Bringing out the human-ness of people caught up in the war
Associate Professor Sanjiva Wijesinha
Source:Noelnadesan
Dr. Noel Nadesan’ latest book Odyssey of War is being launched in Melbourne this week. For those who do not know Noel he is what is best described as a polymath – someone whose knowledge spans many different fields.
He was born and grew up in northern Sri Lanka, he was educated at Jaffna Hindu College and the University of Peradeniya – and graduated in Sri Lanka as a veterinary surgeon. He has worked as a veterinary surgeon in both Sri Lanka and in Australia but his learning and service have not been confined to the health and healing of animals. He has used not only his knowledge and skills but also his sense of service to be a journalist, an activist, the founder and editor of the Uthayam newspaper, a refugee advocate and author of several books.Many are the novels in English that have been written based on the period of what we euphemistically call Sri Lanka’s war years.
Many of these have been written by diasporic writers – good writers, famous writers, even best-selling prize-winning writers. Well known examples are people like V.V. Ganeshananthan, Nayomi Munaweera and Shankari Chandran. And I have to say the books they have written – like Brotherless Night, Song of the Sun God, Chai Time in Cinnamon Gardens, The Island of a Thousand Mirrors – are great works of literature.But we have to acknowledge that Vasugi Ganeshananthan grew up near Washington DC, Shankari Chandran was born in London and grew up in Canberra, Nayomi Munaweera grew up in Nigeria. Their writing – the sort of writing that wins Booker Prizes and Miles Franklin Awards – results in well researched works and commendable works of literature.Noel Nadesan’s book however is different – because it is based on first-hand experience.
Noel created his characters based on what he himself saw as an adult in Sri Lanka and what he himself heard, first hand, from the refugees he worked with in the refugee camps in South India and those who sought refuge in Australia. His is not a story written by an author one generation removed from the events. His information came from primary sources when it was fresh – and this is what makes the story he has written so authentic, so raw, so credible. As many of us would acknowledge, there are things we knew – or at least suspected – that took place during those times. These however were things that nobody who had first-hand experience could (or would) talk about.
Noel’s is not a war novel that glorifies either a freedom struggle or a crushing of terrorists. This is simply a story of the human victims of the Eelam war.He writes simply, in a straightforward style that is easy on the reader. He has created his characters based for the large part on personal contacts. The beauty of his story is in the down to earth style of the narrative, which makes the reader feel “Yes, this is how it would really have happened”.Noel does not gloss over or hide the facts, nor does he shy away from “telling like it is”. As is known, politicians on both sides created, nurtured, and monetised the war – and changed it into a business. To quote a sentence from the book (p 231) “ceasefires are temporary stopgaps allowing politicians to retain their positions.” Idealistic youngsters who started off fervently believing that they were freedom fighters deteriorated into a bunch of thieves, while leaders pledged to crush terrorism while involving themselves in money laundering and other corrupt activities.If I may quote another observation on page 169 “There was a resemblance between those in the lower levels of the Sri Lankan army and the LTTE. Their height, skin colour and thin physiques showed that they all came from poor families on both sides”.
What comes across in Noel’s book is the essential human-ness – what is called manussakama or manusuththanmai – demonstrated by the poor folk caught up in the war.I have here to temper my praise for Noel’s book with a dash of criticism. Regrettably, the print abounds in typos which are evident even to the casual reader. I am sure that these will be corrected in the second print that is bound to come – because this is a book that well deserves to be read.
Odyssey of War is a book I would recommend to all those who have a love for Sri Lanka – through birth, through family connections, or through a heartfelt appreciation of what is really a beautiful country. It is also a book that I would recommend to all those who would like a good read – a captivating and authentic story that is well worth reading.
