Book Review
Of structure and aesthetics
Eelaththuc Cirukathai Thohuppukal: Tiranaivu (Sri Lankan Tamil Short
Story Collections: Critical Comments) and Anmaikala Eelaththuc Cirukathai
Thohuppukal: Thiranaivu (Recent Sri Lankan Tamil Short Story Collections:
Critical Comments)
By K. S. Sivakumaran -Reviewed by Prof. Karthigesu Sivathamby
K.S. Sivakumaran's ninth and tenth books are two collections of reviews
and interesting critical notes he has written over the years on Sri Lankan
Tamil short story collections.
Sivakumaran is fairly well known in the media and literary circles.
His major contribution has been his writings in English which introduced
and commented on the 'happenings' in the Tamil literary and arts fronts
to the non-Tamil-speaking readers and listeners. He has also taken an abiding
interest in serious cinema.
Within the field of Tamil writing itself, K. S. Sivakumaran's relevance
has been that he had presented 'new writings' and the aesthetics' of the
writings concerned to the Tamil reader. In doing so, he has been trying
to keep himself out of the ideological controversies that used to rage
in the Tamil literary arena. His writings are oriented towards "the
non-committal and yet concerned reader".
Sivakumaran, in these two volumes under review, comments on 64 collections
of Sri Lankan Tamil short stories published since the late 60s and provides
an overall view of the development of local short story writing in Tamil.
The challenge that Tamil literature in Sri Lanka faces, when compared
to those produced in India is that in Sri Lanka, the human experiences
portrayed are much more heterogenous than in Tamilnadu.
In Sri Lanka, the Sri Lankan Tamils, and Muslims, two distinct communities,
share the same linguistic and literary tradition. Even among the Tamils,
there is a great unevenness. The hill-country Tamils have their own tradition.
In such a situation, the diversities are naturally marked.
Sivakumaran's forte has been his comments on the structure of the narrative
style and the aesthetic satisfaction.
Speak for me now
After thought
By Kumudini Hettiarachchi
We shout about hu man rights and animal rights. But how many of us,
during our daily battle for survival think twice about the little "servant"
carrying a child bigger than she is, the waif exploited by the beggar mudalali,
the refugee child deprived of home and education, the brutalised child-soldier,
the sexually-abused beach boy or the adolescent forced into an incestuous
relationship by her father.
The list goes on and on. These are the unheard voices of the exploited
children of Sri Lanka.
For me, the myth about the value of children and the importance of the
family was exploded way back in the sixties. I got an introduction to violence
against children when I myself was a little girl of about six. We were
living in a provincial town then, and my sister and I used to go for music
lessons to a family friend. There, we saw for the first time, a "servant
girl" not older than 12. She did everything in that household, but
what did she get in return - slaps and cuts from a cane specially reserved
for her, not only from the "nona" but also from the much-respected
"mahattaya".
What were her crimes? They were as "major" as dropping a towel
when taking it off the clothesline or trying to steal a few morsels of
the tasty dishes prepared exclusively for the children of the household.
She ate the "indul"(scraps) only after everyone else, including
the pet dog had eaten. She was the last to go to sleep at night and the
first to get up at the crack of dawn. She was just a child, but not in
the eyes of those around her. To them she was a lower being, not even deserving
what the pet dog got.
I was too young to question WHY? What was the difference between that
girl and the pampered children of that household? What was the difference
between me and that girl? Wasn't she too made of flesh and blood, with
all the yearnings of childhood? Was she sub-human because she was born
into poverty?
All the arguments in the world will never give back her childhood or
wipe away the hot tears that would have flowed onto her mat at night.
This is just one example of what we see almost daily, even now, but
do nothing about. We as a society seem to condone it. Child abuse is part
of our lives. We keep silent or nod in agreement when the more vociferous
among us claim that "such children will starve in their homes."
We appease our consciences with the words that they will at least get three
meals a day or that they have just been brought as playmates for the more
affluent children.
We close our eyes and ears to the anguished cries of such children being
harassed by our neighbours, exploited in boutiques and on the streets,
raped by their own fathers :with the excuse: What can we do or it is not
our business.
As Professor Harendra de Silva, Chairman of the Presidential Task Force
on Child Reforms, referring to child abuse, says, "What right have
you, to get work out of me? What right have you, to do this to me? What
right have I, to complain about thee? My hands are tied; my mouth is bound.
It is you - all out there, who should speak out for me. If not, a 'passive
perpetrator' you may be".
Some of us, doctors, engineers, lawyers, teachers, academics, politicians,
government officers, journalists and the so-called educated people are
ourselves the perpetrators, the victimisers and the oppressors.
Whether we are the direct perpetrators or the "silent" majority
_ think and allow our consciences the freedom to guide us. Many a time
I ask myself how I would feel if I were compelled to send my five-year-old
daughter as a "servant"_ how her eyes would mirror the pain of
knowing she was different from other children, that she had to slave while
others went to school or played, how the tears would well up in her eyes
when she saw them eating chocolate without giving her even a tiny piece.
Though vast strides have been made by the government, with the support
of non-governmental organisations in strengthening children's rights, we
as a society should take on the challenge of eradicating or at least minimising
as much as possible the menace of child abuse. We should not be complacent,
just because our children are not victims.
The government can put laws into place, but implementation and enforcement
would depend on us. Remember children do not have a voice of their own_their
loves and hates, their joys and fears are all voiced by us, the adults.
Whenever I think of children, the apt words of Nobel Prize winner and
poet Gabriela Mistral come to mind: "We are guilty of many errors
and many faults, but our worst crime is abandoning children, neglecting
the fountain of life. Many of the things we need can wait. The child cannot
wait. To him we cannot answer tomorrow. "His name is today".
What we can do
* Never employ or abuse a child
* If a neighbour or friend is employing a child under 12, which is illegal,
advise them not to do so.
* If they persist, inform the police or the Department of Probation and
Child Care
*If any kind of child abuse is spotted inform the police on 444444 (hotline)
or 347300
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