The book launching ceremony of ‘The Petition’ which is the English translation of ‘Pethsama’ written by veteran Dr. Leel Gunasekara held recently, organised by ‘Sankathana Mandapaya’ academic discourse of the Temple Trees. Dr. Gunasekara is one of the senior administrative officers who contributed enormously to the Literature field and is well recognized at the occasion.
Speaking on this occasion the Prime Minister Dinesh Gunawardena stated that, Dr. Leel Gunasekara is another asset which enriches the never ending river of Sri Lankan literature. Literature keeps a nation alive. It allows a nation to think anew. I see it as a blessing that you have been able to accomplish the above objectives in various ways for a very long span of time.
‘Pethsama’ is a work of art which consists of characters living in real society through generations. The simplicity of the genuine Sri Lankans can be understood through this book. It shows the language of our country, lifestyle and how we have stood up bravely as a nation.
Leel Gunasekara is a pioneer in the public service and education service as well. Once, Prime Minister Sirimavo Bandaranaike appointed him as the Inspector General of Police while he served in Government Service. How interesting it is that Leel Gunasekara, who was holding the position of Government Agent while appreciating the rustic nature of the village, was appointed to the position of Inspector General of Police which has a great responsibility. You might have been appointed to such a position because you had a very faithful and humble mind in the literary service as well as in the public service. Nowadays, the post of Inspector General of Police is subjected to criticisms in the society. Such criticisms were there in the media even before and after your appointment. In all those situations, what you did not give up is literature. Through that, you worked to endow humanity to human society.
When I was working as the foreign minister, I heard about a report prepared by you on the methods to be followed for the low income earners of this country. It was mentioned in one chapter of the report on strengthening rural children with technical knowledge when they leave school. Still imparting technical knowledge to the children who drop out of school is not done properly in our country.
Literary scholar Sunil Sarath Perera, stated that, the historical and practical consciousness of Dr. Leel Gunasekara is the most significant phenomenon. “I believe that society itself gave him the opportunity to work as a writer for a long time. His experiences as a Government Agent contributed greatly to the creation of those literary works. He enlivened the grievances of rustic life through his book ‘the petition’. He displayed the authentic life of villagers who live in rural areas of ‘Nuwara Kalaviya’ (Kandy) and ‘Hathara Korale’ through his works of art”.
“Today I am very happy to write an English novel for the first time and publish it under the full patronage of the Prime Minister,” said Leel Gunasekara.
“I received the State Honorary Award in 1962 for ‘Pethsama’. Dr. Gunapala Mallalasekara, who watched ‘Maname’ stage play of Ediriweera Sarathchandra, said that Sarath’s work was excellent and then I was determined to do an excellent work of mine. This book is a combination of ancient and modern literature that has inspired me,
Ven. Gatahaththe Sobitha Thera, Ven. Kirama Wimalajothi Thera, Yadamini Gunawardena MP, Chairman of Press Complaints Commission of Sri Lanka (PCCSL) Kumara Nadesan, retired senior Civil Officer Jolly Somasundaram, Head of Sarasavi Publishers H. D. Premasiri and several scholars and artistes joined this event.
