Pramudith Rupasinghe is one of the emerging authors from Sri Lanka who has been privy to the world and what goes on in it. Born in Gampaha, Sri Lanka in 1979, he soon discovered his vocation for writing though he still works in the humanitarian sector. As a humanitarian diplomat, he has served in several countries around the world.
While working as a humanitarian, Pramudith has had the opportunity to explore the unexplored side of human life, connect with cultures that have not been in touch with the external world, and experience the emotions of people who have been through trials. Trials which are more distressing than words could ever describe. It is through his experiences that he endeavours to relate their meaningful stories giving those who have been forgotten, sometimes even ignored, an opportunity to be heard.
Pramudith is internationally known for his fiction ‘Behind the Eclipse’ and ‘Bayan’, His books have been translated into several languages and launched internationally.
TBE: Tell us a little about your story and the story world you’ve created in Bayan.
Pramudith Rupasinghe: Bayan depicts the life of a 73 years old man who lives in a remote village in the north eastern tip of Ukraine bordering to Russia through his companionship with old soviet air-instrument- Bayan, Russian accordion. The story opens when a tourist-known as “The Stranger” in the book, meets the old man- Ivan Nikolayevich in a rest camp in nature-rich Sumy region and reveals the unspoken realities of the ex-Soviet Union, modern-day Ukraine, and the ageing process in changing times, while exposing the breathtaking nature of rural Ukraine, its rich culture, gastronomy, and big-hearted people.
Bayan was first released in mid-2018 in Yangon Myanmar. It has been translated into five languages including German, Burmese, Russian, Polish and Sinhalese. The Hindi translation will be out in the first half of 2021.
TBE: How do you come up with the title ‘Bayan’ and what is the significance of the title?
Pramudith Rupasinghe: Bayan is an old soviet type accordion which is not as sophisticated in its design, and soft in the way it operates- you may require to put a lot of efforts to play the melody with its round small stiff buttons while pumping air at the same time. The main character in the book, Ivan Nikolayevich, plays the Bayan when her is sad, happy and indifferent. For him, it is his companion, no difference from a good friend, partner probably much more than that. A companion who never judges him, listen to him without boredom or resentment, accept him unconditionally, and does not react to his actions.
On the one hand, Bayan itself is a passive character “inanimate character” in the book, and the symbol that depicts the companionship between the main character Ivan and “Inanimate object”, and on the other hand Bayan symbolizes soviet society, communism and soviet lifestyle being an iconic musical instrument with strong soviet character. Thus, considering all the above-mentioned aspects, I believe there is no other best suiting name for the book, though the name does not sound typically English.
TBE: What is the inspiration for your book? Is there a particular theme you wished to explore?
Pramudith Rupasinghe: My work allows me always to sit on the rupture and see how deep it is, I have seen the worse of human situations, witnessed the extreme of human suffering, that has a traumatic impact on anyone- the exposure to such events, therefore, writing is therapeutic as I mentioned above a few times. That itself an inspiration.
Atop, In this world. Most people die unheard, and their moving stories that could inspire millions of others, go four feet under the earth with them completely unheard, I think I try my best to pick those that my eyes come in to contact take them to the world. I do not choose to write about anything and everything, when I come across a theme or a subject matter, I always look at the impact of the story in ‘social change’.
If you ask me what inspires me to write, simply ‘People and their stories’, and Bayan is no exception except that fact that the life of Ivan Nikolayevich stands out with full of wisdom and experience that are mostly beyond the average. The way he lives his old life surrendering to the rules of nature is worth being told to the world.
The book explores in-depth “ageing” through the companionship Ivan and his Bayan (inanimate companion) does have. And in the background, the irreversible transformation of life in the ex-soviet republics, and the struggle of people in adapting to the new capitalistic social system is depicted.
TBE: Who are your main characters? Tell us a little about what makes them tick. What appeals to you about it?
Pramudith Rupasinghe: Bayan is written following a style that has given the full concentration on its main character- Ivan Nikolayevich who is a 73 years old retired man from a northeastern tip of today’s Ukraine; he is witty, does not care about the other’s opinions, living proximate to nature, living alone in a remote village disconnected completely from the modern world, and carries a love and hatred relationship with USSR. It does not say that the other characters in the book are not active, but they are the fabric of the story. Olga- daughter of Ivan, Nadia- his ex-partner. And the most significant characters besides Ivan is ‘the stranger’ whose identity is not revealed at all so that the reader place himself and herself in the place of the stranger while searching for his identity till the end of the story.
TBE: This book really asks readers to challenge their assumptions about the people around them. What draws you to this idea?
Yes, it does in many ways. First, it makes the reader questions his values, perceptual sets, stereotypes and identity if the reader happens to place himself where the ‘stranger’ of the book is. The dialogues between the stranger and Ivan Nikolayevich are charged with an enormous amount of opposing energy towards the ‘tradition” and often challenge human’s constant attempt in breaking the rules of nature.
Throughout the book, the reader is tempted to question the purpose of life, setting ambitions for future, the competition that we all have as human beings in the modern world, and our erratic moves in defying the basic rules of life and nature. Ivan’s deeply philosophical thinking often highlighted through the quotes and sayings, persuades the reader to ‘stop and think” about how we think of us, other and the world. And the unconditional companionship that Ivan had with his old Russian accordion- Bayan, suggests the dynamics of human attachments and how the relationships are redefined as we grow old.
It sheds the light on the habits that people develop as they grow old, that we as younger generation often fail to understand, companionship with inanimate objects as loved-one’s part and isolation and loneliness becomes an everyday experience. And the story of Ivan ultimately allows its reader to see through his ageing process and realise that some of the things that he finds important or priorities in life are not.
Thus, Bayan for younger readers is very much a rough path that often crashes their perceptions, stereotypes and the values, but at the end go the day will leave an enriching and life-changing impact. And for senior readers, it is an experience of their voice being heard, and unconditionally accepted.
What really drew me to this idea was the fact that there is little time for the new generation living in this modern highly competitive world to understand ageing. I wanted to allow my readership not only explore the lives of the ageing population around them but also their days to come.
TBE: Ultimately, what would you like for the readers to take from your story ‘Bayan’?
Pramudith Rupasinghe: The take-home of Bayan will be very individual and subjective experience from one reader to the other, that is the beauty of a novel. But I can say two things at two levels. At a superficial level, a piece of good knowledge about the USSR, its transformation, and the lives of its people today. If you explore the book profoundly, the very first thing you will explore yourself in the story, and enjoy an intriguing journey across the process of ageing.
TBE: How long did it take to finish the novel?
Pramudith Rupasinghe: First of all, it took me almost two years to finish the novel. I believe it’s faster compared to my on-going work that I have been working for the last 3 years already, and faster than by the first two books I could complete in less than 12 months. I believe penning a story like Bayan takes time as it demands a lot of refection.
TBE: In your opinion, what is the most important thing about any book?
Pramudith Rupasinghe: A book should be able to connect to its reader in one way or the other. That is the most important thing about any book.
TBE: Which authors have influenced you?
Pramudith Rupasinghe: I believe I have my own style. But there are authors whose writing l love, one of them is Khalid Hosseini, the author of The kite runner, A Thousand splendid sons, and And the mountain echoed.
TBE: And what does an average writing day look like to you anyway? Do you have a strict routine or is every day different?
Pramudith Rupasinghe: Things have changed significantly due to pandemic. Now I maintain a routine; get up early between 4-5 am and sit in my balcony with my coffee and the notebook. I write for a 2-3 hours before I sit in my working day starts. But in most of the cases, in the past, I did not have a regular writing schedule. When you work in the context of emergencies or conflicts, you can’t maintain a routine, so I used to write whenever the time permits; the daily writing duration and the time of the day changed always. Sometimes, I write in transit, in public places, cafes, or the vehicle during long trips, however, one thing does not change. I always write living where the story is set.
TBE: Is there anything you are currently working on that may intrigue the interest of your readers?
Pramudith Rupasinghe: There is an ongoing work set in one of the largest brothels in Bangladesh, it depicts the unspoken realities of the life of sex-workers though a story of a girl who was sold to the brothel trafficked from a remote village in Chittagong. The book is supposed to be out in the early half of the year 2021. I intend to launch it in Bangladesh.
