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Setting: From Pallai to Colombo through Wilpattu jungle form 26th March
2000 to 3rd April
Narrator: Wasantha Ratnayake
Techniques
·
De
Silva’s novel may have been influenced by the Russian novel Forty First
·
The
story has an impressive narrative with quite stimulating dialogues.
·
The
male-female relationship between Wasantha and Kamala is handled in the most
sophisticated manner.
·
The
respect of dignity and privacy of each other and constant communication,
irrespective of being bitter adversaries in the war, is the basic feature of
this relationship perhaps that brought final ‘reconciliation’ between the two.
Kamala and Wasantha had to spend a night in the abandoned Murunkan station.
This is how it is narrated:
We cleared
out two corners to sleep in and shared the newspapers to spread on the ground.
Velaithan [Kamala] selected the corner furthest from the one I had selected,
but still stayed in the same room.” When eating, “We sat on the newspapers on
my side of the room, our backs to the wall. Velaithan placed the parcels of
food and the bottle of water between us.
·
Then
in the following morning:
The sound
of rustling newspapers woke me from an exhausted sleep. There was just enough
light to see Velaithan gather her clothes and leave the room. I knew she had
gone down to the stream and wouldn’t want me around. I dozed off and woke again
when she returned.
·
The
flow of the narrative is often halted to give vivid descriptions of the
landscape and wildlife
·
The
plot depends heavily on luck, i.e., incidents involving the rogue elephant,
sloth bear, taking meat from the leopard, poachers, LTTE commander Sri Knathan
being killed, etc.
·
Flashbacks:
Wasantha’s and Kamala’s pasts
·
Characters
are representatives of the two ethnic groups involved in the conflict
·
Symbols
- The journey through Wilpattu represents the difficult journey towards
understanding and reconciliation
Themes
1. Adventure
·
Hostile
territory
·
Use
of disguise
·
Air
raids, terrorist attacks, manhunts
·
A
journey facing wild animals, army deserters, poachers, etc.
·
Foraging
for food and water
2. War
a.
Damages
human and physical resources
·
Death
of the woman soldier and the driver
·
Civilians
losing property and lives in reprisal attacks
·
Suspects
tortured for information
·
Genocidal
attacks and suicide attacks of the LTTE
·
Death
of Captain Wasantha
b.
Those
who are involved loses the ability to empathize with other’s pain:
·
Wasantha
and Kamala are not moved by the death of the female soldier and the driver
3. Terrorism/ethnic problem
·
Question
of a Tamil homeland
·
Accusation
of violation of human rights
·
Black
July 1983
·
‘Sinhala’ Point of View - It is possible for one to argue that the book
gives, by and large, a ‘Sinhala’ point of view on the ethnic question. But it
would be difficult to deny that it is not a chauvinistic one:
“We will
pass a number of water holes today. If we make good time in the morning, we can
rest up at Manikepola and get to another villu, further on, for the night.’
‘They are
all Tamil names,’ Velaithan observed quietly. ‘Kalivillu, Manikepola.’
‘What about
it?’ I asked.
I knew
where this was going. The Tamils claimed about one third of the land area of
the country as their ‘traditional homeland.’ Some of the evidence they used to
justify their claims, and to demarcate boundaries of the so-called homeland
were, to my mind, dubious to the point of absurdity.
That was
why we were at war.
She said:
‘So maybe all this land was occupied by Tamil-speaking people in ancient
times.’
I’d heard
this kind of argument before and it always made me angry. How could anyone say,
‘my people were here a thousand years ago, so this land belongs to us.’ Someone
else would have been there earlier anyway. Even if one race or tribe lived
there in ancient times, what of it? They moved and someone else lived there
later. Those who made these claims often had ‘evidence,’ based on selective
research, to support their position. But I always came out poorly in these
arguments, especially in my undergraduate days, because I didn’t know my facts
well enough and because I got angry as a result of that.
When I
began to get the worst of it I would rely on some facetious remark to divert
the discussion or else offer to punch my opponent’s face in. But that didn’t
mean my position was wrong, just that I was not familiar with the facts.
I stopped
walking and turned to face her.
‘There may
be a Tamil word to describe the moon,’ I said with unnecessary heat. ‘It will
take more than a name to claim title to it.’
‘That’s a
frivolous argument.”
‘You
should expect that when you make a stupid statement,’ I snarled, starting to
lose control. ‘This country belongs to all its people. We are not giving the
Tamils any part of it for an exclusive homeland.’
‘You don’t
have to give us anything, Captain,’ she said calmly. ‘The Tamils will take what
is theirs.’
‘No, they
won’t,’ I growled hoarsely, getting carried away now. ‘We’ll kill them all
first.’
‘That’s
common knowledge,’ she replied nastily. ‘You have been killing Tamils for years
now. You killed my father.’
‘Piss
off,’ I roared. ‘You Tamils try to steal our land and then complain when things
get rough.’
Her eyes
blazed with fury. I thought for a moment she would attack me. She controlled
herself with a conscious effort and looked away, then walked off, leaving me to
follow. [p. 121-2]
·
There
were many arguments between the two.
“Are your
parents still alive?’
‘My mother
is. My father died seven years ago.’
‘I’m
sorry,’ I said automatically.
‘You
should be. Your people killed my father,’ she lashed out suddenly angry.”
·
These
excerpts are a fictional presentation of the dilemma that is at the heart of
all modern guerrilla wars:
‘Captain,’
she said quietly, ‘You must not believe your own propaganda.’
‘Our troupes
have strict orders not to attack civilian targets.’
‘So how do
you account for the atrocities committed by your soldiers?’ she asked icily.
‘How is it they still burn down villages in reprisal attacks?’
I had to
make an effort to match her tone, to stay objective about a subject that always
got me angry.
‘If it
happens at all now, it must be very rare,’ I said cautiously. ‘Under-trained
soldiers sometimes get carried away in the heat of battle.’
‘Are you
saying the authorities prohibited it but sometimes soldiers disobey orders. Is
that what you mean?’
‘Yes.’
‘I am
sorry to say that I can’t believe you,’ she said coldly.
Do you
think I give a … about that?
‘I think
you are quite mistaken,’ I said reasonably, ignoring the provocation. ‘We do
have strict orders about retaliatory attacks. There is a lot of pressure on the
government from the media and NGOs. But we know that at the back of all that is
your propaganda machine blowing up minor incidents out of proportion and out of
context. The international community gets taken in very easily. There is no one
to tell the soldiers’ side of it.’
‘My uncle
was killed in a reprisal attack recently,’ she said angrily. ‘What is the
soldiers’ side of that?’
‘I’m sorry
to hear about that,’ I said defensively. ‘I still maintain it is very rare
now.’
‘And you,
Captain?’ she asked, ignoring my argument. ‘Do you think even one incident
should be tolerated?’
‘I have
some…personal views on that’, I said. ‘They are not the views of my
government.’
‘Do you
mean you condone reprisal attacks on innocent villagers?
She hadn’t
raised her voice but the tone had changed.
‘We are at
war with an enemy who use their own people as a human shield,’ I said wearily.
‘A sniper can shoot and kill a soldier from a village hut but we are not
allowed to shoot back for fear of hurting some civilian. When a claymore mine
is planted near a village and the explosion kills a few soldiers, and a few
others lose their limbs and eyes, we are expected to smile and say – “Oh, these
are innocent villagers.” But the villagers are not so innocent. They damn well
know about these things in advance. Because they do nothing, our men are maimed
and killed. They must pay a price for that.’
‘Surely
you understand their fear?’ She was outraged. ‘If they inform the army, our
people would punish them severely.’
Now I was
beginning to get irritated. I fought to keep it under control.
‘I amazes
me that the media and public, so many people, are unable, or unwilling, to see
the absurdity of it. Call them what you like, your group are terrorists. When
they shoot at a patrol from a village hut, they are inviting retaliation. They
are the direct cause of civilians getting hurt. Our men are dying out there,
they have to defend themselves.’
‘What are
you trying to say?’
Was there
a new steeliness in her voice? I didn’t care.
‘Again
it’s just my personal opinion, but I think it is the only way to fight this
thing. If a terrorist fired at me from the cover of the village, I’d fire back
with maximum force. Once that policy is known, the villagers themselves are not
going to take kindly to having their own ‘boys’ use them as shields. If my
patrol hits a mine near a village, I’d burn the village down. Once the
villagers know that there will be no mercy, they will start being more careful.
They will either get their ‘boys’ to go further afield to lay their ambushes or
they will sneak the info to us. It is our pity for the villager that the
terrorist takes advantage of. I think it is a mistake and it puts our men at
risk.’
‘Have you actually
put your theories into practice?’ She asked icily. ‘How many villages have you
destroyed in your campaign?
‘I once
burnt down a village after a mine took out one of my vehicles. They lost their
possessions true enough, but I lost two men and another man was crippled. I was
nearly cashiered for it though. Our generals are more afraid of the ICRC and
the NGOs than they are of the terrorists.’
‘You
really surprise me, Captain. You seem to be an educated man, yet your instincts
are primitive.’ She said sanctimoniously. ‘Don’t you see it is this attitude
that makes your army so hated? These are your own citizens. Have you no
consideration for them?’
‘I can see
you are missing a point here. I do feel sorry for these people. Most of them
are truly innocent and have suffered greatly for a long time, too long. But I
will not let your thugs derive a tactical advantage from any civilized
instincts I may have. In the long run, I think this policy will help the
villagers as well.’
‘I’m sure
those who are dead and maimed from your gunfire, those who have lost their
homes and possessions, will be truly grateful that you have their greater good
at heart.’ Sarcasm suited her.
‘Your
people started this,’ I said, surprised at my own calm. ‘They are the ones who
put civilians at risk. Why don’t you ask your leaders to change their tactics?
Why have a double standard, civilized norms for us and any available tactic for
them? If it means anything, I would probably…probably, do the same thing if the
villagers were Moslems or even Sinhala.’
‘It is
easy to say that, I suppose, when there is little chance you will have to act
on it.’
I was
getting bored with this.
‘Why don’t
you give it a rest?’ I said wearily. ‘We have a long day tomorrow.’ [61-3]
·
The
following was again a ‘point of view’ on the question of homeland.
“But the
Sinhala do not claim exclusive rights to the entirety of this land,’ I pointed
out. What we say is that every citizen should have the right to live and work
in any part of it. It is the Tamils who want to carve out a part of the land
and say, ‘This is exclusively ours’…How can you possibly justify that position,’
‘There are
many, many justifications.’ She sounded detached as if reading a lesson. “The
history of violence and cruelty towards our people is the primary reason’….
She paused
and then continued: It is only by having a ‘homeland,’ a place where our rights
are both primary and unassailable, that our nation can live with dignity.”
·
It is
a novel with a mission.
·
It
offers an insight to the ethnic issues underlying the conflict and
misunderstandings
·
"De
Silva apparently does his best to present reasonably objective perspectives
from both sides of the conflict.”
·
The
novel demonstrates “that resolution of conflict and reconciliation of
differences are feasible through mutual experience.”
4.
Stereotyping
– the two characters are stereotypes of the two races and their initial views
of each other are stereotypical views:
a.
Kamala
assumes all Sinhalese are abusive and all soldiers are violent
b.
Kamala
assumes Wasantha is from a rich family because he is a Sinhalese who speaks
English well
c.
Wasantha
assumes that Tamil girls are incapable of physical hardships and strategic
thinking
5.
Wildlife
a.
A
common ground for Wasantha and Kamala –possibility of reconciliation and peace
6.
Reconciliation
and nation-building
a.
The
two characters presents a united front and overcome impossible situations
b.
Importance
of communication
Characters
Wasantha Ratnayake
·
A son
of an alcoholic nāttāmi from
Akmeemana
·
His
mother raises him
·
Friendship
with Mr. Karl – English, birds, father-figure
·
Graduate
from the Faculty of Agriculture
·
Holds
strong views on Sinhala – Tamil issue at the university, but he is against
violence
·
Joins
the army – unsatisfied about serving under under-qualified self-serving
officers
·
He
believes the army could end the war if they are given freedom to take decisions
without political interventions
·
Believes
violence could only be put an end to through violence
·
But
he feels sorry for the civilians trapped between the LTTE and the armed
forces
·
Major
Kiriella puts Captain Wasantha in charge of accompanying Kamala, an LTTE carder
to Colombo
·
Captain
Wasantha is depicted as a resourceful, courageous gentlemen
·
He
steals and kills only to survive and fulfill his mission – he does not enjoy
brutality
·
Kamala:
“Captain, when it comes to field operations, I’ve never seen anyone better,
remember, I’ve worked with some really good men. Your flaw is your lack of
ruthlessness.”
·
He is
capable of appreciating beauty in nature
Kamala Velaithan
·
Kamala
begins to hate Sinhalese due to her experiences in 1983: “Your people killed my
father. He was a kind decent man. To the end he kept telling me that I must
forget what had happened. That I must not fill my heart with hatred. I’m not
like him. I can’t forget. The Sinhalese have no right to peace after what they
did to my family”(133).
·
Kamala
joins the LTTE
·
The
first time she comes to speak freely with a Sinhalese is with Wasantha
·
She
is intelligent, courageous and witty
·
She
remains loyal to the LTTE until the last moment
Wilpattu
·
Wasantha’s
and Kamala’s response to Wilpattu and its wildlife presents a major art of the
novel
·
The
story as an adventure novel shows the author’s knowledge of the Wilpattu
jungle, wild life and the birds
·
They
were the writier's way of showing common ground between the Sinhalese and the
Tamil
·
The
ordinary life of different communities in different parts of the country are
full of common ventures although the conflictual political culture of the
country does not properly allow those experiences to come into the public
focus.
Major Kirielle
Pāli
The Story
The story
begins at Pallali check point, North of Elephant Pass, the strategic area
dividing the army controlled Jaffna Peninsula and the then LTTE controlled
Wanni, when an army Captain was assigned to bring an LTTE woman cadre, who had
apparently turned an ‘informant,’ safely to Jaffna. She is supposed to have
vital information that can change the war in the country’s favour.
Written in the
form of a story of days’ happenings, spanning for thirteen days, Wasantha
Ratnayake, the Captain, and Kamala Velaithan, the LTTE operative, are the two
main characters. One is a man and a Sinhalese, and the other is a woman and a
Tamil. Both are young with strong views on the ethnic divide.
The story is
narrated by the Captain, so the so-called Sinhalese view is prominent in
addition to the army one. As he initially says, “But there was no denying the
Tiger’s audacity and determination. Their cadres, especially the women, had
perfected the art, or science, of suicide bombing. They hated us, the Sinhala majority,
with a ferocity that I would not have comprehended had I not seen and
experienced it on the battlefield. I hated them back with equal intensity.”
That is how the story starts.
“The woman was
late,” so the attempt to reach Jaffna fails as
the LTTE launches a massive attack cutting the road to Jaffna from Pallali. Two women soldiers
escorting Kamala, and the driver Piyasena, also get killed in a landmine and
the two protagonists become isolated depending on each other.
The Captain
cannot abandon the mission as the information Kamala has – an exact date and
time of the LTTE leader Prabhakaran’s presence in a particular location - is
vital that could change the cause of the war. But she would not reveal the
information unless to the Military High Command in Colombo
in exchange of a passport and passage to Canada. It is apparently a deal on
her part. The story appears credible, Kamal’s one, and the Captain has to
follow her insistence in crossing Wanni towards South.
The Wanni was
crossed in two days with many odds and then comes the Wilpattu jungles where
they come across many challenges, both of humans and beasts.
The army
deserters and poachers were the main menace. It is the interdependence of the
two for survival and protection that builds a mutual human relationship between
them seemingly transcending ethnicity. They both are bird lovers as well that
brings some additional affinity.
In crossing
Wanni, the Captain has to depend on Kamala; likewise Kamala depends largely on
Wasantha for protection and care in crossing the Wilpattu jungles. Two
adversaries at the beginning, Wasantha and Kamala become close friends if not
incipient lovers at the end.
When in
Colombo, at the brink of meeting the High Command in revealing the ‘vital
information,’ Kamala admits to Wasantha that the information was a ploy to
discredit the government by prompting an air-raid on a visiting Indian
dignitary Ajay Devanand. Devanand had criticized the LTTE for violating human
rights. So, the LTTE aims to get rid of Devanand and discredit the SL
government at the same time before the world community.
At the end, it
was left to Wasantha to twist the story and protect Kamala from obvious
reprisal of the Sri Lankan army if the ploy was revealed. Wasantha’s twist
works and Kamala is saved. The captor of Kamala, the Sinhala army Captain,
becomes the defender of her for human reasons.
The story has a
sad ending when the Captain goes back to the battlefield and reported missing. The
fate of Kamala is not revealed.
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