Sri Lanka, Sept. 20 -- The Sinhala book titled Gunatmaka Minisun saha Gunatmaka Nirmana (The Quality People and Quality of Creations) by the learned writer Dr Ajith Perera is a welcome departure from most works on socio-psychological topics. The writer seeks to introduce the reader to a world of human conditions, highlighting the need for better living standards.

For a moment, I was reminded of Erich Fromm's The Sane Society, which became one of the most widely read books in the English-speaking world. Yet I am not attempting to compare that book with the present work by Dr Ajith Perera.

Books of this kind, as I observe, emerge in society as the result of sensitive reflections on human frailties, in order to understand these conditions ...