, presented at this twin golden jubilee, publisher Vijitha Yapa has brought out “The Shadow”, in an eye-pleasing format. The English version, substantially enhances, the impact of the original work at several levels.

In her foreword, Hemamali Gunasinghe - The translator - traces the prolonged process that had to be arduously traversed, to approach the ideal, she entertained, for the perfect incarnation of this work in English. Even after “The Shadow” entered the public domain, she confesses her unconcealed regret, in her Foreword:” I traded my dream of perfecting the manuscript, for reality of having it published soon.

The year 2010 would be the golden anniversary of “Hevanella”. As the translator recounts it, her sustained translation - exercise, is, a minor odyssey - in spirit.

While grippingly and sensitively detailing the challenges she encountered in the course of her translation, Hemamali Gunasinghe, provides telling insights into the work, in her own critique of the novel. Her observation of a “Translation” as a “cross - linguistic and cross - cultural discourse”, will be of considerable practical use to those who take up this genre.

Prof. K.N..O. Dharmadasa’s assessment of “Hevanella”, placing it in the historical context of modern Sinhala literature, elevates the current work, into the upper reaches of contemporary Sinhala literature.

Adding Prof. K.N.O. Dharmadasa’s essay to “The Shadow”, as prefatory material, is an inspired stroke. In his note, Prof. K.N..O. Dharmadasa, profiles a series of views articulated by several important critics, when “Hevanella” originally appeared in 1960.

Prof. K.N.O. Dharmadasa’s introductory statements, depict the revolutionary role played by Siri Gunasinghe in the context of Sri Lankan literature, during the formative years of the Peradeniya school.

The material that precedes the text of “The Shadow”, in effect, prepares the reader for the experience, that awaits him when he begins to read the novel.

It is essential to note, with stark clarity, that the novel is set in a cultural milieu that dominated the seats of higher education in the fifties and the sixties.

Siri Gunasinghe’s protagonist, in “The Shadow”, is, to my mind, a composite character, with impressive creativity Siri Gunasinghe “invented” a character, out of a whole series of generic personalities, to monument and symbolise the mind-set of a whole generation of young people, who lost their inherited traditional moorings when they were confronted with an urban and cosmopolitan culture, they could not adequately come to terms with.

Although “Jinadasa”, is a specific individual, he is the fictional image of tens of thousands of such young bewildered refugees, washed ashore in the city, uprooted from the terra firma of familiar rural settings.

In Jinadasa’s day, the cultural, and even physical lines, that demarcated the landscape and separated the village from the city, were distinctly visible.

The sprawling urbanization, that erased the rural identity even of remote villages, was a symbol of the cultural diffusion, that set in, at the end of the 70’s. But, prior to the emergence of this phenomenon, the sensitive young people in the villages, experienced a cultural self-sufficiency. Though it only may have had dreams about distant cities, but, for the time being at least, the life in the village, seemed totally protective.

Jinadasa in his village, was a firmly established soul and was “certain of certain certainties”. The mother dominated his way of life. The truths, axioms, philosophies that were needed to buttress his “little life” in the village, were adequately provided by those rural leaders he implicitly trusted.

His psychological crisis was that he could not discover any values, that could replace those he esteemed in the village and were practically interpreted by his mother.

The norms of life, were indelibly etched deep in the recesses of his soul. He dreaded to think what disastrous outcome would befall, if he went counter to those tenets that were driven home deep into his psyche.

Siri Gunasinghe’s portrait of Jinadasa’s character, displays exceptional fictional dexterity.

Even fifty years after he constructed the personality of Jinadasa, Siri Gunasinghe’s creation has the potentiality to command absorbed attention.

Jinadasa is a phenomenon of cultural transition.

He uninhibitedly loathes the characters and the style of life, that go counter to what he upheld as the ideals, back in his home village. But, he has a grudging admiration for those who represent the iconoclasts, symbolised by worldly - wise Wijepala.

At the time, Siri Gunasinghe originally wrote this book in Sinhala, he too may have appeared an iconoclast. But, a slew of other writers, adopted the trend.

Siri Gunasinghe was a revolutionary because he articulated matters that were deemed taboo. But, in yet another sense, he was radical.

He pointedd an escape to a generation of young people, who were bewildered between two worlds. Siri Gunasinghe, titles this work as “The Shadow”.

The implication of this image of the shadow, to my mind is domination.

For so long, he has been in the big and small shadows of others. But, now he discovers, that he too can cast a massive shadow of his own.

Siri Gunasinghe’s explorations of the mind of a generation, may not have that compelling power, it would have had half-a-century ago. But, today too “The Shadow” has its place, as in our day too, the younger generation is probing to discover certain certainties that would provide a stability to their inner being.

Tales of marital misery

Reviewed by Padma Edirisinghe

Antho jata bahi jata

Jataya jatitha paja

Thang Thang Gothama puchchami

King umang vijataye jatang

Conflicts within; conflicts without — (the world) is one whole world of conflicts. The statement attributed to the Buddha is now elongated into this popular stanza. Does it need evidence? No. The evidence just glares at you from all directions of the world. If that is not enough read Turin Abeywickrema’s maiden book. It is one hot house of conflict, marital conflict to be more specific.

Right from the beginning it’s a morass or tangle of domestic issues. Really as one reads the various dilemmas the different couples in the novel are subject to one begins to wonder whether the institution of marriage is that weak in Sri Lanka. Couples separate after a few months or years of marriage leaving children helpless. Gossip gets rife and makes things more smelly. Buddhist stanzas that intersperse the narrative are one redeeming feature of the book. It transpires the wide canvas of the Dhamma that stanzas can be drawn from it to bring home a myriad truth. It shows the wide acquaintance of the author with the Buddha Dhamma, another praiseworthy factor.

Just picking up more positive factors, Turin Abeywickrema has put out this book in her retirement that others could well emulate. She has turned author publisher which may not be a practically wise step, especially as procedures as marketing become cumbersome for women in our society.

But let us tackle the book itself and its tale, or many tales. The scenes shift from one conjugal mess to another, sometimes confusing the reader.

Is it Soma and Kithsiri squabbling in their bedroom or Leelaratne and Vajira? Or some other couple? The wife is usually portrayed as the victim of the lascivious activities of the male with children following. The psychological analysis of what has led to the estrangement is inadequate and almost gets swept under the bed by details that crowd the quarrelling scenes.

The author is a female and in Eastern society this has implications. One is that female writings are usually considered autobiographical in that the female world is restricted.

There are limitations to enter into the characters of other women springing out of this factor. But over the years this line of thought has weakened.

In fact the author being a stranger to me as I read on the litany of faithless acts by husbands I could not help wondering whether she was revealing episodes from her own life. But reading the foreword I gathered that she was a female leading a happy normal married life.

Then what has caused the obsession? Perhaps the happenings in her immediate society which seems to proliferate with Gone - astray characters.

The mother—daughter characters Asokamala and Upuli present the most despicable of them, working together in the same brothel to satisfy men’s carnal desires.

But the Buddhist stanzas come in plenty like balm to the eyes and mind. They provide solace to Soma, who seems to be the main character as she clings onto the Dhamma to get away from the frustrations of her life due to an insensitive husband.

Dhammasadang naththi—Ethang pivatha bhikave - There is no healer equivalent to Dhamma. So, bhikkus, absorb it into you”. Quote Chakkung Udapadi.

Dostoyevskaya - A suicide Mecca

by Padma EDIRISINGHE

No. Dostoyevskaya is not a Russian female, nor a Russian city. It is just a station. No. I have not been there. But I read about it and after reading about it began to wonder whether the great country of Russia is promoting suicide.

“About 80 people commit suicide on the Moscow Metro every year”, it reads. Then it goes on, this new station is decorated with brooding grey and black mosaics portraying violent scenes from Dostoevsky’s famous novels”. Probably it is his hometown. The main mural is from a scene in “Crime and Punishment”, while another prominent mural shows a suicide-obsessed character in the Demons holding a pistol to his temple.

Russian psychologists are naturally worried. They see the station as a suicide Mecca, the negative energy released by the murals encouraging suicide. According to the feature article the station is in itself new. It was opened only last month. What made the Russian railway build a whole station to encourage suicide? Is it a device to arrest population increase?

A giant depressed looking figure of the famous 19th century author himself stares from the murals, as if beckoning would be suicides. Many experts have warned that if any Russian wishes to die under a train, he or she would definitely choose this station. The artist of the murals Ivan Nikolayev has been much criticised for his handiwork, and has retorted, “What did you want? Scenes of dancing?” No. He says the famous author does not have them in his books.

In fact Dostoevsky who suffered from depression and a gambling addiction had been fascinated by the existential question of life, death and religion and is famed for his characters’ tortuous battles with inner demons.

Small station Kotagala

Back from a Metro station in Moscow to Sri Lanka, I come specifically to a small station named Kotagala in the deep highlands. It is famous for its tunnel, some say the longest. I served at Kotagala for one-and-a-half years’ no, not at the station but in an educational institute battling with or stopping battles between Sinhala and Tamil teacher trainees that were flaring up on the slightest of provocations.

Humans despite all the preachings by great religious leaders seem always inclined to pick a fight. For mental relaxation or respite from the job chores, I used to visit the small town in the evenings where I spotted an unusual person loitering around the station.

On inquiry I was informed that he is an Italian whose family had come over here, years ago. The rest had gone back, except the Italian who had taken on the post of the caretaker of the tunnel. I managed to corner him with the help of the college van driver.

Well, like Dostoevsky he dealt with death. That is why the article on Dostoyevskaya immediately brought back memories of him. He chuckled as he talked on the multitude of corpses he had carried away from the tunnel. Was it too a suicide Mecca even minus macabre drawings on the tunnel walls? The Italian gave a few reasons for the deaths inside it. One was its length. The other that it served as a short cut to many foot trekkers who would have to walk circuitous miles to their abodes’ were they not to take the short cut of the track ultimately serving a short cut to death, too.

Night trains are plenty and those who walk far into the night are usually beset with some domestic or public issue making them heedless of the oncoming iron monsters rushing in emitting eerie ‘hoos’. The third was the gloomy and brooding environment created.

Most suicides were in the night and mostly by lovelorn couples. It is pitch black inside except where a few light posts are and bats like capsules of oncoming death reinforce the gloom of the scene. Winging to and fro they keep on thudding on the tunnel walls inviting would be suiciders.

The long bearded and aged Italian chuckles, “How many lads and lasses locked first in love and then in death have I carried out in my hands! Not that I enjoyed it. But what else can I do but laugh at their folly of ending their precious lives”.

The whole world

He is probably unaware of the inner demons that incite tortuous battles and are focused on in Dosteovsky’s Demons. They exist not only in Russia but all over the world including the terrain of Kotagala of our Central highlands, so beautiful as far as nature is concerned. Only the human mind has turned destructive and suicidal.And as I revive memories of that caretaker of the Kotagala tunnel, I wonder whether in his own way he too like Dostovesky was fascinated by the existentialist questions of life, death and religion as he dragged lifeless bodies out of that cavern.

Could be. In fact while elaborating on the queer movements of bats (an ubiquitous species spelling doom and dismay according to many a country belief) the caretaker made mention of the fact that just after the long man made contrivances (hideous again) especially the Raa Badullas (Night Badulla expresses) powered their way through the tunnel these black winged ones indulge in a dance of death.

As though whipped into a murderous frenzy they would flit here and there mingling with the shadows and then beat themselves against the tunnel walls and willfully succumb to instantaneous death.

Bats die in 100s

“They die there in hundreds but just keep on multiplying later. It is so strange”, he said.

“Just like humans” I ventured my own mild philosophy. In response to his quizzical look I had to elaborate on the point. Humans too are subject to all kinds of deaths.

Some die of natural causes, while yet others die of battles, of bomb attacks, of mine slides and mudslides and volcano eruptions of grisly train and boat accidents, of suicidal tendencies and what not.

But that does not prevent more and more fattening the flock everyday worldwide in thousands and thousands, even millions.

That is so, he condescends to agree stroking his beard matted with black and white and ash hued streaks. His face reflects a tortuous life spent inside a fiercely dark tunnel sharing the day and night mostly with bats and corpses.

He keeps on stroking his beard thoughtfully and maybe it is my wretched imagination that makes me spot on his fingers a horrid mixture of bat excreta and red blood gushing out of mothers’ wombs at delivery.

[Book launch]

Unpublished Letters of Ananda Maitreya Maha Nayake Thera

Samudra Wettasinghe’s “Unpublished Letters of Ananda Maitreya Maha Nayaka Thera” will be launched at the Sri Lanka Foundation Institute auditorium, Independence Square, Colombo 7 on July 22 at 3 p.m.

The launching ceremony will be presided over by Ven. Prof. Bellanwila Wimalarathana, Chancellor, Sri Jayewardenepura University. Nagaviharadhipathi Ven. Maduluwawe Sobhitha Nayake Thera and Ven. Karagoda Uyangoda Maithreemoorthy Mahanayake Thera will deliver the commemoration talks.

Uthum Thunuruvana Ape Ekama Pihitai

Damayanthi Jayakody’s Buddhist book entitled “Uthum Thunuruvana Ape Ekama Pihitai” (latest edition) will be launched at the Dayawansa Jayakody Book Exhibition Hall, Ven. S. Mahinda Mawatha, Colombo 10 on July 20 at 10 a.m.

Uthum Thunuruvana Ape Ekama Pihitai is a Dayawansa Jayakody publication.

Visirunu Malpethi

Chandrasiri Dodangoda’s “Visirunu Malpethi” (latest edition) will be launched at the Dayawansa Jayakody Book Exhibition Hall, Ven. S. Mahinda Mawatha, Colombo 10 on July 27 at 10 a.m.

The author has written several other novels such as “Sathi” Pujasanaya, Kandulu Dorakada, Sanda Kaluvarai, Lochana, Dedenek Saha Katha Dekak. Some of the novels were made into teledramas.

Visirunu Malpethi is a Dayawansa Jayakody publication.