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Kala
Korner by Dee CeeRemembering old friends Paying tribute to his parents, Tissa traced how he became bilingual. His father was an anglicised man who believed that one should only speak English at home. He was also an avid reader. As a young boy Tissa had read most of the well- known English authors in his father's library. His mother he says was a more simple Sinhala-speaking person. He listened to her relating Jataka tales and was particularly intrigued by the way she recited the verses in 'Yasodarawatha'. Tissa was not quite sure how she became a Samasamajist but he says he was and still is influenced by her political outlook. Tissa was in a nostalgic mood and spoke of all those who had made an impact on his life. Going down memory lane, he spoke about three close friends whose friendship had developed over the past four or five decades. The first was well- known actor G. R. Perera whom he had got to know about 55 years ago when Tissa's family shifted to Pannipitiya. "We were newcomers and he was a simple villager born and bred there. We struck up a friendship that lasted through the years," Tissa reminisced. Then there was a school-mate with whom he quarrelled most of the time. "He had a fine command of both Sinhala and English and should have gone far with his creative talent," Tissa said referring to dramatist Premaranjit Tillekeratne, who had several productions to his credit. The third was Dharmasiri Wickremaratne, another big name in the field of theatre during the Ape Kattiya era. Both Professor Senake Bandaranayake and Dr. Radhika Coomaraswamy dealt extensively with Tissa's work. Ravibandu set the tone for the evening with his drum overture. His item has become a popular and effective curtain-raiser for many an occasion. All
about Cumaratunga The exhaustive collection of articles by well-known scholars and university dons on different aspects of Munidasa Cumaratunga covers a wide field. They include evaluations of his use of the language, his skills in editing the classics, his views on Sinhala grammar, his contribution to education, Cumaratunga the poet, and his creative abilities. The book begins with a brief sketch of Cumaratunga's life story. Born on July 25 ,1887, at Indigasara in Dickwella in the deep south, he had his primary education at the Dickwella Buddhist School and later joined St Thomas' College, Matara. His deep knowledge of Sinhala, Pali and Sanskrit enabled him to top the list in all three languages at the exams conducted by the Society of Oriental Studies. After finishing his stint at the Government Teacher Training College, he taught at Bomiriya government school until he became head master of the bilingual school at Kadugannawa. It is said that a question on grammar asked by a student made him start researching into the subject. In 1917, he was promoted an inspector of schools and he published his first book on general knowledge that year. He devoted time to writing, after leaving government service in 1922 and after five years became principal of the Buddhist Training College, Nittambuwa and later at Balapitiya training college. The years that followed saw him editing the 'Sarasavi Sanderesa' newspaper, 'Subasa' literary magazine and many others. He passed away on March 2, 1944. The long list of his publications includes revised editions of the classics, critical evaluations, his own writings, magazines that he edited, and articles written to newspapers and journals. Many may not know that Cumaratunga started an English journal titled 'The Helio' in 1941. Glancing through 'Vimasuma', I wondered why Gevindu had not included at least one or two English articles. In fact, it would be a good idea for him to put out a separate publication in English. |
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