6Part 1!!

Now in its third year, the Galle Literary Festival (GLF) mingles the voices of international writers with those of Sri Lanka in a glorious blend of telling stories, discussing, reading aloud, play acting and poetry reciting. The vast number of listeners who packed to capacity the Hall de Galle, moved for the alternate events and late evening do-s to Closenberg, Jetwing Lighthouse, Amangalla, Fort House and Fort Printers and even to the Dutch Reformed Church. Again this year, the GLF was a cultural cachet of star power, beginner-writers and the interested, with easy camaraderie, smiles and joy, all parceled in the unique ambience of this ancient maritime fort. It’s hard to believe the Festival is still in its infancy – only three years old - but vigorously bawling and kicking with the buzz of the energy of the various events, friend meeting acquaintance, celebrity saying ‘hi’ to the fan, and everyone excitably in festive mode.

The GLF 2009 had, as in the two previous years, bold type, upper case, a list of speakers. To match Vikram Seth of the 2008 festival was Pico Iyer; to be a Booker winner to Kiran Desai of 2006 was Thomas Keneally; to enthrall with travelers tales and adventure as Tim Severin, Brian Keenan and others did in 2008 was Colin Thubron this year on his Silk Route. Geoffrey Dobbs said in conversation with me that events from 64 last year were downsized to 59 this year due to economic constraints. But in no way was the festival per se, downsized. In fact it was enhanced in several ways. The Hall de Galle was air-conditioned this time and filled to capacity, seats packed right to the end of the hall. In the two previous years there was room to walk about at the back of the hall and you could choose your seat. Not this time: a semi-polite scramble for the front and middle rows! A steady increase in visitors is seen. How cope with the influx next year? That’s Geoffrey’s problem and he will cope, for sure.

I talk of three days – Friday, Saturday and half-Sunday - in three planned articles. I missed out on the 27th and 28th.

Two buffet dinners for everyone who wished to partake were arranged at the Closenberg Hotel and on Saturday - the second floor open air verandah of Jetwing Lighthouse was shot with disco lights from 10 in the night to 2.00 at pre-dawn with cocktails and dancing. Snacks were available and yours truly, with her two friends, longing for a sweet after the samosas and rotis had the joy of a great Lighthouse dessert on the first floor verandah. Theatre was on at the Closenberg hotel on the Friday night and reading from Sri Lankan writers, local dance and music the following day at the same venue with ballroom dancing to follow.

Gourmet events were on for those with cash to burn – literary lunches and dinners with a celebrity at table.

An event worthy of special mention was the Concert at Dusk with The Chamber Music Society of Colombo playing Mozart, Albinoni, Dreyer and Khemadasa, the last accompanied by the great vocal rendition of Eriko Tokura-Perera, soprano. Steven Allen’s The Dawn of Kandula was also presented with music bringing to the ear the great thunder of the Dutugemunu-Elara battle. This was in the Dutch Reformed Church in the Fort with its stained glass windows shedding a strong spectrum of light as the sun sank behind it; the windows turning dark and ethereal as dusk descended.

Tickets could not be got even two day previous to one or two of the events, the run being so heavy. Germaine Greer spoke at the Jetwing Lighthouse Hotel and many listeners had to be turned down. The Chamber music drew a huge crowd and there was queuing for places. Fortuitously, considerations of acoustics and comfort were abandoned to accommodate all those lining the steps of the church.

Greats

To me the highlight of the GLF 2009 was the Pico Iyer session. There were slight resemblances between my icon of the 2008 festival – Vikram Seth - and this time’s person of admiration. They both had a wonderful calmness about them, were ascetic in appearance and so friendly with ordinaries like me and anyone from the audience who sought their autographs. Iyer had a word for each one, so graciously said, so you walked on air for a minute or two. My friend and I chatted with him as we trailed him to the signing tent. I was told, much to my delight, that my name was his mother’s with a ‘ni’ added on at the end in her name. I said his column in Time magazine was my first read of the magazine. "Not many lately," he chuckled. Did not ask the reason but hoped he’d get back to Time.

His session was titled Global Souls and elaborated thus in the festival handbook: Pico Iyer muses on what it means to live global lives. He also gives us an inside account of his travels with the Dalai Lama and tells us how Tibet has gone global. To lead him on with questions was competent moderator Deepika Shetty, former broadcaster based in Singapore.

I will encapsulate what was asked and said in straight reportage.

Iyer said he did have a global soul; Indian by birth but more English and American such that his Indianness or the lack of it was obvious when he visited the subcontinent in his youth. He admitted to issues of identity since he hardly spoke India’s languages. He commented that now kids who move around with their parents due to the parents’ employment are truly honorary citizens of the globe. He was fortunate since the mix of cultures made a mosaic for him. He said he always sees the glass half full – a lucky beneficiary of globalization imbibing the wisdom of several cultures coming together with a diversity of like souls. As a Hindu he felt he had to immerse himself in Islam by studying that religion. He seems to know much of Buddhism.

He touched on his week’s train journey with the Dalai Lama across Japan and the several meetings he’s had with him. He was totally admiring of the holy person and in a short space of time gave his listeners a clear insight to the Dalai Lama’s nature and ideas. He said the Dalai Lama was very Buddha-like in his wisdom; in his looking and learning from the laws of nature; his tolerance; in his having time to speak with anyone who so desires, in his insight knowledge to the future and his ability to pitch his discourses or conversations to the level of the audience, the person conversed with. At Harvard he spoke on high philosophy.

The Dalai Lama insists he is an ordinary man and to be treated thus. Once a person suggested: "Why don’t you wave a magic wand and clear Tibet?" And the Holy Person replied: "I have no magic at all. I am a mere human being." Richard Gere, who is a close friend and benefactor (got built all the toilets in Dharamsala), asked him how he could comprehend suffering when he was so holy, detached from the hurly burly of life and equanimous. "We are all suffering human beings," was the Dalai Lama’s reply. Asked what the most important job he had to fulfill, he replied: "Meeting politicians." Complaints about the railway line built from Beijing to Lhasa and the likely wiping of Tibet off the world map are met with: "Forget the train. Use it if convenient. You can change the world by changing yourself."

On arrival in India after his flight on foot from the Chinese in 1959, the Dalai Lama proclaimed: "Now we are free!" What he meant was that he and the Tibetans who followed him into exile were free from previous constraints, free from long handed down customs and rituals and isolation that manacled him and them. There was a chance to create a new Tibet. Tragedy turned to possibility.

An aspect that I for one had not considered was the benefits India reaped from allowing the Dalai Lama to set up his abode with hundreds of followers, on Indian soil.

We had, in our naivety, attributed it to the then Indian leaders’ magnanimity and generosity of spirit. Not completely true. India benefited by being pegged up in world opinion; and in tourism. Here was an icon who would draw the crowds from around the globe. Hinted was the fact that after the Dalai Lama’s demise, the Tibetans in exile may cause problems to India. The Dalai Lama does not expect autonomy in his lifetime but he has not given up on China.

Talking of present day Tibet, Iyer said that Lhasa looks like Las Vegas with the Patola almost hidden behind and diminished by 13-storey gleaming hotels and malls. The Han Chinese are everywhere. Living standards of Tibetans have improved, however.

At this point Shetty questioned Iyer about his house burning down and what he felt. "It was a shock. My manuscripts and books were all lost. I had been working hard on a long story about the Cuban uprising and all that work was gone. I phoned my editor in London. His response was: ‘Good. You can write without researched notes.’ The day after the fire I decided to throw myself off the cliff and write a novel. So the fire did me good!"

Others

Friday 30th billed Moses Isegawa as first speaker. The session was titled Out of Africa and had the comparatively young Ugandan writer reading from his Abyssinian Chronicles plus introducing new African writers.

In 1988 Isegawa decided to go to Europe but migration was all red taped. He said he was willing to lick boots, clean toilets, wait hand and foot on some benefactor; so desperate was he to get out of the country left in shambles by Idi Amin. He got a break through some documentary film makers who came over from the Netherlands

Romesh Gunasekera in the one hour given him titled Islands of Imagination read from stories about other small islands.

In the afternoon Sanjana Hattotuwa interviewed V V Ganeshananthan on her book Love Marriage and her approach to writing about aspects of the Sri Lankan experience. She said: "Social class is very important in issues and so, in the novel the character of one uncle who became a LTTEer". She also noted that ‘the currency of the family story is anecdotes.’ She is an alumnus of Harvard and Columbia universities and lives in New York.

A late evening event was A conversation about conservation with David Robson asking Ismeth Rahim, Dr Roland de Silva, Channa Daswatte and Madhura Prematilleke whether we have the right approach to heritage conservation in Sri Lanka. I cannot report on this session since I did not have a ticket for it, but it sure would have been interesting and eye opening, troubled as we are with gaudy construction on sacred ancient sites such as at the approach to the Rock Temple, Dambulla.

There were alternate events and lunch time presentations from which one carefully chose what interested one and what was possible to attend.

Space constraints me; I cannot mention every presenter nor all the sessions. The best bet would be for those who missed the Festival but are interested, to get hold of a copy of the booklet distributed free with programme, short sketches of all speakers/performers and much more.