Black swans

By Sunil Govinnage

The clouds began to come together and formed a thick dark patch that encroached upon the deep blue layer of the sky. Acting as a shield against the afternoon sun, the clouds turned the surroundings into a much cooler place. Jayadeva saw black swans like little ferries floating in the silent waters of the Kelani River . He had seen black swans on a couple of occasions in the Swan River on a few occasion .

Why are swans black in Australia ? Is it due to a mutation in the evolutionary process?

From a lesson he learnt a long time ago, Jayadeva tried to apply Darwin 's theory of 'Natural Selection' to trace the origins of black swans.

As in Sri Lanka , white swans would have lived here a long time ago but for whatever the reasons, only the black ones have survived. They may be the result of rare black swans thousands and thousands of years ago surviving inhospitable conditions and passing that strength to their off-spring...

Until he came to Australia , Jayadeva thought that all swans were white.

That's what you see around and read in books. No one mentions black swans in Sri Lanka . Likewise, no one speaks about white swans in Perth . Even the State flag carries the image of a black swan. If they had white swans, like in Sri Lanka , then their image would be all over including the State flag. Isn't it amusing how nature produces a different result in one place and another elsewhere?

Humming a few lines from a song by Amaradewa, Jayadeva got up from the floor of the tent where he was resting. His work mate Peter Ferguson and his partner had decided to set up their camp closer to the lake. Glancing over at Peter's tent and then at his watch, Jayadeva wondered whether it was time to get the fire ready for a barbecue dinner. When Jayadeva invited Peter and his wife for dinner at a nearby Karry Valley Restaurant, he replied: "We'll have a barbecue for dinner, so you can cook us a good barbecue curry chicken!"

This is a good opportunity to prove that I can make a barbecue as well as curries...

Jayadeva had acquired cooking skills only after living in Australia for two years. As he exited the tent in the hope of inviting Peter over for a beer, his son, Asela, rushed out of nowhere, with a sad face, carrying a pocket radio.

"Dad, the Eagles have lost to Geelong! How could they? Aren't we the best? We've never lost to Geelong before! We've beaten them twice in three years! How come they won today?"

How can I teach him that winning and losing are essential parts of life? Aren't they eternal truths? Have I won everything in Australia ? Why did I come here? Didn't I come to Australia because life was becoming hectic in Sri Lanka ? Civil war...bombs...education of children...life...everything...

"What are you thinking Dad? Are you sad too that our Eagles lost?"

Jayadeva was not sure how he could teach his son the lessons of losing and winning in life.

It's a reality that affects everyone. It'll take at least twenty years or more for him to grasp such realities...

"Its okay putha, they'll win next time." Jayadeva consoled his son.

"No Dad, the Eagles haven't got enough points to get into the finals this year!"

Jayadeva told Asela a lesson from Buddhist scripts which highlights winning and losing as an integral part of life.

"Dad, there was no Aussie Rules footy during Buddha's time! It won't explain the loss of Eagles to Geelong , Dad!" Asela said angrily.

Is that story too much for a boy of nine years?

Jayadeva's wife, Malini who heard the conversation between the father and son from inside the tent called her son, "Sam, come over here. I'll tell you why the Eagles lost today." Malini explained, "I think that the Eagles either didn't practise enough, or they couldn't play well in Victoria . Perhaps some of the good players were injured."

Asela listened attentively.

Jayadeva preferred Malini's explanation. However, he was angry as he didn't like her calling their son Sam.

"Why are you calling him Sam? His name is Asela," said Jayadeva.

"Why then do your friends at work call you Jay, instead of Jayadeva? You know how Aussies do things in Australia ." She continued, "They don't say Australians but Aussies. Jayadeva becomes Jay! Fremantle is Freo. Pemberton becomes Pembi and even Christmas is shortened as Chrissie! Do you want them to shorten Asela's name into something nasty? Aussies love to abbreviate things. Haven't you noticed that great Aussie tradition? You'd better start calling him Sam before it's too late." Malini continued, "Though people can pronounce my name Malinee, I'm happy they call me Lee. Jay, don't try to live on the fence!" She changed her tone and said, "We came here to accept things as they are, and settle down. We can't be surrounded by Australian things, culture, and traditions and still live with a Sri Lankan mind like some of your friends! Aren't you happy here? Isn't Australia better than Sri Lanka ? Isn't your job far better than the one you had in Mahaweli even though you are not a director here? There are no fellows to threaten us or for that matter Tamil terrorists. No influence from MPs! We never had an outing like this in Sri Lanka . Yes it's true that we had live-in maids at home," Malini said. "Had you continued to work for Mahaweli in Kekirawa, your talents would have been wasted like a wildflower in the bush. The world doesn't get a chance to appreciate its beauty. Be thankful for the opportunities you have in Australia . This is a lucky country!"

Jayadeva sat silently looking at the deep blue sky and didn't try to respond to Malini. She left Jayadeva alone when the kids urged her to join them. They wanted to feed the swans with crumbs.

"Dad, won't you come with us? You can have a closer look at the swans," Asela said. "We don't have black swans in Sri Lanka , do we? You told me that yesterday."

"No, you'd better go. I'll catch up with Peter. It's already getting dark and it may be too late to start a fire for the barbecue."

The silence started growing once they left, and it soothed him, but he was not happy. He came out of the tent and sat outside. He could see the silent water being stirred by the pleasant passage of the swans. The water, mixed with the wind, added freshness to the warm weather. In the distance, the children were reaching out the swans. They appeared to be very happy. They had not seen black swans outside the Swan River before and were enjoying this opportunity to feed them.

Jayadeva tried to recall the poems his father used to recite from Hansa Sandesaya in which a swan carried a message to a designated place. There was a particular stanza he admired which compared the swan to the moon, implying that the swan is as pleasant as the rays emanating from the moon. His father, who was a school teacher used to recite classical poetry in the morning and in the evenings. Jayadeva tried to replay those beautiful melodies in his mind. The memories brought a feeling of nostalgia.

Were there any references to black swans in Sinhala literature?

Although the evening had brought darkness, Jayadeva still saw the edge of the lake clearly. He watched his family enjoying the scenery.

The only reason he never regretted leaving Sri Lanka was his Australian salary. Also, after a recent visit to Sri Lanka , Jayadeva had realised that he could relax and enjoy driving his new car on the roads of Western Australia more easily than in his home country.

There are no undisciplined pedestrians and cyclists... no cattle, dogs and carts on the roads here!

A sense of contentment eased his mind.

When he converted his fortnightly salary into Sri Lankan rupees, a feeling of relief settled in his heart. Even after paying their mortgage and the loan for his luxury car, it was not difficult for them to save about two hundred dollars every month. If it was not for Malini's opposition, he would send the savings to a Non-Resident Account in Sri Lanka .

Saving money in Australia meant paying penalties such as tax on the interest acquired from income the government had already taxed. Despite this, Malini preferred to save money in Australia for other reasons such as buying shares. The fact that they preferred to live in Nedlands, an upper middle class suburb, and not attending Sri Lankan events had made other Sri Lankans uneasy with Jayadeva and his family, or so he heard from his Sri Lankan friend, Abey.

Does Abey really mean what he says, or is that just mere envy? Have I become another upper class white Australian in their own eyes? If it was not for my father-in-law's money, we couldn't have bought the house in Nedlands! Abey doesn't know that. He must be thinking that I'm earning double his salary as I work in the private sector

"Why are you staring at the beer cans? "

He hadn't realised that Malini and the kids had already returned.

"Peter wanted to know why you didn't. He wanted to know whether you are okay with camping! They wanted us to join the barbecue."

Without responding to Malini he looked at the growing darkness outside the tent. The sky was transmitting the dusk. The clouds that had been forming a few hours earlier had pushed the evening twilight away. As Jayadeva looked out, he saw the lake as a dark desert he had once glimpsed from the air, some time ago.

The swans on the lake had merged with the distant horizon. The black swans soon disappeared into the darkness which grew to envelop the land.

Is it too late to start a fire for the barbecue?

He was not sure whether the darkness on the horizon was due to invading night or an overcast sky, preceding a rain. Jayadeva couldn't decide whether to take a few cans of beer or good Sri Lankan tea to make billy-tea for his Australian friends.

(October 1995; Perth, Western Australia)