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Books

Beauty and tradition of the robe
Saffron Robes by Tilak Hettige, Times Edition publication. Reviewed by Mihiri Wikramanayake
After traversing 14 different countries over a period of seven years, Tilak Hettige had collected enough photographs to compile a book. These magnificent pictures have captured the fascinating fabric of the lives of Buddhist monks that portray the calm and compassionate doctrine of Buddhism.

According to Hettige, "Saffron Robes presents a spectacular view of the beauty and spirituality of the lives of Buddhist monks around the world." The book comprises a photo-essay with more than 70 images that capture the innocence and compassion of these monks whose ages spandecades.

Hettige says he selected saffron robes as his focal point because of the impact of the colour which he believes is associated with spirituality. Together, the saffron colour of the monks' robes enhances over 70 illustrations in the book and creates a captivating picture.

From the majestic mountains of Bhutan to ancient temples and remote villages in Sri Lanka, Hettige traces the origins of these devout monks and weaves a story of history and religion. "Throughout the process, I developed a sense of respect for these monks who have chosen to live like this even in the 21st century," he says.

Hettige lived amongst the monks, observed their traditions and customs and learnt their lifestyles. Hettige grew up in Sri Lanka and moved to the US to work and study and further his passion for photography. He has travelled to more than 35 countries collecting a kaleidoscope of images through his lens. He resides in the Philippines where he conducts photography workshops.

Hettige says that to look beyond is to feel through and to feel through is to be in touch with oneself.

Fusion of history and legend
Historical Romances of Lanka by Premasiri Mahingoda
Just at the time the tsunami hit the coastal belt of Sri Lanka, Premasiri Mahingoda brought out 'Historical Romances of Lanka' - a collection of interesting stories discussing romances of some of our ancient monarchs. Among them is a story titled 'A Queen's Forbidden Love' where King Kelanitissa tortured an innocent arahat suspecting him of having an affair with the queen. Mahingoda describes the incident thus:

"The incredulous king tortured the chief monk to no avail and ultimately immersed him in a cauldron of boiling oil, hoping that inflicting such agony would prompt the monk to confess. The virtuous and faultless monk stood quite unharmed inside the boiling cauldron chanting the sacred stanzas now known as thela kataha gatha. The king who ultimately was convinced that the 'arahanth' was innocent and had no complicity in Uththiya's amorous correspondence, set the monk free. But enraged at the atrocity perpetrated by the king on the virtuous and innocent arahath, the sea-goddess Manimekhala caused the raging sea to inundate inland so mercilessly resulting in unprecedented misery and havoc in the Kelaniya kingdom."

On the advice of the astrologers, the king sacrificed his daughter Devi to the sea. "The young beautiful princess was put on board a richly decorated canoe provided with the necessary comforts and victuals, and was set afloat on the turbulent sea. This ended the disaster caused by Manimekhala and by a quirk of fate the canoe drifting on the mighty ocean reached the coast of Magama in Ruhuna where king Kavanthissa rescued and married the princess."

This possibly is the earliest reference to a tsunami in Sri Lanka. It is one of 22 stories related by the former English teacher, who confesses these are mostly a blend of history and legend. We have been hearing these stories mostly through katin kata, grandmothers often relating them to the grandchildren. Now Mahingoda brings them out in the form of a Dayawansa Jayakody publication. A prolific writer in Sinhala, this is his first attempt in authoring a book in English.

The first story is about the daughter of Panduvasdev, Unmada Chitra, the mother of the prince whom the astrologers predicted would kill his eight maternal uncles and become king.

Mahingoda uses simple language to relate the stories following the Sinhala katandara style. The story of how Prince Gamini (later King Dutugemunu) disguised himself as a peasant boy and roamed around Kotmale until he tapped at the door of a farmer's hut where he met his future bride is a typical example. This is followed by the story of how Saliya, the only son of Dutugemunu and Menika met Asokamala, the beautiful girl of the 'chandala' caste.

The author quotes the Sinhala classic, 'Saddharmalankaraya' where her beauty is described by the team of Brahmins whom the king sent thus: "She is endowed with a most pleasing physique of golden hue, a pair of long wide fascinating eyes resembling two petals of blue water-lily, a broad and curvy lap with shapely hips, a navel with a southward whorl resembling a current in the golden ocean, a waist so slender as the arch of a bow, dark smooth upturned body hair and tender feet resembling two petals of a red lotus...

The stories range from the days of the Anuradhapura kingdom right up to the Kandyan kingdom.

Youth in turmoil
The Top Step by Premini Amerasinghe. Godage International Publishers (Pvt) Ltd. Reviewed by Punyakante Wijenaike
I met Dr. Premini Amerasinghe when we formed the Wadiya Group of writers. She is, by profession, a radiologist living in Kandy. Premini began with poetry which has led her to prose and I am proud that the Wadiya Group is enlarging its canvas. She says that this is her first attempt at prose writing although her second book titled The Search was published first before The Top Step.

Premini has attempted in this story to convey the impact of turmoil in Sri Lanka during the last fifteen (pre-tsunami) years on four members of the young generation struggling to form their lives. The picture on the cover page depicts the youth trying to find their future overlooking the range of hills surrounding the city of Kandy. There are four main people who are involved in the story. Upali, Ramya, Selvam and Ranjan.

Upali's story: (quote).
'I have lived all my life in Kandy, basking in the shadow of my once glorious name Upali Mudiyanselage Loku Bandara Herath. Names are the only life lines left to cling to... Don't worry Upali. You have been identified by your Army Commander'.

Ramya's story: (quote).
'My first day as an undergraduate! Why is there no excitement, no sense of pride of achievement? The only emotion I feel is FEAR as I try to hunch up into insignificance.
'Ado nama kiyapan'.
'Ramya Ratnayake'.
'Pissuda. Oya Kaputa Hamine!'

I realized then I had been baptized by a crow from a branch over-hanging my head. (unquote).
Selvam's story: (quote).

'Selvam awoke in a bath of perspiration. He had dreamt that Selvaranee was the assassin of Rajiv Gandhi. Awoke to the realization that surely this was a prophetic dream? The President was due to visit Kandy in a couple of days. The suitcase left under his bed did not contain books as he had been made to believe. It must be a live bomb ticking away... (unquote).

Ranjan's story: (quote).
'Can we sit back and look on when only money talks? Our politicians are a corrupt bunch of rogues. We must fight and let our new order lead us to prosperity and equality.' (unquote).

A story of the youth of Sri Lanka caught up in a country split by the power hungry. The Tamil Tigers, JVP, racists and fundamentalists and of course... the politicians. I congratulate Premini on her first book.

Life in verse
The Spectre of Aggression by Ranjan Amarasinghe. Reviewed by N. Dilshath Banu

Ranjan Amarasinghe's collection of 53 poems in 'The Spectre of Aggression' are more like short stories than poems, each related to profound themes of day-to-day life, yet conveyed in simple language.

Amarasinghe's poems appeared in the 'Sun' newspaper, where he was a sub-editor and in the 'Sunday Observer'and 'Daily News' and magazines such as 'Lanka Guardian' and 'Taprobane'.

What I found very interesting about the poems are their narrative style and the broad variety of topics the author had dealt with. 'Reading Poetry at OUSL' is about a student of English at the Open University waiting to be called to read poetry. It captures the readers by giving a real picture of the anxious student waiting for his turn. Amerasekara describes this waiting period as 'Like an impatient bridegroom,
Vowing to abide,
By matrimonial ties'

In another poem titled 'Life Truncated' , Amarasinghe tells of a young man who committed suicide because his love-affair fails. The peculiar aspect of this poem is how it describes the event by giving the exact time of the death - that is 4.28 a.m. and how it is interpreted by an astrologer. The astrologer comments that this particular time was not an auspicious time, when suicide itself is an inauspicious act.

'Happiness For Few' speaks about how we try to gain happiness in bizarre ways and 'chase demons', yet those demons deviate us from happiness. The following lines from this poem direct you to gain happiness
"… soothing whispers of children,

And flowers of fragrance,
They brought bestowing an allure
Of happiness"
Reading this brief poem, I find some insight to my life. So see, how it could impact on your life too.

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