Master of Wordcraft

The Nation – Sunday, April 8, 2007

Born among the hills and bred in the heart of Colombo, Prof. J.B. Dissanayake is at once, a radical linguist and a devout Buddhist, who admires the traditional way of life. The Nation met the smooth talking academic recently, for a closer study of his lifelines.

By Anurangi Singh : Pix by Ishara Kodikara

The following are excerpts:

Q: Tell us about your childhood and your home…

I was born almost 70 years ago. This April, as they would say in Pakistan, ‘Insha Allah’, I’ll be 70 years. My birth date is April 16, 1937, which happened to be the day they were anointing oil. So, I was happy that I was born in the New Year, rather than on the last day of the old year.

My hometown is closer to Pinnawala. Four miles from it, there’s a village called Puwakmotei in Rambukana, which comes under the Kegalle district. Now, this is a very rare name. To date, I have heard of only three other names which are Thalgasmotei Puhulmotei. This particular village, Puwakmotei, was surrounded by a range of hills. On both sides of the village were hills and a stretch of paddy fields in the middle. As one enters the village, the first thing one sees is the temple amongst the stretch of paddy fields, and in the middle was a small land, like an island. So, during the rainy season or, the harvesting period, this land gets separated from the rest, like an island. It was on this island, where our old house was and another two houses of my relatives, and the temple.

So, this is where my link with the temple initiated to develop. The temple was almost next door. So, I was sensitive to whatever happened at the temple and aware of it. Usually, in the villages, when poya comes, they play the Hevisi. So, hear it all the time. I was quite aware of the hevisi and monks walking in and out of my house.

So, my exposure to Buddhism and Buddhist arts and the Buddhist way of life were via the temple. We were the chief devotees of the temple. So, once a year, we have an almsgiving to the temple, when 50 monks come to the family.

Q: Tell us about your parents…

‘My father was a wedamahathaya (anative physician). We were occupying the oldest house in the village, called the Parana Gedara. Hence, my father was better known as the ‘Parana Gedera Wedamahathaya’.

Wedamahathayas are very differentfrom present day doctors. Nowadays, doctors don’t get involved with the patient. They maintain a very detached role from the patient. They hardly know the patient’s name. How- ever, it was different with the wedamahathaya in the village, as he knows his patients personally and is affected, if something happens to the patient. When he was not treating, he did farming in his free time. I used to help him in this venture, I carry something that I can and go to the paddy filed with him. This is the reason for my vast knowledge of the paddy field and the language of the paddy field.

My mother, like any other mother in those days, looked after the children, family and lands and other day-to-day chores. It was from my mother that I learned manners of living and etiquette. She always told us never to waste food. “Eat as much as you want but, serve only the amount you can eat.” This, I still do, even if I go toa five star hotel for some event. I serve myself only the amount I can eat. The rice is brought home after worshipping it nine times. Therefore, it’s a sin to waste it. So, unlike these days, we respected the rice, which was our main food.

Another priceless lesson she | taught us was, never to wash your hand into the plate from which you ate. This has avery | profound meaning. A lesson on life. Washing your hand onto the plate that gave you food, is to insult your plate. In the same manner, you should not disrespect your elders or, the employment which gives you you’re earning. When you think of the meanings of these small lessens, there is depth to it. Also, she said, never feel ashamed to wash the plate you used.

Q: Where did you have your preliminary education?

I went to school in the village for about year. It was called the ‘Puwakmotei Bauddha Mishra patashalawa’ (Buddhist School). I grew up as a member of a family of five. It was five boys, including myself as the four’. My eldest brother is still living, and is 85-years now. When you grow up, you begin to learn things like learning the alphabet, grammar, collecting knowledge and also, you learn how to live. Knowledge alone is not enough. There’s no limit to knowledge but, what really matters ultimately, is to live a happy life, which is also to know how to live. This, you gather not from books but, from what your elders do. What lam today, is because of my mother, father, brothers and the monks at the temple. I learnt most from what they did. I unconsciously acquired them. When I was at home and if, a Buddhist monk comes to my house, my mother rushes into the house, brings a white cloth and puts it on the chair, then, here I learn from it. No one need tell me what I should do, when a monk comes into my house. She, then, kneels and worships him. After which, if she wants to offer something to him, she first gives him a glass of water. Most people don’t know this.

The glass of water given to him is to rinse his mouth, before the drink is served. No ‘gilanpasa’ (the drink given to the monk) is offered straightaway. So, it is a custom to offer water first. (This is mainly for the monk to rinse his mouth if he had been eating betel leaf). So, we learned these customs and ways of good living, by observing.

Q: At this time, you changed schools and came to Colombo. Tell us how this happened.

A; After kindergarten, I was sent to Dharmaraja College, Kandy, since my elder brothers were already schooling there. I was there for three years. Then, my brother, having completed his ALs, wanted to study Law. So, he said, “I will take ‘mall’ with me to Colombo”. So, I joined

Ananda College. At that time the principal of Dharmaraja be came the principal of Ananda. This was in 1947. I was 10-years- old. At Ananda, I was given a special award. Now, there’s an award given to the best student every year but, I was above the best student. So, I was given a special award called ‘Ananda’s Best Young Citizen’. I was the first to win this award. I was also the secretary of the Buddhist brotherhood. So, I had the opportunity of meeting leading figures in the Buddhist world.

Q: Tell us about your life at Peradeniya University;

I passed out in 1956. For some reason, that year was a landmark in my life. Sarathchandra staged ‘Maname’ at the Lionel Wendt, which was a revolutionary thing because, this was the first time a Sinhala drama was staged in Colombo. I was taken by my Sinhala teacher and I was very impressed. When I heard that this was staged by university students, I thought that I must somehow enter university, This, I can say, was the immediate reason for me to go to university. [passed with good results and was selected to the university by direct admission. I had some free time until we started our lectures at Peradeniya University. During these days, my teacher called me and asked why not do a play like ‘Maname’. I was surprised, and asked him how it would be possible for me to take on such a huge project.

So, with a bit of reluctance, since this was the first time I was doing something like this, Iselected a ‘Jathaka Kathawa’ (stories depicting Buddha’s early life). I chose ‘Dhasha Ratha Jathakaya’, this is the story of Ravana going to India and getting Rama’s wife, Sitha. Here, through the story, I made Ravana the hero, unlike in the story. What was focused in my drama was that, even though Ravana brought Sitha, he never even touched her, and when she went back, she was able to prove that she was unharmed. So, finally, we staged the drama that year. A review in the Lankadeepa paper said that my script was more elegant than Sarathchandra’s. So, this was a Jandmark in my life, during my university days.

Q: With a background of Medicine, as your father was a Wedamahathaya, didn’t you want to do medicine?

None of my brothers nor I did medicine, All of us became teachers ultimately. The ‘Weda Gedara’ became the ‘Guru Gedara’. But, two of my brothers, who live in the village, are familiar with it. In an emergency they know what treatment should be given.

Q: How did you meet your wife?

I met her at the campus. We were friends at the campus. I was doing my honors and she was doing her degree. Then, I became a lecturer when she was in her final year. So, I taught her. She’s the only one who didn’t ‘sir’ me, while the others called me ‘sir’. This friendship developed into a relationship. We have a good understanding and much in common. Wherever I had to go, I could easily take her with me because, she was helpful to my work. If she was a doctor or a lawyer, this would not have been so. It’s easy to converse, when both know the subject. We complement each other.

Q: What would you have become, if you were not a lecturer?

Those days, everyone wanted to join the civil service. That was the highest possible appointment at that time. If so, by now, I would have become a divisional secretariat or, would have joined the DRO. At that time, there was a practice where only Kandyans were able to sit for the exam. But,

I didn’t want to be a DRO. In case, I had become one, by now, I would have been a secretary toa ministry.

Q: There is a belief amongst many people that the Sinhala language will not remain in existence. What is your opinion on this?

It won’t die. I don’t think so. It’s a totally false rumour spread by those who really don’t know the language. It won’t disappear but, remain at a very undesirable level. Which means, it will be used at the level of decision-making. It won’t be a language of power. Now, the language of power is English, whether you like it or not. But, Sinhala won’t die.