Glimpses of bamboo tree civilization

Una Thuru Gomu Maeda
Amidst Bamboo Groves)
Vietnam Vitti
Author: Chandrasiri Palliyaguru
Price: Rs. 250
Published by Godage and Brothers, Colombo 10

Review: Malani Govinnage

TRAVELOGUE: Vietnam, the Far East Asian country has slowly risen out of the ashes of war. Today it is growing fast to be an economic giant in the East.

A puny country as it was, coming out victorious from a long drawn war with the USA would have been hailed as one of the great, if not the greatest event in the 20th century by the Editors of the Encyclopedia of World history if it was not compiled by the West.

Nevertheless, in many of us Sri Lankans’ minds the image of Vietnam has remained as it was in the seventies of the last century. The image has but a few pictures in it; camouflaged American soldiers combing the jungles hunting for Vietnamese guerillas, a bhikkhu who set himself on fire, burning temples viharas, a naked girl severely burned by a napalm bomb running away from a misplaced airstrike. (This picture remains as an indelible image of the Vietnam war).

If one wished to have a pleasant picture instead, it would be the rolling greenery of paddy fields and bamboo groves, thin eyed young women in loose three quarter pants and blouses with broad triangular reed hats on, young and old men and women who have opted for bicycles as their mode of commuting cycling along broad well-paved streets.

“Una Thuru Gomu Maeda” (Amidst Bamboo groves) is a first hand account of Vietnam.

Research work

At a time when information on any subject imaginable is available at a mouse click on the Internet, why read a book on a country? Among the many reasons put forward in defence of the book, a couple of facts stand out for this ‘travelogue-cum-research work.’ It takes the reader on a journey through Vietnam and features many facets of Vietnamese society, its history, economy and culture.

And where relevant it draws parallels with features of Sri Lanka. It provides you with tangible, comprehensive, knowledge of another Eastern culture as first hand information of a traveller; we very often know more about the West than our neighbourhood.

The writer explores the two main cities; Ho-Chi-Minh and Hanoi, the capital of Vietnam, travels through Vietnamese village, notes its many features, notices the harmonizing effect of three Eastern religions - Buddhism, Taoism and Confuciunism and Animism in Vietnamese society.

It delves into the cultural features; religious festivals, water puppetry and many other cultural games and activities, introduces great rulers in the land, creeps along Kuchi tunnels which are the products of Vietnamese guerillas’ master-minds who relentlessly fought with American soldiers.

Ho-Chi-Minh city which was known as Saigon until the end of the Vietnam war is the commercial hub of the country; it is also the economic and political centre. Named after the Father of independent Vietnam, Ho-Chi-Minh is a fast developing city in the East.

To give an idea of the rate of development of this far -Eastern city, the writer makes a reference to a piece of information given to him by a Sri Lankan business traveller sometime back.

When this person landed at Ho-Chi-Minh airport in 1992, the Vietnamese counterparts met him in the plane and took him to a boat in River Saigon since there was no hotel suitable enough to put their Sri Lankan guest up. There was not a single International standard hotel.

The airport building was only a tin-roof building. But by that time, Colombo could boast of having at least three star-class hotels. Taking into consideration this rapid development, one would surmise that it could not be very far when Ho-Chi-Minh becomes the Economic centre of the East, the writer guesses.

Rapid development

What is a Vietnamese village like? Rapid commercialization and urbanization have not been able to sweep away the village and its original features. The writer quotes a description of an old village from a Grade Two text book prescribed by the Education Ministry during the French rule in Vietnam.

“My village is surrounded by bamboo groves. So, the houses in the village could not be seen from afar. Entrance to the village is made of bricks. Houses have thatched roofs; every home-garden is demarcated by a bamboo tree fence. Villagers grow vegetables, sweet potatoes and fruit trees.

Brick laid avenues criss-cross the village. Instead of a bamboo fence some villagers are surrounded by a mote. Entrances to the village are closed in the night. Inspite of rapid urbanization, villages of the above description still remain in the remote, hilly areas of Vietnam.

The traditional Vietnamese village has a definite plan; definite features. Every village has a temple for the incumbent god or spirit of the village; this is known as Din. Since Vietnamese are animists, places of worship have been built for varied spirits. Then, a Buddhist temple and places of worship for Taoism and Confuciunism.

The writer calls the Vietnamese civilization as bamboo tree civilization. From cradle to the grave, every notable incident in the life of a Vietnamese is connected with the bamboo tree in many ways. Bamboo tree is frequently mentioned in folk poetry and literature.

It is also the symbol of a noble character; reason being the straightness of two bamboo links. The chapter on bamboo tree ends with a Vietnamese proverb and its explanation.

‘When the bamboo tree grows, in years it bears shoots on it’ - the definition, there is always trust and hope interwoven between the old and the younger generation in a society. This is a definition of much contrast to the oft-mentioned ‘gap’ in modern society influenced by Western civilization.

Rural cultures

The place in the lives of Vietnamese for banyan tree, coconut tree, arecanut and betal leaf is presented in a way that the reader can easily draw parallels between the two rural cultures - Sri Lankan and Vietnamese.

As in many Eastern cultures, puppetry has been a popular form of entertainment in Vietnam; the writer deals with the theme extensively here. He gives the history, the legends, the techniques of the performance of ‘Water Puppets’ which is the most popular form of puppetry in Vietnam.

Originating among the farming communities in the Red River Delta, water puppetry got its name, because it was always performed on a platform built on a pond or a similar water body, connecting the land.

Water Puppetry later went through many changes with the influence of several religious beliefs in the country. The techniques of water puppetering was always a secret among certain families in the village.

One of the most intriguing chapters is “Kuchi” tunnels which reveals the mastermind of Vietkong guerillas. Guerillas dug them to hide themselves and attack the enemy. During the Vietnam war Americans dropped bombs to Kuchi district most ruthlessly, but they failed in locating the tunnels.

The writer provides information of his firsthand experience in a Kuchi tunnel. He says: “If you think they are as underground paths in which you can move about with only a little discomfort, you are wrong. If you travel with a group of ten to fifteen, you have to creep along, one after the other.

After creeping along 100-150 metres you come to a space with little mere height and space, enough for a congregation of 10-15 people. Vietkongs used these spaces to cook and eat their meals, and to have rest.

Cooking was done in the wee hours of the morning, so as the smoke from hearths mingle with the morning mist and disappear. The writer concludes: “Kuchi tunnels can easily be considered as one of the man-made wonders of the world.”

Chosen themes

It is notable how the writer often makes a point to draw parallels between the chosen themes with Sri Lankan experience wherever applicable; one can easily relate to what he reads.

An interesting work of ‘research’ perfected sans rigid research formulae; reference work helpful to know one of our neighbours in the East. It is laudable how the writer shares his experience with the Sinhalese reader who rarely has access to rich works of this nature.

Useful for graduate and undergraduate students who look for readings on social science, drama or anthropology.

A book compact with facts of a land on which current information is not easily available to the Sinhalese reader. Some illustrations would have added to the content quality of the book.

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Fills a lacuna in Sri Lankan history

Kandy Fights the Portuguese - A Military History of Kandyan Resistance
Author: Gaston Perera

HISTORY: “Kandy fights the Portuguese” is a forthcoming publication under the Vijita Yapa Associates imprint and deals with the nature and course of the resistance of the Kandyans in the 17th century to the Portuguese wars of conquest.

Although Sri Lanka has a long and well-established tradition of historical writing, little has been written so far about its military history. This is all the more remarkable when one considers the equally long and complex warfare that plagued it in the past.

“Kandy fights the Portuguese” is an attempt to fill this gap in some measure. It is, as its sub-title indicates, a military history. It is also the very first to deal with its selected period.

The years 1593 to 1638 was that period of the Portuguese occupation of Ceylon when they made strenuous, continuous and all-out attempts to conquer the Kandyan Kingdom in the central highlands and thereby complete the total subjugation of the whole island.

It is this period that saw the fiercest and most destructive warfare the island had ever seen when the backward mountain kingdom stood alone to resist Portuguese plans but yet in which they won significant victories.

“Kandy fights the Portuguese” is an account of the warfare of these years. It is divided into three sections. Part I provides the background. No military history would be complete without a detailed discussion of the conditions in which the military encounters took place. Part I fulfils this need.. It describes the nature of the terrain in which the fighting occurred and how it influenced the type of military operations.

It also describes in detail the fighting forces on either side - their numbers, methods of recruitment and training, remuneration and perquisites as well as battle-field conduct and fighting spirit as well as the quality of leadership on either side.

Other chapters discuss the weapons then in use, both the fire-arms and the traditional weapons and their manufacture and sources of import; the other accessories and accompaniments of warfare such as battle-dress and uniforms, flags and banners, war music and making camp.

Part I concludes with an analytical study of the military strategy adopted by both the Portuguese and the Kandyans to implement their military objectives.

Part II comprises the military history of the period. It recounts in sequence the military events of these years, the armed confrontations, the retreats, the campaigns, and the battles set against and related to the political events in the background.

In particular this section involves detailed analyses of those hostilities that culminated in the victories the Kandyan forces achieved at important battles such as Danture, Randeniwela and Gannoruwa.

Part III is a brief section and deals with a single battle in the lowlands, the battle of Mulleriyawa. This section is intended mostly to contrast the warfare in the plains with that waged in the mountainous highlands by the Kandyans.

A number of pictures are provided to illustrate the weapons and fire-arms discussed in the text as well a number of diagrams and maps to make clear particular campaigns or battles.

The book has been carefully researched. The research that has gone into its preparation is indicated in the profusion of footnotes that support the text and the accompanying bibliography. Professor K. W. Gunewardena has written the Foreword to the book.

This book will fill a lacuna in an aspect of Sri Lankan history that has had litle attention in the past. It will therefore be a useful adjunct to students of history and historians alike.

It will be equally valuable to military students. As Liddell Hart has observed in his “Strategy” in speaking of military history “—- a broad survey is an essential foundation for any theory of war, it is equally necessary for the ordinary military student who seeks to develop his own outlook and judgment.” For the general reader, too, “Kandy Fights the Portuguese” will be a book of absorbing interest.

It will be released shortly and will be available at all Vijita Yapa outlets.

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Focus on galaxy of Negombo patriots

Meepura Keerthidharayo
Author: Bernard Srikantha
Publisher: Cammilus Publications, 270/55, Dannister de Silva Mawatha, Colombo 9
Pages 154. Price Rs. 200

Review: Rohan L. Jayetilleke.

CHRONICLES: Arahant Mahinda, son of Emperor Asoka of India, arrived in Sri Lanka and introduced Buddhism to the people and the king. He introduced many aesthetic arts, a written script to the Sinhala language based on the Brahmi script of India.

Having brought the Pali commentaries of the Tripitaka he had it translated them into Sinhala and scripted them in the new script he introduced.

The establishment of the Maha Vihara at Anuradhapura by him, the first monastic university of the world, directed the bhikkhus and the laity to literary works. Thus in the post Christian ears chronicles were composed in Pali, in order to narrate to posterity the life and times of their ancestors.

In this genre of chronicler is Bernard SriKantha Duwa in this instance reminding one of the great annual Sinhala passion play enacted on the sea coast has brought under his pen and incisive mind, 20 personalities who have served the country and her heritage in various fields, being born as sons of Negombo.

Negombo or Meegomuwa, the Land of Mee Trees, immediately reminds one of music and cinematography, with the writer’s close associate the late Rukmani Devi (Daisy Daniels) and the late Eddie Jayamanne.

Negombo is essentially cosmopolitan in that it had Roman Catholic cross-fertilization of culture since 1505, with the arrival of the Portuguese and the literal thus coming under the Portuguese rule.

In the work under review, the spectrum of personalities covered by the author covers politicians at local and national level, leading prelates of both Buddhist and Roman Catholic ecclesiastical orders, journalists, artists, sculptors, and a member of the judiciary.

To my mind comes, what I learnt, during my schooldays six decades ago, in the sleepy town of Galle, ‘Lives of great men, make us sublime’. This injunction, is concretecized by reading the life and times of many of the personalities whose biographies have been faithfully etched by Bernard Srikantha.

The common denominator among all is that they were not born with the proverbial silver spoon in the mouth or even with a wooden ladel, but born among toiling and moiling families of Negombo, but rose to great height through resilience, honesty and dedication to the common cause, to make the world better for posterity and delightful to the present.

The author brings within his fold great personalities in Negombo such as, Thomas Cardinal Cooray, Archbishop Nicholas Marcus, Bishop Edmund J. Cooray, Bishop Anthony de Saram, Venerable Sri Medhankara, Meegomuwe Jinawansa from among the various ecclesiastical orders and politicians of various hues and ideologies, with the common goal of ensuring prosperity to the land of birth and then to a former High Court Judge.

W.T.A. Leslie Fernando, and his father W.S. Fernando, synonymous with education and politics of Negombo, the doyen of journalism D.F. Kariyakaravana and cartoonist Cammilus Perera.

In this age of ethnic consciousness leading to disastrous mayhem, the author sails over ethnic divides and presents the lives of a Muslim politicians Mohammed Thaha and a Tamil entrepreneur in the world of cinematography Jude Muttiah.

The book is replete with photographs connected with the lives of the great personalities presented through the pages. This is a book that should be on the shelf of every public and school library and it should necessarily be a pathfinder for other writers to present the great personalities of their localities of birth, in the manner of ‘Meepura Keerthidharayo.

Lord Chesterfield in a letter of 16 March 1752 noted, “Learning is acquired by reading books; but the much more necessary learning, the knowledge of the world, is only to be acquired by reading men, and studying all the editions of them.”

Further ‘Meepura Keerthidharayo’ brought to mind what we learned in our early teens in our school career, the lively poem:

“Golden volumes, richest treasures,
Objects of delicious pleasures,
You my eyes rejoicing please,
You my hands in rapture seize.
Brilliant wits and musing sages,
Lights who beamed through many eyes,
Left to your conscious leaves their story,
And dared to treat you with their glory.
And now their hope of fame achieved,
Dear Volumes, you have not deceived”

(Issac D’ Israeli, ‘Curiosities of Literature; Libraries)

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Useful book for English learners

Yes I can speak English
Author: G. Mayakaduwa

Review: Rev. Nihal Fernando

LANGUAGE: The comments made by the editor of the Oxford English dictionary, on the global reach of English is noteworthy in reviewing the book, “Yes, I can speak English” by G. Mayakaduwa.

“English has become a lingua franca to the point that any literate, educated person is in a very real sense deprived if he does not know English. Poverty, famine and decease are instantly recognized as the cruelest and least excusable forms of deprivation. Linguistic deprivation is a less easily noticed condition, but one nevertheless of great significance.” (Burchfield 1985: 160)

Hence, at the present time, English to a much greater extent than any other language is a language in which the fate of most of the worlds’ millions is decided. English has in the 21st century, become the international language par excellence.

Dominant position

English has a dominant position in science, technology, medicine and computers; in research, books, periodicals and software; in diplomacy and international organisation; in mass entertainment, news agencies and journalism; as the most widely learnt foreign language.

Therefore, it is obvious that today there is a demand for English; spoken and written and better English. That indeed is a healthy development. I am fully convinced that no one should be ignorant of his or her mother tongue. But, at the same time, one cannot afford to ignore a world language like English.

Those whose mother tongue is Sinhala will find the book, “Yes, I can speak English” by G. Mayakaduwa, a very valuable guide for the study of English. He is an experienced English teacher in the Island.

I began to associate him when I was transferred from S. Thomas’ College - Gurutalawa to Christ Church, Baddegama as its Vicar. At present, he is the coordinator of Regional English Support Centre, Galle, which is situated in Baddegama.

The writer has been an English teacher for over 30 years. He has brought into the book the experience he has gained, in the course of many years as a teacher of English.

Communicate in English

I have experienced in my teaching career that the most of our students find it difficult to converse and communicate in English. It is mainly due to the fear instilled in them that they would make a mistake in speaking the language which is foreign to them.

G. Mayakaduwa has attempted to make this process an easy way out. His lessons are simple, short, clear and easy to grasp. In terms of these reasons, I feel that the book “Yes, I can speak English” would serve every practical need for those keen on a mastery of English.

The author in his introduction to the book “why I wrote the book” mentions that on many occasions parents have requested him to write a book that would help the needy children to learn English and their request has motivated him to write this book.

In short, we could say that a huge demand has been created for English and teachers of the language.

Mother tongue

The demand for English is articulated not only by partisan Anglo-Americans but also by leaders in all parts of the world. The Danish minister of education has declared that English has advanced from being Denmark’s first foreign language to being the second mother tongue of the Danes.

The reality in Sri Lanka is also the same. English has become a must in education, employment, social status, etc. It should not be regarded as the language of the imperialists.

It is estimated that 400 years ago there were between five to seven million speakers of English, the number of native speakers of English now remain constant at about 315 million.

The number of users of English as a second language and as a foreign language is increasing dramatically; these are estimated 300 and 100 million respectively. (Crystal 1985:7)

Such guesstimates are inevitably based on a loose definition of proficiency and much higher figures are sometimes quoted (upto 1.5 billion users of English as a foreign language, Crystal in Danford Seminar Report 1987, 1988: 102).

Hence the book “Yes, I can speak English” by G. Mayakaduwa will definitely help the beginners in the English language to master their proficiency. This book will certainly go a long way in reaching out to the most deserving children of our country.

The reviewer is Vicar - Christ Church, Baddegama