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colours of folk songs and stories Madhubani paintings, also known as Mithila paintings, originate from Madhubani in Bihar, India. Initially, these paintings were confined to the walls and floors of the village houses but since the seventies when, with the arrival of art dealers, the artists were presented with a new source of income, the same paintings which adorned the walls were transferred onto paper. These more recent productions continue to rank as genuine folk art, providing the village women themselves execute them, in accordance with principles deriving from the tradition of their domestic handicraft. Many of the paintings are influenced by local folk songs and stories. Shiva and Parvati, Radha and Krishna, Ganesh, Kali and Durga, in fact, all the deities of the Hindu pantheon and the rural tribal religions are to be found in Madhubani art, though the representations are wholly free of the constraints imposed by the canons of official orthodox art. The women themselves collect the colours, primarily red, yellow, blue and green, their raw materials being earth, cow-dung, turmeric, vegetable and mineral substances and powdered charcoal. By observing the painters at work, it has been discovered that they proceed along additive lines. In other words, add one detail to another without visualizing beforehand what the general effect of the painting will be; an effect that is, therefore, achieved only by degrees. Not till the whole painting is complete are the eyes of the figures painted in. The special treatment of the eyes is evidently a tradition that goes back a very long way. In terms of magic, it is the eyes that imbue the figure with life and must, therefore, be accentuated. Mundrika Devi, the protagonist of this exhibition has been painting since childhood. She is a recognized Madhubani artist who has travelled in Europe and parts of Asia exhibiting her works. Although frail and plagued with ill-health, she still continues her art with help from members of her family. Her work is not only confined to paper. She is an accomplished muralist as well.
This is exactly what happened at the National Library Services auditorium when Dr. Siri Gunasinghe's latest novel 'Miringuwa Alleema', his third, after Hevanella and Mandarama was launched. Dr. J B Disanayaka was chief guest. Siri, as we all know him, strongly believes that there should not be a distinction between the spoken and written Sinhala. Write the way we talk, he insists. To J.B. it's different. When we write, we should use a more prim and proper style, what is normally called classical Sinhala. We should not ignore grammar. J.B. had his say after a sober presentation by literary enthusiast Jayasumana Dissanayake who introduced the book and dealt with its salient features. He too touched on the writer's style and J.B. took over from there. What is being written should be distinctly different from the spoken word. Using the spoken language in dialogues within a novel can be accepted, but not for the rest. The sentences should be properly structured and grammatical usage should be followed, he said. J.B. was of the view that in his previous novel, Siri had used the spoken language throughout the narrative but to a limited extent. He has, in fact, gone the whole hog this time. Siri didn't really agree. He explained his approach. While not accepting that the written language should be different, he said creative literature should be written in the way it is spoken. We should get out of the rigid grammatical form of writing. However, there may be words which sound classical, yet accepted in common usage. Such words he had used in the same form in his book. What is culture? He was critical of the language used in teledramas. There is absolutely no effort on the part of the script writer to study the language that should be used to match the setting of the story. What is accepted as the spoken language in day- to-day life in the South will be used in a story with a backdrop in the hill country. There is a total mismatch. And what about literary criticism? Newspapers are not interested in critical appreciation of a literary work. "Why won't you get a review written and send it in for publication", a newspaper editor had told him. Even the author himself can write a review, yet the newspapers will publish it, he said. "You are then assured that nothing bad about the book will be mentioned." Novel style The non-traditional way certain words have been written may look confusing, yet the reader soon gets used to it. Getting back to J.B, he saluted Siri Gunasinghe for the bold stand he takes in whatever he handles. He created a stir with his maiden work, Mas Le Nethi Eta, the controversial anthology of blank verse he produced. So was his first novel, Hewanella. When he made
his one and only feature film, Sath Samudura, it was something different.
He had an old favourite Padmawathi in the film and composed Somawathi
in the same style for a documentary he made. There was a fresh approach
when he designed the stage settings and costumes in Maname. J.B.
also reminded the audience that Siri was responsible for pioneering
studies on the masks of Sri Lanka and Buddhist paintings in the
Kandyan period. He also mentioned the French work La technique de
la peinture indienne done during Siri's Sorbonne days. |
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