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| Sunday, 9 November 2003 |
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Malay heritage is still alive Portrait of a Sri Lankan Malay Reviewed by Asiff Hussein This autobiographical work entitled Portrait of a Sri Lankan Malay with the sub-title Warisan Melayu Masih Hidup Di Sri Lanka (Malay Heritage is still alive in Sri Lanka) is a noteworthy contribution to the study of local Malay culture. Although it is an autobiographical sketch revolving round the life and times of its author B.D.K.Saldin, a prominent campaigner of Malay language and culture, it nevertheless provides us with some interesting insights into the social and cultural life of the Malays as they lived then. Especially interesting are the numerous anecdotes one regularly comes across in this colourful narrative. For instance, the story of an aunt of Saldin's named Nona Rapee Devi who could well be described as a linguistic pioneer, having adopted the ingenious method of employing Roman characters to write letters in Malay to her brother in Kandy. Hitherto all Malay writing in Sri Lanka had been in the Gundul script derived from Arabic and here was a Malay girl using the Roman script in far off Ceylon when Indonesia was just experimenting with the Romanisation of her script. The description of the main landmarks in the life of the Malay such as births, weddings and funerals also make interesting reading, especially since some of the customs associated with these events have fallen into disuse today. The author for instance tells us that at his naming ceremony held forty days after birth, he was named Tuan Singasiri but that his name was subsequently registered as Baba Deen Kitchil Saldin. This he attributes to the fact that the olden day Malays were a highly superstitious lot who believed that individuals could be harmed by witch doctors, hence the need to keep the name given at the naming ceremony a secret. Then follows an account of circumcision and coming of age ceremonies. We are told that in the olden days, the boy to be circumcised would be dressed as a penganten or bridegroom complete with a songko or Traditional Malay headgear while his palms would be smeared with henna. The rabana would be played by the women with as much noise as possible to drown any cries the boy may make during the operation. The attaining of age ceremonies bore a close resemblance to Sinhalese customs. For instance, the girl who had reached puberty would be confined to a room for seven days and on the seventh day she would be bathed and made to look upon a number of sweetmeats laid on the table such as milkrice (pachol), oil cakes (chuchur) and plantains (pisang). The account of a traditional Malay wedding is also interesting in that it shows the influence of Moorish customs such as the alati ceremony and the tying of the tali. A notable exception is the custom of barsalaming where the bride would greet the groom by genuflecting and holding his hands. It is said that in the olden days, the bride would descend from the throne and touch the groom's feet with her forehead as a mark of submission, a practice that has since died out due to the Islamic resurgence since according to Islam an act of obeisance such as this is considered blasphemous, worship being due to God and to God alone. Malay funeral rituals are also said to differ little from that of their Moorish co-religionists. A notable exception is the serving of a dish known as umping, a sweetmeat made of rice flakes and dates. Saldin himself has been unable to trace the origin of the custom, though he says that it is unlikely that it originated in Arabia as the Arabs do not grow rice. Malay dress and cuisine are also dealt with at some length by the author. He notes that ethnic consciousness among the Malays has brought about a change in fashion with more and more women wearing the baja kurung. The men, he notes, continue to wear trousers and coat, the only concession to tradition being the wearing of the songko or black headgear. Saldin says that their fathers used to wear a setangan, a piece of batik cloth shaped on the lines of the present-day songko. In Java, he notes, the setangan is still worn, but its shape is different, being circular. The black songko, he observes, was adopted by Sukarno, its founder President as a symbol of unity to replace the numerous colourful headgear that prevailed at the time. Also interesting is the lucid description of Malay culinary fare including the Nasi kebuli, a rice preparation made with ghee and chicken curry and meat dishes such as chuka and daging goreng. Saldin also claims Wattalappam, the famous Moorish dessert to be a pure Malay dish. The dessert is known among local Malays as sirikaya though in Malaysia this item is said to be applied on a slice of bread like jam. He also believes that lamprais, a dish traditionally attributed to the Dutch, came to us from Indonesia during the period of Dutch rule. In support of his claim, he refers to a meal called lamper prepared in Jakarta where into wedges of thick milk-rice is placed a filling of curried chicken wrapped in banana leaf, but unbaked. He also points out that the base of lamprais, rice is not grown in Holland. Nor is the banana leaf in which it is wrapped found there. A truly noteworthy contribution to the study of Malay culture in Sri Lanka. ****** Critical analysis Kristu Dharma Vicharaya This book constitutes a critique of Christianity. The author in his preface states that there is a plethora of books expounding Christianity, its doctrines and philosophy in Sinhalese, published annually by Christian missionaries and their allied organisations. But in 1977 when the author wrote and distributed this in the form of a roneoed booklet there were no books which presented the case against Christianity. Indeed even today there are none except three books which are translations of English authors such as Timothey Freke and Peter Candy, H. Kerston, Elmar Gruder etc. This book is the very antithesis of the evangelists propaganda. Today in addition to the mainstream Christian Churches there are some 23 NGO bodies touting Christianity masquerading as social workers and poverty alleviators. We require Government legislation to control and monitor foulplay in conversions as in India and the Muslim countries. We also require books in Sinhala such as the one under review to give the case against Christianity in numerous books published in English by freethinkers, rationalists and non-conformist Christians. The author has read extensively the literature of this category and presented his case to the Sinhala speaking readers. Thereby he has fulfilled a much felt need and enriched Sinhalese literature which was very poor and backward in this field. In the study of a religion or philosophy it is necessary for students to acquaint themselves with the case for and against it to gain a comprehensive knowledge and judge according to one's lights. This book comprises 10 chapters. To mention a few, .The belief in God .The BBC debate between Bertrand Russell and Rev. Father Copplesston on the Eistence of God. .Historicity of Jesus Christ .How Jesus' biography was compiled mixing fact and fiction. .The plagiarism of the vicarious saviour concept from Paganism. .Revision of Jesus' teaching by St. Paul. .The expansion and spread of Christianity to a world-religion .Buddhist influence via Gnostics, Essence and the Therepeutae hermits .The Christmas story in the light of historical research .Conclusion .There are four colour photographs in the book. They depict incidents in the life of the pagan Saviour God in Greek and Roman art. This book is dedicated to the memory of Ven. Thera Mohittiwatte Gunananda, the hero of the celebrated Panadura Controversy which was held in September 1873. Karunadasa Silva Dunusinhe ****** Deeply moving : The Wallflower Girl 46 pages The title 'The Wallflower Girl' evokes pathos and the cover picture accentuates it. That would make one curious enough to pick up the 46 pages booklet containing an equal number of poems and peep into it to ascertain how and why a 21-year-old would be brooding over the lack of zest in the life. There are as many as 21 untitled poems. Unhinged as they are one wonders what provoked Sonali to pen just these four lines. All alone, On the road to heaven, Talking to myself, and present them as a composite, untitled. One hopes she found the contentment and bliss on that day the Wallfower Girl. Or was it July 1983 when she was an infant? For a maiden effort this young writer demonstrates her ability to take the reader along unchartered paths. In most instances the conflicts that plague her are ultimately resolved at the altar of her religion - Christianity. Even though the 'Introduction' is misleading as for the order of 'Contents' the poem 'The Fan' is adulation of a music group by the 'Wallflower Girl.' 'Lift my spirits with your music, Take me high above, Bring tears to any eyes And soothe me just now.' There is power in her words and her deep emotions surface through them. A worthwhile addition to a collector of poems. -le ****** Valuable and fascinating Unravelling Unconventional Warfare This book is a pioneering work on unconventional warfare and is full of new concepts. The author establishes the importance of unconventional warfare and outlines the types of military strategies used. The very reasons that gave birth to unconventional warfare has been identified, followed by its various forms. The situation in Sri Lanka is analysed with reference to the LTTE militancy and ways of containing terrorists and guerrillas using their own methods. The author provides international perspective and the local ground situation plus the historical perspective to warfare. This book would be fascinating reading for strategic military planners, historians, sociologists as well as academics. "The horrors of war make one wish for a world where war did not exist. To many, I guess to most, the very idea of war is abhorrent. Yet the history of mankind is littered with wars - the protagonists in each of them no doubt believing that they were fighting for a just cause. The damage inflicted upon the civilians, and the countries in general, seems somehow to be accepted as part of the price one has to pay in fighting your cause. War has also been the subject of much thinking and writing. As wars are so important to those who fight them, they have to be fought well. So war strategy and tactics have been a major subject of consideration. In the fifth century BC, the Chinese author Sun Tzu wrote a book, emphasizing the importance of wars, and the need to think about them seriously. These pages are still fascinating reading. Recent decades have witnessed new developments in warfare. Unconventional warfare has begun to play a key part in national and international conflicts. It is likely that the future of warfare will be increasingly dominated by unconventional ways of fighting. This is the subject of Thilanga Jayasuriya's book. It gives an original, highly informative discussion of unconventional warfare. A variety of subjects coming under the scope of unconventional warfare is considered in the book. Numerous examples are given, and the author comments on the lessons that can be learned from them. He also writes about the need to take steps to deter such warfare. Jayasuriya has given the reader a valuable and fascinating book on an important subject which no one in today's world can ignore. Students of conflict and general readers alike will find these pages both educative and thought-provoking" says Padmal de Silva, Institute of Psychiatry King's College, University of London in the Foreword. The author pays a tribute to the gallant soldiers who have sacrificed their lives for the integrity, unity and sovereignty of Sri Lanka in this path-breaking analysis containing visuals of Che and Castro, Fidel and his son, among others. A fascinating account. -factotum ****** Well loved author with many talents by LAKMAL WELABADA "There were two things I did not want to do in my life. One was never to wear make-up and the other was not to be a Principal. I never did the first, but had to do the second at the request of others around me including my friends and my husband," recollects Eileen Siriwardhana. Although I never had the good fortune to attend a school where Eileen Siriwardhana was principal, she has always been someone I really admired. From all the things I heard about her, she became a model of success in my mind. In my adult life and as a journalist, I knew I would some day be able to write about her, and so I did. After passing out as a BA graduate from the University of Colombo Eileen Siriwardhana got her first teaching post at Princess of Wales College, Moratuwa in 1950. She held many teaching appointments at several schools before she became Principal of Visakha Vidyalaya in 1983. After serving for 30 years in the government service, her next ten years were spent as Director, Sahanaya (a Community Mental Health Centre), Principal, Shinyo-En-Lanka, free nursery school and Principal of Buddhist Ladies College and B.L.C. International School, Colombo . This well-loved author and educationist was best known as a teacher, among her students whom she loved as her own, though she was a singer, dancer and an actor, Eileen discovered her talent for writing when she started translating Alberto Moravia's 'Roman Tales' for her Sinhala medium students, as they were short of reading material. "There were plenty of English books, but very few in Sinhala that suited for school goers. I did just one translation on a foolscap paper and sent it around the class for my students to read. Unexpectedly, I got an excellent response. On their request I continued to translate the stories of the same book one after the other. And it was my husband who encouraged me to publish them as a book. My first book (a translation) 'Pala Yama saha Thawath Roma Katha' was printed in 1970," she said. Her ability to empathise with grieving souls to console and wipe their tears away with a kind word, helped her find the raw material for her writing which she adapted to life much later in life. Her first three novels were a combination of real life stories she gathered through the experience she got by counselling. The threesome 'Ahasin Polovata' (1971), 'Veralen Sayurata' (1977) and 'Katharin Etherata' (1982) were based on the problems that connected with marriages. And there was a marvellous responses by married women, both young and old. The story of 'Ahasin Polovata' was filmed by Dr. Lester James Peries in 1979. It won the Akhenaton Award for the Best Film of the Third World at the International Film Festival in Cairo. In addition the film has been very popular in Sri Lanka especially among the married men as it discloses the inner feelings and hidden sorrow a married woman usually goes through. Recently Eileen translated the three books into English - 'Ahasin Polovata' to 'White Flowers for the Dead', 'Weralen Sayurata' to 'On Perilous Seas' and 'Katharin Etherata' to 'Another Dawn was Breaking'. Her manuscript 'Balan Harimi Kadathurawa' won the D.R.Wijewardena Award (organised on the lines of the British Booker Award) for the best unpublished novel in Sinhala in 1985. 'Realisation', one of the best collection of her poems won the State Literary Award for the Best English Poetry in 1998. Whether it's a novel or a poem; in English or Sinhala, Eileen's talent of personifying characters is unique. When going through her novels we feel that it's the story of our own or something that is faced by someone close to us. Eileen's mastery in the art of churning out novels and poems in both languages equally is an asset. Among the 28 books she has published so far 'The Heart Awakened', 'Crossing Over' and 'Stirring Moments in the Life of the Buddha' were among the depictions of Buddhist Philosophy written in English. Eileen's work has been rewarded and awarded in many times and many ways. In 1989, the National Presidential Honour of 'Kala Keerthi', the highest award for contribution in the field of literature and arts was awarded to her. In 2000, Millennium Felicitation Award presented to Eminent Citizens of Sri Jayawardanapura Kotte was awarded to her. And in 2001, Eileen won the Zonta Award for the Woman of Achievement for Creative Arts. Many of her poems have been selected for many international publications and highly admired in many occasions worldwide. Six of her English poems were selected at the International Poetry Contest conducted by the American Poetry Association, Santa Cruz, California, for inclusion in the American Poetry, Anthology. Eileen Siriwardhana is a woman who was loved and honoured by young and old throughout. Among all the awards the felicitation ceremony held at the Sri Lanka Foundation Institute in 1995 was a memorable event in her life. There this veteran author was felicitated by the past pupils of all the four schools she had taught; Princess of Wales, Moratuwa, St.Joseph's Convent, Nugegoda, Samudra Devi Balika Vidyalaya, Nugegoda and Visakha Vidyalaya, Colombo. Eileen Siriwardhana today leads a peaceful and contented life; participating in many community work, delivering public speeches, preaching Buddhism and conducting meditation sessions for the young and old women who come to her for counselling at the Shakthi Institute, Bambalapitiya. "My sole intention is to render my service to the community until my last breath. That's good, isn't it child?," she smiled. |
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