Biography of a remarkable leader

The long awaited biography of President Mahinda Rajapaksa entitled “Mahinda” authored by Muthu Padmakumara which was launched, has now been published in India by Harper Vintage Publishers in India with a jubilant picture of President Mahinda Rajapaksa on the cover.

Marked for its lucid and yet extremely readable diction, the biography offers one of the enduring sagas of a remarkable leaders in Asia who among other things, credited with eradicating, perhaps, the most ruthless terrorist outfit in the world, Liberation Tigers of Tamil Eelam (LTTE) which launched an armed struggle aimed at carving out a separate State in the North and the East of Sri Lanka.

The author, Muthu Padmakumara in her easy-to read and absorbing style of writing captures, perhaps, the defining moment of the nation, the birth of President Mahinda Rajapaksa: Year 1945, Weeraketiya, Southern Province, The baby gurgles in the makeshift cot under the mango tree. With a quick glance at the boy, his mother returns to the task at hand. The long and narrow leaves of the coconut branch move swiftly in and out of twist made by hand. Once completely dried those would roof many of the homes in this distant village in the dry Southern Province.

The air is still hot and the midday sun beats steadily on the ground. Throwing the complete branch nearly six feet long on to the pile she stands up and stretches, arching her back.

The author has showed extraordinary talents in picking up some anecdotes from President Rajapaksa’s life which not only highlighted the inherent leadership qualities of the subject but also how he became an editor in the lives of many outstanding personalities today in their formative years. For instance, the case in point is how a bookbinder became a reputed publisher, partly thanks to President Rajapaksa’s counsel.

Binding two or three books a month won’t get you anywhere. There is much more that can be done, reiterated Mahinda. Godage, the young man was from the South, quite close to Palatuwa, Mahinda’s mother’s hometown. He knew that the young man had come to the big city for an apprenticeship in the book industry and that he was struggling to make ends meet by binding books. When a journalist-friend was being black-balled by criticising the publishing industry,

Mahinda spoke to Godage. Taking the proofed copy of his friend’s novel he explained the situation to him. When Godage hesitated, Mahinda said “Print this book, by printing this book, you become a publisher”. Unable to refuse a request for a person who had helped him in his book binding, Godage accepted the work. That was to be the first of many books Godage was to publish in the years to come as he built his vast publishing house.

The biography of President Rajapaksa is full of such inspiring anecdotes, diverse characters and personalities that made Mahinda Rajapaksa, the leader of the nation. The biography codifies President Rajapaksa’s life, his arduous journey from his birth in a remote Southern hamlet to becoming the leader of the nation.

R.C.