Stripping the veil that hides truths in life

Author of Magam Soliya and Lovina Mohan Raj Madawala has earned the wrath of literary critics who opine that his books should not be left lying where children are present

Pic by Chandana Wijesinghe

Many criticize Mohan Raj Madawala’s novels by saying his stories are pornographic. Some say his ideas are too radical whilst some opine that his novels offer a glimmer of hope for contemporary Sinhala Literature. “In fact some say Magam Soliya should not be taken to home where children could get hold of it,” Mohan Raj Madawala recalled one of the responses he received for his maiden novel while speaking to The Nation.
“This could be true, I’m not denying it. I don’t mind it either. But I’m not writing books for children,” he added.

Mohan Raj Madawala, best known as a radio and television personality, started his media career at Sri Lanka Rupavahini Corporation. He was the first announcer of the Lakhanda radio when it commenced transmission. “Becoming a presenter was unplanned. The writer in me is older than that. My first short story collection Bodilima was published in 1994 which I started writing while I was an undergraduate at the Colombo University. This was my first step towards Sinhala literature. In 2002, I launched the second short story collection Mama, Mama saha Mama,” he described the road he has traveled on.
 He spoke with a lot fondness of his literary work before venturing into media. “I realized that media is keeping me away from my literary work. That is why I thought of taking a hiatus from media to devote time solely for writing. I was bored doing the same things again and again for more than 15 years in the media field,” he said.

 “I’d like to do something different in the field I work,” he continued. “Also the concept in my life is change. I don’t want to repeat what’s done in the past. Why should I continue with the same things?” he posed a question in the form of a response. “I believe that people need a change and they always seek changes, just as I do,” he opined.

Awards and appreciations are always precious for the writer. Yet, just like the majority of authors, he too doesn’t write with expectations of receiving an award.  “Honestly, being considered for an award or being awarded is a reason to be proud. But if I were aiming for an award, I should not have written the book in a way I could fall into trouble and or get scolded. A book would win an award, only if it could fall into the considered criteria,” he revealed. Madawala said that self gratification is the result he is expecting from his own work. “Most of the novels I read didn’t give me what I wanted to feel. Every book is similar to one another and these stereotypes made me feel exhausted,” he confessed.

Magic realism, which Madawala used in both his novels, is a literary genre where magic elements are an ordinary part in the realistic environment. Western writers like Kundera, Fuentes and García Márquez lead the way to magic realism in the modern literature. “They all are influenced by their culture and folklore. But our Jaathaka Katha and folk stories are richer than that. My intention was to mix magic realism with our own stories,” he explained. “I read our stories more greedily than western literature. If anyone asks me about my favorite author I would not hesitate to say that it is Dharmasena Hamuduruwo who authored Saddharma Ratnavali. I have never come across such talent in the Western literature,” he opined.
According to him, these beliefs and credos, which one may call myths, were connected with life from that era. “The modern logical theories might not be able to explain them, yet no one can abandon it. Responses received tell me that I have succeeded in giving what they wanted, therefore I am satisfied,” he added.  

As he said all these influence Mohan Raj Madawala to write Magam Soliya and Lovina. Magam Soliya is a surreal fiction, filled with black magic, occult and supernatural events and its woven around Uva Wellasa uprising during the 1800s. Madawala has researched about these myths through old literary work and folk lore by reading and talking to people from that background.  

 According to him, even the medicine prescriptions mentioned in Lovina are real. This he found out during his research. “People may get similar results if they try. I don’t for sure, but I guarantee the prescriptions are real,” he mocked at the idea.
When Punna gets a terrible stomach pain disgusted by the white skin of the Pedro Gaskon, Vedha Raala orders her parents to let her inhale the smoke of few herbals including dry chilies, pepper and lemon leaves. Her stomach ache disappears when she tries the medicine. Later when she was abandoned in the harem of Sri Veeraparakrama Narendrasinghe, she meets Daskon Adhikaaram (then Pedro Gaskon) again. Her stomach ache returned making her seek relief through the old prescription. The medicine Vedha Raala prescribed to her had the power to bring a person who is not physically available there into existence, where she could have an intimate relationship with Daskon Adhikaaram.

His novels are enormously open about the human sexuality. “There shouldn’t be any taboo to talk of sexuality. It’s a part of everyone’s life. Our existence depends on that. The day sexuality is eliminated from lives, I’ll stop including it in my stories,” he defended himself. In addition he said that he had always refrained from including sex when it is unnecessary. “I didn’t try to describe the activities. The distance a reader travels depends on the extent he or she knows,” he responded to critics who labeled his novels as pornography or sex stories.

He also recalled the reported incident which said Sri Lanka is the country with most number of Google searches about sex. “Most of them should be kids. This happens because our civilization made us hide things. If I am to Google sex, I have to do it without letting the others knowing about it. It is embarrassing if another person finds out,” Madawala pointed out. “Yet a Westerner would not have this problem. He won’t be humiliated when another one gets to know,” he added.
According to Mohan Raj Madawala, talking about sexuality should not be taboo. “Hiding information is what’s making our children seek information the wrong way. I think when a child turns 13 his or her sexual education should begin. But this subject in our school curriculum is not effective. If it was taught properly, children would not want become this curious,” he stressed.
According to him, Sri Lanka’s teachers are uncomfortable teaching the subject. In fact if a student discusses sex in a classroom, the principal would throw him out. “These students have no option, but to Google it through their mobile phones. This issue will be solved when we stop hiding the truth about sex. This comes with an attitude change,” he opined.

Another detail which disturbed the readership of Magam Soliya was when Punchi Raala took his daughter Valli away as a spouse. Many disapproved the author for including such an incident. “It is nothing new for a person who reads a newspaper. There are more than enough similar stories reported as news. But it became a shock when this appeared in a novel,” he described.
“How can I explain the tragedy in the story without mentioning that event,” he pointed out. The plot in the story is developed based on this incident where Gomari – Valli’s mother becomes a live corpse and Valli obtains magical powers to predict the future with the help of her mother’s soul.

Critics opine his work is radical. According to him his books are labeled ‘radical’ because of the current Sinhala Buddhist concept. “This concept is not the original Sinhala Buddhist concept,” he exclaimed. “The original Sinhala Buddhists existed before 1800s. Those Sinhala Buddhists were the people who had the custom of Eka gei kama (Joint family system of brothers). Then rulers of this Sinhala Buddhist country had harems full of concubines. No Buddhist challenged them.  It is nothing extraordinary,” he iterated. “Which means that the original Sinhala Buddhist culture is open, transparent, honest as well as frank,” he explained.

Madawala speaks about the discrimination towards woman in both his novels. Abiththa unnanse in Magam Soliya comes forward to help Sobani at the time she was insulted when her child dies at child birth. Her in-laws were disrespectful. When her husband dies she was left with no opportunities to earn her respect back by giving birth to another child. Hence Sobani was helpless and had to obtain help from Abiththa unnannse.
“Mama kaalakanni gaaniyek nemei kiyala gamata oppu karanna mang mage badin daruwek wadanna one……oya aththata puluwanda mata eka oppu karanda udaw karanda...” (If I am to prove that I am not a miserable woman, I will have to give birth to another child...Can you help me prove that...) However with the help of Abiththa Unnanse she mothers a boy and a girl with special abilities.  

The plight of a woman is similar in Lovina. “Punni had to remove her clothes in front of King Narendrasinghe as Lovina had to do in front of Governor Thomas Maitland. Both these proves the agony of those women,” he lamented.  In the author’s eye, Pramila is also a similar character. When Pramila meets Punni she describes how she was brought down to Ceylon from India and positioned a consort and then how she also became just another woman in the king’s harem.  She tells Punni that women are not born for themselves, but to act upon their responsibilities towards men.

“Gaanu ipadila inne gaanu wenuwen nomeyi, pirimi wenuwen yuthukam ishta karanda…”
He also shows his concerns for the caste discrimination through Lovina. “Caste discrimination was the canvas I used to pen the story on. Ordinary women in that society were victimized. Imagine the situation of a Rodi woman,” he posed as question.
When Lovina refuses to meet the governor, Pinchi (Lovina’s mother) tries to explain to her how insignificant they are to the society and how great it would be to become a mistress of such powerful man.  

“Yako… me rate anik ganu ekka baladdi api ganuda… api apitawath wadak nathi saththu… ithin ehew api, e wage thejawantha minihekge hora gaaniyek unath mokada…”
He uses his language skills to explain this differentiation of the castes. Head of the Rodi group was shocked when Governor Maitland grants them permission to work or cultivate on their own. He tells the soldier who conveys the message that they are scared to do anything as they could get accused of such doings from the high castes or the King.

“deyyo buduwanda dei hamuduruwane… tharaha awasara me rodiya kiyana kathawata… oya kiwwa piliwalata wada karanda giyothin apata kanda udarata rajjuruwangen hari ape kulawath aththangen hari soli watunoth mokada karanne…”
Madawala continues to describe the immense fear they have toward men of the higher castes. Once speaking to Lovina, Punni says that: “… api kaatawath wadak nathi pajathi minissu… loku kalu gal wala oluwa gahaganna puluwanda apita…” (We are disgusting useless people to everyone, we can’t knock our heads on big black rocks)

Both his novels are based on historical events. Some accused him of trying to alter historical events. “Historical stories depend on a person’s personal point of view. For example Dr. Mendis Rohanadeera and Dr. Senarath Paranavithanana, the co-existent historians saw the same incident from a different perspective. Likewise this is my point of view,” he exemplified.

In Lovina, he gives a different interpretation to the Daskon-Pramila love story. Madawala doesn’t believe that Pramila who came to Ceylon from India was capable of writing poems for Daskon in Sinhala. “Daskon was thorough with Sinhala. But I don’t believe that Pramila could learn Sinhala to an extent where she could write poetry in such a short period of time. That is why I gave that responsibility to Punni,” he said.

In the commonly known story of Maitland and Lovina that the Sir Thomas Maitland mansion, now the Mt. Lavinia hotel, served as a secret meeting place for Sir Maitland and his lady love, Lovina. For seven years Lovina flitted through a tunnel which had its opening in a well in her garden and ended in the wine cellar of the Governor’s house. “Some say when the governor left the country Lovina ended her life. Some say she went missing. However I tried to give my own interpretation to their story. It is hard to believe that young Lovina loved this middle aged governor,” he mentioned.
 “I know, there is criticism about my work and there will be criticism in the future. It doesn’t matter. I will write according to my vision and satisfaction and one day people will apprehend it. I won’t turn back and change course,” he concluded.  

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