Making a sincere attempt to bring an unimagined and unexplored treasure trove of modern Sinhala literature to the English reading community, Montage is bringing Mahinda Prasad Masimbula ’s award winning novel ‘Senkottan’ translated by Malinda Seneviratne, veteran journalist, writer and poet.
‘Senkottan’ (The Indelible), a remarkable creation of literature by Mahinda Prasad Masimbula was his debut effort in his literary career for which he won the State Literary Award in 2013 and short-listed in Swarna Pusthaka Literary Awards and many other Literary Award Festivals in the same year. The book has been published by Santhawa Publishers and ‘Senkottan’ has blazed the trail in the self-publishing industry as one of the best-selling books in Sinhala literature.
CHAPTER 3, PART 1
Heen Ridee was duly bathed about a week later at an auspicious moment that Santhosahami Gurunnanse had calculated. Although it was decided that a celebration of any kind was unwarranted, a few sweets were prepared just to make the little girl happy. Malma Ridee also gave notice of the date to some of her closest relatives who lived in Bungiriya.
It was Guna Ralahamy who was invited to partake of the food laid out on the small table. This he did and placed three one rupee notes on Teen Ridee’s hand. Thereafter, he delivered a very useful speech to those present. The relatives who had come were mesmerized by the speech because it included all manner of information about the land and the times. Tall and well-built, this remarkable man who was attired in a white sarong and shirt and a black coat as well, spoke about the world from memory. It was revealed in his speech that he read the ‘Silumina’ newspaper. What really caught the attention of the audience was his exposition of a vile man named Hitler in a large country called Germany located beyond the seas. He informed them that Hitler was acquiring power by systematically suppressing innocent peoples who he likened to the humble folk belonging to Veerappuli Henaya’s caste. During the course of that arresting speech, Guna Ralahamy pointed out that everyone born on this earth is equal. Even the relatives from Bungiriya went on their knees and worshipped him when he was ready to leave.
Malma Ridee made use of a short interval in the proceedings following lunch to talk about Guna Ralahamy upon the request of her Bungiriya relatives.
‘You know, I can’t even begin to talk about the friendship between this Guna Ralahamy and my man. You would have noticed how he ate his fill and drank water from one of our glasses without any qualms whatsoever. Would anyone in our clan ever believe that such people actually exist on this earth? I told our man to ask for a place and glass for his use from that house. Do you know what he had to hear when the request was made?
‘“Veerappuliyo, now just don’t make me angry…it’s not as though I will decay and perish if I ate or drank from one of your plates or glasses!”
‘The two of them can’t last a week without seeing each other. We would get a message asking our man to drop by. And our man, for his part, would respond immediately. There’s always buffalo curd there. They won’t let him leave until he has lunch and buffalo curd as well. You know, he gets our man to sit on the cushioned seat in the middle of the living room. And then they talk about this and that. He will preach the word of the Buddha much better than any hamuduruwo. Apparently, he has visited the country called Colombo seven times and is not averse to tell off the great D.S. Senanayake right to his face. He has also met Anagarika Dharmapala. This Guna Ralahamy is supposed to be related to a very important and close associate of the great Dharmapala. These are not people we can even approach, leave alone talk with. What is most amazing is that whenever visiting Godakawela, he goes right through our garden. He is a highly learned man who knows the secret of letters. He can even speak the language of the white man. Now it is such a man who partook of milk-rice served on one of our plates and left after giving the girl three rupee notes…!’
Malma Ridee was demonstrating to her relatives what great fortune she had been blessed with. The relatives, for their part, regretted that they did not have the honor of associating such people.
…….
After the festivities of Heen Ridee’s puberty were done Veerappuli Henaya’s thoughts returned to the pilgrimage to Anuradhapura. When he had intimated his intention to Guna Ralahamy, he had been duly urged to go ahead with the meritorious journey without any hesitation whatsoever. The enthusiasm of Veerappulil Henaya and Malma Ridee was further enhanced when he described the renovation work on the Ruwanweliseya proceeding under the leadership of the Veda Mahaththaya of Avariwatte.
Once everything was ready for the journey Veerappuli Henaya took Malma Ridee to meet Guna Ralahamy. Having blessed and wished them well, Guna Ralahamy slipped a five rupee note into Veerappuli Henaya’s hand and folded his fingers around it. He declined adamantly since Guna Ralahamy had given three rupees at the ceremony to mark Heen Ridee attaining age.
‘Just take this Weerappuliyo…is it that you are displeased about some merit accruing to me?’
That forced them to accept it.
‘It’s human being you meet, wherever you go. You need doubt or fear nothing. You will meet groups of devotees along the way. Get friendly with a decent group among them. After all, everyone is on a journey to acquire merit. The closest route would be through Kegalle. There are temples everywhere. You can always spend the night in the sermon-hall in one of these temples. You know, I am really proud of you both. Everyone in these villages are like animals in the jungle. They use the castes they have acquired on account of merit accumulated as though it is a sword. Buduhaamuduruwo has never recommended anything like that. According to the word of the Enlightened One all people are equal. Everyone gets hungry. Everyone has to go to the toilet. They feel drowsy. If it’s a woman, she needs a man; a man likewise would desire a woman. They have children and grandchildren who they grow to love and who will also annoy them. Envy, anger, greed, duplicity, saintliness….these things are common to all. I can’t find any fault with you. You are an exemplary group. Veerappuliyo…although you wash the clothes of other people you are a clean and independent man. In countries across the sea, on the other hand, this independence would be applauded. This woman suits you ideally. This decision of yours is no small matter. This is what I have to say about your boy too. He seems impudent but that’s his independence. There’s a word in English for such fellows….”radicol..”.’
There was no way that either Veerappuli Henaya nor Malma Ridee could remember that word. It was indeed a strange word.
Then Guna Ralahamy gave Veerappuli Henaya a piece of paper on which he had scrawled something.
‘I have written on this in my own handwriting. This is what I wrote:
‘“The man and woman who bear this letter are on a journey from Rideevita in Sabaragamuwa to Anuradhapura with the intention of accumulating merit. I who request you to help them in whatever way possible is Don Prancis Batuwantudawe alias Guna Ralahamy.”
‘Veerappuliyo….keep this safe and whenever necessary give it to someone who understands letters or to a hamuduruwo. However, if everything goes well, you wouldn’t need to avail yourself of it.’
The couple accepted this valuable gift with both hands, worshipped that great and honorable man and left for home.
About six or seven days later, on a Tuesday, Veerappuli Henaya and Malma Ridee left home on their noble journey around four a.m. with four large packets of rice and some extra clothes.
The light of huluaththa, the coconut-leaf torch, played hide and seek among the trees and gave that particular dawn a gloom more intense than ever before. Podina, Nambu Henaya, Heen Ridee and Baba Henaya like four statues watched after them from the end of their midula. A cool breath of wind encircled them and proceeded towards the Arecanut grove. The torch-light could no longer be seen.
It was the moment when the entire world stood still and contemplated an answer to some riddle. In the hearts of all was etched but one singular thought: ‘no harm whatsoever should befall these two!’
Veerappuli Henaya had stroked the heads of all four before they left. Malma Ridee had wiped her tears so much that the cloth on her shoulder was damp.
‘What merit we acquire is not for us, but for you, dear children,’ Veerappuli Henaya had said.
Malma Ridee had got Rambaree, her sister in Bungiriya, to attend to the puberty rites she had undertaken to perform. She instructed the children to treat their aunt well and send her for these matters.
‘May you be protected not only from rogues and brigands, and creatures from the forest but even from the tiniest leaf,’ Podina wept as she murmured. The eyes of everyone were washed once more by these few words.
Podina saw Veerappuli Henaya’s wasted body in the light of the huluaththa. On account of the monumental task of carrying mountains of soiled clothes, scrubbing and drying them in the wellava, he had become extremely weak.
‘Oh please….all that merit…it should not be for us, but for this dearest mother and father,’ she thought to herself.
The three of them remained in the midula long after the light of the torch had disappeared. Now they could only hear the bats quarreling among themselves in the mee grove. There were as many mee as the stars in the sky. Podina wondered why the bats had to quarrel.
‘Let’s go inside…there’s still time to sleep..’ realizing that she was best suited to lead the group, Podina suggested.