It is a story of a village schoolmaster who finds his unwavering faith in Theravada Buddhism and the British educational system challenged by the irrational forces of astrology, numerology and human desire. The story combines the satirical take on the Sinhala myth with a healthy dose of its own brand of mysticism.
It is an absorbing conflict between reason and emotion, a conflict that cannot be resolved through the pure reason of Theravada Buddhism. Its an unorthodox novel briming with intellectual vigour and creative energy”.
Weerasinghe Aarachchige Piyatissa Weerasinghe dressed to go out, He wore a white sarong, a white shirt, a grey blazer and a grey tie. Under the sarong he wore black trousers. He made his way out of his school quarters and down the main gravel road in the direction of the neighbouring village. He intended to pay a visit. It was a reluctant visit, yet it was not certainly a visit. To an astrologer……
“Theravada Man” is set in the absolute backwaters of Wayamba. It is a story of a pious Theravada “iskolemahathtaya” who on contemplating a tingling desire for a woman (which he tries to substantiate in marriage), is suddenly thrown into a world he did not know existed. It is the world known as the Greater Dharma. It involves the world beyond the rational Theravada piety and its ethics. It is a family tale of a marriage which is not easy with a pious Theravadin who is strict, pedantic and lacking the trivial that gives life the joy of human existence.
SINHALA TRANSLATION
“The skill and imagination with which [Manuka Wijesinghe] has blended a poignant, village-based, family drama with broader social, political and religious themes to create a complex tapestry of human existence deserves nothing but praise”. – Sanjeeva Samaramayake