Martin of Sinharaja: The forest's gentle guardian

Who hasn't heard of Martin Wickramasinghe? The nation reveres him as a literary giant. But few know of another Martin — Martin Wijesinghe of Sinharaja — whose storytelling spirit bloomed not in bookshelves, but beneath the emerald canopy of Sri Lanka's last and ancient rainforest.

- By Sugath Kulathunga

Martin (extreme right) pictured with his family

I first met him through Dr. Vajira Dharmawardena, a fellow nature enthusiast and Editorial colleague to Sri Lanka's popular science publication Vidusara. Vajira invited me for one of his sudden forests expeditions, and that day I encountered Martin Wijesinghe for the first time. From then on, he became “Martin Aiyya” to me; he was a warm, wise companion whose tales painted vivid exhaustive picturesque image patterns in the mind of wildlife lovers.

Martin's stories were born within the forest: folklore, legends and lived experiences woven into the rhythm of the jungle.

I urged him many a times to write them down, but his life was too deeply rooted in the forest — always walking its trails, always sought after by researchers for his encyclopedic knowledge of its flora and fauna.

Years later, long before the COVID-19 pandemic, Martin called me. “Aren't you coming this way soon? I've written a book,” he said. I visited him with one of my editorial staff colleagues Hasantha Malli.

That day, from morning till dusk, he sat in front of his home and recited — with theatrical flair and vivid memory — his enchanting tale titled “Sudusiya of the Rajasingha Forest.” It was a forest adventure filled with hidden bandits, a young man they encounter, a treasure buried in a cave, a fleeing young couple, a sage-like elder, and two lives transformed forever. “Someone could easily turn this into a teledrama. If anyone's interested, I'd gladly offer it,” he said with enthusiasm, gifting me a copy of his manuscript.

A life rooted in the wild