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| Sunday, 29 February 2004 |
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Sarachchandra the philosopher and artist : An eye-opener for the critics Sarachchandra - Darshanikaya ha kalakaruwa, (Philosopher and the
artist) by Hemaratne Liyanarachchi Prof. Gunaratne's work, which carries the major essay in English (53 pp) along with its Sinhala translation, and the short essay on Mahasara has served as a vacuum-to-plenum development step in the field of Sinhala literary criticism. My reasons for this statement are two-fold: on the one hand he deals with the four research publications in the field of philosophy, by Prof. Sarachchandra - as maintained by our author - in detail, may be for the first time, which is quite ironical, for, even Sarachchandra's doctoral thesis, Buddhist Psychology of Perception (1958) has been quite unknown not only to the general reader, but, may be, even to the students of philosophy. On the other hand Prof. Gunaratne has drawn forth from the well of Sarachchandra's knowledge of philosophy (PhD in Eastern Philosophy) and M.A. in Western Philosophy), hitherto almost imperviously covered by a sylvan rusticity, to enrich and enlighten the literary minds of our generation. As for me it is not really Dr. Sarachchandra's knowledge of philosophy which matters to me at the moment but the way in which Dr. Gunaratne has utilised it to throw a penetrative light on the former's major works. Though, intermittently, there have appeared some elucidative critical writings on his dramas and novels, only very rarely do we come across critiques of this importance, stature and excellence. I will also call Dr. Gunaratne's work, without any sense of hesitation, one of the best, if not the best, on Sarachchandra's creative work. Prof. Gunaratne's work is very tightly knitted together by the virtue of the structure which contributes very much to a fuller understanding of Sarachchandra's works. Prof. Gunaratne's structure is a centrifugal one, so to speak, there is an highly illumined philosophical centre from which flows the rays of philosophical insight towards the creative works of Sarachchandra which lie in the circumference of the critic's world. In section III of his work Prof. Gunaratne lists the philosophical writings 'in the chronological order of their publication.' 1. Bhavanga and Buddhist Psychology of Perception (University of Ceylon Review April 1943 pp 94-102) 2. The Abidhamma Psychology of Perception and Yogacara Theory of Mind (University of Ceylon Review 4, October 1946 pp 49-57) 3. Buddhist Psychology of Perception (Colombo University press 1958 pp 110) 4. From Vasubandhu to Santaraksita: A critical examination of some Buddhist teachings of the external world (Journal of Indian Philosophy, 4 1976, pp 69-107) 'The four works form a closely related study' says Prof. Gunaratne which hints at the idea that Prof. Sarachchandra had been pre-occupied with the theme of Perception from early forties top mid-seventies of the last century. The first three papers afore mentioned deal with Buddhist Psychology of Perception. According to Gunaratne, the first three papers 'are in the area of psychology and hence one could raise the issue that it is not proper to consider them under philosophical writings which of course is the business of the philosopher. But the four works are closely related and furthermore, Prof. Gunaratne notes, 'The final chapter of Sarachchandra's book is on the philosophical basis of the Buddhist theory of Perception'. And 'Buddhist psychology does not exist in isolation as a separate area but is found integrated with Buddhist religion, philosophy and ethics'. There lies one main difference between the other religions of the world and Buddhism. In Section IV of Prof. Gunaratne's essay, he considers, 'in illustration' Sarachchandra's 'From Vasubandu...'. May be because it 'is clearly in the area of philosophy'. Sarachchandra says that Vasubandu shifted from the 'consciousness terminology of early Buddhist literature to the assertion as an empirical fact that there is nothing but consciousness ...it is the misunderstanding of a linguistic convention for the statement of an empirical fact, that lies at the base of Vasubandu's thesis.' The paper "From Vasubandu..." is a tour de force" says Prof. Gunaratne, "which analyses difficult problems of perception, external world, universals etc." The implications are clear. On the one hand the influence of Vasubandu's idealism on Sarachchandra is important. On the other hand Shantarakshita's conception that 'external objects are collections of sense-data.... In a practical sense there are material objects, but in the ultimate sense only awareness exists' as Sarachchandra points out in his paper. He finds a close affinity between Shantarakshita's ideas and 'certain modern forms of ... empiricism and phenomenalism. We find him...defining material objects as collections of sense data'. What I want to stress on is the fact that there are four concepts central to all the four publications of Sarachchandra mentioned earlier - perception, consciousness, empirical knowledge and papanca (phenomena) which are highlighted by Prof. Gunaratne who has, with his penetrative intuition, understood that they are the key concepts which hover over the philosophical world of Sarachchandra. Dr. Gunaratne has found the key to enter the world of Sarachchandra the artist. He starts from the philosopher and then takes us to the various creative works of this great man. Thus I find room to justify my conviction that, Dr. Gunaratne's essay bears a very clear cut centrifugal structure. After having read Dr. gunaratne's critical account of Sarachchandra the reader will feel and understand the novelty and freshness of the method, approach and the depth of his work. Another enlightening aspect of the structure of this essay I noticed is the way in which he makes use of some short descriptions of Sarachchandra's public and professional life, his social criticisms and his autobiographical writings and at the same time studying his account with quotations chosen very meaningfully to serve his purpose. This serves as a kind of a mental bridge between the philosophical and the creative works of the great artist, which helps the reader to 'travel' from one world to the other. The four sections (vi to ix) are devoted for the formation of this 'bridge' in which process Prof. Gunaratne traces Sarachchandra's academic and professional life, his social criticisms and blends them in nice proportions spicing the mixture with apt quotations. D. B. Dhanapala, the renowned journalist, who was a friend of Sarachchandra had etched miniature portraits (among those present) of his contemporary greets, many of whom he knew very well. In the chapter devoted to Sarachchandra, Dhanapala calls him a Cultural Pope - a veracious prognostication - and a strange kind of philosopher. Says Prof. Gunaratne, '..........Sarachchandra's career itself has been directly associated with philosophy only intermittently and art and philosophy remained his twin interests sometimes intertwined.' This interwoven texture had to be dissected to provide a better understanding for the general reader, of each world, which the author does with such adroitness. Separating is done restoring a unity: hence my produtivity to introduce the structure of this essay as centrifugal. Prof. Gunaratne Devotes the last seven sections (X-XVI) to the discussion of Sarachchandra's creative works. After reminding us of Bertrand Russel, the passionate sceptic,' Prof. Gunaratne referring to the conclusion of Sarachchandra's long novel says, 'Disillusionment is there, but there is also hope and faith, in humanity and human action. For Sarachchandra the Paya burulen thaba yana sceptic, the justification for human life was in creativity? This conclusion of Prof. Gunaratne should be an eye-opener to the critics who, sometime back, were grumbling about a defeatist attitude prevalent in Sinhala literature, especially in the Sinhala novel. Here, at this point, I would like to drift away from the main line of argument, but only to return, I hope, with a fresh significance. Sarachchandra, in his Kalpana Lokaya (quoted in section VIII of Dr. Gunaratne's work) says that if one is to go to the roots of the conception, 'Art for Art's sake,' he has to go to Kant. Then to Immanuel Kant's 'Kritik of Judgement': "That taste is always barbaric which needs" says Kant, 'a mixture of charms and emotions in order that there may be satisfaction and still more so if it makes these the measure of its assent. (p72). And again Kant says in section 14 of part I of his work that 'Aesthetical judgements can be divided just like theoretical (logical) judgements into empirical and pure. The first assert pleasantness or unpleasantness, second assert the beauty of an object or of the manner of representing it. The former are judgements of sense (material aesthetical judgements), the latter are alone strictly judgements of taste.' This Kantian difference between the two diametrically opposed attitudes, the passionate and the dispassionate, lie at the basis of Buddhist teachings. And in Sarachchandra's creative world too this dispassionateness is very marked. The best example is his first novel Malagiya Atto (1959). To be Continued ###### Women writers in the twentieth century: a brief overview by Kristy Bowen During the last three decades of the twentieth century, work by women authors held a prominent place in the literary world, their books topping the bestseller lists, winning numerous awards, and increasingly appearing on canonical lists in college literature classrooms across the country. Bestseller darlings like Danielle Steele, Jackie Collins, Anne Rice and Mary Higgins Clark were a common sight on the bestseller lists. Authors like Toni Morrison and Gwendolyn Brooks won award after award, and themselves appeared on the bestseller lists from time to time. Women authors, both contemporary and classic, began to appear within the college curriculum. Willa Cather, Sylvia Plath and anne Sexton were taught alongside Whitman and Thoreau. Authors like Zora Neale Hurston were recovered by the efforts of contemporary authors like Alice Walker. Women were finally achieving their rightful place in the literary world. Before that, however, this was not always the case. Much has been written of the struggles faced by women authors throughout the ages. One would believe that during the Renaissance there were virtually no women writing at all. Little do we hear of women playwrights writing plays like those of Shakespeare. During the Victorian era, women writers faced even more obstacles. Strict societal mores allowed women to write as a pastime or hobby, but frowned upon them making a living from it. Many women famously adopted male pseudonyms, including the Bronte sisters and george Elliot. This is not to say, however, that women were not making a name for themselves in the literary world. Women like Harriet Beecher Stowe and Susanna Rowson were selling more novels than their male contemporaries - at least in the US. They were the "damned mob of scribbling women" that Hawthorne was in competition with. These writers, however, were often dismissed as "common" or "popular" in direct opposition with the "high" and "literary". In the twentieth century, this dichotomy intensified, as most of the nineteenth century authors were dismissed by the canon and literary world as "popular" and "domestic". Susan Glaspell's play "Trifles" was a response to the trend in literature to see everything written by women as inconsequential and trifling. Women writers such as Kate Chopin, Eudora Welty and Willa Cather were dismissed along the same lines. In much of the twentieth century, the women writers who did gain literary critical and canonical attention were authors whose personal lives - and sometimes deaths - made them extraordinary in some way. Suicides were a favourite - Woolf, Plath, Sexton. Notorious sexual lives were another - Millay, Dorothy Parker, Anals Nin. Throughout the sixties and seventies, these were the women authors who increasingly earned attention - if not for their work, at least for their infamous lives. But this is probably true with male authors as well as female. During the last three decades of the century, however, women authors from other centuries gained increasing attention in academia. Women like Mary Shelley, the Brontes, George Eliot, Emily Dickinson, and Harriet Beecher Stowe became fixed in the canon, and were increasingly appearing on college syllabi. The time brought on a recovery of women authors long forgotten or misunderstood, including Zora Neale Hurston and Kate Chopin. Contemporary women writers like Toni Morrison, Louise Erdich, Gloria Naylor, Sandra Cisneros and Amy Tan were increasingly featured in college and even high school English classes. The work of these authors, rooted in their own cultural tradition, were often the highlight of women's and multicultural literature classes. With the majority of the novel reading population women, the works of female authors flourished, and the work of writers like Margaret Atwood, Alice Hoffman, and Joyce Carol Oates increased in both sales and prestige. Popular authors like Anne Rice, Danielle Steele, and Mary Higgins Clark topped the charts in genre fiction, selling million of books. The popular Oprah's Book Club often delivered worthy works by women authors - Kaye Gibbons, Jane Hamilton, Jaqueline Mitchard - to millions of viewers who may have not otherwise encountered them. At the dawn of the new century we can only hope that the current proliferation and popularity of women writers can only continue to increase. (Internet) ###### Sita joins 'The knitters in the sun' A gode person and other poems by Carl Muller Even Shakespeare admitted that women could also dominate poetry. In "Twelfth Night", we have these lines: "The spinsters and the knitters in the sun, And the free maids that weave their thread with bones Do use to chant it". So many women poets that country can say of - the words of the womb-women, beautiful to listen to and so varied the language that echoes every note in the scale. To this cohort, all gleaming, comes Sita Kulatunga, offering us her first slim book of poems that tells of her own striving for harmony based on a deep respect for times that have so quickly slipped by. When I think of our women and of the songs they must sing. I sometimes ask myself: are we still in that rut where, not so long ago, we actually stereotyped our women poets? There were, according to "Male" classification the "dedicated poets" (like Elizabeth Barret Browning) who directed much of their emotional energy into romantic devotion. then, the "eccentric spinsters" like Emily Dickinson or Edith Sitwell, usually taken for those who never really recovered from some unhappy liaison and wrote to express their eccentric views. Also, there were the "mad girls" - the women so well personified by Sylvia Plath - tormented lives and early suicide. With this sort of stereotyping, it needed tremendous effort to conquer. Women's poetry needed to be taken seriously and command real respect. I'm quite ashamed to say it, but for many, many years, men held the reins and it was generally the fashion to consider women poets as "drifters" with their own whims and fancies that were fickle and who would remain a sort of "sub-species" of the Great Male Poet! What a lot of crap! The male world even praised women poets in kind of icky way, making of them but "ugly sisters' who try as they would, couldn't cram their feet into the glass slippers of true poetry. No, I am not kidding I read a critique on the first book of poems by Sylvia Plath. Judgment and sentence were passed: "She steers clear of feminine charm, deliciousness, gentility, supersensitivity, and the act of being a poetess"! These are the sort of back-handed compliments women poets have had to become accustomed to. It is to the credit of this country that the proportion of women poets easily outnumber the men - and we now have "a new kid on the block" (if Sita doesn't mind the rather droll phrase) who, with so many others, has broken to smithereens that wall of male prejudice. And I don't think I am being too harsh, either. Or am I? Penguin UK published ananthology of poems titled "Worlds" in 1974. The compiler Geoffrey Summerfield, had this short, scatty insult for women poets. He wrote: "I regret the omission of women poets from this book. This is simply due to the fact that Britain in the last fifteen years, has not produced a woman poet of real stature". So okay - let's got on with the matter in hand (did the actress tell that to the Bishop, I wonder), and consider Sita Kulatunga's venture into that huge tsunami that is women's poetry in Sri Lanka. I am not worrying myself with the educators, the critics, the academicians, editors and publishers have to say. They could all be "goblin-ridden" as Rossetti said, and for all I care. Sita has that quality to be quite devastating, yet make special substance out of the most ordinary domestic things. Another thing, she is writing as a woman of things we mere men cannot possibly write. The verses are, in a sense exploratory and she seems to light a life-fuse with each. Rather than quote her, shall we extract some themes? Globalization - While Shuttleworth floats in space on a two million dollar-a-day journey, breathing "borrowed breath", an earth-bound Gunapala of the barren paddy plot and chena, gasping with a papuwe mahansiya, cannot afford a six-hundred rupee inhaler. Take you pick: Be a gloating, global Shuttleworth or a worthless sick-and-shuffle shuttle.A love poem - Such doom-thoughts of killer squads, tyre pyres, dogs feeding richly on human entrails - a land parched and bloodied. A baby! Why bring a baby into so God-forsaken a world? But the psychosis melts like sun-shredded mist when the baby comes with its heaven-smile and wrapped in its own new paradise. Yes, a world can turn within a world: one hard-carapaced, but within it a new turning orb exudes the sweetness of life as we wish it to be. A gode person - The podihamine strain that puts to naught the modern society of Western-apers with their mobiles and senseless jabber. The Gode person will learn of the facts and fallacies of life, of the worst of hells, even the fear of not belonging to that casual social life that primps and preens and turns nothing into nothingness. To a young friend - (let me quote): "Marriage, my dear young friend, has much to give, If not when one is rebelliously young, but surely in old age". Pitu Padam Namamaham - The mother breaks free for years of ill-treatment to go, earn the dirhams, even risk another sort of ill-treatment in Dubai. But will they kick her there, will they come in red-eyed drunk as her husband does and beat her? Bend down at his feet, my daughter, pay obeisance, be always the dutiful daughter, but beware his kicking feet and all other parts of his drunken body he could assail you with. This is but a random picking, and what is quite exhilarating is the way something so seemingly commonplace is put into a mind-machine and eureka! we have verses that blast off from the depth of soul to an aurora that curtains the sky. what we have is "illumination". It must have taken extraordinary strength and determination to make this leap. Sita made her mark with her previous books, the novel "Dari the Third Wife" and her short stories. "High Chair and Cancer Days". It is good to know that together with so many other women poets, Sita is exploring new ways of expressing herself. We are now able to face and examine a woman's consciousness. We now know that we can no longer leek on them, read their works and dismiss them as mere "token" women. Our women poets are not fragile individuals. They are not merely those who standup only to proclaim how the heart melts and the tears run. Rather, they now reveal the depths of womanhood, for their poetry is deeply personal. There is goodness believed in and goodness felt. Also, a veritable basket of impressions: The May Day screeched, And on 'May Day' while the proletariat marched with flag and drum and banner Prem died in one awful blast. Oh well .... that's Prem for you. Couldn't go out quietly, could he? This is collection of random, thoughts from here and abroad that have been given a festive dressing. A slim book, but its very slimness belies the idea of that "Gode Person" who cannot pose or be poised like those aimless, shameless social gadflies. Sita has achieved once again, and when all is said and done, that is most important to us, her readers. ###### Profile : Kusuma's craze becomes a reality by Umangi de Mel Kusuma de Mel makes no bones about her flair. It was never too late for her to start writing and continue her blithe character as she chose. "I started writing at the age of 28," she says taking quite a few steps down the paths of yesterday. "Lal Premanath de Mel, my husband was a writer and I was like his right hand. " She is silver-tongued, which is why I cut down on all that is running riot inside me and let her chat. "I'm 73 and jobless, but I am the PR officer for my three children, Sathish, Sundara and Manaram," she chuckles... She has studied in a mixed school, "Shikshadhana", in Moratuwa. Having been the youngest in a family of four, Kusuma Piyaseeli managed to pull as many stunts possible yet get away with it. "Once I swallowed a coin, by the time the commotion was over and the affair eased off, it was time for another one of those silly scrapes I got myself into. I had a pin stuck inside my ear...." She is engulfed in a robust laugh over that heedless past... "I love children, in fact, my hobby is spending time with my grand children and spoiling them rotten..." She is one of those who believed in sparing the rod to spoil the child. "It is the unspoilt impeccability that is woven around them that I adore. I may not be a qualified teacher but so many children have received the outset of their education from me." "Little Chamika was sent to me by her folks, failing all other attempts made to send her to school. She was a hyper-active kid who could not get used to the idea of being stuck with a book for hours. She would do anything to give that book a slip; she would munch on something and give me a hand in whatever I did. I let her have her way and got around her. That was how we compromised. She was a success, is presently working at a private firm. A little attention did the trick," she says chortling... She has had a lovely childhood; "It contributed a lot to be what I am today. I may not be in the limelight but I am proud of the person I really am, especially of the ability to love and take things as they come to me. I started writing children's books in 1997. My first book which is called Tikiri Gee Ama songs for children has some nice songs written out of sheer experience with children and the nature in my garden. My other four books I was able to publish were "Peni Velendi- about a honey vendor who often came to our house, `Stories of Aunty Kusum - Kusum nendage Katha' compositions about my childhood, Sunday school and the little episodes about my grandchildren. `Api Pasal Giya heti. (The way we went to school)....there is a pang in my heart to see the present system that burdens children with that extra load of books on the shoulders and I tend to compare how relaxed we used to be at that age.... `Muthun Miththan Gaman Giya Heti - (How our ancestors travelled) which is about the modes of transport of our ancestors," she says that so far she has published eleven books. Her books portray a number of generations, starting from the pristine 1920s via the stylish 50s to the radical 70s. A blend of the wholesome times in Sri Lankan history. The stories came to me as a fresh breeze on the barrens, as many do not possess the skill to evoke the bygone beauty in the present faddish minds."All my books contain 73 years of experience. This craze of mine was made a reality mostly with the help of Prof. Thilokasundarie Kariyawasam, who quenched my thirst by helping me to publish my books and supported my effort. She is grateful for the support she received for Udaya Printers in Ganemulla, Suriya Publishers in Maradana and Godage Book Shop, " all of them gave me hopes about my writings and helped me to see the fruits of my venture." "I have no regrets, I do not regret the fact that I did not start early; I was delighted as a devoted wife to my husband and a good mother, in fact, I would not be this if I had neglected my family in the first place," she has also worked as an Assistant Registrar. " I personally believe that children are like beacons of our lives, they have a roundabout ability of guiding us and they are the best inspirations.....The best compliment I have ever received was the one about me being the incentive of their kids' reading..." says Kusuma.I was patient till my off-spring got married and settled and then it was the spring of hope for me as a writer. My drawers are full of over 50 copies of unpublished stories I have written, my inability to be agile prevents me from taking them to the youth and children, all by myself. My grand children were a blessing and the best critics. I think I am a complete person, I have got a family I am proud of, a skill that keeps me going and stamina that has never failed me. All in all, I am still a mortal with one last wish I long to publish my autobiography which will be completed soon," she says. |
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