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 5, PART 2
Podina, Rambari, Nambu Henaya and Baba Henaya walked in a straight line along the path by the canal, climbed over the Dikyaaya Kanda and turned towards Babanis’ house.
The widow Baby Nona, Babanis’ mother, was applying cowling to the pila when they arrived. She pretended not to have noticed the four strangers by the gate and continued with her work. After a moment’s silence, Rambari stepped over the fence and walked towards her as one who knew everything that had happened. Podina followed her, but indicated with a sign that Nambu Henaya and Baba Henaya should remain where they were.
‘Well…Hami…you obviously know what has happened…we’ve been looking for the girl from first light..’
Baby Nona responded in a rather high tone without pausing at all.
‘We of course have no interest whatsoever in maintaining relations with radaa people.’
Podina would not suffer the insult: ‘Listen to the wild mouth of this hakurii! And this after that vile dog enticed that child with his vulgarity!’
Rambari went into action immediately. She held a hand over Podina’s mouth, grabbed the ilapatha that Baby Nona had just picked up and threw it away. She was determined that there would be no quarrel. She addressed Podina.
‘Podino, first of all shut your mouth. The girl is ours. It’s we who have to keep our senses intact. Do you want to give way to your foul mouth like an idiot and take home an earthenware pot that has been cracked? That pot was damaged by these people. What need do we have of such a thing, hmm?’
Podina could not be silenced.
‘Loku Amme, I don’t want to spend one moment more on the property of these vulgar people. From generations as far back as we can remember we have not had anything to do with these people!’
She jumped over the fence, uttered a sharp directive, ‘let’s go,’ to Nambu Henaya and left, dragging Baba Henaya along.
Baby Nona stood her ground, her eyes throwing darts of anger in their direction. Rambari didn’t want the story to end there. She decided she would seek out Heen Ridee, first to express her anger and then to give her all the advice she would require. Baby Nona ignored Rambari completely and returned to her work, this time applying cow dung with greater vigour. Rambari picked the cue.
‘Hami, just continue what you were doing. I am Rambari, the older sister of Malma Ridee, the mother of the girl who is said to have come here. I arrived last evening on my way to bathe a girl who has attained age which I have to leave for early tomorrow morning. Although she was rattling her bag of shells like a stupid woman, it was only when she realised the girl was here that she was able to breathe with any degree of relief. Let’s put aside kinship talk.
There have been many unions between the vahumpura and radaa. There is nothing out of the ordinary in these matters. Let’s forget such things as well…..Hami….so where’s our girl?’
‘The girl is in the kitchen. It’s just that the woman’s bad mouth was insufferable, you know?’
‘She’s an idiot…’ Rambari said, scooped a handful of cow dung and applied it to places that had been left out. ‘Maybe what she has is something neither you nor I have. That’s probably why she is so rude.’
She had a half-smile on her face when she said this. Baby Nona responded.
‘I wake up before the rooster crows. Even this morning I got up, lit a lamp and went towards the kitchen thinking of putting the kettle on the fire. When I entered the kitchen I saw two people stretched out on a half-woven mat. It was this couple. I went out, took the kolapotha and went to the wela to gather some cow dung. I haven’t gone back to the kitchen yet, you know?’
‘Wait, Hami, I will go check,’ Rambari said, washed her hands in an earthenware dish nearby and went towards the kitchen.
When she peeped into the kitchen, the first thing she saw was Heen Ridee huddled in a corner, sobbing softly. Rambari went towards her. The first thing she did was to grab her roughly by the elbow. Then she spoke, almost between her teeth.
‘I can’t believe you did this! What’s the point in bawling over it now with your nose all snotty, hmm?
You can do nothing except trying to set that man of yours right and just being. You left your earrings behind to tell us that you need nothing at all. Just look at you! You don’t even have a proper piece of cloth to cover yourself with. If you were to stand by a door it would be as though you are naked. Ask someone for a piece of cloth to wrap around yourself. I can’t believe what a stupid wench you’ve turned out to be!’
Heen Ridee continued to weep. Rambari whispered into her ear.
‘When I was advising you last night you were a girl…and now you are a woman, isn’t that right? Tell me this, at least.’
Heen Ridee nodded her head as she cried.
‘Well, that’s to be expected. There’s no point in complaining or weeping now. Try to be happy with your man. Get him to pick up a mammoty and work the earth instead of hunting animals like a wild man. Your courage along with the strength of your body would be sufficient to tame any man. Let’s figure out other things later. Just take to mind what I’ve said.
‘When your parents return there won’t be enough soil for them to consume in shame and helplessness, do you realise that, girl?’ And with that parting shot Rambari came out of the kitchen. Heen Ridee ran behind her wailing, fell at her feet and sobbed, clinging to her ankles.
‘Now, now…it’s best that you stop crying. Tears won’t give you anything. If we, women decided to weep for everything that happens this world would be made of sobs and nothing else. I will stay behind a few more days until the sorrow recedes.’
She held Heen Ridee by her shoulders and helped her up. Babanis, who was watching what was unfolding from atop a breadfruit tree couldn’t bring himself to climb down just yet. In fact he had climbed the breadfruit tree determined to stay even until nightfall if necessary until things became more settled.
‘Your man’s old woman hasn’t even had a sip of tea yet. Brew some for her and make a cup for me as well. Then take in both hands and offer her. Whether she accepts or refuses is not for you to worry about. Then get an ilapatha and sweep all these leaves properly.’
With this last piece of wisdom Rambari sat down in the pila of the kitchen.