Letters to the Editor
View(s):Interesting titbits on ‘Grass for my Feet’
The Sunday Times Magazine of September 4, carried a reminiscence of the schooldays of Chitranjan Pethiyagoda and of his discovery, quite by accident, in 1958 of the book ‘Grass for my Feet’ by Jinadasa Vijayatunga, first published in 1935 by Edward Arnold & Co. London.
The scenes set out in the 28 chapters highlight the details of the many characters who were apparently awaiting the arrival of a sensitive and sympathetic writer to record with proper rhyme and rhythm, village life seen by the author way back in the early years of the 20th century.
Incidentally when the book was published in 1935, it was the first time, a Sinhala writer had thought it fit to commemorate the many characters of his ancestral village in the English language, a practice followed by many later on.
In the book ‘What I Think’ published in 1948, Vijayatunga in the chapter ‘Why I wrote Grass for my Feet’ states: In London especially during its depressing winter I was constantly thinking of my village where I spent my childhood. The landscape, the dust of the village road, the sand of the foot tracks, the very earth of the village and its people became vivid to me.” All these would have crowded round his inward eye and danced before him and the result was ‘Grass for my Feet’.
When Sir Andrew Caldicott arrived in then Ceylon to assume the post of Governor, he was asked by a journalist what knowledge he had of the country and he answered that he had read ‘Grass for my Feet’, thereby giving the book huge free publicity among the English reading public which resulted in three reprints in 1940, 1948 and 1953.
Quite a record for a Sinhala author in his maiden book in the English language.
W. Panditaratne Kandy
Make rail tickets more like bus tickets
It was reported in the newspapers that there is a shortage of train tickets and that the Railway Department has decided to use the existing stocks in hand with the previous fare to fill the shortfall. We all know that these tickets are printed in two colours – text in black and two parallel lines in dark purple- on a very thick purplish colour board which is imported.
Shouldn’t we go for tickets similar to the bus tickets (printing in B/W on thin paper) as the cost of printing is then going to be much cheaper? Over to the Railway authorities for their kind consideration.
Mohamed Zahran Colombo
Peppers: The people behind it
I refer to your article titled ‘A saucy saga of Peppers’ published in the Sunday Times Magazine on September 18, on the Peppers restaurant at Majestic City. The article was written in good faith but unfortunately the information was not accurate. Both late partners of this establishment which has a history of 28 years were not mentioned as the correct information was not communicated to the journalist by the manager.
I would like to set the record straight: Peppers was started by the late Mr Channa Perera and the late Mr Nimal De Silva and after their passing away, is now owned and managed by Mrs Pubudu de Silva (wife of the late Mr Nimal de Silva) and myself (wife of the late Mr Channa Perera).
Mrs Sayuri Perera
Partner, Peppers Restaurant Majestic City, Colombo
A personal connection to Australia’s Bob Hawke
Further to your article, The Call of Australia, in the Sunday Times Magazine last Sunday, my father, Nalaka Fernando, spent five years in Australia getting his dental degree in the 1950s. One of his best friends was Bob Hawke, who later became Prime Minister. Hawke later spent a few days at my grandparents’ home adjacent to the Vajirarama temple in Colombo. Hawke described his stay in a biography:
‘They were Buddhists, their house was in the grounds of a temple, and the atmosphere in the household was very peaceful and unbelievably gentle. I talked a lot about Buddhism with them and they took me up to a temple in the hills, in Kandy, where I met the monks and talked to a very old abbot, who explained more about Buddhism to me. I found Buddhism fascinating’.
Unfortunately my father did not stay in touch with Hawke but he always regarded Australia with great affection.
Dr R.P. Fernando Epsom, UK
May 22 more significant than February 4
May 22, 1972, the day
Sri Lanka became the Republic of Sri Lanka, signified the end of the monarchist rule which commenced on 543 BCE with the arrival of Prince Vijaya on the island, on the same day the Samma SamBuddha attained Parinibbana in Kusinara. This was a momentous occasion; and should be celebrated, if needed, in preference to February 4.
The establishment of British rule over the last Sinhala Kingdom, was a result of the Kandyan Convention entered into by the British Governor, representing King George the 3rd and the Kandyan Chiefs on March 2, 1815, whereby King George replaced King Sri Wickrama Rajasinghe as the successor up until May 22, 1972.
As stated by Sir Ponnambalam Arunachalam in ‘Sketches of Ceylon History’ – “In terms of a convention held on 2nd March 1815, at Kandy, between the British authorities and the Kandyan chiefs, the King was dethroned and the Sinhalese voluntarily surrendered the Island to the British sovereign, with full reservation of their rights and liberties. They may thus claim to be one of the few ancient races of the world, who have not been conquered.”
Therefore, what happened on February 4, 1948, was the resumption of self-rule which had been there, from the time of King Vijaya, after a lapse of 132 years. Therefore the government should consider celebrating May 22, in preference to February 4.
Chula Boange Via email
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