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Kala Korner - by Dee Cee

Kala Korner by Dee Cee

A rich collection of folklore
Have you heard about the custom where a prospective bridegroom on his first visit to see the bride- to-be has to face a test of cutting a pineapple? An uncle of the girl gives him the fruit and then watches carefully how he cuts it.

If he peels off the skin too much, he is looked upon as an extravagant individual. If he is over cautious and does not peel off the skin properly, he is deemed a miser. The decision as to whether he is suitable for the niece depends on how neatly he does the job.

The girl too faces a test. She is given the task of laying the paddy on a mat for drying. She should not leave any finger marks in laying out the paddy. Then only is she considered an efficient homemaker.

These and many other little known customs and traditions are recorded in an exhaustive book on folklore by the Commercial Bank, titled 'Hela Maga Visituru'.

It is a rare collection and a rare type of community service project undertaken by a bank.

Sometime back, the Commercial Bank invited the public to send in information relating to folk customs, traditions, myths and legends.

The response was most encouraging. To sift the information, the Bank formed a panel of scholars. Dr. Pandula Andagama was given the task of planning a publication to preserve the valuable data for the benefit of future generations. It has turned out to be an excellent collection.

Kuveni's curse

In the first section of the book, Dr. Andagama discusses the key features of folklore and traces its history in Sri Lanka. He selects the reign of King Pandukabhaya (437-367 B.C) as a landmark in the history of Sri Lanka. The King gave an indigenous flavour to the art of governance.

The story is told of how as a prince, Pandukabhaya met a beautiful lass carrying food to the farm where her father, the village headman, was working along with fellow villagers.

The prince fell in love and selected her as his consort after he became king. An ordinary village girl thus became the queen. Her name was Pali. Because of her golden complexion, she was named Swarnapali. The King thus established a tradition that simple village folk were suitable to be among the royalty.

The King was also responsible for demarcating the villages and organising a system of local administration. He is also credited with the pioneering work on irrigation.

The folklore around Kuveni is vast, says Dr. Andaagma. She was bitter about the way Vijaya treated her and started cursing him after she was thrown out with their two children. Many are the tales about the route she had taken in Hath Korale.

Thonigala has been identified as the spot where she started lamenting. From there she proceeded to an area, which came to be known as Yakdessagala.

Dr. Andagama makes a strong case as to why folklore should be preserved. Folklore helps to understand and appreciate literature in the right perspective. The old day poetry has a close relationship to folklore.

Different aspects

'Hela Maga Visituru' deals with several aspects of folklore. One section details many customs related to pregnancy, infancy, puberty, marriage and death. Another records those related to agriculture. Various household myths connected with trees and animals make interesting reading.

Invisible forces like 'as vaha, kata vaha' and 'howaha' occupy a significant place as do the many rituals and indigenous medications. Tales connected with deities relate how the village-folk treat them with respect and dignity.

'Hela Maga Visituru' is yet another addition to the collection of publications on Sinhala folklore and related subjects. Dr. J B Disanayaka was a pioneer in this field. His series on the use of the folk idiom has been done after travelling widely in different parts of the country doing research.

Knowing his interest in the subject, the knowledge and deep commitment, the Commercial Bank invited him to serve on the advisory panel in the planning of 'Hela Maga Visituru' along with Dr. Andagama, Professor S. Mavunaguru, Dr. C. G. Uragoda and Tissa Abeysekera. The next step should be to put out an English version, for the benefit of those interested in folklore throughout the world.

As to the distribution of 'Hela Maga Visituru', the Bank is not interested in selling it. There is bound to be a huge demand for the book because it is given free. It will be difficult to draw the line as to who should or should not receive a copy. A copy in each library is a 'must'.

That will greatly benefit the reading public and research students.

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