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Kala Korner - by Dee Cee

Pathetic state of Sinhala fiction writing
The quality of Sinhala fiction writing is deteriorating. The standards are going down, lamented Colombo University's senior don, Dr. Sarath Wijesuriya, member of the D. R. Wijewardene Award panel of judges at this year's awards presentation.
He believes that one reason for this pathetic situation is the disinterest shown by youngsters in reading. Either they are not making an attempt to read or there is a lack of suitable reading material. Whatever the reason, the end result is that the new writing is of poor quality.

Speaking on behalf of the panel, he said they have been seeing the same scripts being re-submitted for the awards year after year with only the names of characters changed. The majority of the plots revolve round youngsters leaving the village and coming to town and their struggle to earn a living. "We have had enough and more of the trials and tribulations of these poor souls. It's time the writers realized how relevant these themes are," he stressed.

Touching on other themes he referred to the romantic themes which invariably were woven round a smart young man falling in love with an innocent girl, getting married to her and then letting her down. Then there is the biographical type of stories where pensioners relate the past. The hard life of plantation workers is another popular theme. The hard times of those who go looking for employment abroad is another. It was no easy task for the panel to select three out of 68 manuscripts for the awards. Dr Wijesuriya emphasized that even the ones selected have to be edited and the language needs adjustment.

Himself a D. R. Wijewardene award winner (his creation 'Avindu Andura' won in 1988), Dr. Wijesuriya wondered whether enhanced cash prizes would be an incentive for better writers to take part in the competition.

Silent service
Delivering the D. R. Wijewardene Memorial Oration, Professor Tissa Kariyawasam, Chairman of the panel of judges traced the life of Mr. Wijewardene from the days he had his early education at the 'Gal Palliye Iskolay' as S. Thomas' College was then called, through his stint in England as an undergraduate at Cambridge University, his return to Ceylon and the tremendous contribution he made towards the freedom struggle and higher education in this country.

Pointing out that his newspapers helped to evolve a new political leadership for the country, Professor Kariyawasam said that whoever was at the helm of the movement for independence in Sri Lanka, it was Mr. Wijewardene who guided it on the correct path.

D R Wijewardene's battle for a residential university was also referred to. The controversy relating to this subject began in 1923, two years after the Ceylon University College affiliated to the University of London was started with 115 undergraduates. While Mr. Wijewardene advocated a residential university in Kandy on the lines of the Cambridge University, Sir James Pieris led the opposing side insisting that the university should be in Colombo.

At a meeting chaired by Maha Mudliyar Bandaranaike, a motion was passed that the university should be moved to Kandy; the State Council passed a motion by a majority vote and Minister John Kotelawela bought a 300 acre tea estate in Peradeniya for the purpose. In 1940 he succeeded in getting Sir Ivor Jennings appointed as the head of the university and lost no time in getting the architect to design the university and a planner appointed.

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