Sing a song – get a glass of orange juice!
Commemorating birth anniversaries of well-known persons always brings out interesting anecdotes. So it was at the commemorative meeting of scholar Cumaratunga Munidasa’s 126th birth anniversary held recently. Pandit Amaradeva was among the invited guests and had some amusing tales to relate.
From one Master to another: Pandit Amaradeva garlanding the bust of Cumaratunga Munidasa
Pandit Amaradeva recalled the days when he visited the scholar’s home, ‘Hevana’ and sang and played the violin. One of Cumaratunga’s pupils, K. G. Perera, had got Amaradeva interested in music. He had been trained under Perera for over a year, along with others. Those who gathered at ‘Hevana’ had been served glasses of orange juice. Obviously, Cumaratunga had enjoyed listening to the singing and watching the students playing the violin.
Amaradeva had, in fact, acted in one of Cumaratunga’s plays – ‘Nikam Hekiyaava’, he said. There was a Cardiologist too among the speakers. He reminded the audience of a well-known dictum by Cumaratunga.
Dr. Ruwan Ekanayake on tradition
Cumaratunga had asked what was wrong in following tradition if contemporaries can follow tradition in their own way. This was the approach Cumaratunga had followed in most of his activities. He realized that we have to depend on tradition to advance from where we are. We cannot ignore tradition though we have to be modern in the current context, Dr. Ekanayake emphasised. “If we break with tradition we may lose our way. We will lose our identity,” he thought.
Then there was Professor Walter Marasinghe stressing on the need for Sinhala students to study another language. Cumaratunga Munidasa, an authority on Sanskrit encouraged his pupils and followers to study Sanskrit as a second language. Sanskrit has a rich and varied literature which would widen the knowledge and appreciation of students. In fact, Cumaratunga taught Sanskrit to many young scholars at his home. He conducted a correspondence course to teach Sinhala, Sanskrit and Pali. He produced the landmark work ‘Sakuva’ for the self-study of Sanskrit.
To educationist Mohan Lal Grero, amidst the many valuable books and resourceful poems and articles Cumaratunga had written, the most significant and outstanding in value and substance is ‘Piya Samara’ (Remembering Father). It is a poetry book that every Sri Lankan parent should read, study, digest and be directed by. It provides worthwhile instructions to Sri Lankan parents in the techniques of bringing up children. A careful study of children’s behaviour at the present time demands that parents should, more than ever absorb the essence of ‘Piya Samara’.
Containing 118 simple stanzas, the volume of ideas and sense it offers is immense, Grero said. ‘Piya Samara’ relates how a native physician brought up his children. This father seems to have known everything that a modern educationist should know. One of his sons while returning from school had plucked an orange from a wayside tree and brought it home. The father, notices the orange in the son’s hand and questions him. He drives the son away, asking him to return the orange to its owner immediately. The son was only about 10 years old.’ Piya Samara’ is full of character-moulding incidents. The father is an exemplary person.
Grero said that he has always pointed out to parents, children and teachers the ethical, moral and educational values contained in ‘Piya Samara’ and encouraged them to read it.
Scholarship winners
At the ceremony, the four students who obtained the highest marks in Sinhala language and literature at the GCE O/Level examination in 2012 were awarded the ‘Cumaratunga Munidasa Sisuwarama’ memorial scholarship. In addition, the National Savings Bank gifted each of them with an ‘Ithuru Mithuru’ savings account to the value of Rs. 75,000. Tablet computers were given by Ada Derana. The winners were Prineetha Mivandi Bandaranaike of Devi Balika Vidyalaya, Sudara Rumal Galgamuwa of Royal College, Tharindi Umayangana of Dharmashoka College, Ambalangoda, and Randula Udani Koralage of Christ Church Girls’ College, Baddegama,
Ayodhya Ratnayake of Newstead Girls’ College, Negombo, the recipient of the inaugural Cumaratunga memorial scholarship last year, conveyed her love for Sinhala language and her determination to carry out something significant for the country.
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