Apart from Sarachchandra's contribution to rediscover the roots of Asian theatre, it is also an accepted fact that the Sri Lanka Tamil theatre got re-awakening as a result of his researches and creations in the field of theatre.____________________
by P. B. Galahitiyawe
(June 03, Colombo, Sri Lanka Guardian) The golden jubilee celebration of Professor Ediriweera Sarachchandra’s ‘MANAME’ was held at Lional Wendt theatre in Colombo on 3rd of November 2006. Considered a landmark in Sinhala theatre since its first performance in 1956 up to date Maname has created a record in Sri Lanka’s Arts world by its continuous popularity and satisfying the tastes of ‘Rasikas’ both urban and rural for over three generations. It is said that is a work of art "that never gets old and remains forever fresh in its appeal."
Since Maname’s first performance in 1956, numerous comments and books have been written by various scholars dealing with its theatrical craft, poetic sophistication and dramatic concentration, but less attention has been drawn to its cultural impact which contributed to forming our national identity in the field of arts. Therefore the purpose of this article is confined only to pin-pointing some of the contributions rendered by Sarachchandra in the area of culture through ‘Maname’.
It was a well known fact that unlike the majority of the African, South American and Australian nations which came under European colonialism, Asian countries had and continue to have a sophisticated cultural and spiritual heritage which dates back to the 3rd century B.C. Once they were conquered by people rooted in western cultural values and norms values totally foreign to the East were introduced and cultural friction was inevitable. The advent of the west had disturbed the placid waters of Asian life particularly in the south. Its initial impact had dazzled the Asians mind and made many early ‘elite’, blind imitators of the west. At the same time there was a growing recognition of the values of their own heritage among Asia’s intellectuals who received a by- lingual (or rather multi-lingual) education at that time. The dilemma faced by those intellectuals under these circumstance was a question of selection and synthesis; what aspects of tradition were to be revived and how? How was a synthesis to be achieved so that the "foreign" would no longer appear "alien"? The solutions for such questions did not come quickly. Asian intellectuals had to go through several phases and experiments with diverse modes. Among the Sri Lankan intellectuals engaged in this task Sarachchandra was one of the noblest.
Emerging as a formidable and versatile academic Sarachchandra engaged in a wide variety of pursuits which included philosophy, music, creative literature, criticism and especially in drama; and it was through drama that he was able to form a new artistic movement in the island’s cultural scenario. At the beginning, when he was at the university college as a student and later as a assistant lecturer Sarachchandra engaged in translating some of the best western plays into Sinhala with the help, of D.J. Wijeratne, and A.P. Gunaratne. Sarachchandra in his Ludowyk memorial lecture; delivered at the University of Peradeniya in 1989 said: "It was the student of the Sinhala society of the university college who, without quite understanding it laid the foundation for the modern Sinhala theatre". "Anything called a Sinhala society might sound like a trifle strange in the climate of today, but there was no communal or ethnic feelings attached to this organization at all, in the time I am talking about. It is just students from Sinhala speaking homes who formed themselves into a group that would conduct its proceedings in Sinhala because everybody was English speaking in their ordinary intercourse"... The students of the Sinhala society went on with their adaptations every year, grew up a theatre-going’ public comprised mostly of by-lingual middle class who enjoyed these productions and in order to satisfy the growing demand public performances of these plays were put on at the ‘King George Hall’ of the university". Among those adaptations ‘Kapuwa Kapothi" (an adaptation of Gogols’ ‘Marriage’) was the most successful play, which had about sixty shows in the first round itself. Subsequently Sarachchandra began writing his own plays and producing them.
This soon led to the realization that if theatre was to be a lively art form commanding a deep commitment from art loving people a national theatrical idiom had to be stabilized. With this end in view Sarachchandra embarked on an intensive research for any remains of what could be called an indigenous theatre. The book "The Sinhalese Folk Play," published in 1952 was the end result of this research project. Therein Sarachchandra demonstrated that in these forms of folk rituals and entertainments could be found dramatic interludes and other theatrical features which were parallel to certain forms of folk theatre in the present day India and which could be in the final analysis be traced to the classical Sanskrit theatre as evidenced in ‘Natya Sastra’ of Bharata. As a sequel to this publication, the Rockefeller Foundation in the United State of America granted Sarachchandra a scholarship to study world theatre and this provided him with an opportunity to visit Japan. As Sarachchandra states in his autobiographical work ‘PIN ATI SARASAWI VARAMAK DENNE’ his first visit to Japan on this tour was a mere accident. "From India" he wrote "I proceeded to Japan. This visit was not due to any special, attraction or due to curiosity about that country, but because it was easier to stop there on my way to America". It was with immense pleasure that he records how this visit brought a singular reward. He was well aware of the ancient theatre tradition in India which brought out great creations such as Kalidasa’s ‘Sakuntala’ and that tradition had completely disappeared centuries ago in that country and what remained were rudiments of it in folk theatrical forms such as ‘YAKSA GANA’ in North India and ‘Therukuttu’ in the South. But when he saw the ‘Noh’ and ‘Kabuki’ theatres of Japan he felt as if the image had suddenly appeared in front of his own eyes. Hence he decided to postpone his visit to America and stayed for several months in Japan studying these two national theatre forms. This experience, as he has acknowledged was immensely helpful in creating MANAME (1956) which has been universally hailed as the initial step in the creation of a National theatre form in Sinhala.
It needs, emphasis, however, that Maname was an original creation and was deeply rooted in the Sri Lankan artistic traditions, and it was in no way an imitation of a foreign form. The Noh and Kabuki of Japan, the Peking opera in China and the Nadagama in Sri Lanka all can trace their origins to the same roots that created Kalidasa’s Sakuntala. When Sarachchandra came into contact with these living theatres in the Far East which had survived from the past he was able to re-create a national theatre form which had gone into abeyance in South Asia due to the vicissitudes faced during long period of foreign rule. His production MANAME, in 1956 followed by a number of other plays gave modern Sri Lankan theatre a resurgence and provided a cue for the discovery of the roots of Asian theatre.
Apart from Sarachchandra's contribution to rediscover the roots of Asian theatre, it is also an accepted fact that the Sri Lanka Tamil theatre got re-awakening as a result of his researches and creations in the field of theatre.
A mutual understanding among various communities through culture is vital for the realization of the National Psyche of any nation. Sarachchandra’s works have given an appropriate way of finding a solution for national harmony. A fact that is less widely known is that the revival in drama which he became an inspiration, if not influence in revival of traditional Tamil drama. The work of Prof. S. Vithyanandan in the University of Peradeniya was an undoubted emulation of Sarachchandra’s work. It is worthwhile to note here the following lines of Prof. K. Indrapalan, introducing Sarachchandra at the inaugural convocation of the University of Jaffna in 1988 when the Degree of Doctor of Letters (D’Lit) was conferred on Sarachchandra. "In the course of his dedicated researches in this field Prof. Sarachchandra made a substantial contribution to the understanding of the fundamental unity of the cultures of lower South Asia, and the common woofs and warps that run across the fabric of these cultures; a contribution to which we in this university attach great value.
He highlighted the strong links that united the ‘veethi nataka’, ‘yaksa gana’ of Andhra, "the Bagavatha mela’ -and ‘Terukuttu’ of Tamilnadu, the ‘Nattu Kuttu’ of the Sri Lankan Tamils and the SOKARI and Nadagams of the Sinhalese and traced the flow of influence from one to another in this common cultural region".
We are aware that the culture that took root in the university college at the 3rd decade of the twentieth century was the culture of the - then elite. Although the university college fashioned as it was on imperialistic thinking was raised to the status of a full-fledged autonomous university in 1942, this institution had by that time become the nursery of an imitated western culture. Some academics serving at the university led by Ven. Rambukwelle Siddhartha and Prof. G. P. Malalasekara succeeded in inspiring a feeling for the indigenous culture among university students.
Successors to this first generation of leaders were Professors,
O.H.de. Wijesekara, D.E. Hettiarachchi, D.J. Wijeratne, M.B. Ariyapala and Ediriweera Sarachchandra. Sarachchandra was the pioneer who launched a campaign against the belief the university was the last fortress of the Brahmin-cast’ ^nuqKq l=,fha wjika n,fldgqj& The most important event which illustrates the significant transformation Sarachchandra brought about the life of Peradeniya university was that which gave birth within the precincts of that campus itself to the revival of drama combining his intellectual gifts with creative talents. Sarachchandra’s achievement here was that he was able to bring to life a dramatic tradition which was representative of the national identity from the very place which had become the nursery of the imitative western culture of the majority of both the staff and the students. The cultural movement he initiated was able to enter into a continuous dialogue with the intellectuals within the university and outside as well as the common people.
As we have stated in our introduction to the book titled "Tradition values and Modernization; An Asian perspective", collected papers of Sarachchandra another significant feature of Sarachchandra’s contribution at this stage of national cultural history was the leadership he gave in defining the place of tradition under current circumstances. He was not for blind imitation or for the mere revival of tradition. He utilized tradition to create new works of art. Traditional art forms arose within a specific social and political milieu and mere revival had little significance against a modern backdrop. Hence the need for new creations while the essence of tradition was retained. Thus Maname and Sinhabahu (1962) are "modern" works of art based on tradition.
As cultural leader Sarachchandra contributed in no small measure to clarify the position of art in our society today. In recent years there has been a strong trend of opinion upholding the view that art should be subservient to ideology. But Sarachchandra has consistently upheld the independence of art. He has been against the utilization of art for any type of propaganda.
It stems from his deep humanism which is reflected in his creative and critical artistic activity. In his plays Maname (1956), Pemato Jayati Soko (1968), Vessantara (1981), Lomahansa (1985) and Bava Kadaturava (1988) there is an underlying appraisal of the complexities of human relationships and a sensitivity to the intricacies of the human condition. This vision reflects a respect for the freedom and the dignity of the individual. Such a humanistic approach no doubt stems from the essence of our culture deeply influenced by Buddhist ethics. It is well known that an essential feature of classical Sinhala culture upheld by Martin Wickramasinghe and others is the liberal outlook implanted by canonical Buddhism. This is reflected in the spirit of inquiry and the intellectual freedom found in the Kalama Sutta where the Buddha exhorts his disciples to eschew blind faith and cultivate the questioning spirit.
In a culture nurtured by such a tradition all forms of narrow- mindedness and chauvinism have no place. Sarachchandra, we can say, represents the essential feature of the Sinhala cultural tradition."
(The writer is a Assistant General Secretary of the Ediriweera Sarachchandra Research and Activation Foundation)
- Sri Lanka Guardian
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