In an article titled “Shakespeare in a takarang shed” in this newspaper, I made reference to Lakdasa Wikkramasinha, the poet. I described Lakdasa as “a man of few words, with a disdainful stare that made lesser mortals uncomfortable, [wearing] his shirt halfway buttoned that displayed his hairy chest, the sleeves rolled up just below the elbow.”
To accompany
that article, I needed a photo of Lakdasa. I Googled, only to be shocked by the
images that popped up: his gravestone, streaked with a black stain that
obscured some markings, and a photo of the Nigerian Nobel laureate Wole
Soyinka, mislabeled Lakdasa.
I then wrote
another article titled “Searching for Lakdasa”, in which I detailed my attempts
to trace his family members, classmates, and others in my search for Lakdasa’s
photo. I am pleased to say that I am now able to present a photo of Lakdasa,
not in the “badass” appearance I described, but more formally dressed, perhaps
for a wedding. He must have been in his twenties.
The photo was
sent by his then wife Shanthini, who now lives in Zurich. She was “thrilled reading [my article]
and also quite amused by [my] descriptions of Lakdasa; in fact, quite an
authentic description of his personality.”
More good news. I am told that a
collection of his poetry both in English and Sinhala, with translations of the
Sinhala poems into English, is in preparation for publication. The collection
will also include previously unpublished poems.
Finally, we'll be able to read Lakdasa’s poems in a single
publication. A long awaited recognition of one of our foremost poets writing in
English.
July, 2021
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