{"id":113160,"date":"2023-05-01T17:41:17","date_gmt":"2023-05-01T17:41:17","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/websitedesigns.com.au\/elankanew\/?p=113160"},"modified":"2023-05-01T17:41:50","modified_gmt":"2023-05-01T17:41:50","slug":"the-genius-of-we-lost-karunaratna-abeysekara-forever-40-years-ago-by-dr-upul-wijayawardhana","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/websitedesigns.com.au\/elankanew\/the-genius-of-we-lost-karunaratna-abeysekara-forever-40-years-ago-by-dr-upul-wijayawardhana\/","title":{"rendered":"The genius of we lost Karunaratna Abeysekara, forever 40 years ago-By Dr Upul Wijayawardhana"},"content":{"rendered":"

The genius of we lost Karunaratna Abeysekara, forever 40 years ago-By Dr Upul Wijayawardhana<\/span><\/h2>\n

 <\/p>\n

\"elanka\"<\/a><\/p>\n

Source:<\/span><\/strong>Island<\/a><\/span><\/p>\n

Forty years ago, on 20th April 1983, we lost for ever the genius of the Sinhala wordsmith extraordinaire, whose life was cut short suddenly and prematurely at age of only 52 years. It is said that those with creativity, like him, reach their maximum potential in their fifties but, sadly, it was not to be although the legacy he left behind makes us feel as if he lived a century!<\/span><\/p>\n

Considering his prodigious productivity in a span lasting less than four decades, it is hard even to imagine what he would have achieved had he lived at least a decade more, as he requested. Interestingly, in a moving poem printed in\u00a0Kalpana\u00a0<\/i>in October 1982 six months before his death giving the impression that he had a premonition, titled \u2018Ayachanayak<\/i>\u2019 (Request), he makes an appeal to the \u2018Life-giver\u2019 for an extension of 10 years, so that he may see his son grow up and can contribute to Sinhala literature in many ways, writing for the unity of the nation. It is not without humour either, as he states that all he wants is the extension and does not care even if it makes him look aged!<\/span><\/p>\n

<\/p>\n

He is a wordsmith extraordinaire indeed, as he excelled in both the written and the spoken word; a rare achievement. He showed his talents in the written word by being among the great poets of the \u2018Colombo Era,\u2019 a sought-after scriptwriter for Sinhala cinema and, most importantly, a lyricist of lasting influence; perhaps, the greatest we ever had. He demonstrated his prowess of the spoken word as a newsreader, a presenter of programmes and concerts but he is best remembered for his unforgettable commentaries, the way he moved the entire nation to tears at SWRD\u2019s funeral becoming part of broadcasting legend.<\/span><\/p>\n

He was born in Ratmale, a little village south of Matara on June 3, 1930, the eldest of 10 children of Podiappuhami and Premawathi Abeysekara. The family moved to Colombo where his father started a small business but they moved back temporarily to their village during World War II which gave Karu the opportunity to study Sinhala, Pali, and Sanskrit under Venerable Ananda of Galkanda Vihara, which laid the foundation for the mastery with words.<\/span><\/p>\n

On return to Colombo, he entered Nalanda College where his teacher was the poet U A S Perera, better known as \u201cSiriayya<\/i>\u201d who conducted \u201cLama Pitiya<\/i>\u201d in Radio Ceylon, which was a life-changing event. This drew him to broadcasting, taking part in \u201cLama Pitiya<\/i>\u201d from the age of 12. He continued to study oriental languages under Venerable Dehigaspe Pannasara of Vidyodaya Pirivena whilst continuing his studies in English at Nalanda.<\/span><\/p>\n

Karunaratna Abeysekara became a pioneer in many fields having faced the most crucial decision of his life in 1950, when he had to choose between admission to Peradeniya University, for a degree, or join Radio Ceylon as a relief announcer, earning seven rupees a day. He opted for the latter as he felt that was the only way he could support his younger siblings, his father\u2019s business being not lucrative. This move not only allowed him to support his siblings admirably but also build a very successful broadcasting career.<\/span><\/p>\n

He was a brilliant newsreader but outshone all others as a commentator. In the era before television, we were at the mercy of commentators to visualise any important event. Whereas others described what was happening, he painted the picture in our minds with his unmatched eloquence. I still remember listening to his commentary when Queen Elizabeth visited us in 1954 and painting the picture of the procession in my mind.<\/span><\/p>\n

What has often been overlooked is the fact that it was Karunaratna Abeysekara who pioneered cricket commentary in Sinhala, the very first being a report on the Anada-Nalanda Big-match he gave on\u00a0Saraswathi Mandapaya<\/i>. He quickly switched to live commentary and is credited with coining many Sinhala cricket terms which are in current usage. No doubt the enthusiasm for and the popularity of cricket, the \u2018coloniser\u2019s game,\u2019 in the villages is in no mean measure due to the commentaries in Sinhala which he pioneered in his inimitable style which enabled the listeners to visualize the game long before the advent of television.<\/span><\/p>\n

Invariably, due to the inspiration from\u00a0Siriayya,<\/i>\u00a0he was drawn to children\u2019s programmes and\u00a0Saraswathi Mandapaya<\/i>, he hosted on Sunday evenings, became the star of children\u2019s programmes and to me and my generation he became our beloved\u00a0Karuayya<\/i>. I had the fortune of participating regularly and helping\u00a0Karuayya<\/i>\u00a0from 1957 to 1964, being introduced to him by his brother Daya and my good friend Buddhadasa Bodhinayaka. We would help by sorting out letters, writing features and reading scripts live etc. which gave us the grounding in broadcasting.<\/span><\/p>\n

Karuayya<\/strong><\/span><\/p>\n

<\/i>arrived about half an hour before the programme goes live on-air and penned a couple of songs, which were set to music by Master D D Denny to be sung by the children who became the leading musicians later.\u00a0Saraswathi Mandapaya<\/i>\u00a0was the incubator for a generation of not only budding singers but also lyricists and script writers, far too many to mention by name. Just one example: Nanda Malini\u2019s famous song \u201cBudusadu, Budusadu, Sandun gasak wennam<\/i>\u201d written by Asoka Colombage with music by D D Danny, she sang first in\u00a0Saraswathi Mandapaya.<\/i><\/span><\/p>\n

He is rightly credited as the creator of the genre of Sinhala children\u2019s songs and his compositions like\u00a0Sarungale<\/i>,\u00a0Lenage pitameda iri tuna ende kauda mage amme, Dan nivadukale hinda ne iskole, Mamai Raja kale vihilu keru Andare, Surathal ape denila vana mal kele pipeela<\/i>\u00a0are perineal favourites. Some of his children\u2019s songs have become so popular, adult singers have recoded them subsequently.<\/span><\/p>\n

On retiring from the National Service, he joined the Commercial Service of Radio Ceylon where he revolutionised advertising by coining catchy slogans and introducing memorable jingles which are played even today. He was ethical to the core, ensuring that products he advertised stood to scrutiny, often visiting the manufacturers to make sure. This, unfortunately, is a practice unknown today, with celebrities selling their souls for cash, endorsing any product.<\/span><\/p>\n

He was in great demand to present concerts and, in fact, many attended to see\u00a0Karuayya\u00a0<\/i>as much as for the concert itself. When he commenced the proceedings, immaculately dressed with hair combed with Brylcream and a wide smile below the thin moustache, crowds roared with applause as he raised his hands and said \u201cAyubowan<\/i>\u201d His introductions were crisp and concise, describing a lot in a few words.<\/span><\/p>\n

Of course, he is best remembered as a lyricist though he did not get universal acclaim. Some critics took objection to his style whilst others attempted to belittle him by saying he writes lyrics for Hindi tunes, disregarding the fact that often lyricists write words to a tune created by a musician and that doing this is more difficult than writing free lyrics. He had the remarkable ability to pen a song in a few minutes and the complimentary remarks, referring to this, made by Dharmadasa Walpola and Milton Perera in interviews, that he often wrote songs for them by the side of his car, on a piece of paper kept on the bonnet, were used by critics to belittle him. He disregarded them by saying: \u201cI write my songs not for critical acclaim but for the sole purpose of the enjoyment of listeners, without them having to turn the pages of a dictionary!\u201d Paradoxically now, 40 years after his death, critics are falling over each other to praise his lyrical style; simple though beautiful and musical words, arranged rhythmically to subtly convey, meanings often very deep, which brought about a sea change in Sinhala music for the masses!<\/span><\/p>\n

He coined many new words and phrases but his genius was in the ability to transform even harsh words to be musical as illustrated by the Jothipala song \u201cSal Sapu Na Kumudu Saman Nilmahanel mal athare, Kidaram male pava suwanda digahere\u201d<\/i>. Leaving aside the simple but philosophical message conveyed later in the lyrics of this haunting song, the genius is in the introduction so beautifully to the lyric of\u00a0Kidaram mala<\/i>, the flower of the Stink Lily! The songs he penned still dominating the airwaves, despite the vast changes in the broadcast media since his death, stands testimony to his philosophy. The young, who have no idea whose compositions they are, join the old in singing his songs, made immortal by the vast number of talented Sinhala singers, most of whom he nurtured.<\/span><\/p>\n

In my humble opinion, Karunaratna Abeysekara is the best lyricists Sri Lanka has ever had as his versatility is beyond compare. Even doubters would agree that his versatility remains unchallenged as he had the capability to suit the lyric to the singer\u2019s style and even to suit the actor, for film songs. His lyrics could be anything from children to classical, funny to provocative but he was at his best when it came to romance, probably because of his own turbulent love affair with\u00a0Raniakka<\/i>\u00a0before marriage. Erani Herath, like many millions in the country, had fallen in love with his voice initially which later blossomed into a romance, objected to by her elders who kept her a virtual prisoner. Her mother prevented her from listening to the radio first and then kept newspapers away from her, when she realized that he was communicating through poems in newspapers! One day, Tilakasiri Fernado has been waiting in studio 10 of Radio Ceylon for\u00a0Karuayya\u00a0<\/i>as he was one song short for his programme the same evening. When the plight was explained,\u00a0Karuayya<\/i>\u00a0vented the pent-up feelings by writing immediately \u2018Enna mada nale, gos pawasanna duka mage; Yannata heki obata pamani sirageyata ege\u2019<\/i>\u00a0which has become a classic, wherein he requests the wind to convey his sadness and love to her as it is only the wind that can reach her prison uniterrupted!<\/span><\/p>\n

In turn,\u00a0Karuayya<\/i>\u00a0extended a helping hand to others in romantic difficulties too. When there were problems with Sanath Nadasiri\u2019s romance with Malkanthi Pieris, he wrote the beautiful song \u201cMa hada asapuwa, kusumin sarasuwa, e Malbara dethai<\/i>\u201d\u00a0Malbara<\/i>\u00a0hinting at Malkanthi! When Milton Perera had difficulty in expressing his love to Kalyani and appealed to Karuayya, he obliged with \u201cKalyaniye oba nasu kathawak kiyannam<\/i>\u201d with Milton declaring his love over the airwaves and thousands of lovers using it since to overcome their difficulties of romantic expression!<\/span><\/p>\n

When Dileepa was born, after a gap of ten years,\u00a0Karuayya<\/i>\u00a0was overjoyed and had been lying down on a mat between the two beds occupied by his wife and mother, when he got the sudden urge to pen a song. He got up and wrote \u201cDileepa podi puthu, saneepayata nidi, Mawage ukul yahane<\/i>\u201d which was printed in\u00a0Silumina<\/i>. Seeing this Clarence Wijewardene has approached\u00a0Karuayya<\/i>\u00a0and had said he will pay anything for the song! In an interview\u00a0Karuayya\u00a0<\/i>mentioned that this and \u201cEnna mada nale<\/i>\u201d are his favourite songs. Shortly before his death,\u00a0Karuayya<\/i>\u00a0had been listening to a radio programme where they had discussed \u201cEnna mada nale<\/i>\u201d and\u00a0Raniakka<\/i>\u00a0mentioned in an interview that\u00a0Karuayya<\/i>\u00a0was very pleased and had commented \u201cIt is a haunting song.\u201d It is a small mercy that he could listen to his favourite as the last.<\/span><\/p>\n

No one knows how many songs Karunaratna Abeysekara wrote in his short but fruitful lifetime as he wrote songs for many including my wife, Primrose and even he did not keep a count. The figure of 2000 often quoted is a gross underestimate and may refer only to film songs as he wrote lyrics for over 300 films. Though he was paid for film songs, he never charged a cent from the multitude of artistes he wrote songs for. Almost every artiste of that era had the career launch or their breakout with a song penned by Karunaratna Abeysekara. He must have written thousands for radio musical programmes,\u00a0Saraswathi Mandapaya<\/i>\u00a0and for recordings by artists which remain uncounted. Before the introduction of television, more than half the songs in SLBC library had been written by him.<\/span><\/p>\n

Though the first song he composed for a film was \u201cKataragame Devige bime, Ruhunu janapade<\/i>\u201d screening of Sirisena Wimalaweera\u2019s film\u00a0Asoka<\/i>\u00a0was delayed,\u00a0Varada Kageda<\/i>\u00a0being released ahead, two songs of which remain popular to this day: \u201cDalula prema gase<\/i>\u201d and \u201cPiyalee kedila wetuna nebul Saman male<\/i>\u201d both sung by Mohideen Baig. It is said that seven other lyricists failed to satisfy Nimal Mendis for his composition for the film\u00a0Kalu Diya Dahara<\/i>\u00a0but Karuayya succeeded with \u201cMaster Sir<\/i>\u201c<\/span><\/p>\n

Some critics consider his best lyrics for a film are in\u00a0Kurulu Bedda<\/i>, with music by R Muthusamy and sterling performances by Punya Heendeniya and D R Nanayakkara, which include \u201cAruna Udaye<\/i>\u201d the first film song of Milton Perera, \u201cOya belma, oya kelma, nilupul nethe<\/i>\u201d by Lata and Dharmadasa Walpola. However, my personal choice is\u00a0Daskama<\/i>, the only film Edwin Samaradiwakara provided music for. \u201cIpida mere<\/i>\u201d sung by Amaradewa is a synopsis of Buddhism and has become a classic but there are many other beautiful songs too, masterfully crafted, and beautifully sung: \u201cHonda Kala ada<\/i>\u201d by Mohideen Baig, \u201cGoyam paseela kumbure<\/i>\u201d by Indrani Wijebandara, \u201cDevlova devsepa<\/i>\u201d by Indrani Wijebandara and Mallika Kahavita, as well as GSB Rani Perera\u2019s \u201cMada diye pipunata<\/i>\u201d and \u201cTuru wadulu tule, sandalu thale, kekulu sele surathale; Mukulu obe, vikulu dange, lelena dalu palakale<\/i>\u201c, a song which demonstrates how simple words could be melodically threaded.<\/span><\/p>\n

He excelled in writing about inanimate objects; perhaps, the only lyricist to do so. \u201cAwile semada<\/i>\u201d is about a candle, \u201cBasicale<\/i>\u201d is about the bicycle, \u201cSarungale<\/i>\u201d is about a kite and \u201cNaga lovin gena apu Bulathatha<\/i>\u201d is about sheaf of Betel, a song that runs through all the associated rituals, reminding us about our old traditions. Often, he made use of life-events to pen a song. Whilst having dinner in a Chinese restaurant, the waiter has dropped a tray earning a public reprimand from the manager which prompted, the moment he got home, to write \u201cWedakarala ewara nometha deviyane \u2013 Mokotada ma duppathwe ipadune<\/i>\u201c<\/span><\/p>\n

He wrote songs for artistes with widely varying styles with equal success, few eternal favourites being: \u201cKedelle ativu kirille wage demapiiyan sevane<\/i>\u201d for Mignone and Jetliners which has become the favourite at weddings, \u201cPiyumehi peni bothi wanabambaru<\/i>\u201d for C T Fernando, \u201cMal yahanawaki loke, nave chandraloke<\/i>\u201d for M S Fernando, \u201cSulange pavee ee wetha yawee ma pathu pathum<\/i>\u201d and \u201cOruwaka pawena re ganaandure<\/i>\u201d for Milton Mallawarachchi, \u201cDiya podak wemin thol wiyaluna pipaseta<\/i>\u201d for HR Jothipala, \u201cNeela jalase rangana hansa kumari<\/i>\u201d for Sisira Senarathna, \u201cNamal komali<\/i>\u201d for Indrani Wijebandara though she grabbed the limelight with the song \u201cHithannako aiye, denwath heddennnako aiye<\/i>\u201d from the film\u00a0Suraya<\/i>, also written by Karunaratna Abeysekara.<\/span><\/p>\n

He was so proliferous, sometimes, had written different lyrics for the same tune. Having forgotten that he had written \u201cMe bhavayedi mulu diya daye<\/i>\u201d for Narada Dissasekara, he had written \u201cTajmahalak thanawanna ne mata<\/i>\u201d for H R Jothipala, both becoming very popular and, interestingly, both artistes choosing each as their favourite song!<\/span><\/p>\n

His younger brother, Gunaratna too was a reputed lyricist and one day Jothipala had come to their place to get a song on\u00a0Anangaya<\/i>\u00a0(Cupid) written and as\u00a0Karuayya<\/i>\u00a0was away, Gunaratna wrote him \u201cAnangaya man<\/i>\u201d which became a hit. When Milton Perera approached Karuayya about this, he had written \u201cSupemlove kusum sara malsara<\/i>\u201d highlighting the failures of Anangaya which resulted in a rebuttal from Gunaratna. When there were a few exchanges of songs, many began wondering whether there is a rivalry between Jothipala & Milton or Karunaratna & Gunaratna, the speculation being put to rest by the brothers co-writing \u201cApi santhosen inne, Duka sokhaya ne danne, Aiyya malli wage<\/i>\u201d which was duetted by Jothipala and Milton!<\/span><\/p>\n

During Vesak, from every\u00a0Dansela<\/i>\u00a0to Pandal \u201cObe ragi mana kelambedo<\/i>\u201d sung by Mohideen Baig is heard, this being among many songs with Buddhist themes Karunaratna Abeysekara composed but it is often forgotten that he wrote on Jesus Christ too: \u201cBethlehem pure, Dilindu gawahale<\/i>\u201c. Mohideen Baig\u2019s strong voice often amplified the message in songs like \u201cSinahawen ho kathawen be maninnata minisa<\/i>\u201d and \u201cMa oba wenuweni Bharatha menige pa sevane wedune<\/i>\u201d describes Baig\u2019s life story.<\/span><\/p>\n

Lata mentioned in an interview that wherever in the world, when she sang \u201cPerdiga muthuetayai me, Loke sirideru Siri Lanka<\/i>\u201d the audience stood to attention, no surprise as it ends with: \u201cNegisitiya heka eksathwi, Bedigiyoth rata yaye sunwee<\/i>\u201c. However, Karunaratna Abeysekara\u2019s most opportune message from the grave comes from Mohideen Baig\u2019s song \u201cGiri hel mudune Manel nopipe, Hiru nonagi awaragirehe<\/i>\u201d which ends with:<\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cDinu jathiya vatina Sinhale, Abhimanaya wu deya Sinhale<\/i><\/span><\/p>\n

E niga sirithe galee, Ha noga endinu delee<\/span><\/p>\n

Parasiritheni oba Hela meni, eida soketa heluwe\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

The genius of we lost Karunaratna Abeysekara, forever 40 years ago-By Dr Upul Wijayawardhana   Source:Island Forty years ago, on 20th April 1983, we lost for ever the genius of the Sinhala wordsmith extraordinaire, whose life was cut short suddenly and prematurely at age of only 52 years. It is said that those with creativity, […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":3,"featured_media":113057,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"aside","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[20],"tags":[52523,52522,52521],"class_list":{"0":"post-113160","1":"post","2":"type-post","3":"status-publish","4":"format-aside","5":"has-post-thumbnail","7":"category-articles","8":"tag-narada-dissasekara","9":"tag-premawathi-abeysekara","10":"tag-saraswathi-mandapaya","11":"post_format-post-format-aside"},"yoast_head":"\nThe genius of we lost Karunaratna Abeysekara, forever 40 years ago-By Dr Upul Wijayawardhana<\/title>\n<meta name=\"description\" content=\"Forty years ago, on 20th April 1983, we lost for ever the genius of the Sinhala wordsmith extraordinaire, whose life was cut short suddenly\" \/>\n<meta name=\"robots\" content=\"noindex, follow, max-snippet:-1, max-image-preview:large, max-video-preview:-1\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:locale\" 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