“On Broken Wings”
Unlike the “Cadjan Fence”, this account is for the Colombo audience. The scene is set in the heart
of Colombo which is very different from traditional and old Jaffna. Again, it is a slice of life as it is a short and quick version. These stories are very effective as people do not have time to be reading long tales like “Romeo and Juliet”. The passage of time is the main theme of this story.
The story mentions popular buildings such as Liberty Plaza and the national carrier Air Ceylon. Freda, one of the main characters, is seen descending from the ramp wearing a blue saree giving readers the chance to imagine the sight with its description of an air hostess in Sri-Lanka. The Glucorasa jujubes are another mark and so are Nuwara-Eliya and Adam’s Peak that are stated here.
Fifteen years had passed between the time Dilan and Freda had last met. This in an important as it is matter that is repeated throughout the story. There is always a comparison between past and present. Either how Freda had aged or how now she had troubles of her own. Earlier she was very adventurous as a young university woman from Peradeniya. The sight of her had carried Dilan from his world weariness to the memory of his youth. So there is always an underlying element in the tale where times now are being matched with times of old.
The war situation that is now imminent is stressed at. There is frequent talk about bombs and how dangerous it was to stand on the road and to travel in Colombo. The Army Commander being targeted further points this out and so does the sentence that the tension in the city was reaching boiling point.
Dilan’s constant admiration of Freda’s looks and figure seems to hint that they had a close relationship and may have been lovers. When the story began, he says how Freda was decked out so fine and she had appeared ready to kill him with the fire in her eye. His heart was beating wildly too at this. Dilan then goes on to think about the time when she used to serve jujubes as an air hostess and then he laughs at the thought that she herself was a jujube. The part that relates how she would rub her haunches against him seems to suggest that they had had a close relationship.
Basically, it is a meeting of two old friends and how life goes on. Some important elements of life in Sri-Lanka are shown. Dilan’s trip to England to study is something symbolic to this island. We often see students going abroad to study. The other thing is that as time goes by each person gets caught up with their life and career. Freda who had been in the luscious atmosphere of the fifties was now minding her business and that was to look after her husband and kids and to also work. Dilan, meanwhile had gotten involved with politics and did not have time to spare as well