My English Journey!

When I think about English, I think about the late A.S. Kanagaratnam, known as 'ASK.' His house was located at Senior Lane, Jaffna. In fact, I attended his tuition classes during my G.S.E (A/L) studies while I was attending Jaffna Hindu College to enhance my English knowledge. I learned English grammar clearly from his classes.

After that, I pursued Architecture at the University of Moratuwa, Sri Lanka. The curriculum was in English medium. There was no choice but to immerse myself in reading all the  theoretical books related to Architecture. Books like Banister Fletcher's 'A History of Architecture' were voluminous. They contained numerous new words related to building, Architecture, Urban Planning, and Art. Immersing myself in reading these books indeed helped me improve my English proficiency.

During that time, being a writer and an ardent reader, I began delving into numerous English fiction and non-fiction works. I also started reading books on Marxism. This was the era of the Cold War when many books on Marxism were published by Moscow publishers in both English and Tamil.

The world was divided into two camps based on their political ideologies. One notable feature of the books published by Moscow publishers was the translation style. These books were translated into English and Tamil line by line. At times, I purchased the same book published in both Tamil and English. One such book was  The Manifesto of the Communist Party. This approach allowed me to cross-reference political terms in English books with their Tamil translations, significantly enhancing my English vocabulary skills.

After I moved to Toronto, Canada, due to Sri Lanka's civil war, I decided to apply at the University of Toronto as a special student. Anyone with a bachelor's degree can apply as a special student for admission to take degree-related courses without pursuing a degree. One of their admission requirements was to pass an English proficiency test approved by them. Among the available options were the MELAB - Michigan English Language Assessment Battery and another test conducted by the university called COPE (Certificate of Proficiency in English Language)

Although one test would have sufficed, I chose to take both to assess my English skills.In both I received excellent grades. Then, I pursued a diploma in Electronics at Centennial College. Admitted students had to take an English entrance exam to evaluate their English proficiency. I scored well enough to avoid taking an ESL course and was able to enroll directly in an English credit course.

While pursuing my electronics diploma at Centennial College, I took English 1, English 2, and a Science Fiction elective course. I achieved good grades in all of them. I will always remember my English teachers there; they were instrumental in enhancing my English proficiency. They were not only very friendly but also dedicated to helping students succeed in English.

In my English 2 course, I studied Stephen King's 'The Body' and 'Apt Pupil'  as well as Jerzy Kosinski's 'Being There'. 'Being There' was adapted into a Hollywood movie featuring Peter Sellers. We read the novel and watched the film. For the Science Fiction elective, I explored Michael Crichton's 'Jurassic Park'." As part of the course requirements, I had to watch the movie adaptation of 'Jurassic Park.' I watched the movie at Warden Woods Mall, which has since been transformed into a residential area.

Unfortunately, I have forgotten the names of my English teachers. I deeply regret this because, without their help, I wouldn't have enhanced my English skills to the level I have now. I attempted to retrieve their names from the college staff, but they couldn't locate this information as it was not in their data system. Since I took the courses in the early nineties, I understand it may be too old to be retained in their data system. Nonetheless, I am forever grateful to my English teachers.

Learning a language is not a finite process; it's a lifelong journey. I am still continuously learning the language.

Below are two of my English poems with themes centered around our human search for existence. These poems reflect our exploration of that profound search.

Poem 1: Kannamma! We Are the Elements of a Four-Dimensional painting! (Kannamma Poem 1)

Expanding in a large space,
Who drew this four-dimensional painting here,
dear Kannamma?
Do you think there are
more multi-dimensional paintings,
beyond four that exist parallel Kannamma?
If they do, do you believe  or
Do you think
There is a way to reach them
Kannamma?
Please tell me,
my dear Kannamma!

Like the expansion of
the vast space
in my thought-expanse space,
questions arise,
Kannamma.
Can you understand them
Kannamma?

Existing like this,
thinking like this,
the happiness of being this way,
hope you understand, Kannamma!
Questions,
You raised them first, Kannamma?

Kannamma,
your understanding is different,
my understanding is different.
However,
you know they are two sides of a coin,
Kannamma.
I know it too.

Do you also know what that is?
What is that?
That is: we are the elements of the painting. That's it.
We are the elements of the painting.
Is there any place for us to run, Kannamma?
Any place for us to hide, Kannamma?
For us to run beyond the borders of the painting, Kannamma
 

Poem 2: Space-Time Prisoners (Kannama poem 2)

In the space-time,
I wonder about your kind heart.
Each moment, I would like to fly in the space-time,
Each moment, enjoying thinking about space-time.
Kannamma, I would like to think about
breaking all barriers.

Kannamma, time doesn't exist alone.
Kannamma, space is also like that; it never exists alone.
Kannammaa, space-time is the only one that exists;
it's the only truth here, Kannamma.
Kannamma, I am impressed and astonished
by the height of your knowledge.
A moving mind never rests, Kannamma.
A moving mind never rests, Kannamma.

Do you think this way sometimes, Kannamma?
But, I think like this always, Kannamma.
I always astonish in this way, Kannamma.

Space without time never exists, Kannamma.
Kannamma, tell me, does time exist without space?
If you are the time, Kannamma,
I will be the space, Kannamma.
If I am the space, Kannamma,
you will be the time, Kannamma.
We are the space-time, Kannamma.

We are the space-time, Kannamma.
Do we exist in space-time, Kannamma?
Is it a truth, Kannamma?
Our existence here, Kannamma,
is it  a pattern of space-time, Kannamma?
 
Are we prisoners of space-time, Kannamma?
Are we prisoners, Kannamma?
Yes, Kannamma.
We are prisoners of space-time, Kannamma.
Prisoners of space-time, Kannamma.