The Palm of his Hand

Author: E C T Candappa
Publisher: Indialog Publications
Year: 2003
Language: English
Pages: 430
ISBN/UPC (if available): 8187981504

Description

A ringside view of some decisive moments in Sri Lanka.

In 1959, Sri Lankan Prime Minister Solomon West Ridgeway Dias Bandaranaike was gunned down by a Buddhist monk, changing the course of politics in the country. E C T Candappa was a journalist covering Parliament at the time. In this first-time fictionalization of the event, the author uses authentic information given by some of the leading players of the time and exclusive interviews with Bandaranaike's late widow, Sirimavo, as well as the surgeon who operated on him.

A sensitive, scholarly attempt to unravel the historic causes of the ethnic conflicts in Sri Lanka, the novel provides insights into the peace initiative now underway in the island state, war-torn for more than two decades.