Dura Aetha Dam Polova
Translator: Amritha Wickremage
Sarasavi Publishers, Nugegoda
Price: Rs 175
Amritha Wickremage’s Dura Aetha Dam Polova is the authentic Sinhala translation of Bhadraji Mahinda Jayathilleke’s award-winning children’s storybook ‘Purple Planet.’
The story is about a strange planet called ‘Planet Purple’ where the inhabitants are of purple complexion. When Piyal, a small child, begins to change his complexion, his parents think he is suffering from a disease. When he is taken to a dispensary, the doctor prescribes some medicine. Piyal, however, does not want to take the medicine. Meanwhile, his school friends make fun of him because of his complexion.
The headmaster decides to send Piyal to the school laboratory to find what is wrong with him. Then another person known as ‘Mr Wolly Wolly’ turns yellow.
While the school authorities are wondering what to do with people of different complexions, an unidentified foreign object (UFO) lands on Purple Planet.
An alien who comes out of the UFO asks the inhabitants of Purple Planet to show their real colours. When they look at themselves they find that they were of different complexions. They then decide to live happily despite their different complexions.
The moral of the story appears to be that there should be unity in diversity. In realistic terms, people belonging to different ethnicities can live in harmony without fighting among themselves.
Books of this nature will promote harmony among children as well as adults.
- RS