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Sunil Shantha
Sunil Santha was a Sri Lankan composer, singer and lyricist. He was pivotal in the development of Sinhala music and folk songs in the mid to late 1940s and early 1950s. He composed the beloved soundtracks to Lester James Peries' films '' Rekava'' and ''Sandesaya'' in 1956 and 1960. In a later comeback, he produced several experimental works. Personal life Sunil Santha was born on 14 April 1915 on the Sinhalese New Year's Day in Dehiyagatha, Ja-Ela, Sri Lanka. Both his parents died before he was two years old, and Santha was raised by his grandmother. At an early age he came to the limelight when he played King Dutugamunu in a village play. One villager adorned him with a battery-powered lighted necklace.SunilSamara, A collection of articles (CD) – Central Archives Colombo. Sri lanka He had his education at Dehiyagatha Vidyalaya, St. Benedict's College, Colombo, Thudella school and St. Aloysius' College, Galle. At St. Benedict's College, Santha passed the school leaving cer ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Ja-Ela
Ja-Ela ( si, ජා-ඇල, ta, ஜா-எல) is a suburb of Colombo, located approximately north of the Colombo city centre. Ja-Ela lies on the A3 highway (Sri Lanka), A3 road which overlaps with the E03 expressway (Sri Lanka), Colombo – Katunayake Expressway at the Ja-Ela Interchange. Etymology The etymology of the name is uncertain, and there are several yet arguable interpretations of the name. Howbeit, based on verified historical shreds of evidence, the etymology of the place, Ja Ela is based on both Malay and Sinhala languages. "Ja" and "Javan" are referential terms used by the Sinhalese, Moors & Tamils to address the Malays/Javanese or those of Indonesian descent and the term "Ela" is derived from Sinhala language meaning stream, lake or canal. Local government council Ja-Ela is administered by the Ja-Ela Urban Council. Economy The economy in Ja-Ela consists of commercial enterprises, office and industrial employment. Populations 32,175 Shopping malls * K ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Kumaratunga Munidasa
Kumaratunga Munidasa ( Sinhala: කුමාරතුංග මුනිදාස; 25 July 1887 – 2 March 1944) was a pioneer Sri Lankan ( Sinhalese) linguist, grammarian, commentator, and writer. He founded the Hela Havula movement, which sought to remove Sanskrit influences from the Sinhala language. Considered one of Sri Lanka's most historically significant scholars, he is remembered for his profound knowledge of the Sinhala language and its literary works. Personal life The second youngest of twelve siblings, Kumarathunga Munidasa was born on 25 July 1887, in Idigasaara village, Dickwella, Matara, Sri Lanka.{{{cite book, last=Ahubudu, first=Arisen, title=පුජිත ජිවිත , publisher=Ministry of Education and Cultural Affairs, year=1989, pages=139–153, language=Sinhala His mother was Palavinnage Dona Gimara Muthukumarana (or Dona Baba Nona Muthukumarana) and his father was Abious (or Abiyes) Kumaranatunga. His father, a physician who practiced indige ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
1981 Deaths
Events January * January 1 ** Greece enters the European Economic Community, predecessor of the European Union. ** Palau becomes a self-governing territory. * January 10 – Salvadoran Civil War: The Farabundo Martí National Liberation Front, FMLN launches its first major offensive, gaining control of most of Morazán Department, Morazán and Chalatenango Department, Chalatenango departments. * January 15 – Pope John Paul II receives a delegation led by Polish Solidarity (Polish trade union), Solidarity leader Lech Wałęsa at the Vatican City, Vatican. * January 20 – Iran releases the 52 Americans held for 444 days, minutes after Ronald Reagan is First inauguration of Ronald Reagan, sworn in as the 40th President of the United States, ending the Iran hostage crisis. * January 21 – The first DMC DeLorean, DeLorean automobile, a stainless steel sports car with gull-wing doors, rolls off the production line in Dunmurry, Northern Ireland. * January 24 – An 1981 Dawu ea ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
1915 Births
Events Below, the events of World War I have the "WWI" prefix. January * January – British physicist Sir Joseph Larmor publishes his observations on "The Influence of Local Atmospheric Cooling on Astronomical Refraction". *January 1 ** WWI: British Royal Navy battleship HMS ''Formidable'' is sunk off Lyme Regis, Dorset, England, by an Imperial German Navy U-boat, with the loss of 547 crew. ** Battle of Broken Hill: A train ambush near Broken Hill, New South Wales, Australia, is carried out by two men (claiming to be in support of the Ottoman Empire) who are killed, together with 4 civilians. * January 5 – Joseph E. Carberry sets an altitude record of , carrying Capt. Benjamin Delahauf Foulois as a passenger, in a fixed-wing aircraft. * January 12 ** The United States House of Representatives rejects a proposal to give women the right to vote. ** '' A Fool There Was'' premières in the United States, starring Theda Bara as a '' femme fatale''; she quickly become ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Ivor Dennis
Kala Keerthi Pasquel Ge Don Augustine Ivor Dennis ( si, ඊවෝර් ඩෙනිස්) (28 May 1932 – 18 June 2018) was a popular Sri Lankan veteran playback singer who was also known as the former student of veteran icon Sunil Santha. He was well known for establishing long time relationship with legendary musician Sunil Santha, who is known as one of the icons and pioneers of Sinhala music. He had worked as a playback singer in many Sinhala films including Sri Lanka's first Sinhala film ''Rekava''. He died on 18 June 2018 at his home in Seeduwa at the age of 86. Career He pursued his career as a vocalist and took part in a song competition at Radio Ceylon in 1952. He sang veteran musician Sunil Santha's famous song ''Waren Heen Sare Redhee Walave'' during the competition and his performance was sooner recognised by Sunil Santha who also came forward to teach music for the latter. Ivor was pursued by Sunil Santha to croon a song on his own and Ivor recorded his fir ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Neville Jayaweera
Neville Jayaweera (23 October 1930 - 10 May 2020) was a member of the Ceylon Civil Service (1955-1972). He was handpicked by the Prime Minister of Ceylon, Dudley Senanayake, to be both Chairman and Director-General of the Ceylon Broadcasting Corporation (CBC) in 1967. Jayaweera drafted the legislation for setting up the CBC and headed the new Corporation for three years. Under his leadership the Ceylon Broadcasting Corporation followed very strictly the values and ethics of public service broadcasting. The CBC is now known as the Sri Lanka Broadcasting Corporation. Early history Neville Jayaweera was born to Robert and Constance Jayaweera in Colombo, Sri Lanka, on 23 October 1930; the third of four siblings – Stanley, Sheila and Beryl. He had his secondary education at St Thomas's College, Mount Lavinia, and at St Peter's College, Colombo. He took an Honours Degree in Philosophy from the University of Ceylon in 1953 and passed into the Ceylon Civil Service in 1955. In 194 ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
DB Dhanapala
Diyogu Badathuruge Dhanapala (1905-1971) was a pioneering Sri Lankan journalist and writer. Early life and career Dhanapala was born in Tissamaharama and educated at Mahinda College, Galle and Allahabad University in India. After an early career as a writer and a journalist at the Ceylon Daily News, where he made a name as Janus, in the famous "Blue Page" of the Ceylon Daily News. His pen portraits of the movers and shakers in the then Ceylon made his writing style unique in the country at that time. After a while his disagreements with the Lake House resulted in him leaving and going on to teaching as the principal of Dharmaloka Vidyalaya Kelaniya. He returned to journalism to found the Lankadeepa, the Sinhala daily which exists to this day as the Sinhala language daily with the largest circulation. Lankadeepa was unique at the time because it was original journalism in Sinhala. At that time the Dinamina which was the only other Sinhala daily was a translation of the Ceylon Da ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Ananda Samarakoon
Egodahage George Wilfred Alwis Samarakoon (13 January 1911 – 2 April 1962) known as Ananda Samarakoon was a Sri Lankan (Sinhalese) composer and musician. He composed the Sri Lankan national anthem " Namo Namo Matha" and is considered the father of artistic Sinhala music and founder of the modern Sri Lankan Sinhala ''Geeta Sahitya'' (Song Literature). He committed suicide in 1962, possibly driven by unauthorized changes to lyrics in a composition. Early life and education Born on 13 January 1911 as Egodahage George Wilfred Alwis Samarakoon, to Samuel Samarakoon, Chief Clerk to British-owned Maturata Plantations and Dominga Peries in Watareka, Padukka. He was the second of four sons in a Christian family. Samarakoon received his primary education at Wewala School and thereafter attended CMS Sri Jayawardenepura College (Christian College, Kotte). His Sinhala Guru was Pandit D.C.P. Gamalathge. Later he served his Alma mater as a teacher of Music and Art. Samarakoon left for th ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Marcelline Jayakody
Fr. Marcelline Jayakody ( Sinhala: මර්සලින් ජයකොඩි පියතුමා) (3 June 1902 ─ January 15, 1998) was a Sri Lankan Catholic priest, musician, lyricist, author, journalist and an exponent of indigenous culture. He is attributed with the epithet 'පන්සලේ පියතුමා' (Pansale Piyathuma - Priest in the Temple). Ven. Dr. Ittapane Dhammalankara Thera authored a book on Jayakody's life, ''මල් පැලේ උපන් පන්සලේ පියතුමා'', (''Malpale Upan Pansale Piyathuma''), which is recorded as the first book in the world by a Buddhist prelate on a Catholic priest. Passion Play of Duwa Fr. Jayakody served as the head priest in Duwa in 1939. Duwa is the Passion Play Village of Sri Lanka. Originally, the play used traditional puppets as actors. Jayakody wrote the original script for a passion play, influenced by Fr. Jacome Gonsalves, and composed new hymns to the traditional "Pasan". He next i ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Arisen Ahubudu
Kalasuri Arisen Ahubudu ( Sinhala: අරිසෙන් අහුබුදු; 18 March 1920 – 26 May 2011) was a Sri Lankan writer, orator, scholar, playwright, teacher (Guru), Sinhala lyricist, author and poet. He is a member of the Hela Havula. He has received three government awards for literary works, the title of Kalasuri from the Government of Sri Lanka, and the Sarasaviya Awards film award for best composer. As a composer, he is especially noted for writing music performed by W.D. Amaradeva, such as Gilem Obe Guna. Early life and education He was born on 18 March 1920 in Mudiyallagahawatta in Malalaga, Koggala, Sri Lanka. Ahubudu was the second of the three children of the family of Devundara Devamanimendra Heronis De Silva and Wathugedara Laisohami. The child was named as Ariyasena Arsuboda by parents, which he later converted to fairly pure Sinhala name Arisen Ahubudu. He married Sanda Ahubudu on 8 August 1953 and they have one daughter Sanda Samathi Ahubudu. I ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Raipiyel Tennakoon
Mahakavi Kiwisuru Tennakoon Arachchige Don Raphael (19 December 1899 – 8 March 1965; si, රැයිපියල් තෙන්නකෝන්), popularly known as Raipiyel Tennakoon or Raphael Tennekoon, was a prominent Sri Lankan poet, teacher principal, historian and a writer. Personal life He was born in 1918 in Ganepola Walallavitigalle village in Negombo, Sri Lanka as the youngest child of the family with six siblings. His father Tennakoon Arachchige Don Suddappu was an Ayurvedic doctor. His mother was Kotarupe Abeysekera Wannaku Arachchige Dona Francesina Hamine. He had one elder brother and five elder sisters. He received his primary education from Raddoluwa Buddhist School in Negombo. He learned Sanskrit and Pali from Ven. Pagnananda Thero of Raddolugama Temple and developed his knowledge of the language from Ven. Dhammananda Thero who was the second in command of the temple. Meanwhile, he studied English from Kotugoda Jayawardena Notary Ralahamy. Raipiyel beca ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
