For
Mas-imbula (2012) , when he writes about his loving Nugegoda, giving it
a human form - chin protruding towards Pagoda, Kohuwala, it's sibling -
he cannot forget the bomb explosion that changed many a life on that
fateful evening. Many a couple immersed in their plans, a lover awaiting
the other, a parent rushing back to his loved ones, and a tired student
rushing home back hungry, fell that day. The poet reminisces how not
withstanding the "plastic surgery" done "on its' cheeks" later by the
agile staff of the famous clothes store there , how on that evening,
the sword of fate severed and felled to the ground "my one and only
heart." The poet doesn't make the destruction a political statement. It
is as if, like many of us then, resigned to our collective fate, he
laments his loss in the middle of a town he knows like his own palm. It
is the grief and the picture of isolation in a crowd, as he seeks his
lost one, that leaves an etching mark in our hearts while the cause of
the loss, is not the poet's focus. This resignation, has an effect of
adding depth to the feeling of isolation. L.T.T.E. terrorism was a part
of everyday life for all of us, and it was the most fortunate who were
lucky not to be at the wrong place at the wrong time. Even the prompt
repairs by the shop owners suggest, the populace at large has decided
to move on, leaving behind loss to be grieved by the affected
individuals.
The
poem, "Dwarf", found in Lakshantha Athukorala's collection "Ee"
(Arrows, 2014), takes us into the mind of a former soldier, drowning in
self pity, having lost both his legs. He ponders, and asks the
Buddha, how he is to unstrap his artificial legs at the footsteps, as
others ease out of their footwear, at the entrance? He has a sense of
regret for the demerits earned in the war field, and implores the Buddha
to consider him, as another Angulimala, and treat him with compassion.
The soldier, drowned in self pity, begs the Buddha to visit his room
since he cannot visit the Enlightened one in his piteous state which
doesn't even qualify him for the robe. Sinking to the depth of self
pity, he begs the Buddha to let him be yet another on the dwarf line
wall of the temple, as a means of seeking solace at the feet of the
Enlightened one. From a social aspect, outside of the Colombo district
especially, there are many a family which sacrificed a son, in the war
front. Hence the poet attepmts to capture a generic frame of mind, of
the thousands who paid with their eyes, limbs etc. The mental state of
the injured soldier is far from the ravages of the war. His hints that
even his family members try to stay away from his room, while he looks
at the crowd which flock the temple through his window. It is only once
denied, that even a routine visit to a temple gives it a value, that the
healthy could never appreciate. Hence it is his mental state which work
on him, and convince him that ending up a dwarf on a wall, is better
than being ignored and confined to his room.
One
of the socio-political backgrounds which led to recent changes in the
political front was the free hand that even petty regional politicians
had, which boomeranged back on to the highest levels. Ruwan Bandujeewa
(2013) was so shocked by the news that such a political animal
celebrated the seduction of One hundred females, exclaimed that even
Manik Ganga ( A River in the deep south ) couldn't stop her urge to
relieve itself on her shores, from the shock. The poet was daring enough
to suggest part of the politicians' nickname. The poem exemplifies the
shock of the poet, as he contemplates on the burning eyes and the
forcefully stripped undergarments of the victims, and contrasts this
with the ovation of the celebration of this seducer. The poet uses his
imagination as he compares these acts of corruption to slicing a mango
while goddess Pattini, ( famed for her chastity, and believed to be born
off a mango ), was still inside.
If
Bandujeewa was shocked, his contemporary Liyanage (2013) went a step
ahead, and warned that even spilled blood could ablaze on a day, not
too far away. In a moving poem, the poet subtly mocks the people who
invoked blessings on the military (while the war against the terrorists
were raging ), as the same guns now targeted some of them. The poet
scorns the popular religion which blessed the guns that won the war.
Engaging in a change of address, he then warns those heroes, even blood
could ablaze, now that it has been spilled for the crime of asking a
drop of unpolluted potable water.
The
four poets highlighted are all considerably young. Their language too
is on different scales. While Athukorala favors a more traditionally
poetic language similar to the previous generations' stalwarts like
Nandana Weerasinghe, Bandujeewa opts for a language more inclined
towards one used everyday. Another aspect that has to be highlighted is,
of the four collection in focus, although poems of a common theme were
selected, the percentage of poems specified for political themes differ.
While Mas-imbula favour themes of Romance relatively, Athokarala
appears to have the broadest spectrum of subjects, and treats all of
them with equal measure. In contrast Bandujeewa and Liyanage both devote
a considerable portion of their respective collections for
socio-political aspects. It wouldn't be an exaggeration to suggest that
the latter even sounds like a harbinger for change, given how
successfully he has managed to grasp the then political climate, the
frustrations and hopes of a people, who just a year or so hero
worshiped the same rulers.
References:
ඇහි පියන් ඇහැරිලා - මහින්ද ප්රසාද් මස්-ඉඹුල (2012, සන්ථව )
ඊ - ලක්ෂාන්ත අතුකෝරාල ( 2014, සරසවි )
මීළඟ මීවිත - රුවන් බන්දුජීව ( 2013, රුවන් බන්දුජීව )
හැටේ වත්තේ මග්දලේනා - සෞම්ය සඳරුවන් විතානගේ ( 2013, සෞම්ය සඳරුවන් විතානගේ )
(originally published in 29th February, 2016)
(originally published in 29th February, 2016)
