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| Sunday, 18 July 2004 |
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| News Business Features Editorial
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Demise of a poetess by Sunanda Mahendra Monica Ruvanpathirana, the well-known Sinhala poetess, short story writer and columnist passed away last week leaving a certain degree of a void in the literary circles.
She was quite a bold experimentalist in the use of poetry in the expression of tender as well as complex feelings and experiences. The use of language was no barrier for her. Once I was entrusted with the task of translating one of her poems into English. The poem titled Diyaniyakagen' (from a daughter) which was included in the collection titled 'Tahanam desayakin' happened to be one of her best poems. Therein she airs the feelings of a young girl who is to be given in marriage to a certain stranger, by her parents. The poem goes as follows, with the poetic persona addressing her parents. "I address you You have seen the greatness I address you, Monica is no more. But some of her poems are the epitomes of our contemporary consciousness. I saw her for the last time when she came to BMICH with an old lady to see the 25th year musical recital of the Independent Television Network. 'Can you make me out?' she asked me. 'Yes certainly. You are Monica' 'Oh I am thankful to you' she looked quite different, for she was nearly devoured by a certain sickness, for which medicines had not helped thoughts with a great sense of positivity and courage she overcame it, writing as much as possible. She was prolific to the point that perhaps volumes of posthumous publications may come, which will certainly enable us to retain the memory of a poetess everlasting. What else is possible? The younger generation of Sinhala poets could learn many a lesson from her. She was quite acquainted with the classical literary diction as well as the folk idiom. She made use of it to the maximum possible manner. She sometimes stepped out of the way to reply her critics to the point that she was defensive in her stance as a creator. Though Monica was not a feminist in the strict sense of the concept as used today, she creatively valued the pristine status of motherhood, family alliances, child care, love and compassion. She had written one poem about a woman who so adores the company of her mother-in-law to the point that the creativity shows a strict detour from the conventional set up. This poem was recreated into a song by Nanda Malini. One strong point about her attitude seems that she did not want to show that she was fail in health. It is said that during her last stages she wanted to study certain aspects of music, both vocal and instrumental. This may look rather ironic, but her poetic sensibility had an inner awakening in her. |
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From as far back as the sixties while she still an undergraduate of the
University of Colombo proved a poetess through her first collection of
poems 'Api denna saha tavat aya'. In this collection of poems she
experimented both in the form as well as the contents. This was followed
by the success in the literary circles when she was the recipient of
awards for a number of poetry collections. Unlike most poets of the day,
she had the skill in the use of language as used in classical poetical
works as well as in the folk tradition.
