A man of many books

By Kalakeerthi Edwin Ariyadasa

"There is nothing which can better deserve your patronage, than the promotion of science and literature. Knowledge is, in every country, the surest basis of public happiness."
- George Washington

Miracles occur every day in human life. Most of these pass us by leaving us unastonished. The spoken word, we make use of in our daily transactions is very much a miracle. It may be a simple routine expression. But it ensures the continuity of life.

Profound philosophical thoughts are couched in words. The lilting, rhythmic, lyrical notions that stir within a poet's soul emergy in memorable words. Shakespeares and Kalidasas of our world, pack words with a dramatic impact, imparting a classical immortality, even to the most humble of words.

Although, we handle this potent entity called the "word" millions of times, do we even momentarily pause to consider how it has miraculously evolved over centuries, throughout succeeding eras?

The book is not another quotidian miracle. It is entrenched in society as a familiar artefact. But are we sufficiently amazed that it has traversed through human history in many guises, to come into our hands, as an easily handled hingeshaped cultural took?

The book evolved through many incarnations. The boustrophedon parchments of the ancient Greeks, the clay-tablets of Mesapotamia, the papyrus writings of the Nile Valley civilisation, the ola-leaf books of India, Sri Lanka and some Asian cultures are monuments to the steady progress of the book.

Printing

When the Chinese invented paper, printing and the movable type, the tolality of mankind received an almost divine boon that transformed the whole of human life for ever. Today, in spite of the digital revolution, the book still continues to be an intimate human companian.These prefatory observations are prompted by a Sri Lankan writer who is a social commentator, definer of business, marketing and entrepreneurial issues, biographer, fiction producer, popular psychologist, creater of children's books, travel-recorder, religious chronicler, poet and positive-thinker, all rolled into one. In other words, he is a man of many books.His 50th publication coincides with the 50th anniversary of his voyage of book publishing. Like the scoring of "run-a-ball" seasoned cricketer, he has been producing at least, a book a year.In the current landscape of book-publishing, the advanced and sophisticated systems of book production can ensure even a book-a-day, now-a-days. But with author Nimal Sedera, the quantity is achieved without even minutely compromising quality.

Professional days

From his early professional days, Nimal Sedera has been an alert young person. His state service enabled him to dedicate himself wholeheartedly to youth services. He was at the forefront of an enthusiastic group of pioneers who kindled a developmental urge in the youth of this land.

An effective tool he wielded with considerable success was his built-in power of expression, both spoken and written. He has always been skilled in persuading and swaying people through what he had to say. Nimal Sedera took to authorship as an efficiency that came to him naturally as it were.

In the field of insurance, where he made a distinct mark, there was a paucity of literature to guide recruits towards result-oriented professionalism. He produced books to fill the gap. His work in Sinhala on marketing has proved desrvedly popular.

Kinetic energy

At three-score and ten, undiminished in kinetic energy and intellectual vigour, Nimal has presented to society an eminently practical work on retirement.

Titled in Sinhala as Vishrama Suvaya, (Pleasures of retirement) this has a highly pragmatic value, both for those in active career and for those either contemplating or in retirement. For many, the idea of retirement may prove an excruciatingly troubling issue. Nimal Sedera according to his opening observations in this book had his own disturbing quota of hesitations at the on-rush of thoughts of retirement.

But, in a courageous effort, he viewed it as a challenge that should be faced head-on.

He prepared himself, imbibing the extensive literature on this human pain. The outcome is a highly readable, amazingly practical, universally valid study on the pleasures of retirement, totally contrary to the travels of retirement many people so pathetically succumb to.

The book has assiduously put together the experiences of some thoughtful retirees who had gloriously transformed their retirement into an enlivening renewal.

This work takes on the "personality" of an odyssey of discovery. The author with his spouse Swarna explored a vast variety retirement and views about the pleasures and bangs associated with that phase of life. They travelled round the world accumulating knowledge.

As a result, this book possesses a compelling readability. Its human documentations form an exceptionally valuable harvest of human expences that can be effectively adapted to any society.

The book by virtue of its individual appeal and personal relevance should be recommended as a work that everybody should charish and study.

The carefully distilled guidelines for happy retirement, cantained in the book will make this study an important contribution to enhance the social services that are targeted on this highly dignificant segment of the country's citizens.

Retirement

Any mid-career person reading this book will be awakened into an eager yearning for retirement, which at present is generally a dreaded area of life.

Nimal creates a work that will appeal to all human beings when he writes his book titled The Art of Becoming Rich (Pohosathveeme Kalawa). Though the work belongs in the "Pop-Psych" category, the work in Sinhala will prove an important eye-opener to many Sri Lankan readers who do not have access to authoritatively producted "positive-thinking" keys.

Nimal Sedera treks with his spouse Swarna by his side not merely as a curiosity-impelled tourist, but as a trained and experienced observer of the human drama that is enacted non-stop in all theatres of human existence. Over and above all that, he is the perpetual writer for whom any experience is "grist for the mill." Given his vigorous globe-trotting, he will prove to be a man of many, many books.

I will not be surprised if he starts peripatetic teaching courses to instruct people in the art of living. I say this, as I aware that he has an irrepressible urge to teach.