Wednesday, January 30, 2013
BOOK & AUDIO CD REVIEW JATHAKA GEETHA SANGRAHAYA COMPENDIUM OF SONGS ON JATHAKA STORIES BY D.V.J. HARISCHANDRA VIJITHA YAPA PUBLICATIONS – 2012 Reviewed by Hemantha Situge
BOOK & AUDIO CD
REVIEW
JATHAKA GEETHA
SANGRAHAYA
COMPENDIUM OF SONGS ON
JATHAKA STORIES
BY
D.V.J. HARISCHANDRA
VIJITHA YAPA
PUBLICATIONS – 2012
Reviewed by Hemantha
Situge
hemantha.situge@gmail.com
Dr.
D.V.J. Harischandra needs no introduction to the Sri Lankans. He is a well
acclaimed psychiatrist by profession for well-nigh five decades who has
rendered yeoman services to the nation.
His
first book entitled “Psychology Aspects of the Buddhist Jathaka Stories” published 2000 was an analytical study which
penetrated into the inner aspects of the Buddhist Jathatha Stories – which is almost synonymous with the Sri Lankan
Buddhists – hitherto no one has delved into. His book was well accepted by a
wide array of readership. This book won the then State Literary Award.
“No
one has delved with such a consummate insight on the workings of the human mind”
wrote Julius Ketzer the translator of the Russian novel Fyodor Dostoyeveky’s
Crime and Punishement, Raduga edition, on the said novelist. Harischandra with
his rare uncanny, whirlwind romance in psychiatry and classical Hindi music has
left an indelible imprint by releasing an audio CD which contains twenty songs
“…….. with such a consummate insight on the workings of the human mind”. For
all these songs lyrics has been written by him culled from the Jathaka Stories for twenty Hindi
enchanting tunes of well-known Hindi musicians. Eleven of them belong to
celebrated Noushad Ali’s immortal hits. The audio CD is accompanied by a book
which spans into 122 pages in which each Jathaka
story is provided with a captivating colour painting portraying the Jathaka story drawn by Nimal Dharmasiri
the teacher of Art’s of the Mahanama College. The cover of the audio CD and the
book is adorned with a magnificent scene from the Ummagga Jathakaya is an excellent work executed by an artist who
deserves more recognition and hails from Ambalangoda namely Nishan Jayalath
Wijerathna more known for his pandal drawings for Buddhist celebrations.
This
audio CD accompanied by a book is the first to a series of such audio CD’s and
accompanied books that would be released in the future. Releasing of the audio
CD accompanied by a book of lyrics on the Jathaka
stories is the novel concept or theme to the Sri Lankan Buddhists. Songs
based on Jathaka stories were known
to Sri Lankan Buddhists mostly through Vesak
and Poson pandals. This audio CD and
the book of lyrics entitled “Jathaka
Geetha Sangrahaya” will undoubtedly be sense of solace to the people of all
walks of life in our country.
The
most remarkable feature of this audio CD is that a host of amateur artists who
are non professional singers have come into light by this rare work of art.
The
only shortcoming that I see which should be corrected at least in a future
edition of the book is some of the psychiatric Sinhalese glossary terms used in
the author’s preface without the Sinhalese meaning or the English term being
used at least in brackets. Some words of the preface would not reach the layman
who is clueless to this medical jargon or terminology.
It
was Alexander Pope who wrote: “One science shall one genius fit so vast is art
and so narrow is human wit”. Harischandra is an exception to these words of
Pope.
Dr.
Harischandra introduces a splendid audio CD accompanied with a book entitled
the “Jathaka Geetha Sangrahaya” – a
compendium of songs on Buddhist Jathaka
stories, is indeed a panacea for all illnesses, physical and mental alike. It
is a prescription sine qua non for mens sana in corpore sano – healthy mind
in healthy body. All Sri Lankan Buddhists would treasure in possessing and
listening to Harischandra’s mellifluous words on the Jathaka stories that has regaled them from their childhood with
irresistible sense of nostalgia and fund of memories.
Wednesday, January 23, 2013
Tuesday, January 22, 2013
How to Write a Book Review - Daily Writing Tips From Hemantha Situge
How to Write a Book Review - DailyWritingTips
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Posted: 05 Dec 2012 08:08 PM PST
Writing a book review — or any evaluation of a piece of content, including live or recorded music or a film — is simply a matter of sharing your thoughts after you have engaged in the content, but there is a standard template for producing it. Here’s one outline of the format.
The two primary types of book reviews are those written as an academic assignment (also called a book report) and those written as an informational service to readers of a print periodical or a website. The structure of each is essentially the same as the other, although an academic exercise tends to be more formal and analytical, while a journalistic book review is often more casual and geared more toward helping the review’s reader decide whether to buy the book. Word count varies widely, especially in the latter case; as with film and music reviews, the length can vary from a fifty- to one-hundred-word capsule review that describes the plot or topic in one sentence and briefly describes the book’s quality to an extensive essay consisting of a thousand words or more. A book review summarizes the book’s content, examines the author’s intent in writing it, and expresses the reviewer’s opinion about to what extent the author succeeded in conveying the intent or communicating a message. Just like any other piece of writing, a book review requires a lead paragraphthat will attract the reader’s attention. In the case of nonfiction, be alert for offbeat or provocative statements that define the tone of the book, and refer to them in your opening sentence. After reading a novel or a collection of poems or short stories, articulate what it is about the content that makes it innovative, unique, or otherwise noteworthy. Next, briefly identify the author and describe the narrative. (A more detailed description of the author, including qualifications and/or previous publications, can follow later.) Then, explain whether, in your opinion, the author has told the story (fiction or nonfiction) well. Follow up in the next few paragraphs with supporting arguments. Are the characters credible and fully realized? For nonfiction books, will the reader feel as if he or she knows the people interviewed or understands the topics or issues discussed? Is the plot coherent and realistic? Is the organization of chapters logical? Are there plot holes, or are matters left undiscussed or treated with insufficient attention? Note the author’s use of content other than running text (the basic content). Does the novel include any other elements, like illustrations or maps, to enhance the narrative? Do sidebars or boxes of text provide interesting digressions or case studies? Do graphic elements like photographs, graphs, charts, or tables support the text, and do they do it well? Conclude your review with a restatement of your general impression of the book, including a concise, precise endorsement or rejection. Don’t be concerned about offending a professor who worships an author or damaging a magazine’s or website’s relationship with book publishers that advertise with it; it’s your responsibility to provide a well-reasoned and honest appraisal. Take care to be impartial. If you’re reviewing a book by a favorite author of yours, approach it skeptically. If you disagree with an author’s philosophy or politics, keep an open mind. Your task is not to champion or chastise the author; it is to evaluate the merits of the work. You’re welcome to criticize shortcomings in an argument or a narrative or to extol the author’s craft or persuasive skills, but support your analysis with solid examples from the book. Original Post: How to Write a Book Review Your eBook: Click here to |
Wednesday, January 9, 2013
Friday, January 4, 2013
Tuesday, January 1, 2013
WAS WILMUWA WAS INTRODUCED TO THE HONDUWA BENTOTA SOUTHERN PROVINCE By HEMANTHA SITUGE
The questions are raised whether the WILMUWA facing extiction was introduced to the Honduwa of Bentota Southern Sri lanka in the 1973 when authorities were pompt in declaring the Honduwa a Wildlife Reserve.
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