After a hiatus of over 60 years, ‘Kaw Ama Watura: The Life of Christ in Sinhala Verse’ by Rev W. Jacob Wijesinghe will be available in Sri Lanka again. Rev. Wijesinghe, an Anglican priest, was conferred the title of Sri Kavishwara by the Mahanayakes of the Malwatte and Asgiriya Chapters, for this singular achievement.
As the Bishop of Colombo, Rt Rev. Duleep de Chickera has noted in his preface to this edition, this was a “reflection of the close and mutual respect that Buddhist and Christian clergy had for each other during that time.” This re-publication is the result of the untiring efforts of Gerald de Alwis, a grandson of Rev. Wijesinghe, who has long dreamed of sharing this sacred, literary gem with a broader Sri Lankan public.
Meticulously reproduced by Print Collection, this third edition retains the earlier editions’ handy pocket-book size and has been very reasonably priced due to its publication costs being borne by two other grandsons of Rev. Wijesinghe, Ranjit and Gamini (Gamit) Amarasekere.
Kaw Ama Watura will be available at all Christian bookshops and proceeds from its sale will be utilised to support the higher education of Christian students from economically deprived regions of the country.
Kaw Ama Watura will be launched on April 22 in the Cathedral of Christ the Living Saviour, Bauddhaloka Mawatha, Colombo 7, at 6 p.m. The Rt Rev. Duleep de Chickera will preside. All are welcome. |
E-mail