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Kala Korner - by Dee Cee

Bringing sweetness and knowledge to children
We have all read the 'hodi potha', the primer beginning with the Sinhala letters 'a','aa','ae','aee' and so on. Invariably we first read 'a' for 'amma', a word we are so familiar with virtually from the day we were born. It is not a word alien to us unlike 'a' for 'apple' in the English alphabet. While the 'hodi potha' continued in its traditional form, a new look 'hodi potha' appeared a few years back with Professor J. B. Disanayaka trying his hand at making the Sinhala alphabet much more interesting to the child. 'Akuru Mihira' introduced a musical alphabet.

"Music and dance bring sweetness to life. Little children love to sing and dance. 'Akuru Mihira' makes little children sing and dance as they learn to read and write Sinhala,” JB explains. He also wants children to read and write from the very beginning. "For the book introduces not only the letters (akuru) but also the vowel-strokes (pili) that have to be learnt to read and write Sinhala.”

JB insisted on making the book very attractive. Full colour is used. Excellent illustrations by Sybil Wettasinghe are a treat. A lesson is confined to a single page introducing a single letter or stroke. This is done to avoid taxing the child's memory too much. Continuity is maintained in that the new letter or stroke is always introduced in the context of what the child has already learnt thus making him learn without effort. Another feature is that the words in which the letters occur are put together to form rhymes that can be sung.

JB has also been thoughtful in creating the rhymes on themes that the children can perform as an activity together in class.

On to 'Akuru Mihira 2'
With the success of 'Akuru Mihira', which introduced the child to 41 of the 58 letters in the Sinhala alphabet, JB and Sybil now introduce the balance 17 letters in 'Akuru Mihira 2'. JB explains that the 58 letters are the ones used to write Sinhala. There are three more in the Sinhala alphabet which are not in use today.

The musical mood continues in 'Akuru Mihira 2' with JB cleverly introducing some well known Sinhala usages too. 'Habung katai bath dekatai' and the popular 'finger game' - 'Meka badagini badagini kiyanawa' are just two examples. These are what mothers and grandmothers teach the little ones from their very young days. Then there is the 'pettappu' and the 'paan kiritti', also the eternal favourites 'onna babo athinniya' and 'onchili chili chilla male'- all delightfully illustrated in colour. In 'Akuru Mihira 2' JB takes care to introduce the subtle differences in certain Sinhala letters.

JB has also done a special reader for use in 'daham pasal' where the children learn the Dhamma. It is titled 'Akuru Mihira 2' with the proviso 'For Daham Schools'. It presents a fine combination of Sinhala letters and Buddhist themes. The significant events in the life of the Buddha are presented in a memorable way making it easy for the children to understand and remember them.

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