Character origins

What inspired the characters in the book?  This is a question I get asked a lot. I don’t have black and white answers.

The character of Mythil appeared first. He was a shy little boy who took a while to introduce himself. I called him by different names until I realised that his name was Mythil. He is a lot like I used to be at his age; shy and unsure of himself.

Asiri didn’t have a name until almost the final draft. There’s a lot of Mythil in Asiri and I think that’s one of the reasons why Mythil is so angry with him in the beginning. He sees his own helplessness reflected in Asiri. He is impatient because Asiri is so accepting of this helplessness.

Ianthi is interesting because I think she would have made a good ally for Mythil if she hadn’t been so intent on growing up. In that respect she’s very different to me.  I don’t think I’ve grown up yet. I think I knew children like her when I was a child. If you’re a dreamy sort of person it’s good to have this type of friend around you to help bring you down to earth now and again.

I’d recently lost my grandmother so I knew that Mythil’s Archchi would be similar to mine. The story Archchi tells Mythil, about the robber is almost exactly the same one my grandmother told me. I was as close to her as Mythil is to his grandmother. She had great faith in my scribbles and gave me all my grandfather’s letters and stories to read for inspiration - he certainly had a way with words although he apparently wasn’t much of a talker. He died when my mother was eleven years old so like Mythil I only know him through family stories..

I had a lot of fun with the bahirawaya’s character. In the beginning he was a lot more swaggering and full of bravado. Too much like a TV character. So then I altered his personality and sense of humour. I modeled him on an old teacher I used to know.

Grandmothers

Grandmothers are treasure troves. My two grandmothers told me so many stories from their childhood and young-adulthood that I think if I had stepped into a wormhole that took me back in time to the early- to mid-1900s I would have managed to fit in without anyone realising I was from the future.

I think being a girl in those days was a lot safer though. Here's a story from each that has to do with chivalry and facing bulls.

From my paternal grandmother who had 6 sisters. They were out for a walk with a male cousin when a bull charged them. Of course all the girls screamed and while some were rooted to the spot others ran. The cousin, realising, as he later said, that he was the only male, stood his ground. The bull got closer and closer and then stopped just a few feet away from the lone figure. The bull snorted, flashed his horns and stamped the ground. For one heartstopping moment the girls thought their cousin was about to be gored. But then the bull turned and nonchalantly walked away.

From my maternal grandmother. She and my grandfather were out on a narrow footbridge in Chilaw, fishing with friends. A herd of water buffalo came by but when they saw the humans occupying their bridge they slipped into the water and swam across. All save one. He stomped, snorted, and then charged. Atu, the animal expert, called for everyone to jump while he wrestled the hefty bull. Quick as lightning my grandfather grabbed my grandmother's hand and leaped into the water with the others. But at the last minute my grandmother twisted her hand out of his grasp. She couldn't swim and was terrified she would drown. "Jump! I'll catch you!" my grandfather shouted from the water below. There was a splash. But it was only Atu being flung into the water by the bull who then lowered his head and charged, heading straight for my grandmother. She turned and ran hoping to make it over land before the bull caught up with her. But the bull's hoofbeats got louder and louder till she imagined he was inches behind her. With a scream she swung around and the wind caught her saree pota making it billow out behind her. Another splash! This time it was the bull who swam away sheepishly (excuse the pun) ashamed to have been scared by a saree.

Image from bukisa.com