Ernest Hemingway said, “There is no friend as loyal as a book”. When books enrich your life, this is indeed a reality. This week we reached out to someone who has embodied this statement into her life and her work, Darshani Abeyrathna.
Abeyrathna is a bilingual creative writer, children’s author, and poet. She is also a nominee for the best children’s literature books category in the State Literary Awards 2022, for her book ‘Go catch a star’.
In the spirit of appreciating the written word and applauding the efforts of talented youths, this week we reached out to a lustrous mind and an aspiring writer, Darshani Abeyrathna.
In conversation with us, Abeyrathne informed us that she started her writing journey when she was in primary school. She realized that she has a knack for creatives and decided to improve her language skills. “The story in my book, ‘go catch a star’, is a tangible experience for me because I grew up with my grandparents as well and growing up they were my biggest inspirations. My grandfather was so well-learned and loved books and this inspired me to appreciate the art of words.”
‘Go catch a star’ is a children’s book that tells the story of a young girl raised by her grandparents and thus elaborates on the adventures of rural life.
Speaking of her book Abeyrathna added that she has included so many local connotations in the book as she believes that youngsters don’t get to experience village life. She has included words such as ‘kiri amma’, ‘kiri aththa’, and ‘valithalapa’ to add a flair of Sri Lankan culture to her story.
In addition to children’s development theories for children, Abeyrathne believes that the book brings out a hopeful and inspiring message, encouraging children to always remember the importance of shooting for the moon, even if you miss it.
It further alludes to the notion that it is imperative to follow one’s passion no matter what and the importance of admiring the nature around us. She further believed that her book is a fun tool to shed a basic understanding of grammatical notions such as tenses by incorporating some priceless life lessons.
Speaking of her nomination Abeyrathne said that while she was delighted by this honour, she did not expect anything in return after writing the book. “This is my debut published book and I think it’s a great start for a writer.”
When asked if she had any words to live by, Abeyrathne told us that the most treasured advice she got when starting as a writer was from her school teachers and her mother.
“They always told me that I must believe in myself and take the next step. My mother when I was about to do my Advanced Level exams told me that it is up to me to be my own saviour and take my path. In my family everyone did math and science so it was a big risk for me to go into the arts field, there were a lot of reserved comments but my mother’s support and motivation really helped me get through to the other side,” she added.
Abeyrathne mentioned that all her success and recognition in ‘go catch a star’ would not have been possible if it weren’t for her dear friends Hirantha and Maleesha; who she always consulted when making major life decisions and last but not least, her friend Erandhathi Namunukula, the illustrator for ‘Go catch a star’. “Erandhathi has a heart of gold, she knew I had an idea and she wanted to help me with it”.
We asked Abeyrathne why she decided to become a children’s writer, and she said that she has 10 years of teaching experience and she has learnt that, ‘it takes a village to raise a kid’ and through stories she wants to inspire the younger generations. “I believe it is a humble and noble purpose for my writing”, she said.
Abeyrathne is fluent in Sinhala, English and French, is the holder of two post-graduate diplomas and two master’s degrees; she is also currently a lecturer in English at the University of Colombo, and at some other private universities. She is also a freelance writer for some media stations. She is involved in a research on improving English knowledge amongst Sri Lankan students and has several research papers published in this regard as well. She is getting ready to pursue my higher studies.
Not only is she an accomplished academic and a gifted writer, she is also an aspiring entrepreneur. Abeyrathne is the proud owner of a small start-up called ‘Word Boutique’, the first-ever virtual creative hub in Sri Lanka, run by girls. It is a creative platform catered to all creative needs including content writing, graphic designing etc. She is also part of a baking business run by her and her sister. Links to the social media handles of these exciting ventures are given below.
Abeyrathne is working on something exciting for the coming year. “There is another book I have already written on the theme of the conflict between humans and animals and this will come out next year, and with my next book, there will be a separate book for colouring. Based on the characters of the book and other complimentary things like stickers and a small tote bag.”
Other future endeavours for Abeyrathne include the publication of a poetry collection in Sinhala and a French translation of ‘Go catch a star’.
To wrap things up, we asked Abeyrathne if she had any words of wisdom for fellow creators and aspiring writers, to which said, “I’d say go catch a star, if you believe you have a story worth telling, take the risk and go for it, run your own raise. there will always be reasons why you shouldn’t do something and everyone around you will have a lot of opinions as well. The key is to stay focused and work towards your goal, despite the hardships you face in life. If you do not believe in yourself and your dreams and aspirations no one will.”
Abeyrathne is hopeful for the coming year and what it may have in store for her, she is ready to give her best to her passion and her cause to educate and shape the minds of the younger generations of our country. We are excited about everything she may do in the future and wish her the best of luck.