Well known photographer’s debut novel a page turner
In the 21st century, the younger generation has seemingly forgotten the wonders of print media. Modern media has affected the print media, and Padmakumar P. Mettasena wrote his novel ‘Muslim Sinhala’ keeping this development in mind.
Back to writing: Mettasena
Mettasena stepped into the field of writing at a young age. His first publication was a comic strip for the ‘Madura’ newspaper’ – “that was the start of my artistic journey,” he says. A freelance writer at Lake House, he wrote for Sinhala publications such as Madura, Sarasaviya, Tharuni and Navayugaya.
In 1983, he discovered a different artistic field for himself which would fascinate him a lot more. His photograph of beauty queen Rosy Senanayake was published as the cover picture of the Sarasaviya and that was his launching pad into the field of photography.
He was a photographer for more than 30 years and his pictures were a regular feature in the Sunday Times Mirror Magazine which was how he came into the limelight, he says.
Now returning to creative writing, his debut novel, ‘Muslim Sinhala’ reveals the dark secrets of all humans irrespective of their race and religion. It portrays the complicated social relationships that people are entrapped in.
The protagonist, Kashyapa Karunarathne is fully immersed in the unwanted gossip swirling around him. His ever-vigilant eyes always travel to his boss’s cubicle and what fascinates him most are the secret affairs of his coworkers. Kashyapa’s view is that office environments are prone to immorality. He works at a newspaper company where journalists, writers and photographers are keen on learning the latest gossip in the office. The story is written as a screenplay that portrays the life of the protagonist.
Kashyapa’s unsavoury living conditions in Maradana, where his friends are gangsters and pretty women who live ‘double lives’ also has an impact on him. Living conditions are terrible – on some days, when he bathes the water is mixed with sewer water, and he ends up smelling like faeces, he says in a graphic description.
Apart from the gossip Kashyapa’s habit of staring at women in the office takes the story into a sexual context. When it comes to immorality- ethnicity does not play a vital role in society. A human cannot be framed by his race or religion, is a strong message delivered by the story.
The topic of sex is rarely discussed in Sri Lanka, but Mettasena breaks boundaries to bring out the reality. All decency and norms of sexual behaviour are being destroyed by pornography through modern media and this reaches all age groups, he writes.
Mettasena’s debut novel is in the genre of erotic-thriller fiction. Politics also comes into play when the protagonist tells the reader how the government oppressed writers and activists through social media.
Overall ‘Muslim Sinhala’ is a page-turner, delivering on its themes of equality and modern social relationships set against a political context