Sunburnt Home - an Australian-Sri Lankan novel

Chapter 13: A Sinhala New Year in Australia

By Sunil GOVINNAGE

The mild April temperature in Perth helped Jayadeva's body but not his mind or soul as he was thinking of missing Sinhala Avurudu-New Year- celebration for the second consecutive year in Australia. Jayadeva still respected the customs of Sinhala New year as practised by Sinhalese for centuries. Though he knew that the Sinhala New Year traditions were based on an ancient belief system, he had no desire to analyse and reject them using a scientific discipline. Jayadeva knew as a certainty that sun never rotated around the earth. However, he respected the traditional beliefs he grew up with; that the sun would move from Meena Rashiya- the house of Pisces-to Mesha Rashiya - the house of Aries-annually.

Jayadeva's concern was not only missing the Sinhala Avurudu, but not having the opportunity to enjoy rituals and customs that he was accustomed to since his childhood. During his adult life and especially after his marriage, Jayadeva followed the Sinhala Avurudu rituals and practised them until he arrived in Perth. Jayadeva's other concern was that his children who were growing up in Perth like the blue gum trees in Kings Park would lead a life without celebrating the Sinhala New Year and the traditions and customs associated with it. He wanted his children to learn the good traditions of the Sinahala New year such as parents offering gifts to their children and they in return paying respect to elders. He was worried that both Sunitha and Asela were getting used to Santa's arrival in December with special Christmas gifts.

Jayadeva recalled how difficult it was to buy the first Christmas gifts for children last year. When Malini brought a plastic Christmas tree with a set of flickering lights he was flabbergasted.

"What's this mala kolama?" [1] he asked Malini as soon as he saw the plastic Christmas tree in their lounge room.

"Can't you see? This is a Christmas tree!" Malini said calmly without showing any emotions.

"We are not Christians or Catholics to celebrate Christmas! We are Sinhalese Buddhists and we must celebrate Sinhala New year instead," Jayadeva responded angrily.

The sky was gray and pale but there were some residual lights left behind by the sun. Looking at the dissipating horizon with salmon red colours, Jayadeva wondered whether the setting sun would lighten up the skies of Sri Lanka across the mute Sea.

The dusk had already begun to cover the world, and he sat over a nearby rock and gazed at the sea, contemplating the disaster he contributed to at home, and his failed attempt to celebrate another vanished Sinhala New Year.

The rough sea pushed broken waves towards him and he saw them as streams of tears of weeping widows who are lamenting for their sons and loved ones who have gone to salvage his country against enemies, and thought about how they may be celebrating the Sinhala New Year.

"What Sinhala New Year in Australia!" Then you must ask Prime Minister Bob Hawke to declare a public holiday in the middle of April. That would be an added bonus for our Easter Holidays for all Australians." Malini said sarcastically.

Jayadeva recalled his failed conversation and angry reaction when Malini bought and placed gifts for children and also a present for him under the Christmas tree. It was a book titled 'Australian Slangs.' The book is still somewhere in his bookshelves buried among Sinhala novels and poetry books which he read from time to time.

All that happened last year. Though he didn't endorse all these newly acquired practices, Jayadeva eventually embraced the habit of buying gifts for Christmas despite his desire to celebrate Sinhala New Year in Perth for the sake of his children. He was not very impressed with the New Year festivities organised by the Sri Lankan Cultural Forum in Perth as they focussed more on 'partying' aspects of the New Year than the cultural ethos behind the event such as teaching children to respect parents by exchanging gifts and need to respect elders.

Jayadeva came home early having taken a short leave as he was eager to call his mother and receive her blessings over the phone for the family as he had been doing since his childhood. He was also keen to find the actual astrological Sinhala Avurudu time schedule, so that he could calculate the auspicious time according to the Australian time zone and do traditional activities such as boiling milk at an auspicious time in Perth.

When Jayadeva telephoned his mother on the eve of the Sinhala Avurudu, she enquired how he and the family would celebrate the New Year festival in Australia. Jayadeva didn't bother to answer his mother's innocent question, but determined to celebrate Sinhala New year at least on his own as Malini had not shown any initiatives to celebrate the New Year since their arrival in Perth. She argued that it was no longer a significant cultural event for her and children who are now learning the Australian ways of life.

Jayadeva was determined that he would boil milk at an auspicious time based on Sinhala Avurudu and wish family good luck despite their absence.

In Sri Lanka where those who observe Avurudu according to ancient astrological signs, shut down all activities including not lightning any fire in the old style kitchens during nonagatha [2] phase of the New Year.

It was Jayadeva's day of picking up Sunitha after her music lessons at 5.00pm and Malini usually picked up Asela whenever she could after 3.30pm.

Jayadeva applied for leave to coincide with the auspicious time and the arrival of Sinhala New Year as a result of his telephone conversation with his mother. Jayadeva drove home hurriedly and on the way bought a fresh bottle of milk and a small can of Australian vegetable oil. His idea was to commence Avurudu rituals on his own shortly after the beginning of the New Year, first by boiling milk, make some kiri bath and wish everyone in the family in their absence.

His intention was to boil the milk and make some milk rice as every Sinhalese household would do on Sinhala Avurudu day in Sri Lanka. Jayadeva eagerly looked at his new watch that he received from Malini as a Christmas present last year. He adjusted the time to align with the auspicious time based on the Sri Lankan time zone and poured milk from a fresh milk carton to a sauce pan according to the Australian Western Standard time. He knew that Malini and Asela would arrive just after 4'o clock and was pleased that he could boil the milk and light the traditional lamp which had no functional value in their new Australian home. It was a mere Sri Lankan artefact among their Sri Lankan souvenirs kept to gather dust in their lounge room like a specimen of an extinct animal kept to remind a vanished species kept in a museum.

Jayadeva opened a carton of fresh milk and poured half of it to a saucepan. He then plugged in the rice-cooker anticipating that he would be able to boil milk and cook milk rice using the rice cooker.

Jayadeva eagerly awaited the milk to boil and there was a sudden knock on the front door. Jayadeva was reluctant to switch off the cooker and rushed to the main door and opened it. There was a sales person carrying a large travelling bag.

The salesmen said: "Sir, I have a great gift for your family! I sell new Australian encyclopaedias. Very useful for your lovely children to teach them good Australian ways," the salesman said with a cultivated Asian accent looking at the family portrait placed on a cabinet.

Jayadeva asked him to wait a while, closed the main door and rushed back to the kitchen.

wThe boiled milk had already spilt all over the brand new gas cooker and trickled down onto the kitchen floor making an ugly yellowish white patch on the carpet. He gazed at the disaster and thought of a plan to fix the problem like a child who broke his favourite toy but knew how to repair it without informing the parents.

He walked back to the lounge room to finish the business with salesman. The tired man said: "Sir, may I have a cool glass of water?" The man nearly begged for water looking at the comfort chairs in the front lounge.

"Is there anything burning in the house, Sir? I smelt something burning," the salesman said having gulped the last drop of water. "Yes, there was a little accident!" Jayadeva said with a sad tone and politely refused the salesman's offer but asked for his business card to contact him on a future day.

Jayadeva did not hear the arrival of Malini and Asela when he was cleaning the kitchen carpet having cleaned the spilt milk on their new gas cooker.

"What happened?" Asked Malini like a judge of a judicial court who was unaware of the facts of a disaster.

"I was trying to boil some milk, a sales person came and I forgot to switch off the gas burner," Jayadeva responded innocently.

"Why didn't you boil the milk in the micro wave oven? You'd better clean the carpets!" Malini gave an order.

"I'll call a carpet cleaner from work tomorrow," Jayadeva said without giving any clues about his failed attempt to celebrate Sinhala New Year in Australia.

"I will go and pick up Sunitha from the school," Jayadeva said, changing the topic of their conversation.

"Isn't it too early to pick her up? Why not you make some tea? She said from the living room.

"No, I can't! I have to collect some books from Claremont library on my way," Jayadeva said as he was feeling guilty of what happened and above all spoiling the new kitchen carpet.

Asela was watching an Australian television program without knowing any news of Sinhala New Year celebration in his native country. Jayadeva virtually ran to his car and sought freedom like a bird escaping from a bush fire area.

As there was more than an hour to pick up Sunitha, Jayadeva drove to Leighton beach then and walked over to the sea shore through sand dunes.

The sky was grey and pale but there were some residual lights left behind by sun. Looking at the dissipating horizon with salmon red colours, Jayadeva wondered whether the setting sun would lighten up the skies of Sri Lanka across the Mute Sea.

The dusk had already begun to cover the world, and Jayadeva thought that it is still too early to pick up Sunitha from school. He sat over a nearby rock and gazed at the sea, contemplating the disaster he contributed to at home, and his failed attempt to celebrate another vanished Sinhala New Year.

Apart from two lonely swimmers, there were no others on the beach as beach walkers presumably had gone home to attend their evening businesses.

The rough sea pushed broken waves towards him and he saw them as streams of tears of weeping widows who are lamenting for their sons and loved ones who have gone to salvage his country against enemies, and thought about how they may be celebrating the Sinhala New Year.

Footnotes

[1] Mala kolama - A Sinhala slang that may be translated as 'an absurd thing' or 'a very stupid act.'

[2] Nonagatha - A Sinhala term used to describe, the transitional period in the planetary movement before the arrival of (Sinhala) New Year, according to the ancient belief system. This period is considered inauspicious to start any worldly activity. Therefore, this time is set for religious observances and/or in-door games.

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Disclaimer: This is a work of fiction. Names, places, characters and incidents either are products of the author's imagination or are used fictitiously.