Multiple readings of the text

Reviewed By Prof. Saman Chandra Ranasinghe

There are a lot of women writers who enriched the Sinhalese literature. Instead of praising one writer, what we have to do is to identify their individual strengths and to do justice to them. I review Kathleen Jayewardene's Agni Chakra (Circles of Fire) as a part of such an enlightened exercise.

Among the modern Sinhalese novels which deeply analyses the male psyche, Kathleen Jayewardene's Agni Chakra (Circles of Fire) occupies a prominent place. It becomes more and more attractive for the readers as it does not present woman's mocking statements about men. She successfully achieves her objective through the character of Prof. Saddhamangala Sirinivasa.

Translator: Ranga Chandrarathne Publisher: Samaranayake Publishers

Prof. Saddhamangala is a person who tries to build up an image by deliberately forgetting the past. He does not hesitate to stoop to even lowest level to acquire material prosperity, power and fame. He married Shantha concealing his miserable past with the blanket of untruth. Kathleen graphically describes how Saddhamangala becomes helpless when that façade of untruth reveals.

"After a long time, I thought that we would be plunged into such a despicable position due to a lie that we were compelled to utter in response to a certain reaction just to salvage the self."

"I could still remember what a great effort that I made to write a good poem inspired by Colombo School of poetry. But it was not easy for me to highlight a deep idea by fusing the language and meter together. Whenever I tried to stick to the meter in a quadruplet poem written by me, often they turned out to be mere words to complement the lines. It was due to this reason, I chose free verse. "

One of the conclusions that one who studies Circles of fire could arrive at is that the author is unafraid to talk about the truth regarding many subjects. Prof. Saddhamangala wrote a foreword for a novel written by Regie Warusavithana who was a managing director of a leading financial company. Shantha who could identify the literary value of a book question why he had written a foreword for such a book. Although there is nothing wrong in writing a foreword for a book, the reasons that prompt to write such a foreword are wrongful. There is nothing wrong in writing a foreword for a book by amateurish writer, analysing the merits and the demerits of the book and encouraging the writer. But Saddhamangala writes the foreword with the intention of obtaining the sanction of the writer for his intended the housing loan. Kathleen skilfully presents this situation:

"I felt that this manuscript was a certificate confirming my housing loan, and a means to ensue the loan."

The novel can be viewed from eight prominent vantage points. It speaks about the truth, looking at the circle from the outside, generation of diverse zests for an intelligent reader, social issues are dealt with in the form of questions, describing an idea and expand it on with a convincing statement, using quotations from classical literature without disturbing either the flow or the principal objective of the text, presenting of feminine perspectives, statements that send light even outside the context of the novel.

At times, the society, we live in, can be considered as Circle of fire. When looking at the life while being in the circle of fire, one could only see fire. Therefore, what has to be done is to come out of the circle and look at it. Then one could see all that is associated with that circle. If what the writer does through 'circle' is to look at it outside, then it is an act of introspection. This is amply manifested in the last couple of lines in almost all the chapters.

"Was listening to Buddhist sermons harmful only to those who are engaged in secret mental and physical activities?"

We often lay charges at Saddhamangala becomes a victim of this circle of fire as he is not a man of wisdom but an educated man. He knows that there are two groups of people; conventional intellectuals and persons of wisdom. However, he also could not become a man of wisdom outside the framework of a conventional intellectual. What marvels about the circle of fire is this very nature that one cannot get out of it even knowing that he or she is trapped in it. The author uses this symbol of circle of fire throughout the novel. The author talks about the harsh truth which is valid for past, present and future. The author does not hesitate sarcastically to look at artists who virtually bowed down before politicians. The author achieves her objective through the character of the politician Vibhuthi Ratna.

A writer must be bold to look at the world we live in and that analysis should be done without malice. Kathleen does this with a sense of humour.

"The live panel discussion commenced a few seconds ago. The topic of the discussion was 'The Society and Shame'.

The shameful panel discussion by intellectuals about 'The Society and Shame' is hilarious. The author says that a panelist cites Mahamagala Sutta as if he has got patent for it. The discussion was boring. But the tragedy, as the author points out, is that thousands of viewers are ready to watch it. In the end, the author questions whether the eradication of shame be only an issue only in husband and wife relationships.

Circles of fire can be analysing using the rasa theory of Bharatamuni and the stance of sages like Vishvanata. Although the novel generates a host of zests, piety, humour and irony are the main zests and towards the end of the novel, readers realise the deep philosophy behind the text.

Does the erudition mean one liberally quoting from the works of great writers? One who does not possess any idea can make use of quotations and citations. Prof. Saddhamangala is such a bogus intellectual.

The author indirectly poses the question whether one who does not know about a particular subject can describe the same. How one can advice others on an experience that he or she may not known.

Saddhamangala, who dies following stabbing by a student with whose girlfriend he had a love affair, realises the true nature after death in the stage of an intermediary. Due to Saddhamangala's confession following his death, readers begin to sympathise him.

Kathleen possesses the ability to use two different zests to achieve the same end. The readers who ironically look at Saddhamangala would sympathise with his plight after death because of the author's this ability.

What is significant is that at the end the novel would enlighten the readers with a deep philosophy of life, ending the phase of ironically looking at the character or sympathising with the plight of the character. I really don't know whether this is what the Indian had mentioned as wisdom through aesthetics.

The issues raised by diverse characters in the novel are those issues we all confront in the society and not those which are born out of imagination. What the author has done is to present them before us in an artistic and creative manner. This has been a prominent feature of the novel.

"Why did you write a foreword for that book?"

The reaction to these issues raised in the novel should not be the total denial of the issues but to accept the issues and to find solutions to them.

Great Sanskrit poet Kalidasa was fond of presenting a statement of fact that the end of text. This characteristic is prominent figured in Meghaduta. At first, the author describes the nature of a raincloud. He (the author) considers the raincloud as a great man. Therefore, he tells rejection of something by a great man is greater than it being done by a coolie.

This can be seen in Kathleen Jayewardene's novel. In fiction, Kathleen has able to do what Kalidasa did in poetry, through the depiction of everyday life. Prof. Saddhamangala is chatting with his wife on the bead in the evening enjoying the breeze from the electric fan. Thunder strike and electricity goes off and the fan stops. The author describes the scene in three paragraphs.

The author tries to convey through Gimhana Asapuwa that there is everything other than arts in it. It is a huge palace.

Though an attempted has made to introduce it as a resting place, it has winter not summer or spring. Instead of inner peace which the art would create, Gimhana Asapuwa has fire. Kathleen presents a long description about it and ends with these sarcastic remarks:

One could find such remarks throughout the novel.

Kathleen was able to integrate sayings of great founders of religion, sages and poets Kelli Gibran and Albert Einstein.

One such quotation is from Ven. Mandawala Pagnavansa thera's booklet entitled 'Nobuduwo Bodun Dakithi' (Non Buddhists see the Buddha).

The readers will come across numbers of such quotations which have been well-integrated into the plot without disturbing the sequence of the text. A prominent feature of the novel is statements regarding the woman.

What is obvious from all such statements is that the author puts the woman in right place and defining her unique role in the society, calling for a change of attitude regarding the societal treatment of the woman.

All in all, the complex and insightful text yield a rich harvest of Kathleen's creativity not only enlightening the readers on contemporary socio-economic issues but also conveying a deep philosophy of life.