Esther Keviat - Paji : Sinhala translation, "Hethu" (හේතු) by A. P. Gunaratne - Art of Children's stories and variations

 

Paji by Esther Keviat was first published in 1946 but in 2021 it is still available for sale on the internet with colored prints. But since I don't have the time and the money to purchase it I was filled with curiosity whether the Sinhala translation "Hethu" (හේතු) and English book "Paji" had differences plotwise. This question will go down in history unanswered because I don't have the time to read it again and again and analyze it.

A.P. Gunaratne translates Paji (1946) as Hethu (හේතු) in 1961. The Sinhala translation was one of my mother's favorite book's when she was a child, but I read it in my 29th year.

Characters containing children, heroism, heroic acts, beautiful environmental descriptions, heartwarming characteristics of characters, and beautiful illustrations that are relevant to the book that is unique to the art of children's stories were available in this book. "Paji", the English book contained color images but the Sinhala translation "Hethu" contains black and white images. But considering variations "Hethu" has a very unique and beautiful story.

This book reminds Sybil Wettasinghe's "Meti Gedara Lamayi" (මැටි ගෙදර ළමයි) and also the readers might feel that "Hethu" has surpassed that book as well.

The illustrations by Harold Price are creative and beautiful.

The story contains a beautiful plot about a boy called "Hethu" who is living in a Rajarata village making wood carvings.

The book contains 54 pages and is costed for 60 rupees. This book was purchased to me by my mother when I was a child but I read the book in my 29th year. But reading this book at such a mature age enabled me to explore the surreal nature of the illustrations and also to understand the nostalgic style of the story.

A very good quality children's storybook publication was the recent Sinhala translation of "The Sea Prayer" by Khaled Hosseini as "Samudda Yathikawa" (සමුද්ද යාතිකව) by Ganga Niroshini Suduwelikanda. It is great if "Hethu" was published in the same manner. But anyway this book (Hethu) can be considered as an enjoyable read with higher standards.