A good book and a better author

Reviewed by Padma Edirisinghe

Sesatha lay on my table for days, forgotten till I received the "reminding ring".

I began reading it that same night and repented for not having read it earlier. Why? It would have made me good or better earlier. The sacred smell of frankincense that one associates with the holy precincts of Eastern shrines seems to emanate from the good book now that I have gone through it.

Good! For some reason or other people have begun to shy away from this word. If you state that someone or some book is good, you are considered naïve and lacking in a wide vocabulary. Risking these aspersions I maintain that Sesatha is certainly a good book, never mind, the word going out of vogue.

Sesatha is an acronym, derived from Sevayaka Samaru Tharanga (Reminiscent waves of a service done - rough translation) What waves! They ripple of not only a dedicated service but of a whole life of a typical Sinhala Buddhist boy born in the deep of the South making a steep climb to the top amidst hardships, social rebuke, misfortunes and of course, a whole medley of fortunate circumstances too. The latter include being born with high intelligence and an extremely resilient nature that has stood up to many a trial and tribulation for nearly 81 years. (No evil eye nor evil mouth).

Literary interest

I follow the boy in infatuated wonder as he trudges up the road to the seaside Mirissa bilingual school determined to make good, on to Rahula Vidyalaya, Matara, that seems to have groomed many an academic of the Island and then on to university. But the parents though not unduly the poor cannot afford university fees. He earns the money by working as a teacher in his spare time.

The aesthete in him nor the sage is never drowned by his hankering after academic studies. He follows them equally, webbing stories and composing poems and helping many a friend and acquaintance with literary interests.

His anecdote on "Kalinga", not an Indian state but an untouchable village beauty is an example of this interest. In a cute way he intertwines his assigned duty with literary work and benevolent activities. "Kalinga" is a poetic work done by an acquaintance when he was Assistant Commissioner in Sabaragamuwa. It is handed to him for review. It lay again on the table till the reminder.

Now in his autobiographical work, Sesatha, he includes a good part of Kalinga in it. In fact, Kalinga heads the list of his publications, for he has got it published too! That is the man,Hetiarachchige Piyadasa Abeywardena or Dr. H.A.P. Abeywardena is made of. Today his name is trailed by B.A. Honours, MA (Ceylon)and PHD (Sri Lanka). His CV is too enormous to be reproduced and his literary productions too many to be listed. If any man has led a full life including a happy married life Dr. H.A.P. has done it.

Temptation

Yet I cannot resist the temptation to list some of the top posts Dr. H.A.P. held mostly to highlight the fact that the stupendous academic and literary work was an output

that synchronised with his official duties. He has taken only three months leave for some academic work. That is a lesson for those who weep that they have no time to spare. In fact in a very candid and unsophisticated way he states that his life is full of lessons for others and that they can reach the top if they emulate him. While counter - saying that everyone does not possess the luck that the good Doctor had in addition to his very resolute nature, I go to the list the main posts he held ---- Additional Secretary, Ministry of Cultural Affairs, Director, Dept. of Local Govt. Services, Director of Credit Councils, Senior Asst. Secretary, Ministry of Health, Director, Cultural Affairs, GA (Matale) Regional Asst. Commissioner of Local Govt., Asst. Commissioner of several Councils and so on and so on.

He retired from SLAS Class 1 in 1988 but it was never a retirement for him. Here he goes again --- Consultant, Heritage Project, Central Bank of Sri Lanka, Chairman of Presidential Commissions on Local Govt. reforms, Co-ordinating Consultant and Academic Advisor, Provincial Council and Local Govt.etc.

He stands out in relief and amazing utility and beauty his heritage publications compiled under the heritage project. They deserve mention.

Heritage of Ruhuna, Ruhuna paraveniya, Sabaragamuwa, Sabaragamuwa paraveniya, Kandurata, Kandurata paraveniya, Mirissa, his first school gets clouded with time and distance as these precious books fill counters of bookshops all over the island highlighting pictorially and verbally the hundreds of historical sites in these areas and written in eloquent English and Sinhala. That the aesthete and poet in him never got vanquished surfaces by this list of his other works.

Publications

Kalinga is a collection of Ola leaves relating to Veliwita Saranankra Thera, Rasika Hengum is a collection of poems and narrative, Saram Mudalige Pin Potha (Merit Book of Saram Mudaliyar), Lekam Miti Vimarshanaya - Secretarial records of the Kandyan administration, Kadaim poth (Boundary divisions of Sri Lanka), Sesatha (Reminiscences of a public servant covering 50 years) and Poya Udana Geetanjalee are some of his publications.

Out of these Kada Im Poth was selected as the best research publication for the 1978 literary award and Lekam Miti Vimarshanaya as the best independent research publication 2010 Almost tantalizing are the accounts in Sesatha, that narrate how the author on his official rounds came upon houses and persons harbouring these most precious documents left behind by some ancestor living long long ago and working in the ancient regime. These documents become family heirlooms in remote houses would have gone into oblivion if not for him.

Unaware of their importance these men and women yet store them and the correct person comes along and they hand over the age old document musty and stained, stammering before the high officer, "I would not have parted with it for gold but here I am giving it to you". Was there some divinity egging them on? One cannot vouch for a world entirely denuded of an unforeseen force.

So Sesatha that pulsates with all this information and ideals is certainly a good book and the author, a "better person," than most of us. A staunch Buddhist, the author says that Buddha's teachings have always nurtured his thoughts and actions, especially in his dealings with the public, as an administrator.