Exclusive Interview with Author, Pramudith D Rupasinghe, by Shameena Pallie
An author can live a thousand lives, share a hundred insights and weave story after story into volumes of wisdom. Tales of love, joy, and enchantment. Revelations of pain and loss, rooted in the depths of darkness. And then there are moments of victory spun into euphoric stories of success. It is in all these stories of failure, hope, and achievement, that people often find inspiration and lessons that urge them to build a life of purpose and form meaningful bonds. To give the voiceless a voice, and shed light into things the world knows nothing of, is perhaps the moment of truth for every writer. They are but silent observers who often bring to us a powerful and striking message, through their works of literature.
Pramudith Rupasinghe, is an exceptional author who has been privy to the world and what goes on in it. While working as a humanitarian, he 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 endeavors to relate their meaningful stories giving those who have been forgotten, sometimes even ignored, an opportunity to be heard.
Mr. Rupasinghe is an internationally recognized author of three books already published and available for readers; ‘Footprints in Obscurity’, ‘Behind the Eclipse’ and ‘Bayan’. His latest book ‘Termites’, due to be released soon, is yet another fictional story, yet based on true incidents that reflect deep rooted matters of social significance. Lanka Business News is privileged to peek into the life and works of a local treasure – Pramudith D. Rupasinghe, and learn more about his journey, both as an author and an employee in a unique combination of mind, body and heart.
1.Tell us about your journey and the books you have authored?
I have been working as a humanitarian-diplomat for over 17 years in different parts of the world, covering both natural disaster and conflict zones, including the Global Ebola Response in West Africa. During these times, I would always journal my thoughts or experiences which was an outlet of expression. My career in writing however, started recently, around the year 2016. I had been writing a lot of unpublished pieces before early 2016, but in 2016, I published my debut semi-fiction “Footprints in Obscurity”- where 15 chapters of the book encapsulated stories about 29 countries out of 54 in the African continent. In the same year November, I published “Behind the Eclipse”, a story set in 3 West African Countries – Liberia, Guinea and Sierra Leon, (that was the epicenter of the West African Ebola Crisis). The Sinhala translation of ‘Behind the Eclipse is also available in Sri Lanka as Thimiren Etherata – translated by Rohana Kaluarachchi.
I think that story is very similar to what we are experiencing now, especially because the lessons learnt from the Ebola crisis is relevant to the Pandemic we encounter today. Upon Publishing ‘Behind the Eclipse’ I started receiving more international attention. This also encouraged me to release more of my work, for the benefit of international readers as well. My next book, to be released soon is ‘Termites’. The story set in Bangladesh, is about a sex worker in the famous world’s largest open brothel – Kandopora in Tegali district in Bangladesh, and her transformation to an activist who mobilized a world to fight against human trafficking, forced sex labor, and rights of women and children.
2. A turning point in your career as an author?
In late 2018, my philosophical fiction “Bayan” was released. This is a story set in the North-Eastern Tip of Ukraine, (at that time Soviet Union), about a man who was living through the transition of Society era, fall of the Soviet Union and today’s Democratic Ukraine. The story explores ageing through very unorthodox dimensions. Bayan is currently available in Sinhala, Polish, Burmese, and German (English being the original). It has also been translated to Russian, Ukrainian, and French with Hindi and Hungarian translations on the way.
Bayan is the first-ever novel by a Sri Lanka author translated into Polish and Burmese, and with its Russian, Ukrainian, and Hungarian translations along with an already available polish translation, it has created history as the first Sri Lankan novel ever set in the Soviet Union, reaching the ex-soviet population. This for me has been a moment of pride; being famed in a country where people loved soviet literature – where wonderful pieces of literature were created, Tolstoy, Chekov, Athmayav, and so on have been read by even Sri Lankans for decades, and they still remain among our most loved fiction. As for me, I am both humbled and grateful because with Bayan, I have been able to create a historical shift in literature.
Today, I am focusing more on writing than my humanitarian career. I believe the time has come to look at myself differently, follow my passion and purpose in life, and do what allows me to sit back and reflect, and then in turn give something back to the world. At the same time, I am extremely grateful to all organizations that hosted me, as it has always been a win-win situation. The places where I lived nurtured the writer in me, and to be quoted by The Daily Mirror “Writer without borders”, is a testimony to the fact that I was able to traverse the frontiers with grace to my job. Therefore, I would not walk out from the humanitarian field, but the focus will be more on writing in the years to come.
3. How would you describe yourself?
Firstly, I am an average human being, trying to live a life of intention in the simplest way possible! I have a passion for writing which I try to keep alive amidst multiple different engagements; because at the end of the day I believe, what you take home is the feeling of “having lived”, doing what you “love to do”. Becoming a writer is merely a by-product of my continuous efforts to do what I love to do, and also as a result of trying to deal with the difficult life situations I encountered and witnessed during my missions. Today as a result I am grateful to be creating the identity of “Pramudith D Rupasinghe” – author, humanitarian, and man.
4. Have you ever dreamt about being an author?
To be honest, I did not dream about being an author, but I used to write poems that were never published, including a short story which I wrote at the age of 16. My Poems were inspired by my mood and I wrote them whenever I had the time to do so. But honestly, I had no intention or dream of publishing any of my work. I was an avid reader, however, and would read every piece of paper that I came across. In hindsight I had no significant goals about my future profession – instead, I looked forward to travelling, meeting different people, and exploring the unexplored; probably a subconscious drive to explore what I read in books.
There were subjects I used to love, such as French as a language, Sociology, Psychology, Geography, Literature and Political Science (the subject that I associate closely with my father). I chose them as I loved them – for me career and profession was secondary, compared with my ‘what I love to do’ in life. I think, if I understand myself well, my dreams of youth were always of “claiming my space to do what I love to do”, and elements of being an author probably could be embedded somewhere there.
5. Your travels exposed you to diverse cultures. What have you learned from this?
I think travelling allows us to explore ourselves and the world around us, by connecting us to new people. People who think completely different than us, who do things in a different way than we do, and who have different faiths. Sometime even introducing us to cultures that value the taboos in ours, that pushes us beyond our comfort zone, over the horizon, and into landscapes which are strange to our eyes, harsh to our feet – and though the same sun shines over the head, with different temperatures that constantly try our resilience, survival skills, wisdom and willpower.
I believe what expanded my mental horizon is nothing but travelling. The more you travel, the more you learn to respect others, appreciate the value of diversity, and acquire skills in universal thinking, rather than being confined to one’s own ‘bubble’, where you view every single different thing as a threat.
6. How do you balance life as an author and a busy employee?
I usually don’t work in one location for a long time. In fact my longest stay in one place was 5 years, but with 4 different positions at the time. Except for that, I have not worked in one place more than one year, and that is the nature of my work. Between the missions, I take writing breaks that allow me to recover from the impact of the mission.
Also, in many instances, the emergency missions are non-family stations- you go there alone for 3-4 months, and after work, I write as a therapeutic exercise. I have completed all my books amidst epidemics, in conflict zones, mass-displacements or natural calamities. I would say, balancing life is an effort, and it must be consciously and purposefully done. Having a hobby or an outlet for expressing emotions most certainly helps, especially when you are far away from home.
7.What inspired you to write and what keeps you going?
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, and I suppose that has a traumatic impact on anyone- the exposure to such events. Therefore, writing is my catharsis and therapy and I have turned to pen and paper many a time. That itself is an inspiration.
In this world, many people pass on, often forgotten. 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 into contact with, and then I share their stories with 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 the context of ‘social change’. If you ask me what inspires me, or who keeps me going? Simply, ‘People and their stories’.
8. As an author, what message would you like to share through your literary works?
My opinion is that authors do not invent things, ideas or stories, but we are mirrors of the people on this earth. We can through our words, reflect their situation and how they deal with them. Our stories relate to a series of different circumstances, and the characters are people we meet in our lifetime. So on this earth, unless we write fantasy – which are also influenced by human imagination, we as authors are just mirrors with a literary touch. Therefore I believe, that in reality we allow people to explore themselves, by making their own stories more interesting.
9. How do we encourage more authors from Sri Lanka. Is there a need for more visibility and support?
I think we have a serious issue of extreme competitiveness in our education system that is imposed on children from a very early age. Parents push their children towards what they think is best for their future. In that parental box, art is not often seen as the future of the child. Since then we divert from what we love to do to what we need to do. That is the point where creativity and imagination are hindered as the child is usurped from his or her time of reflection.
However amidst the narrow mindset in this system of education, some have paved their path as writers. I believe there should be more neutral platforms, appraisal systems – like awards, review magazines, for writers in Sri Lanka. And, the Sri Lankan writers also need to cross the mental and physical boundaries of Sri Lanka.
I know- as I read a lot of books written by Sri Lankan authors, there is a large pool of skill, and plenty of good work in the country, but most of them are confined to borders. They need to break the barriers and explore new horizons.
10. The greatest achievement in your life?
Having the privilege of seeing the world at a very early age – and breaking all the stereotypes before they solidify.
11. What are you passionate about and how does this complement your vision for the future?
I am an explorer of cultures, the diversity of people, and the world we live in. Culture is an intangible heritage of people, and every culture irrespective of its spread or size needs to be given equal recognition, respect and value. There is no such thing as one culture being greater than the other, though, throughout history we have learnt the reality of evolution. That stronger cultures conquer the weaker ones, or weaker ones merge into the stronger ones, and they all are dynamic. I think in all my work, I have demonstrated a profound understanding of the culture of the place where the story is set.
It was indeed most insightful and inspiring to have such a profound conversation with this versatile individual with distinct values, and an appreciation for diversity. We are privileged to have such intellectuals bringing pride and honor to our nation. We wish Pramudith Rupasinghe all success in his career as a humanitarian-diplomat and author. May you continue to be a voice for the unsung heroes of the world!
