Nihal de Silva: a loss to Writing in English!
 

by K.S.Sivakumaran

 

Until the end of last year I had not met the late Nihal de Silva. I was aware that he won the State Literary Award for the Best Novel in English in 2003, although I had not read it then. I could not get a copy of it in the U.S., as I was residing there at that time. Nihal de Silva was a big name in the literary circles in the country as he was judged as well a winner of Gratiaen Prize in 2003. When I came back to the country in May 2004, I wanted to meet him, but did not have the courage to meet a celebrity because most celebrities do not really like to associate with lesser-known people like myself.

However, in November last year I received a telephone call asking for me. I introduced myself as 'Siva'. The voice at the other end warmly said, 'Hi Mr Sivakumaran. I read your columns in the newspapers and your candid views on many matters are appreciated. I would like to hand over two of my books for you to read.'

I said 'Thanks. Nice to know you. I will get them at Vijitha Yapa's."

'No, no, I will bring them to you. Just tell me where you live.'

"Oh, that's nice of you, but it is unbecoming on my part to get me these
books at my place"

"Come on, it is with admiration that I want to give these books to you", he said. I reluctantly agreed to receive him at my place. And he did come home on November 06, last year and left the books at my place. I wasn't at home that day.

A week later he was the chief guest at the Lionel Wendt Art Gallery at an exhibition. I was there too and took courage to go and speak to him for the books. He was visibly happy to meet me. He looked young and pleasant. There was warmth in his voice. I learnt that he was an Old Joe and I faintly remembered his face as a youngster in a lower class. At that time I was in the 'Upper Six ' in the same school.

Subsequently Nihal had published a few more books. And I had seen him at many literary gatherings and we spoke to each other when we met.

In one of my columns in The Island, I recorded my appreciation of his books. But his tragic death at Wipattu gave me pain in my heart. Why
do such wonderful people die in tragic circumstances?  From head to toe Nihal de Silva was a cultured gentleman. I can't help shedding a
few drops of tears on his untimely death.

As my tribute to him, let me give you some passages culled at random from his two books, as I liked them. I am sure discriminating
readers among you would also like his power of writing This style is authentic and measured use of expressions is exquisite.

Let us glean his novel The Giniralla Conspiracy for just one illustration: His social consciousness is evident by the fact that he dedicated the book to the poor of Lanka, marginalized and suffering, on whose behalf so many have done so little, in fifty-seven years of
independence.

Page 92:

'The most wonderful moment is the first plunge into the wawa. The water is sun-warm at the surface and mud-chilled below. No stink of
pipe-borne chlorine. While Seela washes the school uniforms by pounding them on a rock, the girls and I wade into the water.

'Punchi prances around a pair of knickers. Loku, conscious now of her status as a big girl, has a diya reddha, a length of thin
material, wrapped modestly round her body. As I have! We made further and the material billows like a sail, making us shriek with laughter as we try to cover ourselves. Fortunately men folk are not encouraged to linger at our bathing place.

We bathe by getting on our knees and bending over so that our heads sink below the surface, striking the water violently with our hands at the same time. I have never understood why village folk slap the water in that particular way; perhaps it is to frighten crocodiles.

Don�t you that the above is effective writing in capturing a village cameo in an authentic manner?

Let�s turn to his other celebrated novel, The Road from Elephant Pass:

Page 103:

July 1983 was a black day in our country. Organized mobs, supported by powerful politicians, attacked the Tamils living in the south of the country. Thousands of people lost their homes and property. Many were killed. That was the real beginning of the war that still rages in our country, seventeen years later. "The mobs came along the railway track. Appa was not at home, Velaithan spoke in a dull monotone, as if to herself. They knew exactly where the Tamils lived because they came directly to our home.

They were all young men carrying clubs and iron rods. They ordered my mother out of the house. She was carrying my little brother Ram. We had two tiny rooms on the first floor of our house. I was playing up there when they came. I hid when they started shouting at my mother.

They did not steal anything. They simply collected our possessions, clothes, TV and furniture and piled them in the center of our hall.
They threw all Appa's books on top of the pile- and then they set fire to it all.

� My mother had thought it was better to stay hidden, that they would take our possessions and go. When she saw the fire she started
screaming and tried to rush inside to get me but they wouldn�t let her. They held her back till they were sure the fire was�� well
established, that nothing could be saved. Then they � went away!�

(My dear readers that were born after 1980 please read the rest of the pages of this book to understand why animosities among our different
communities rose up and the resultant violence that is enraging and leading to perhaps all of us being annihilated or perished. I say this
because the younger generations in both the south and north of the country do not really know why there is violence in this country. They
do not seem to know the root causes for this calamity for more than 20
years.)

Putting the record correct

This is in regard to my piece on Noam Chomsky's observations on Mainstream Media. (As I Like It � June 14,2006) It included references  to universities in Boston. Inadvertently an error occurred in identifying the locations of the universities in Massachusetts. The
error is regretted.

Thanks to correspondent D.L.O. Mendis who gives the correct version:

"Mr Sivakumaran: May I point out an error in today's Island (June14) newspaper article, by you, titled 'Understanding the Mainstream Media.

You have said: " I learnt that in the historically important Boston there are four internationally famous universities located close to
each other. They are Harvard, Yale, MIT and North Western University."

Actually Harvard and MIT are virtually adjacent to each other in Cambridge, Massachusetts, not in Boston. Yale is in Connecticut, and
Northwestern is in Chicago, Illinois. Two Universities in Boston, Massachusetts are Boston University and Boston College. Best regards. D.L.O.Mendis "

*

In the June 14, 206 column, I referred to Prof Nalin de Silva as plain Nalin Silva.Unconsciously I dropped the 'de' part of his
full name. My apologies, Sir. At the same time, I must thank him for a positive response in relation to me. Thanks apart, I must quickly state this: 'racism' is prevalent everywhere. It is not exclusive to Sri Lanka. According to the psychologist Jung, race consciousness is dormant in every one of us. It is deep within. It comes to surface when acquired race identity is challenged or demeaned. It manifest in the form of ethnic nationalism. In Sri Lanka, we can't deny the fact that there exists 'Sinhala Nationalism', 'Thamil Nationalism', Islamic Nationalism' and even 'Burgher Consciousness'. 'Nationalism' in itself is not to be discouraged. But if it takes a route of domineering or overpowering of
one group over the other even to the extent of annihilation of the 'enemy', there comes a problem. It is the acceptance and coexistence
of each and every person as decent human beings with basic human values and rights and without any discrimination or execution of
careless officialdom that can bring an awareness of a sense of belonging and patriotic feelings as truly members of a single nation.

But if we look at things here dispassionately we will find that dwelling in the past, mutual fear, and often lack of empathy, and archetypal myths, lack of communication, and most importantly the unguarded buffoonery of some noticeable self- interested politicians, not to mention the insensitive and often one sided reportage of the Colombo media, blatant and open violation of law and order have all resulted in our blindness to perceive things in the right order. It is ironical that we mistrust each other even when some of us know that we all belong to the same ethnic stock even though we speak different languages and follow different religions depending on where we are located geographically in this blessed island. Ignorance is bliss, true, but to insist that ignorance of the other is always right is sheer 'Angnana' (un-enlightenment)

***
In my column published on May 31, 2006 in the Midweek edition of The Island, readers might recall that I referred to the uncanny decision
of the visa counter clerks at the Canadian High Commission in Colombo that was interpreted by the visa officer of that diplomatic mission reporting that I did not possess the necessary documents to obtain a temporary visa to that north American country  Canada.

This was not true, because I submitted the necessary documents. The argument was that would not have sufficient fund to stay in Toronto
for four days. I was to attend a high profile conference organized by the Universities of Toronto and York in Canada. The mail from the
chief organizer, Prof Chelva Canaganayagam said that I would be provided four nights accommodation free during the conference. I
forwarded this mail too with application.

Neither the Visa Officer nor the Acting High Commissioner appears to have read my piece, because there was no response from either of them. Nor had the Press Officer of the High Commission cared to respond. Probably they are too diplomatic as not to admit their carelessness and injustice done to me. Apparently there are others too like me who were victimized by the 'locals' for some private reasons in the processing of applications for visas.

This is evident by the fact that three correspondents had responded to my account. I was pleasantly surprised to see on the Tamilweek websitea reproduction of my column with three responses. One other also wrote to me retelling his own experience at the Canadian visa office. So, all of us can't be wrong. Can we?

k.s.sivakumaran@gmail.com
Contact: sivakumaranks@yahoo.com