Kalasuri Arisen Ahubudu ( Sinhala: අරිසෙන් අහුබුදු; 18 March 1920 – 26 May 2011) was a

Sri Lanka Sri Lanka (, ; si, ශ්‍රී ලංකා, Śrī Laṅkā, translit-std=ISO (); ta, இலங்கை, Ilaṅkai, translit-std=ISO ()), formerly known as Ceylon and officially the Democratic Socialist Republic of Sri Lanka, is an ...

n writer, orator, scholar, playwright, teacher (

Guru Guru ( sa, गुरु, IAST: ''guru;'' Pali'': garu'') is a Sanskrit term for a "mentor, guide, expert, or master" of certain knowledge or field. In pan-Indian traditions, a guru is more than a teacher: traditionally, the guru is a reverentia ...

), Sinhala lyricist, author and poet. He is a member of the

Hela Havula The Hela Havula is a Sinhalese literary organisation founded by Kumaratunga Munidasa in January 1941. 'Hela Hawula' was formed as the only organization in Sri Lanka to protect and uplift the Sinhala language, Sinhala land and Sinhala culture. 'He ...

. He has received three government awards for literary works, the title of Kalasuri from the Government of Sri Lanka, and the

Sarasaviya Awards ''Sarasaviya Awards'' (Sinhala:සරසවිය සම්මාන) is an award bestowed to distinguished individuals involved with the Sinhala cinema, each year by the Sarasaviya weekly newspaper in collaboration with the Associated Newspapers ...

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. In 1937, at the age of 17, he first involved as a teacher in Piyadigama Saripuththa College, Ahangama.

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, wh ...

gave an honorary to him as "Subas Pathin Kiwithi", due to excellent poetry he possess.

Academic career

Ahubudu served 42 years as a teacher, beginning his career at Holy Trinity College in

Nuwara Eliya Nuwara Eliya ( si, නුවර එළිය ; ta, நுவரெலியா) is a city in the hill country of the Central Province, Sri Lanka. Its name means "city on the plain (table land)" or "city of light". The city is the administrativ ...

, then he moved to

Mahinda College Mahinda College is a Buddhist boys' school in Galle, Sri Lanka. The school was established on 1 March 1892 by the Buddhist Theosophical Society led by Colonel Henry Steel Olcott. As of May 2022 it is a national school providing primary and seco ...

Galle Galle ( si, ගාල්ල, translit=Gālla; ta, காலி, translit=Kāli) (formerly Point de Galle) is a major city in Sri Lanka, situated on the southwestern tip, from Colombo. Galle is the provincial capital and largest city of Souther ...

and later to Maha Bodhi College, Maradana. His longest stint came even later at

S. Thomas' College, Mount Lavinia , motto_translation = Be Thou Forever , song = Thomian Song , athletics = Yes , sports = Yes , nickname = Thora , denomination = Anglican , patron ...

29 years from 1952 until 1979 where he was among those recruited by warden R. S. de Saram and who together with

Sandadas Coperehewa Sandadas Coperahewa (born 1923) is a Sinhala writer, poet, scholar, art critic, teacher and journalist in Sri Lanka. Coperhewa was born in Pamburana and educated at Pamburana Sariyuth College. He attended St. Thomas' College, Matara from the ...

and GL Jinadasa supported by D. S. Jayasekera he was a leader in the post independence renaissance in teaching of the Sinhala language and literary activities. He taught at Kibiya Government College,

Katugastota Katugastota ( Sinhala: කටුගස්තොට, Tamil: கடுகஸ்தொட) is a suburb of the city of Kandy in Kandy District, Central Province of Sri Lanka. It is located along the Kandy-Jaffna A9 highway approximately from the ...

Deegala College, Buddhist School, Wellatota also. While on teaching, in 1947 he published a magazine called ''Ediya'' (means "power") for children. the motto of that magazine was "Ediya produced for improving powers of children". He strongly believed that Sinhalese people originated from King Ravana, and not from King Vijaya. Which is disproven by Genetic, Linguistic and Historical evidence. Prior to his death Arisen Ahubudu was the last surviving prominent member of Hela Havula as well as the last surviving prominent Sri Lankan lyricist. Some of the popular songs that he lyrics are ''Kate Kiri Suwanda'', ''Rena Gira Rena Ambe'', ''Pruthugeese Kaaraya'', ''Punsada Eliyay'', ''Sudata Sude Walakulai'', ''Rejina Mamai Ape Rajje'', and ''Ko Hathuro'', ''Lanka Lanka Pembara Lanka'', ''Dakuna Nagenahira'', ''Mal Gomu Gumu''. 1946, he entered to the drama script writing and wrote very famous dramas at that time, such as ''Wanaraja Kumariya'', ''Hela hethiriya'', ''Sakwithi Ravana'', and ''Lokanthaya saha geta''. Ahubudu died on 26 May 2011.

Some of his works

* Gilem Obe Guna by W. D. Amaradeva * Aduwa * Hadiya * Kumaratungu De Elma * Kumaratungu Esura * Sinhala Wansa Kathawa * Ran Kirula * Arutha Nirutha * Maha Pava Dime Jathakaya * Ena Kape Bana Katha * Kalata Pipena Mal * Hela Derana Vaga * Koggala Pavata * Mangala Kinkini * Dam Rasa Dahara * Asammataya Raja Vima * Arisen Ahubudu Harasaraniya * Sakviti Ravana * Lanka Gam Nam Vahara * Atu Aga Dili Vana Mal * Nuthana Jathaka * Hela Awuruda Vaga * Samana Asna * Ira Handa Negi Rata * Manu Wasa

Posts held

* 1979 – He acted as editor of Sinhala Dictionary at Sinhala Dictionary Office. He served 5 years on that post. * 1979 – Editor of Part I and II of Sinhala edition of Mahavansaya. * 1985 – Presidential Language Consultant. * 1989 – Sri Lanka Representative for Asian Poet Conference held at

Bangladesh Bangladesh (}, ), officially the People's Republic of Bangladesh, is a country in South Asia. It is the eighth-most populous country in the world, with a population exceeding 165 million people in an area of . Bangladesh is among the mos ...

. * Panadura Royal College school song mading " sip satha pana panadure"

Awards and honours

* 1962 Rajya Sahithya Sammanaya – for Pareviya sama asna * 1969 Year's best poetry – for ''Rasa Dahara'' * 1980

for best lyrics – for song ''Kaurudo kaurudo dan lokko'' of the film Hadaya * 1984

Kala Suri The Kala Suri ( si, කලා සූරී; ta, கலாசூரி, translit=Kalācūri) is a Sri Lankan national honour awarded "''for special contributions to the development of the arts''". It is conventionally used as a title or prefix to ...

Award – for acting as a remarkable lyricist in Sri Lanka * 1985 Kiwisuru Award by Hela Urumaya * 1988 First Class

Award * 1990 Hela Bas Mini Award

References

External links

A great teacher

Ahubudu presented books to President
{{DEFAULTSORT:Ahubudu, Arisen 1920 births 2011 deaths Hela Havula Sinhalese writers Sri Lankan poets Sri Lankan songwriters Sinhala-language poets 20th-century Sri Lankan historians Sri Lankan novelists Sinhalese academics Sri Lankan lyricists Sri Lankan dramatists and playwrights People associated with S. Thomas' College, Mount Lavinia 20th-century novelists 20th-century dramatists and playwrights Grammarians from Sri Lanka Kala Suri Faculty of Mahinda College, Galle