DRAMA:

Meaningful earful of political immaturity

By Dilshan Boange

A review of the Sinhala comedy play Kandoskiriyawa

On Sunday, June 14, seated in the gentle darkness at the Punchi Theatre in Borella, I caught a ‘meaningful earful’ of comedic pandemonium. The Sinhala word ‘Kandoskiriyawa’ gets defined as ‘clamorous racket that assails the ears’ and the Sinhala stage drama of the same name did justice to the definition. It also did much more.

Written by Somapala Gunadheera and directed by Namel Weeramuni, Kandoskiriyawa is a performance ripe with laughter that spirals from the uproar caused by the mismatched group of characters in an election booth in rural Sri Lanka, set in a bygone era. However, beneath the chaos and the laughter is a subtle depiction of the change of a social landscape where old hierarchies and power bases are challenged in the face of advancing social empowerment, which is shown through the token of the ‘franchise’.

Comedy is a very popular genre when it comes to theatre in Sri Lanka. And through comedy, an artful approach to narrate socio-political issues can be devised. Kandoskiriyawa is a drama that carries much meaningful depictions that offer critiques how, over several generations, society encountered transformative pathways in the face of electoral democracy.

It is not a critique of this day but a critical reflection of the times past that has preceded our present.

The story in Kandoskiriyawa is made for entertainment that touches the typical Sri Lankan pulse. But it offers serious insight about who we, as a society immature in the ways of electoral politics were, back in a time when the old colonial order had officially paved the way for democracy in our country.

The story unfolded in a minimalist stage set but with remarkable attractiveness through the power of performance. Kandoskiriyawa must be commended on that account.

The players all did a superb job. Lalith Rajapaksa, who played the role of the Returning Officer Gunapala, deserves a robust round of applause for his performance. Seneth Dikkumbura did his duty as both, a character bound to the service of his superior officer and an artiste bound to delight his audience. Daya Tennekoon’s character Uragasmanghandiye Dickman Silva, both a clownish and thuggish persona, gave a heady dose of hullabaloos.

The showy linguist committed to guard the purity of the Sinhala language and its grandeur –Panditha Kesari, was brought to life impressively by Wijeratne Warakagoda. Grace Ariyawimala as Kathirina, the partly deaf village woman added much humour. And Malini Weeramuni, playing the role of the boastful busybody Mrs. Gajanayake, unfolded with pervasive liveliness on the stage!

When looking at the characters one feels sympathy for the dutiful public servant Mr. Gunapala who is committed to do his job right believing it is in the best interest of the public.

But the critique the story subtly brings out is how bothered the segment of the public are, about their rights of the franchise and the significance of casting a vote at an election? The lackadaisical ways of the villagers of yore when it comes to getting involved with complicated matters of State and the whimsical ways in which they approach the matter, are brought out strikingly in the play.

How conscious are we in fact, even today, of the duty to be involved in matters of public interest? Rural people back then, perhaps seldom bothered to think how ‘policymaking’ by leaders and their own future could be connected. Perhaps that mindset isn’t fully transformed even now, since there are enough and more who are utterly indifferent to politics and matters of elections, conveniently shirking their duty to be proactive citizens.

For a people to ‘mature politically’ the events that led them to their present must be looked at incisively. If democracy is guarded as sacrosanct in countries like Britain, France, and the USA, it is pertinent to ask what made them treasure it so much? Their political history will show a narrative of political maturity of the people. Did Sri Lanka ever have that transformative process with the common man?

What Kandoskiriyawa depicts is how elections as an exercise of the Sate is perceived by a cross section of the people. It is also depictive of how elections and the introduction of the franchise paved the way for the old social order of rigid social hierarchism to crack. This element comes out in the exchange of heated words between the incorrigible drunkard Dickman Silva and the aristocratic Mrs. Gayanayake.

As characters they all depict certain key aspects of a bygone milieu. In this respect I would say that the character of Mrs. Gajanayake was the one with the biggest assortment of emotions and diversity.

She who represents the aristocratic old order shows the layer of society that is in a dilemma over the social transformations that are catalysed by factors like the franchise.

Characters like Gunapala represent the upward social mobility that has happened in society as a result of education and government sector employment opportunities. And the character of Dickman Silva represent the rebellious layer of society who demand dignity and will be unruly towards the aristocratic feudal lords, while respecting the educated representatives of government like Gunapala, who carry official authority of the State.

Finally, one must ask when looking at how the action unfolds on stage, how valued was electoral democracy to the masses depicted in Kandoskiriyawa? Today in our country, the simple definition for democracy’s existence is merely elections.

What it means to be a society built on principles of democracy is yet to be entrenched in our collective thinking! Therefore, what could have been expected in the sort of times that are depicted in Kandoskiriyawa? Without doubt the playwright, Somapala Gunadheera, knew with much incisive perceptiveness about society back then that the best way to give his critical artistic message was through the sweetness of comedy.

Who can resist the occasion to erupt in robust laughter? But let us not forget that we are also laughing at a facet of our own society. And be conscious that unless we take to heart to be more proactive in gaining political maturity as a people, the joke, is finally, on us!