 
Sajitha Prematunge
She explained that writing was always a hobby for her. But when Ann
Ranasinghe called and commended her after she won the joint prize in a
EWC (English Writers’ Corporative of Sri Lanka) poetry competition back
in 1997, it became more of a passion. “Being complemented by one of the
best poets in Sri Lanka was a huge encouragement” she said.
Ramya Jirasinghe has contributed regularly to Channels and has been a
member of the EWC since then. She holds a Bachelor of Arts (Honors)
degree in Literature from Richmond College, London, U.K. and a Master of
Arts degree in Comparative Literature from the University of London,
School of Oriental and African Studies (SOAS), U.K. In 1998 her
Forgetting Memories was shortlisted for the Gratiaen, which also
represented Sri Lanka at the Medellin Poetry Festival, Colombia, in
South America in 2001.
In 2008 she was again shortlisted for her manuscript, A Map and a
Compass Moon. Speaking of Rhythm of the Sea, what she refers to as
creative non-fiction, about the Tsunami, “I got to meet a lot of
people.” She is also the author of Trinity, on Trinity College, Kandy
and Fifty Seconds at the Traffic Lights.
Although Trinity was commissioned, Ramya claims that she has the full
freedom to write what she wanted. Ramya is also a food writer and was a
panelist for the Miele Guide, Asia’s first independent restaurant guide.
Will never dabble with prose - Ramya says that she never wants to
dabble with prose. “Plays maybe, but definitely not prose” says she.
According to her the closest she has come to prose is what she terms as
`creative non-fiction’ `Based on real events but made-up dialogues’. “I
admire people who write novels. Sustaining a character, building up the
dialogue for that much longer requires a lot of commitment. Something I
find very difficult.”
From pen to paper - When asked about her process when writing poetry
she confessed that she can never plan out a poem. “I hate burst the
bubble but it’s almost always born out of pure inspiration.”
She explained that for months nothing happens and suddenly
inspiration strikes and it would eventually find its way from pen to
paper, whether it’s a personal experience or her take to someone else’s.
“I need an event to inspire me.” Consequently her poems are often
conceived from a single event. They are more of a commentary and a
personal reaction to a situation.
“I’m not preoccupied by any theme” was her reaction to the question
whether she is dwelling on themes of nostalgia, alienation and
expatriotism in her A Map and a Compass Moon. “If you are a writer, who
is aware of what’s going on around you, you can’t limit yourself to a
box. Things are always in a flux.”
Steeped in SL culture - “I wouldn’t say I am steeped in Sri Lankan
culture.” Ramya strongly believes that, to write about a country, or
anything for that matter, one has to move away from it, observe from a
distance. “If not you can’t be objective, and therefore you can’t
comment.” According to her all one needs is a good understanding.
Salient feature - One salient feature about Ramya’s poetry is that
some of them are extremely vague. But certainly there is more than that
meets the eye. “People have often accused me of writing very cerebral,
inaccessible poems, but it’s not deliberate.” She claims that she sees
no point in being vague.
However she did admit that she never write to please an audience,
probably one of the reasons she does not feel compelled to publish her
poems. “I guess that makes me less marketable.”
Structure from meter and rhythm - Although her poetry doesn’t
strictly adhere to a structure, Ramya says that she would like to try
her hand at more structured poems and says that meter makes an integral
part of poetry.
“Finding structure in meter and rhythm, all the while retaining
creativity and crafting that perfect poem could be very challenging.”
Advise to amateurs - “Write clearly make sure you got that sentence
right.
Write sparsely, sometimes it makes the images more powerful, don’t
use too many adjectives and steer clear of stereotypical descriptions.”
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