Savouring the leisurely past
View(s):Tissa Devendra’s (TD) new book, “A Fiery Finale” makes pleasant reading; starting from the distant past, he takes us along half-forgotten, fading paths of memory and brings us to the present, all the while regaling us with his inexhaustible fund of tales memories, reminiscences, much of it his own and, so the material comprising the book is largely, autobiography Y. It is not surprising then that the book opens with an anecdote connecting an elderly grand-parent of his, who leaves his native suburb of Galle, apparently, the native family background of the Devendra clan, and reaches the Kandyan country, ostensibly, in search of spiritual solace from whomever could offer it to him.
Now though that incident may strike the keynote to the general nature of the material comprising the book, one needs not infer that the book is entirely a pack of ‘grandsire’s tales’ but that, by and large, it exudes an old world atmosphere, a kind of low-tempo relaxed and leisurely era gone forever: it is in this same strain that he speaks of rural games of the time.. ‘chuck-gudu’, marbles etc… and popular drinks among the young folk. Velanto, tea-cider, Aspro and also of rickshaws, itinerant food-vendors etc., etc. Today, such scenes are only things of the past and romantic memories, and for these, TD has a remarkable, photographic memory; this book bears ample evidence for that. Thus, it puts us in the mood to savour that relaxed, low-tempo, leisurely past.
The author and his family were then residing in Kandy where his scholar-father was teaching at Dharmaraja. Of course, readers are aware that this period has been covered in one of TD’s earlier books “The Horse Shoe Street”.This is one aspect of the book and, naturally, there is a certain amount of repetition or overlapping of material. TD’s Kandy years were, as everyone knows, the years of the World War II and were, in a way, a time of socio-economic upheaval; after years of stagnant, unexciting life, the nation was being jerked into stirring, turbulent times, with hundreds of military trucks, gun-carriages trundling along the crowded highways in endless columns with thousands of soldiers and officers swarming around. For TD it was an exciting boyhood which made Kandy so memorable. Here, he recounts it all with much zest!
Then comes the time of Independence. The event of a millennium with its grandeur rejoicing and formalities- the doughty old, Father of the Nation’ DS, manouvered and masterminded it from start to finish; apparently going by the intimate accounts of it he makes, at the specially prepared decorated stage and show and panoply, it appears TD was a close eye-witness to the event, with the Duke of Gloucester presiding, representing the King of England.
It is at the high-tide of all this excitement that TD enters University to spend another four years (1948 – 1952) of joy and fulfillment as all who have had the good fortune to experience residential studies as a community. He recounts them all, not missing the sense of camaraderie and the togetherness and, at its end, the achievement.
Youth and education over, life begins in earnest for the author in Govt. service, as a District Land Officer (DLO) in distant Trinco; he recounts the excitement and experiences of his new life, visiting places and meeting people during his day-to-day official duties in an office-cum-field job yielding ample opportunity for it. And then, just like the unpredictability of Govt. service, he is transferred to Colombo and of all places, to a crowded, file-bound congested pokey little place. As a Senior officer in that hard-core Colonial period, he serves in a series of top-notch offices in the Administrative Service as AGA, GA., in Trinco, Galle, Anuradhapura, Nuwara Eliya, Ratnapura Kachcheries. And, as he winds up he cannot resist a backward look and reminisces with nostalgia the events, men and women that came his way and the memories of a life-time of dedicated service.
It was while working at one of these Kachcheries that he had the awful experience of witnessing a section of the Trinco Kachcheri catching fire! This unique event has given the title to the book, “A Fiery Finale”.
Among a few essays here, of somewhat esoteric material, is the Chapter on the chains attached to the rocks or the path leading to the summit of Adam’s Peak where he recounts in some detail, the harrowing experiences of the early climbers of the Peak and refers to the tales of such adventures recorded by John Still in his, “Jungle Tide” a book made so endearing to a generation of school children of former years because it had been a prescribed text for a Public School Exam in the 1930s. Judging by the numerous stories retold here in TD’s own rambling style of narrative, it seems he has an amazing propensity for recalling events, incidents, episodes in intimate detail and also to recall former beliefs, fads and foibles and formalities and rituals of by-gone times. Such a ritual is described in detail about a Deity called, ‘Menik Bandara’; all in all, it can be said this book is a store-house of fast-fading information on folk-lore and tales of antiquarian interest. In overview, it may be said the book could be divided into two vague halves: one, of the author’s own personal life and experience and the other, of practices, rituals, beliefs and formalities followed by the more rural folk that he regrets are fast disappearing.
One chapter in the book, in two consecutive sections is the one on Gorge Keyt, apparently, a person whom TD has associated quite closely, may be, as a devoted acolyte! And, for that matter, who would not be devoted to a rare phenomenon such as Keyt? Indeed, the appearance of a unique genius on the soil of our land, was a distinct honour to her: as sometimes said, frugal Nature casts upon this earth geniuses like Keyt, may be, once in a thousand years.
Before he gained any recognition Keyt had to overcome many barriers, which he accomplished with single minded purpose and determination, unconcerned with the many raised eyebrows at the new ground he was breaking. Born into, as TD says, a ‘Pukka’ reserved class, educated Burgher family, absolute strangers to the native religious and cultural modes, of thought and conduct, Keyt renounced all that to embrace a culture and religion (Buddhism) like a duck takes to water, a matter which cannot be explained except in terms of it being a ‘Sansaric habit’, to portray them, materially and spiritually, in his god-given gift of his Art, its style, unprecedented here, or abroad.
Flouting narrow taboos, conventions and deep-rooted styles, he opened for himself, access to totally new creative and aesthetic trends leading to the highroads of great Universal Art. His personal charm, fascination and charisma were such that, men and women…. more so, woman… adored him, some of whom were willing to follow him to the ends of the world, abandoning their own lands, husbands, children to offer him their bodies in the name of Art, as his models.
With his wide experience in the country’s public Services for many years, TD writes with authority and credibility on it- he compares and contrasts the nature and calibre of it then and now and pointing out the sad decline in its efficiency, discipline and, more than all, in its moral stature. It is common knowledge that in the Colonial times our Public Service was a shining example of efficiency, honesty and discipline, a high-productive mechanism oriented entirely to serve the public.
As TD says, the utter chaos and rot that has overtaken this once exemplary service can never be corrected. He points out, with first-hand knowledge, how this has happened: at Interview Boards, packed with lick-spittle, sycophant, boot-lickers, politicians decree the moves; a whisper in the correct ear, would ‘fix’ his man in the job- in the net result, ‘straight’ honest, hard-working men and women have no place in this system- in utter despair, they have given up- they don’t work! So, he asks, where is the much-touted ‘Independence of the Service?’.
TD is a keen student of History and has a flair for events, episodes and incidents that enliven our history books and he retails them in an endless sequence. So, before winding up, some reference has to be made to at least a few of the more salient such events. It is well-known, the Sinhala soldier has a well-earned fame far their patriotism and bravery on the battlefield; we have defeated every kind of opposing armies, whether from the sophisticated West or local or South Indian… from ancient Wijithapura to yesterday’s Nandikadal … the latter –day Portuguese and the Dutch: we have, times out of number not merely defeated them but routed them in pitched battles, Mulleriyawa, Gannoruwa, Randenigala, Kandy. Ultimately, when the British took over, it was not after defeating us in a war, but on the intrigues and betrayal in part of the so-called ‘Nilames’.
But, as said afore, we have a great and brilliant record of military history up to the very end, a part of which TD has so proudly recorded here. There was Rajasinghe I who routed the Portuguese at Mulleriyawa and confined them to Colombo Fort for months till Goa dispatched ships and arms to relieve them; when by devious means they had acquired a Sinhala Princess who had a claim to the Kandyan throne, they tried to stake a legitimate claim to the Kandyan territory by placing the Princess, Kusumasana Devi, better known in the Portuguese name they gave her, Dona Catherina, a scion of the Karalliyadda Royal clan on the throne by sending her to Kandy with a Portuguese army. However, their fondest hopes were wrecked, when they, in their benighted folly, placed Konappu Bandara in charge of that army accompanying the Princess; Konappu Bandara, better known by his anointed name, Wimaladharmasuriya, by deceit and blatant betrayal took over the army given to him after defeating the Kandyan force and installed himself on the throne by marrying the legitimate Dona Catherina, much against her will, on the field of battle. The Portuguese may have found themselves looking very foolish!
The Portuguese were routed in a couple of famous battles, Gannoruwa and later, Randenigala, where, it is said, brave Rajasinghe, with sword in hand, personally deployed his troops. Despite such isolated events of patriotism, it seems by then, the decline of the kingdom had begun, what with years and years of continuous war the rulers were unable to provide for any economic succour of the people at large: King Narendrasinghe’s reign marks the beginning of the end for, as destiny had decreed it, the South Indian Nayakkara had begun their infamous hegemony over the land.
TD’s book is not easy to review in a short newspaper article like this for as said before it focuses on such a multiplicity of subjects, events, episodes, men and women. As many as 52 separate entries and write-ups some, brief, others long and detailed. However, all in all, TD’s book makes untiring reading, may be on account of his rambling, intimate, home-spun ‘gamakatha’ style of narrative. The book is by no means trivial- it runs into nearly 300 pages and, no wonder, going by the mouthful he has to say!
Book facts
A Fiery Finale by Tissa Devendra. Reviewed by M.B. Mathumaluwe.