Akin to George Orwell’s “historical impulse” one’s intellectual curiosity on a particular topic or even the curiosity, developed on one’s very own life is illustrated as a reason for writing. In that light, the former has apparently aroused Srikanthi Ketawalakumbura’s interest in writing “Swarnamali” - a narrative fiction, based on the Island’s history, travelling back to the 02nd century B.C. “Swarnamali”, published by S Godage is Srikanthi’s debut novel which in retrospect, depicts the ancient grandeur and exceptional prestige of the utter most greatness of the era during which the great king Dutugemunu was the reigning monarch of the island.
Albeit the characters featured within the entire story flowing through the novel are not the strangers for a reader who has either heard of or read at least just a little bit of the Sri Lankan history. It is rather significant to note the fact that Srikanthi has written the fiction by showing rather than telling.
In the broader sense, it means that the novelist has bypassed the analytical and logical mind and approaching for the gut, whereas engaging through the senses of the reader. In this aspect, she most interestingly engages with the imaginations of the reader while allowing them to fill in the gaps by drawing on their experiences.
Most interestingly, Srikanthi’s “Swarnamali” resembles a goddess about whom the Chronicles, written on the Sri Lankan history bear testimony, and her name itself is a synonym, associated with the construction of the great Ruwanweliseya. “Swarnamali” captivates the reader’s mind with its remarkable use of literary devices out of which imagery is a fine tool which has immersed the reader unto the setting of the novel.
The descriptive words, used by Srikanthi appeal to all the senses while simultaneously it reminds the reader of the great Victorian novelist Charles Dickens whose amazing capacity of creating nearly tangible settings in the imaginations of the reader is far excellent and Srikanthi seems to have been influenced by Dickens.
Speaking to the Sunday Observer, Srikanthi said “As I occupy myself with writing, as if there was a beneficent power, I get flooded with words. I of course don’t invent them and they all naturally flow into my mind”. A lot of researchers predominantly accept that imagery can be considered as a central and recognisable element of the writing style of Dickens and similarly Srikanthi has approached the same style in creating the setting for “Swarnamali” which is rather vivid and meticulous to the point of the landscape, being visible to the reader.
With special reference to the second chapter of “Swarnamali” titled “Samuduren Pamini Kumariya”- The princess who arrived from the ocean”, Srikanthi has applied imagery as a tool for characterisation which Dickens himself in almost all of his writings, notably in David Copperfield and The Tale of Two Cities has remarkably applied.
In describing the appearance of princess Devi, one of the central characters of Swarnamali, Srikanthi writes “princess Devi’s the golden coloured complexion, enriched by the outstanding feminine beauty surpassing the energies of well grown men is the manifestation of the pride and prestige of the aristocratic royalty of a prince than that of a princess herself.....”.
The above is the synonym for an apt description of an appearance of an individual that is also the very exact mood created from the setting which an individual chooses to reside in. Srikanthi in that context may drive the memory of her readers unto a few dominant characters of Dickens’s Great Expectations.
Srikanthi’s efforts in applying imagery as a whole have borne fruit: the used imagery has given the reader a picture of the depths, preferences, beliefs and priorities of a character, even only at a glance. The memorable pictures that Srikanthi has painted in the mind of the reader through the language that she has used have substantially contributed to her identity as a prolific and formidable writer.
In contrast, with regard to the language used in Swarnamali, there might be some readers who may find that the language being slightly historical and as such that requires a little bit of greater potential in comprehending the actual meanings of some classifications. Apparently, any ordinary reader may experience quite a similar situation with regard to any piece of writing that is given in a historical language: Mark Twain’s Huckleberry Finn, written in between the 1830s and 1840s.
In another perspective, Srikanthi’s Swarnamali has successfully employed the flashback as a form of a literary device that has made her work meaningful and effective. Her use of flashbacks has given the reader with ample and necessary background information on all the characters of the novel. The interruption that Srikanthi uses through the flashbacks moves her readers from the present moment to the past.
Srikanthi’s use of allusions across the characters is pretty interesting whereby she allows the readers to indulge themselves in a story where she avoids explaining a lot of actions in a given scene. While doing so, she simultaneously maintains a stance of using two types of voices: the author and the character’s voice which as per researchers, Dickens himself employed in his writing. She uses a third person narration while her character voice bringing essence to the story.
She has employed various language features to create themes and shape the meaning of the novel: the metaphors and the similes used in describing the characters and the uninterrupted smooth flow of the story are rather outstanding. As a whole, with the addition of such literary devices, Srikanthi has been able to generate a formidable effect on the senses of her readers while simultaneously creating a sense of realism into her debut fictional novel Swarnamali.
Srikanthi, a lawyer by profession and a mother of two sons, sharpened her intellect in writing prose and prone under the blissful company of her parents. While indulging herself in a longing nostalgia, she recollected the tremendous degree of freedom, granted by parents for her to read the books of any calibre. She said “My father, K A D Nandasena is a retired engineer.
He is such a wonderful person who often encouraged me to read even while I was still a little child. He was neither influential nor restrictive on my desire of reading where I often had access to any book that my father used to have on the shelves of his mini library.” While commenting on her mother Leela Withanarachchi’s commitments and contributions on her success as a writer, Srikanthi noted” My mother is my tower of strength.
Ever since, I was a child, she had an intrinsic knack of feeling my desires. It is rather amazing to see as to how she discovered my potential in writing”. While acknowledging her debt for her parents, she shared a few words on her brother Nandana Srikantha and husband Buddhika Ketawalakumbura: both lawyers by profession while being occasional writers by themselves.
Srikanthi is an old girl of Visakha vidyalaya Colombo 5. Her second novel is in the offing and of which the plot runs back to the latter part of the 19th century and the beginning of the 20th century. The protagonist is a married woman who takes efforts in transforming and revitalising the then prevailed social structure. The fiction is planned to be published by the Muses publishing house.