Absurd Realism: A review on Puslodan by Viranga

Simon Nawagattegama talks of socialist realism in the manner of a man who has invented it. Mop-haired, bespectacled and chain-smoking, he clutched a yellow covered book he has written on the subject and said: “I have discussed in this book a lot of misconceptions on the subject. The misconceptions are mostly held by the so-called socialist themselves.

“One comes up against a metal block these days, even among publishers, when the subject of socialism is discussed. So I had to print this book myself with the help of friends in the printing trade who did a “sharamadana” after working hours”. The book is titled “Sahithya Samajawadaya saha Kala Vicharaya”.

Nawagattegama is a teacher in a government school in Kelaniya. He is married, but leads a nomadic life, living out of a briefcase, in which he carries a toothbrush and a towel. Marriage should only be an arrangement, he says. It should not hinder ones freedom of movement. And he has an understanding partner. Marriage also makes a man less cynical especially when he has children. It also makes a man more genuinely concerned about the future of humanity. Because the future of humanity is also the future of his children.

These ideas too he has discussed in his earlier publications. There was a collection of short stories titled “Sagara Jalaya Madi Handuwa Oba Sanda”. He wrote and produced two plays, one which “Gangaawak Sapaththu Kabalak Maranayak” was much discussed by regular theatre goers. Few could tune in to his wavelength.

“I admit, in that play I was too obsessed with words. Perhaps it was too tedious for some, especially those who are English educated. I have corrected this tendency”

The theme of his plays and the short stories and the novel that will come out next month, is socialistic. He admit that most so called socialistic plays that have been written and produced here recently would better have been written and distributed in pamphlets.

“It is because most of the keen and impatient young Sinhala writers today have no background of reading. They have denied knowledge of the literature of the world. Their knowledge on Sinhala alone provides them no key to the literary wealth outside. They do not know how to construct a play they write only dialogue”.

He, being bi-lingual, has been an avid reader of the literature of the world, or at least what has been available to him in this country through his knowledge of English. And he has written his third play. The title “Puslodan” is a name of a wild fruit which is believed to have been found in Vanniin ancient times. The setting is contemporary and the play has the class situation as its theme.  A group of poor people are marooned in a flood, and they are awaiting a boat load of government officials who are expected to rescue them. The boat is also bringing them food in the form of Puslodan. The boat drifts before reaching them and the officials eat the Puslodan and bring only the seeds. And now they have no intention of rescuing those who are marooned and in distress. Instead they coerce the people into planting the Puslodan seeds on the little island on which they are marooned so that they themselves can continue to be privileged; non-labouringly gentlemen pluck the fruits of the poor man’s labor.

Eventually there is a rebellion, and it fails. There is a touch of absurd in all this. When the rulers have eliminate the ruled they find that it is no longer fun to be rulers, because they are no longer a privileged class.

Even in Socialist realism one has to be realistic. To make the oppressed the winners would be unrealistic in the context of historical situation, Simon Nawagattegama said, “Puslodan” will be staged at Lumbini on the January 29 and 29.

Serious writing he says must reflect the true socio-economic situation in a country. And there is not enough serious writing in this country. While there is a great thirst among the Sinhala educated intelligentsia for serious reading matter.

“There are people who write, but the writing is mostly juvenile and romantic. And they feed on each other; they have no knowledge of what is serious literature. But even these writers should not be dismissed out of hand. Their work should be discussed and fault and weaknesses should be pointed out. It is only then that whatever talent that is there can be developed and mature. If you ignore young talent it retreats behind a wall and begin to sulk.

A sad thing in this country is that the Sinhala newspaper which should encourage new writing is riddled with cliquism. It is only the serious English newspaper that notice of Sinhala writing and Sinhala theatre.”

There are many in the new generation of Sinhala readers whose introduction to socialist thought has been through Simon Nawagattegama’s writing in Sinhala newspapers. They are curious to know that what more he has to say. There are many unpublished manuscripts in his briefcase and the air of eccentricity he carries with him further stimulates the curiosity.