Pearl Ondaatje was a pioneer of

Radio Ceylon Radio Ceylon ( si, ලංකා ගුවන් විදුලි සේවය ''Lanka Guwan Viduli Sevaya'', ta, இலங்கை வானொலி, ''ilankai vanoli'') is a radio station based in Sri Lanka (formerly Ceylon) and the first ...

, the oldest radio station in

South Asia South Asia is the southern subregion of Asia, which is defined in both geographical and ethno-cultural terms. The region consists of the countries of Afghanistan, Bangladesh, Bhutan, India, Maldives, Nepal, Pakistan, and Sri Lanka.;;;;;;;; ...

. She was one of the radio station's first female newsreaders and a presenter of radio programs, including programs for women listeners of the radio station. Pearl Ondaatje worked very closely with the Australian administrator Clifford Dodd and

Livy Wijemanne Livy Wijemanne (1917-2002) as a pioneer of Radio Ceylon. He was one of Sri Lanka's greatest broadcasters. On 31 October 1948, the Post Master General (who was also the Director of Broadcasting) appointed the young announcer as an Assistant Contro ...

in shaping the new Commercial Service of Radio Ceylon in the 1950s in

Colombo Colombo ( ; si, කොළඹ, translit=Koḷam̆ba, ; ta, கொழும்பு, translit=Koḻumpu, ) is the executive and judicial capital and largest city of Sri Lanka by population. According to the Brookings Institution, Colombo me ...

. Millions of listeners across South Asia tuned into the hear the voices of announcers such as Pearl Ondaatje. Radio Ceylon ruled the airwaves of the Indian sub-continent in the 1950s and 1960s. She is a relative of the

Canadian Canadians (french: Canadiens) are people identified with the country of Canada. This connection may be residential, legal, historical or cultural. For most Canadians, many (or all) of these connections exist and are collectively the source of ...

philanthropist, Sir

Christopher Ondaatje Sir Philip Christopher Ondaatje, OC, CBE, FRSL (; born 22 February 1933) is a Sri Lankan-born Canadian–English businessman, philanthropist, adventurer, writer and bob-sledding Olympian for Canada. Ondaatje is the older brother of the author Mic ...

and his brother, the award-winning author

Michael Ondaatje Philip Michael Ondaatje (; born 12 September 1943) is a Sri Lankan-born Canadian poet, fiction writer, essayist, novelist, editor, and filmmaker. He is the recipient of multiple literary awards such as the Governor General's Award, the Giller P ...

, who were both born in Ceylon.

External links

Sri Lanka Broadcasting CorporationSir Christopher OndaatjeMichael Ondaatje
Sri Lankan radio journalists P {{SriLanka-bio-stub

See also

External links