In-depth understanding of life

Reviewed by Prof. Kamani Jayasekera - Dept of Western Classical Culture, University of Kelaniya.

It was when grappling with the giants of classical Greece that I received ‘Thopa Waradakin Kelesin Kipemi’ of professor Palliyaguru. If I had the time at all for extra reading it was for light material to purposefully turn away from mental exercises and adventures.

A historical novel meant the author would resort to a language suitable to the context. And the author was a professor in Sinhala! Therefore it was not without a little trepidation that I began reading the book. Having to grapple with the language would indeed hinder the enjoyment.

On reading one would find that language posed no problem at all. It is heightened ,just so that it would not be out of context , but retain the historical flavour. The book itself urged me to read on. And I enjoyed so much that I did not want to finish it in a hurry. In reading it one felt one had to flavour the taste, roll it around in leisure so that you would obtain full appreciation. Hence when in a couple of days the professor asked me what I felt about the book, I had little to tell him.

History

The novel transports the reader to a period in history, where the mighty Sinhala kings ruled. Hence the majestic architecture and ruins of Sigiriya come to life in your imagination. The dusty streets, the vegetation, the rock itself are peopled for us. The place becomes alive with the living, breathing royalty and the not so royal as well.Sigiriya displays, even to the modern observer, a great appreciation for beauty.

Not only the beauty offered by nature, but also of the creative artists as well. It should be understood that in being able to appreciate, one becomes united with the genius of the artist.

The ability to appreciate means that the inner depths of the person has exposed itself to receive the immortal beauty of the creative artist.The novel examines the relationship between the artist and the onlooker.

And then comes the intimate bond between the artist and his creation. This ranges somewhere between the sensuous and the spiritual, driving the artist almost over the edge when he perfects it.And what becomes , when the creation is the imitation of an individual entity that he had fallen in love with and that he knows he can never possess?

Love

In presenting basic relationships such as love, hate and loyalty the professor reveals his secret of looking so young even after retirement! One is amazed at how he makes the reader appreciate the sentiments of love – both physical and psychological through the characters he creates.

For him love is not only a chaste maid but a full blooded Aphrodite, the goddess of love as well as lust. He does not deny or censor the privilege of being humans to the personalities in his novel. He penetrates the emotions and freely expresses the impact they have on their actions and reactions of individuals.-ie, how body chemistry could be instigated by a flicker in an eye or a quiver of a writing a historical novel means considerable background research and the ability to put oneself back in imagination to a different era . But the beauty of the outcome in this instance is that the result of the combination has hidden the extent of exertion.

The give and take of politics, the religious interventions and the cross currents of various nature and amplitude that prevailed in society all make the novel rich in information; making the reader, read more behind and beyond the lines. At times making them transcending the boundaries of time.

Dreams

The three dreams that are introduced play different parts in the story. The first two reflect the state of mind the characters are in.The psychological aspect is revealed with a combination of the marvellous and wishful thinking. Deep home truths of passion and desire. But the third is somewhat different.It reminds the reader of how historians such as Herodotus used dreams in their narratives. The purpose, not only to enrich the writing but also to provide background information and foretell the future as well. The significant fact is that these could be appreciated as mere dreams as well. Hence the different layers. They are not artificially introduced but blend smoothly with the flow of the story.

Dreams constitute a significant portion of the story .The lives of the dominant characters are dominated by dreams, some of which are attainable dreams. At one point a character is made to say:

‘Kontha knew that the hopes of Sirives were unattainable. Both Sirives and the princess were living in a dream world. You dream when you sleep. Yet the mind together with life stays awake.’(p 149)

And the atmosphere created is the best you could to dream. This, one could experience even today when visiting the land.

‘It is as if the layer of mist thinned out with sun rise. The songs of the birds invaded the silence .Air that brushed the lotus flowers abloom in the lake added a sweet scent to nature.’(p 171) No matter what you are, who you are ,you are free to dream. But what if the dreams scatter and shatter those of others? Particularly those who you helped or instigated to build? Dreams you are partly responsible for? Man is a social animal.

And it is essential that being a rational being has to bow down to the inevitable. The strength to do so one may even interpret as a defeatist attitude. But one may also understand it as that of marshalling inner strengths. In life one does not need to be a tragic hero in a conventional sense. What the author had done is to provide a very human and practical end to the novel.

One could in a sense interpret it as an in-depth understanding of life. However one does feel it would have been more beautiful if the ending was not so abrupt but elaborate. Space to sink in the evoked emotions would have been more appreciated.

May we have the fortune of reading more of his fiction. So long as the flame burns , his pen will never run dry.