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Stories my grandfather told me
By Ruhanie Perera
'These tales from old villages are dedicated with love to Saakya, first born grandson and Sahitra and Swyrie his little sisters', runs the dedication in the book 'Princess, Peasants and Clever Beasts', a book of Sinhala folk stories retold in English for children by Tissa Devendra.

At the interview, I find myself being inspected by, who I suspect, is one of the grandchildren mentioned in the dedication of the book. The little pixie faced girl with a head of curls, much like a character out of a storybook, looks me up and down inquisitively before dashing off.

Later on she pops back in, and quite determinedly makes her way towards my interviewee, onto whose lap she climbs and curls up. Introduced to me as 'Muththa's little friend', she is one of Tissa Devendra's three grandchildren who have been honoured with the dedication of their Muththa's latest book.

At present holding the post of Chairman of the Salaries' Commission, Tissa Devendra calls himself a "writer of sorts", one who was nurtured and encouraged from childhood by his writer, teacher, historian and scholar father, D.T. Devendra, who was keen to see his children adept in the written word.

So much so that the art of writing was almost imbibed with mother's milk, says Devendra, who today has had many of his articles published in journals and newspapers, as he remembers his beginnings in many "children's pages".

His books, however, came out much later in life. There is a reason for this: "They are 'recollections in tranquillity'," he says with a smile, sounding most Wordsworthian.
Devendra, the man with a distinct 'gift for words', chuckles as he admits to being an "absolutely lazy fellow", confirming, "I write only when the spirit moves me!" And by the looks of it there is still many a story just waiting for his spirit to 'make a move'.
Author of 'Sri Lanka: The Emerald Island', which is a glossy overview of our country's history, culture and traditions and "Tales from the Provinces", which was shortlisted for the Gratiaen Award, Devendra says that much of his writing (especially 'Tales from the Provinces') draws from his experiences during his thirty-year career as a government administrator in the Public Service, which took him to 11 of Sri Lanka's - at the time - 22 districts. "I had the good fortune to travel from one 'kachcheri' to the next, getting to know the people and the land, from the dry zone of Anuradhapura to the wet zone, from the beaches of Trinco to the hills of Nuwara Eliya."

These experiences he recorded, with a flair for language, bringing out the subtleties and nuances of his subjects with a marked 'tongue-in-cheek' tone so much so that "Tales from the Provinces" is hailed as a 'felicitous mix of irreverence and nostalgia'.
Language, which was once nurtured at home, says Devendra, took him onto an English Honours degree at the University of Ceylon (half a century ago, he injects) where he was one in a class of four.

From the writer of Sri Lankan history, society, tradition and culturally flavoured tales and short stories now comes a book of folk tales for children.

"And why ever not?" he enquires, "I am a grandfather." It is obvious that it's a role he thrives on, for he says, "Grandparents are wonderful toys...and we can have all the fun without any of the pain. That's why they're 'grand' children to have around."

The reason for this book is simply: "I read a lot to my grandchildren and these are stories they aren't too familiar with, which I felt they should know. I know for a fact that if they weren't around I would never have thought that there was a need for such a book."

Having his target audience at hand, stories told to Devendra in his childhood by "ayahs, ammes and achchis" took the form of "Peasants, Princes and Clever Beasts". Skimming through the book I found old familiar tales, like that of the 'ibba' who couldn't stop talking and the 'gamarala' who hung onto the flying elephant's tail to ascend the skies, in addition to some lesser known tales.

"One particular story about the 'Princess Who Loved School' is a completely heroine story with the male characters playing a very minor role," says Devendra, "which I felt was rather unusual, but interesting and so couldn't be left out of this collection."

"Writing this book wasn't any easier than my usual work, in fact it was more difficult," says Devendra who adds, on the other hand, having the children around was certainly a plus point because interaction with them meant he knew exactly what type of language and situation would capture their interest and amuse them."

With its ten fascinating folk tales, this is an ideal 'read aloud' book for children. It's even somewhat tempting for the adult reader to reach out to at bedtime for the stories sound almost as if they are being read aloud, bringing back voices from the past, ones which had probably been dismissed for good.

"What better time to write such a book than in my old age," chuckles Devendra..."or should I say 'anec-dotage'."

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