හොරොව්පොතානේ පළවෙනි ඩීයාරෝ

by ඒ. පී. ඒ. ගුණසේකර

592 pages, Paperback

Published January 1, 2011

Reviews

[Shamila · Rating 4 out of 5]

"හොරොව්පොතානේ පළවෙනි ඩීයාරෝ" is a memoir that presents a recollection of author's experiences as the first ever Divisional Revenue Officer of Horowpothana, a rural area in the North Central Province of Sri Lanka. As a novice officer of the Sri Lankan Administrative (Civil) Service in the 1970s, this is his first proper appointment, and the book describes the first 5-6 years of his life as well as how those times shaped his character as a person and a professional. There is no overarching plot or a story that drives the characters in the book per se, rather different chapters describing in vivid and interesting detail the encounters of the author with the lifestyle in the region.

This is a work of literature that also serves as an insightful research in to the workings of the Sri Lankan Administrative Service at the time, the hardships the officers had to face in order to provide their services impartially, how effective the administrative service was as an independent body and its general decline with increasing political interference. It also provides insight in to the culture and lifestyle of the Rajarata region, and may very well contain information on the same that is not otherwise documented elsewhere at all in any medium, before and afterwards.

The author's duration of service in the area coincides with an era of major political and socio-economic turning points in the history of Sri Lanka, where he is able to witness firsthand the inception of major events that later went on a butterfly effect bringing about major changes within the entire country's administration and lifestyle. Other than the unique and interesting experiences described, this is also a story of courage and determination, where the author utilizes his humane qualities to bring about the best in himself as well those around him, thereby uplifting the quality of life of the communities he serves like never before.

Other than the fact that I personally felt like certain chapters and events could have been presented in a different order, this a must read for anybody who enjoys memoirs and is also inquisitive about the culture and the lifestyle of rural Sri Lanka.

[Fabian de Alwis Gunasekare · Rating 5 out of 5]

"හොරොව්පොතානේ පළවෙනි ඩීයාරෝ" describes the experiences of a new Sri Lanka Administrative Service (civil service) Officer during the first 06 years of his career in the North-Central province of Sri Lanka. The author describes various facets of the life of a civil servant, from recruitment to transfer, the political entanglements that trouble an honest officer, the development of common sense and tact, and the enjoyment that one receives from such work. I found myself pleasantly engaged with this book, and given my experience with government offices, I did not think that their work would require such a diverse skill set. The narrative also contained important folklore, sociology-cultural and political information, including a first-hand account of the 1977 pogrom in the North-Central province. An absolute gem!

[Malsha Kodithuwakku · Rating 5 out of 5]

A must read book by everyone. This book gives a clear picture of Rajarata civilization, lifestyle of poor people of our country, challenges faced by government officials, political involvement in decision making and the social economical and cultural activities during a specific period of time. It shows how a hard working administrative officer make decisions in order to overcome his challenges and how he use his official capacity to helps poor people. . Some of the incidents described in this book are the exact same scenarios which we face today as a country. Accordingly, there are so many lessons that both government officers and general public can learn by reading this book. So highly recommended.

[Esmond Gunasekara · Rating 5 out of 5]

A must read book. Excellent storytelling.