Maname rendered a useful service to Sinhalese Drama by reviving interest in it at a time when it was at a very low ebb. But can we say that Sinhala drama has achieved anything substantial? Hemantha Warnakulasuriya and Douglas Amarasekara write:
first
produced a little over 40 years ago, and like the plays of John de Silva when
they were first produced, was hailed with great enthusiasm.
Last year the author of Maname, Prof. Sarachchandra, passed away. We think that it would now be a very good thing for us to discuss Maname more objectively and rationally, instead of emotionally. It is very important that we should form a truthful evaluation of Maname, in order to improve and develop Sinhalese Drama and Literature.
Recently, one of the admirers of Maname wrote in a well known journal:- The first issue relates to the substance and quality of the play itself. Regi Siriwardene's original review in the Daily News has, like the play itself, stood the test of time. Mr. Siriwardene wrote in 1956: Maname is not only unquestionably the finest thing on the Sinhalese stage, it is also one of the finest things I have seen on any stage.'
It is
absolutely untrue to say that 'Maname and Mr. Siriwardene's original review
have stood the test of time, as is clearly shown by several facts, e.g., the
following:-
1. Mr. Siriwardene himself, in an article published in the Daily News about 25 years after Maname, wrote:- 'We may have to revise our opinion about Maname. After all, what does it have to say:"
This is exactly what we have been asking from the beginning for the last 40 years.
2. About 14 years after Maname, another well known critic in an article published in the Daily News wrote:- 'The opposition to Maname seems to be growing. We may have to revise our opinion about it some years from now.
3. 23 years after Maname, Prof. Sarachchandra himself, reviewing another play, wrote in the Daily News:-'
Although most of the plays now done follow the conventions of the naturalistic theatre, the acting still shows the pernicious influence of stylisation.
Lucien Bulathsinghala still proclaims as he does in the stylised theatre, and Leonie Kotalawala walks about the stage in a pose that could indicate that she has a permanent backache. If anyone tells me now that I have done more harm to the Sinhala theatre than good, I will not deny it.' (Ceylon Daily News Nov. 20, 1979, page 10).
We urge readers to make a careful note of this remarkable admission.
4. The Encyclopaedia Britannica contains articles of considerable length not only on English, French, other European and American Literature, but also on Indian, Chinese, Japanese, Arabic, Persian and other literature. It also contains articles on individual writers, not only Sophocles, Shakespeare, Voltaire, Shaw, Eliot and others, but also on Indian, Chinese, Japanese and Persian writers like Kalidasa, Li Po, Matsui Basho, Omar Khayyam and others.
However, the 1962 edition of the Encyclopaedia Britannica, published 6 years after Maname, does not contain one single word either about Sinhalese literature including Maname, or its author.
(Later editions contain a short reference to Sinhalese Literature and a few Sinhalese writers, included in a long article on South East Asian literature. But they do not contain separate articles of considerable length on Sinhalese Literature including Maname, or its author).
Evidently, the editors of the Encyclopaedia Britannica do not regard Maname as 'one of the finest things on any stage.'
5. The New Standard Encyclopaedia, a modern American publication, though smaller than the Britannica, contains excellent concise accounts of various fields of knowledge.
The 1981 edition, published 25 years after Maname, does not contain ONE SINGLE WORD) about Sinhalese Literature including Maname, or about the author of Maname.
6. There does not seem to be any reference at all to Maname in any prestigious Encyclopaedia, Anthology, Dictionary or Book on World Drama.
It would seem therefore that although Maname has been very popular for some time in our little island, from the world point of view it has hardly any significance or value.
The greatest weakness of Maname is that it has nothing of any considerable value to say.
Evidently, the value of any set of words, (whether it be a short Japanese Haiku poem consisting of only about 10 words or a play containing several thousand words) depends primarily on the meaning of those words.
From the time Maname was first produced 40 years ago we have repeatedly requested its admirers to quote even one single line from the play that has anything of considerable value to say. The result has been total and absolute silence.
Here are some examples of lines from world famous plays:-
1. Call no man happy till he is dead (from the Oedipus of Sophocles)
2. The last temptation was the greatest treason. To do the right thing for the wrong reason. (from Eliot's Murder in the Cathedral)
The reader will find literally hundreds of similar lines in any dictionary of quotations.
There isn't a single line in Maname that is comparable with these. Instead, we find typical lines like the following:
1. On sun god and moon god, lords of the sky, Give us all your blessing.
2. Princess: The night is near, I'm full of fear, My dearest dear, Bears are growling, Lions are prowling, They are drawing near.
3. At the crucial point of the play, when the prince has just been killed,
Princess: why did you kill my dear husband? It was your fault, It was your fault.
Vedda king: He tried to kill me, so I killed him. It was not my fault. It was not my fault.
The music and singing in
Maname are as primitive as the words. There is no counter point at all. The harmony is extremely elementary. The music and singing in Maname are far below the level of operas like Verdits La Traviata, Puccini's Tosca, Mozart's Marriage of Figaro etc. The dancing in Maname is even worse than the words, music and singing. All the actors go round and round in the same circle for two hours on end. We ourselves found it extremely boring, and almost intolerable to watch after the first ten or fifteen minutes.
Maname rendered a useful service to Sinhalese Drama by reviving interest in it at a time when it was at a very low ebb. For this we are grateful. But now we should try to rise above that level and develop more modern forms. There is dramatic talent in our country some of it of very good quality. Younger dramatists at that time like Sugathapala de Silva, Dharmasiri Wickramaratne, Henry Jayasena and others were just beginning to produce plays of some value.
For example, in Sugathapala de Silva's 'Thattu Geval', a woman has come to hate her husband. She stands on a balcony and watches him walking along a busy road far below. She turns to a friend and says 'There he goes. You know, I often stand on this balcony and watch him walking along that road, and I keep hoping that he will be run over by a car. Do you think I am a very bad woman?' The friend replies 'I don't think of human beings as good or bad. I think of them merely as human beings. There is depth of feeling in those lines, and they provide food for thought.
We hope that Sinhala Drama will now revive. Our Astronomers and Cricketers have now caught up with the rest of the world. We sincerely hope that our Dramatists also will do the same in the not too distant future.
International Terrorism a book by Amrith Rohan Perera will be launched on February 19.
This book provides an in-depth examina tion of the complex initatives undertaken within the League of nations and, more recently, in the United Nations as well as in regional organizations such as the European Union and the South Asian Association for Regional Cooperation (SAARC), to combat the phenomenon of terrorism and the progressive development of principles of International Law, which has taken place through these initiatives.
The study focuses on the growing acceptance of a set of legal principles. These are the fundamentals of an international legal framework for effectively combating terrorism. These include the principles of non use of territory for hostile acts, the principle of universality of jurisdiction and the "extradite or prosecute" principle, and comprehensively examines the current trend towards a restrictive application of the traditional "political offences exception" or the principle of "non extradition of political offenders" in respect of terrorist crimes.
Multilateral Coventions in the field of suppression of international crime, as well as recent regional conventions such as the European Union and SAARC conventions on suppression of terrorism, are carefully examined. The treatment also covers recent landmark bilateral extradition treaties with special focus on terrorist crimes. The ongoing intiative for the establishment of an International Criminal Court is also examined.
The development of legal principles are discussed against the background of decided cases and academic writings on the subject of terrorism. The book contains a useful analysis of the emerging trends in the Law of Extradition.
Dr. Amrith Rohan Perera left the unofficial bar in 1976 to join the Ministry of Foreign Affairs as an Assistant Legal Advisor. At present Legal Advisor to the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, Dr. Perera is a reputed Supreme Court advocate and has specialised in Public International Law.
He has represented Sri Lanka in important international negotiations and conferences over a period of twenty years, including the Human Rights Committee and the Commission on Human Rights, Ministerial Meetings of the Commonwealth, the Asian-African Legal Consultative Committee and the South Asian Association for Regional Cooperation (SAARC). He has also functioned as the Legal Advisor to the President of the Conference of State Parties on the Review and Extension of the Nuclear Non- Proliferation Treaty (NPT), 1995, and was among the Arbitrators/Conciliators nominated by the Government of Sri Lanka to the Panels maintained by the Secretary General of the United Nations under the Law of the Sea Convention.
Dr. Perera was closely associated with the work of SAARC from its early days, having functioned as the Legal Advisor to the Delegation of Sri Lanka from the Second SAARC Summit in Bangalore in 1986 to the Sixth Summit in Colombo in 1992. He also attended the First to the Tenth Meetings of the SAARC Council of Ministers at a time when SAARC was actively engaged in dealing with the question of terrorism as it affects the security and stability of the South Asian Region.
Dr. Perera also serves as Chairman of the Legislation Sub-Committee of the National Dangerous Drug Control Board, and is a visiting lecturer at the Faculty of Law, University of Colombo, Bandaranaike Centre for International Studies and the Bandaranaike Diplomatic Training Institute.
1.Thiranaivup Paarvaihal (Critical Insights), 1996. Published by the author, 21, Murugan Place, Colombo 6.
2. Eelaththu Ilakkiyam: Noolhalin Arimuham (An Introduction to books on Sri Lankan Literature), 1996.
Published by Bright Book Centre (Pvt) Ltd., P.O. Box 162, Colombo 11.
Both books by K.S. Sivakumaran
The almost impenetrable barriers across cultural groups now existing in this island, once eulogised for its serendipity cry out for an exchange of ideas between the various sections of society.
Art, literature and social practices are fields where dissemination of positive thinking could produce profitable results. Such dissemination is possible through the relentless efforts of persons like K.S. Sivakumaran, who never tires of working for the promotion of inter-communication between readers belonging to different language groups.
As it is well known, the columnist Sivakumaran - this is how he modestly describes his own self - has to his credit a number of contributions including critical comments, reviews, introductory notes and write-ups. Of late he has launched a programme of collecting these writings and bringing them out as books and booklets. The series is at once edifying, informative for students of literature and those who wish to gain access to the field of writing and higher education.
Two such publications already out, deserve our immediate notice and examination. Both could be included in one category entitled Columnist's Writings and Miscellaneous Notes (Paththi Elutthukalum Pal Thiraddukalum).
The first in this series is Thiranaivup Paarvaihal (Cricital Insights). Sections 1 to 18 to the book are results of Sivakumaran's effort at criticism of particular works by various authors on a wide range of themes. Among the authors taken up are ones as contemporary as, say, Thenian, Dominic Jeeva, S. Ganeshalingan, Sundara Ramaswamy and Mowni. Subramania Bharathi, Ilankayarkone, S. Ponnuthurai and Varathar are names indicative of the wide range of the colourful spectrum of eminent authors he has chosen to place under the objective of his critical microscope.
Another group of material aiming at providing clarity of vision regarding principles and precepts relating to critical evaluation is given under the common heading Tharnaivu Thelivu. These are extracts from authoritative sources. Tholkappair, S. Vithianantan, K. Kailasapathy, Chidampara Raghunathan, S. Maunaguru, Mau. Chitraleka and M.A. Nuhman. Reproduction of the chapter on Evaluation from a particular edition of the Thamil language textbook produced by the Educational Publications Department in 1974, is a worthwhile act. But it is pity that this particular portion along with other similar portions has been withdrawn from Thamil 9 by editorial authorities in the Department. Maybe, they had decided that they were very much wiser than their predecessors in matters of that nature.
Now, let us have a quick look at Volume 2. The specific subtitle of this volume reads as Sri Lankan Literature: An Introduction to Books. An explanatory subtitle tells us that the book is meant to serve as a reference aid for the GCE, A/L. In this, rather slender, volume the author has given a list of titles dealing with the history of Sri Lankan Tamil Writing.
In sum, the two volumes of critical writings and reference guides issued by Mr. Sivakumaran could be considered as useful student guides besides being sources of enlightenment on literary and critical lore. The author deserves all encouragement and recognition in this healthy effort of educating the young and the uninitiated.
Continue to Plus page 4 - Vijaya: was his dream betrayed? * Two sides to a story: Colombo Law Faculty students * An insight to local tea industry: Book review
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