Lankan don to chair regional panel for Commonwealth Writers Prize

A wealth of literature of the not so common people

by Madhubhashini Ratnayake

In academia, terms like ‘New Literature in English’ or ‘Post-colonial Literature’ have now replaced the phrase, ‘Commonwealth Literature’. All this is a result of many complex reasons, not least among which is the feeling that the word ‘Commonwealth’ succeeds in glossing over the extreme forms of exploitation that were part and parcel of imperialistic rule. 

“Yet I believe that the concept of Commonwealth literature did have its purpose,” says Dr. Walter Perera, senior lecturer of the English Department of the University of Peradeniya and the Regional Chairperson of the Commonwealth Writers Prize 2002. “It enabled us to study writers like Achebe, Ngugi and Soyinka when we were in university, probably much earlier than some universities in Africa itself. It helped the spread of writers who wrote in English in colonized countries across the empire. I feel that that was an important task.”

The Commonwealth Writers Prize was established in 1987 by the Commonwealth Foundation to encourage and reward the upsurge of new Commonwealth fiction that is making a significant contribution to contemporary writing in English. It will also ensure that works of merit reach a wider audience outside their country of origin. 

The Commonwealth Writers Prize is awarded in two categories, the Best Book and the Best First Book. Judging first takes place at the regional level and the regional winners are then considered for the final prize. In 2002, there will be one award of ten thousand pounds for the Best Book submitted, and an award of three thousand pounds for the Best First Published Book. 

The regions are somewhat unconventionally divided into Africa, Eurasia (which makes Sri Lanka compete with India as well as the United Kingdom), Caribbean and Canada; and South East Asia and South Pacific. In each of the four regions of the Commonwealth, two prizes of a thousand dollars will be awarded, one for the Best Book and one for the Best First Book. 

Though Sri Lankans like Punyakante Wijenaike, Jean Arasanayagam, DCRA Goonathileke and Rajiva Wijesinha had been previously involved as judges, this is the first time that a Sri Lankan holds the Chair at regional level, thus enabling him to act as a judge at the final round of judging for the International Prize. The International Prize is decided on by all the four regional chairpersons under an eminent critic/author appointed by the Commonwealth Foundation. 

“I was a judge in 1998/99 and thought I had finished my association with the Commonwealth Writers Prize. A few months ago, however, I received a letter from Diana Bailey of the Commonwealth Foundation inviting me to be the regional chairperson,” says Dr. Perera, explaining how he came to occupy this position. “She added that she was particularly keen that I should accept because the regional (Eurasia) chair had never been given to Sri Lanka before.”

Dr. Walter Perera is now calling for books published in English - any work of prose fiction is eligible, but not drama and poetry - published between January 1 and December 31, 2001. The work must have been written by a citizen of the Commonwealth but there is no restriction on setting, theme or mode. There is no requirement that the subject of the work should deal with the concept of the Commonwealth. There will be three people in the regional panel of judges, including Dr. Perera. The other two, who will be in Sri Lanka for the judging process in February 2002, are Judith Palmer, writer, broadcaster, and arts consultant, based in London and Namita Gokhale, novelist (Paro, Dreams of Passion; Gods Graves and Grandmother; and The Book of Shadows), columnist, critic and publisher. Dr Perera says that some literary events will be organized in Kandy and Colombo, during this time, in which the judges will participate. They will select a winner in the Best Book, and Best First Book categories and, in April 2002, Dr. Perera will be going to Edinburgh, Scotland for the final judging to choose the overall winners. Each year the award ceremony is held in a different Commonwealth country, and the 2002 ceremony is due to be held in Scotland. 

Though Sri Lanka did produce a regional winner in 1999, with Sivanandan’s ‘When Memory Dies’ ( he is an expatriate) not much has come our way before or since. “I wish there were more books submitted by Sri Lankan authors,” says Dr. Perera. “Though much new and vibrant writing in English has been happening in Sri Lanka, hardly any books have been submitted to the Commonwealth Writers Prize this year, so far.” 

The administrators, recognizing the fact that in some Asian countries and in Africa, it is sometimes necessary for an author to finance the publishing of his or her own work, might now, in exceptional circumstances, accept a self published work. Otherwise, the rule had been that only publishers could forward entries. Entries should be submitted to the region of the writer’s Commonwealth citizenship. Three copies of each entry accompanied by the completed entry form should be sent to the Chairperson not later than November 15, 2001 (notice of books which will be published after November 15 but before December 31, should also be sent in along with book proofs before November 15.). In addition, one copy of each book and an entry form should be sent to the Administrator at Booktrust. 

Regional winners will be announced in February 2002. The eight regional winners will be invited to Edinburgh, Scotland in April 2002, when the final judging will take place and the prize presented. Sri Lankan writers could send in their work to : Dr. Walter Perera, Department of English, University of Peradeniya, Peradeniya. He could be contacted for further details as well. 

Kings and queens come alive

From the reign of Vijaya, it has been a long line of kings and queens who ruled over our little island. The country may be small, yet ours is a rich heritage. Mervyn has captured the full story in an interesting and readable manner, not boring the reader with excessive detail- rather bringing each ruler alive through interesting stories. 

Writing about Queen Anula,he relates how she poisoned her first husband Cora Naga who reigned for 12 years and after his death, married his successor Kuda Tissa. After three years of marriage to Kuda Tissa, she developed a passion for Siva, the senior gate-porter at the king’s palace and poisoned the king, ascending the throne herself as the first queen of Sri Lanka. She made Siva her consort but ultimately poisoned him as well, living with an Indian carpenter Vatuka, a firewood carrier Dharubatissa and a palace priest named Neeliya, all of whom she poisoned in the course of time. Finally she ruled the country alone for four months. She was burnt alive by Kuttakanna Tissa, the second son of Cula Maha Tissa, the king who ruled before Cora Naga. The book contains many more such fascinating stories.

Mervyn devotes four pages to Sri Vikrama Rajasinghe, the last King of Kandy (with him ended the Nayakkar dynasty) who ruled from 1739 onwards. He discusses the palace intrigues until the time when the British invaded the hill capital and brought the administration of the whole island under their control. 

The book is a handy reference as well. Whether it be the chronological order of the rulers, the periods they ruled, the dynasties they belonged to, or their capital cities - all these are easily found. 

Mervyn is also meticulous in focusing on the lesser-known rulers and their contributions. One cannot, thus miss a single ruler, however insignificant he may have been. 

The book is also well illustrated with some rare reproductions. Mervyn has tried to include sketches of as many rulers as he possibly could collect, along with illustrations of interesting happenings related to the rulers. 

There is no narrative after Sri Vikrama Rajasinghe, but the pictures of all the British Governors, Prime Ministers, Presidents and Executive Presidents with dates have been included making the publication an authentic record of the entire history of the country.

While ‘Monarchs of Lanka’ appeals to everyone irrespective of age, it is of special interest to students who will find in it Sri Lanka’s history in a nutshell.

-DCR

‘I’m happiest when I make others happy’

By Dilrukshi Handunnetti

And yet Rukantha has many reasons to be happy with life. He marks a quarter century in music this year, having bagged a Sarasaviya award for best singer and a Swarna Sanka award along the way. He enjoys iconic status in the music industry, has an equally creative wife Chandralekha and two lovely kids. Life has indeed been generous to him.

But the ghosts of yesteryear haunt him still and a music industry in the doldrums makes him wonder whether it is really worthwhile continuing, despite all the accolades. Rather than harping on the days when terror consumed their lives, he speaks exuberantly of his early days and the toe-tapping music he gifted to the industry. He was less than five when his musically-inclined mother introduced him to the piano. When he sat his first pianoforte exam, the British examiner observed that ‘though there were technical deficiencies, there certainly was life to his music.’ This he later proved, on stage, his focus always on ‘rhythm’. 

As a youngster, he composed melodies for friends and the church and sang soprano, alto and tenor, experimenting with his voice. ‘The first day I learned the guitar, I managed to compose a song,’ he says with unabashed pride.

Soon after his O/Ls, Rukantha joined Stanley Peiris’ ‘Fortunes,’ formed a music group of his own in 1978 and then in three years went on to music directing. 

He marks 1985 as a time of ‘spiritual awakening’. To experience Western music in its true sense, he went to Switzerland and lived near the Alps for over a year and played with a Swiss band called ‘Serenade’. Here, he says, he allowed himself to think of life, love and music to overcome the dispiritedness within his soul. ‘Strangely, I felt God beckoning me, urging me to tread a fresh path,’ he says. Returning home, he composed two popular hits, ‘Mata Mulu Lovama Obai,’ a duet with Chandralekha and ‘Bambara Pahasa’. ‘I realized that I had been just travelling on the footboard, and that I needed to truly board the bus if I was to discover myself,’ he says, reflectively. And suddenly, things changed dramatically. There was instant stardom. He was involved in a series of performances, doing all the things he loved- singing, composing, writing lyrics and making good money.

Laughing, he adds that his style was anathema to some of the veterans in the scene. ‘I don’t criticize them for putting me down. Maybe they could not grasp what I was attempting to do. At the risk of earning their wrath, I would still say that I wanted to be different and don’t offer excuses for that.’

What about all that hyperactivity on stage? It amuses the creative artiste today, but he admits feelings of hurt, years ago when people who got him to compose their music condemned him as a mere entertainer. ‘I just wanted the audience not to sit in stony silence but to get involved and that happens only when you absorb the rhythm,’ he says toes tapping, whistling his own tunes in an attempt to prove the vital point. And he loves to talk about ‘Nelannata gosin palawela’ which many saw as the turning point in his career. ‘I love that song. But I don’t regret the earlier songs, (they were dedicated to young love) or the style of presentation. I am an entertainer with a job to do. I have to entertain, and I am happiest when I make others happy.’ 

Having dominated the stage for over 12 years, Rukantha is looking for new frontiers: To create music that people could savour, emotionally, aesthetically and - more significantly- intellectually. And for that, he is willing to forgo much of the entertainment scene.’ I want creative space. I cannot be truly creative if my lifestyle is all cramped up.’ 

Today, he spends his free time sifting through material he has gathered, hoping to compose something novel - a blend of the east and the west with a distinct Sri Lankan flavour. Compositions that are internationally marketable. 

Perceptive gleanings

The first section “Random Thoughts” touches on diverse subjects including the Vietnam war, Sinhalese culture, the World Bank’s common fallacies, communism and capitalism.

“Random Thoughts” on “the Constitution” are worth quoting here: “A Constitution is not a thing that should be forced down the throats of the people. On the contrary, it should be a sacred document acceptable to and upheld by all classes of society. What is most desirable in a new Constitution is the ability to have a change of government that is able to replace the previous regime without any interruption to the life and progress of the people. This is preferable to other forms of radical change.”

The second section covers the pre-independence period in India, Burma and Sri Lanka. Presenting a bird’s eye-view of the pre-independence period of India, the author says Indian nationalism was a product of British rule and the Indian National Congress owed its birth to an Englishman. He also says the acceptance of English as the language of the day by the Hindus gave them an edge over their Muslim rulers and thus enabled them to forge ahead in the political and intellectual field.

Quoting Dr. Nanda-deva Wijesekera, he says Sri Lanka is probably the only country in the world where people who belonged to one race and one religion, gave expression to architecture, sculpture and painting which still continue to sustain their Sinhalese heirs. Sculpture survived in a greater measure due to the fact that Sinhala Buddhists continued throughout to hold these monuments in great respect and sanctity.

Section three of the book is devoted to the rich past and the decline of the Sinhalese. After briefly discussing Buddhism, architecture, sculpture and literature in the Anuradhapura and Polonnaruwa periods, the author says the Sinhalese are a courteous people who believe in pomp and pageantry.

The final section is concerned with the nuclear threat the world faces today. Having discussed the development of scientific weapons during World War II, scientific discoveries and their consequences, the atom bomb, effects of radiation, radioactivity and poison gas, he concludes with the chilling example of the dangers of atomic power as witnessed by the world’s worst nuclear disaster in 1986 in Chernobyl. 

Mr. Senaratne has covered many subjects that would interest the discerning reader.