Itipahan (Burly Lamp) Chapter - 12

By Sumithra RAHUBADDE

(Translated by Ranga Chandrarathne and edited by Indeewara Thilakarathne)

"I am a lamp burning on both ends

Known well that I cannot pass the night

Yet

See my friends

Foes

How powerful light

Burnt

To dispel the darkness"

Soome tied up her hair into a single flat pleat having dressed up in a skirt with a pattern of tiny red branches of flowers in a yellow background and in a white jacket with embroidered flowers. The jacket was a gift from Sriyadari Akka. She gazed at wattle and daub walls as if to leave the four walls that she was confined to, since she sat for the Advanced Level Examination. Soome imagined that 'Arecanut' beams that made up the structure of the hut glanced at her through the clay balls. The battalions of friendly ants having completed a friendly conversation walked a distance that can be considered as a long walk by ant's scale. A friendly battalion of ants kept moving silently behind a group of ants dragging a dead cockroach.

"I am going for a harvesting of paddy at 'Mandor's Unnahe's'. Soome, unlike tapping rubber, I get headaches when sun rays turn bright by noon," said Duleena before going to harvest the paddy. In the 'Maha season' when paddy ripens, mother had to go for harvesting. During the harvesting season, Mother's face turns black. Her naturally thin body becomes thinner during the season. She bent like a bow and harvest paddy and was considered the most efficient among those harvesting women. Soome was unsure about her feelings towards the mother who wore a piece of cloth wrapped covering her head, harvesting paddy. It created both an agony and pain in her mind watching mother harvesting paddy. Mother toils in order to bring her up.

In created a intense pain in her.

Soome tries to gain an artistic happiness by watching the rhythm of body movements of other women reaping paddy when she feel the burden of mother's toiling. But she questioned herself whether she could see a sublime splendour in toiling and suffering.

When she looked back on the hut after pulling down the curtain of reed and embracing mother's Rajina Umbrella, a file cover with white sheets and an exercise book, she saw a 'Katussa' gazing at her. The lizards, rats, pigeon that plague with the coconut palm roof, seemed to be an essential part of her life. They were the only life form which had been in the hut as companions for mother and Soome. Though Kumatheris Mahappa visited the hut once in a blue moon, it cannot be assumed that he had any affection towards her.

Soome, who got into a bus that commenced it journey from the junction and occupied an elevated seat. As the bus began its journey she saw several people turning and looking at her. Though she had a split mind about smiling at those who gazed at her, she looked the other way. She thought it would be better to be an outsider in the eyes of the villagers who only looked at her shortcomings. Soome's mind flew further and further without remaining with her in the express bus which drove passing trees at a high speed. Until now who had only been to the school, this journey was a part of an adult's task. The passengers who got into the bus replaced those who got off at various bus stops. The bus was filled up with passengers and it was even difficult to breathe inside. The picture hung in front of the bus depicting a conductor with a charming smile requested the passengers' help to provide a better service. The real conductor, from time to time, requested the passengers to move further to the front but not a single person moved. Soome looked at the conductor as if to ask for forgiveness.

The conductor smiled as if he had pardoned her.

Soome who got off at Pettah as instructed by Lal Malli, walked to the Technical College. The fleet of steps into the Technical created a sense of mysterious feeling in Soome's mind. She thought that she was climbing a mountain. Young men and women also climbed the steps with smiling faces.

The old steps that help to reach the Technical created a lethargic feeling in Soome's mind. Soome thought that the buildings may have been built a long time ago. Soome wanted to cry loudly after climbing the steps. She wanted to shout and ask for explanations for freedom. She wanted to establish her authority and seek explanation either to punish the accused or to acquit the accused. Soome watched as if the accused who had run away and hidden somewhere, looking at her with wide open eyes.

"Soome, what are you doing here?" Sirinatha murmured.

"Sirinatha, what are you doing here?" Soome asked instead of replying.

"I follow a Diploma in Accountancy here while working," Sirinatha said.

Sirinatha looked with unsullied eyes at Soome who was carrying the Rajina umbrella and a file cover. He looked at her with a dumb mouth as a young man who had met the woman he desired for the first time in his life.

"I came here to follow a typing course. But without knowing that Sirinatha is here", Soome said with a smiling face. Soome saw that Sirinatha had paused though he wanted to say something to her. Though heart cries out, eyes should not be allowed to express it at all. No one sees heart cries but the entire world sees eyes crying. Soome thought that Sirinatha who awoke her youthful heart, became silent because he had seen an incompatibility deemed socially unacceptable. This incompatibility may be due to Soome's social status and wealth or her birth. Soome thought that she should use her glittering smile as a weapon against Sirinatha who became silent using silence as a weapon.

"I know Soome is good at speaking. But now I have to rush to the office. Now we can meet at any time?" Sirinatha said looking at Soome's alluring smile.

Sirinatha noticed a strangeness in Soome who tried to surrender to him with her alluring smile.

Soome stopped and looked at Sirinatha who climbed down the steps and turned to look at her. Sirinatha who had been with her from the childhood like a shadow, had fled off as soon as he got the opportunity. Soome thought that the price for love was also determined by everyday market criteria. The lands, wealth, status and caste are other factors that assign a value to love. Soome felt that her heart which was tamed until now without allowing Sirinatha to enter it, had now followed him. She was afraid that the strength given to her by Lal Malli's world and the words which she had contemplated on would be weakened following the meeting with Sirinatha.

Soome found out the room that she had to be, after Sirinatha had disappeared. There was no one that Lal Malli introduced in the class room.

As if the typing and short-hand were meant for women, there were only two male students in the class. She thought the duo resembled women. However, she felt the freedom had given her wings in a new place. Her heart elated with a sense of unity that she had not felt before as the newcomers from different parts of the country introduced themselves to one another. She felt as if a stream of fresh blood which had been dormant, ran through her body warming every blood vessels in her body.

"Lal told us about you. Pleased to have met you! Pardon me. I cannot remember your name. It is on the tip of my tongue," Someone asked Soome in a friendly tone, when all of them went to the canteen to have a cup of tea.

Soome felt that she already had a recognition no one had received previously.

"I am Pranith, I study Business Management here", said a thin tall young man making a self-introduction.

"My name is Daisy Suzan," Soome said, smiling. She heard the laughter of a group of students that pierced the grinding sound of the old ceiling fan of the canteen that had not been oiled for a long time, and Soome looked towards that direction. The flies perched on the tea stained tables remained unmoved, as if such laughter were quite used to them. Crushed pieces of papers were strewn here and there in the canteen. Pranith brought a couple of 'Vadee' from the counter on a dirty looking source.

"Eat" Pranith offered the source to Soome. She took a 'Vadee' with a smile. Since she had no intention of retaining it in the mouth, she gulped it.

"Pranith Aiyya has downloaded from the new ship", said senior female student seeing Pranith talking with Daisy. Daisy looked at Pranith and the girl. The female student with a cup with a broken handle smiled with Daisy and she in return smiled concealing her doubt. A few others stepped into the canteen. Men walked into the canteen as they are in a hurry. Everyone laughed. Daisy saw Pranith was walking back to the counter and buying a cigarette. Pranith brought it and listened to the conversation between Daisy and some other person as he smoked. Another person came to the table carrying a 'Talaguli' and a cup of plain tea.

Daisy's eyes focused on this thin person with a beard.

"Daisy, this is Shelton. He is in Sanchi Watte, the adjoining land", Pranith introduced Shelton to Daisy.

"Then, it is very easy for Shelton to come to the Tech. Get up, wash face, dress up and come here", said Daisy smiling with Shelton.

"Most of the days, I come to Tech as you told. Get up, wash face and put on this same trouser and shirt. But this is always empty," said Shelton tapping on his belly. Soome thought that for the first time in her life that she had met a group of people of her own class who spoke the truth. Why should Shelton, herself or any other person tolerate hunger? Does anybody inherit hunger and oppression? Soome thought that living evidence for Lal Mallie's logic is herself. According to Lal Malli that long-term solution for these issues cannot be found by being silent or finding solutions for one's individual problem. Soome thought of the meeting scheduled for the next morning with comrade Uttamasinghe. Soome waited at the bus stop at the junction till Lal Malli came to accompany her to comrade Uttamasinghe. Since Soome could not solve arguments on issues on old Marxists ideas with Lal Malli, he decided to take her to comrade Uttamasinghe.

Soome thought that Uttamasinghe's small long eyes had given the highest appeal to his triangular shaped face. His beard did not add an order to his face. Soome thought that his clothes were very dirty. Soome felt somewhat disgusted on seeing dirty corners of his eyes. She understood that this dirtiness was with Lal Malli and also with those whom he introduced to her.

Soome thought, at least, these comrades could not comb their hair. Lal Malli whispered to comrade Uttamasinghe. Soome thought that they were mysterious by their appearance as well as by their behaviours. Lal Malli addressed comrade Uttamasinghe with a certain fear.

"If comrade, you don't have any objection , I could also stay in for the discussion", Lal Malli said showing a mix of respect and fear for comrade Uttamasinghe. He nodded in agreement.

"This sister should have understood that there are several burning issues in this country. Especially unemployment, lack of land, inflation, exploitation by colonialists and Indian expansionism ..."

Comrade Uttamasinghe commenced his talk directly. Soome felt as if that the oratorical style of the man who clad in dirty clothes and with a dirty body, had put herself into a bonfire. Before that she had not felt such a feeling which is capable of creating a feeling of burning her body about her and majority problems. Comrade Uttamasinghe questioned as if with an idea that he had to pay compensation for all the problems in the country. Soome thought that the mysterious nature and sharpness of his speech had engulfed the atmosphere into pitch darkness. He, who spoke with an extremely low tone, sported a mysterious smile from time to time. Lal Malli listened to him as in a trance. He did not even come forward to pose questions. Comrade Uttamasinghe explained how Horogolla Walauwa and Bootale Walauwa fulfilled the whims and fancies of the colonialists similar to leading a herd of cattle with a stick.

"But N.M., Philip and Colvin served the people... We cannot forget Bandaranaike Unnahe. "Daisy said while Lal Malli gazed at her with his wide opened eyes.

"N.M. and his people are leftist gentlemen. Bandaranaike's father served the whites, in order to get political millage and dressed in National costume embraced Buddhism." said Uttamasinghe placing some books on the table.

Daisy thought that Uttamasinghe harshly attacked the feeling she had for Bandaranaike. It was like an order to cut down a flowering plant that she had seen frequently. Who toiled hard by taking medicine and offering food to people who suffered from malaria in Ruwanwella and Yatiyantota areas? She thought that speaking about leftist movement in Sri Lanka overlooking all these good deeds as a discourteous act. Not only leaders like N.M., Colvin and Philip but their wives also had joined that difficult journey.

"Comrade, we cannot create a present by burying the past, isn't it? Historian had said that every stone pillar should be the base on the present. I am against the politics which says all others are wrong", when Daisy said Lal Malli got scared. Daisy lend her ears to what comrade Uttamasinghe had to say. Comrade Uttamasinghe explained a lot of things; with patient, anger and sometimes laughing and he explained the facts.

"There may be shortcomings. But trying to tread on the leftist movement is an ungrateful act," said Daisy and asked Lal Malli a glass of water from.

Uttamasinghe waited impatiently until she finished drinking. He recalled that he had lectured to thousands. Most of those who attended his lectures were young boys and girls. Since they were educated youth they threw a lot of questions. But no one had spoken against stance on the first day they came for lecturers. Uttamasinghe thought this woman would be beneficial to the party if they could tame her though she was a hard nut. "Sister, your ideas are conventional. But it is great that you stand by them. We will meet in the future and discuss at length on the issues", Uttamasinghe said as he concluded the meeting. Daisy thought that Uttamasinghe was more knowledgeable than herself on political matters. But she thought because of that alone, she should not accept anything unreservedly.

Footnote

Arecanut - The seed of the areca palm (Areca catechu), which grows in much of the tropical Pacific, Asia, and parts of east Africa. In this context it is used to denote the wood sticks made out this palm.

Maha season - There are two paddy (rice) cropping seasons in Sri Lanka corresponding with the northeast monsoon, or Maha season, and the south-west monsoon, or Yala season.

Rajina Umbrella - An umbrella with the Queen as the trade mark.

Katussa - Garden Lizard (Katussa in Sinhala)

Vade - Deep-fried savories made from dhal or black gram flour.

Thala Guli - Popular sweet from Sri Lanka made by mixing sesame seeds with Jaggery or sugar.