Ran Banda Seneviratne ( si, රන් බණ්ඩා සෙනෙවිරත්න; died 5 December 2001) 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 ...

lawyer A lawyer is a person who practices law. The role of a lawyer varies greatly across different legal jurisdictions. A lawyer can be classified as an advocate, attorney, barrister, canon lawyer, civil law notary, counsel, counselor, solic ...

, author, lyricist, television and radio presenter.

Early life

Ran Banda was born in the remote village of Maradankalla near

Mihintale Mihintale is a mountain peak near Anuradhapura in Sri Lanka. It is believed by Sri Lankans to be the site of a meeting between the Buddhist monk Mahinda and King Devanampiyatissa which inaugurated the presence of Buddhism in Sri Lanka. It is ...

, in the

Anuradhapura Anuradhapura ( si, අනුරාධපුරය, translit=Anurādhapuraya; ta, அனுராதபுரம், translit=Aṉurātapuram) is a major city located in north central plain of Sri Lanka. It is the capital city of North Central ...

District. His father was a teacher and an

ayurvedic Ayurveda () is an alternative medicine system with historical roots in the Indian subcontinent. The theory and practice of Ayurveda is pseudoscientific. Ayurveda is heavily practiced in India and Nepal, where around 80% of the population rep ...

healer known as Wannihamy. The idiomatic usage of language evident in his mature writing and speeches stand witness to the fact that he never lost touch with his village heritage. He sometimes called himself a ''Bayya'' (

Hillbilly Hillbilly is a term (often derogatory) for people who dwell in rural, mountainous areas in the United States, primarily in southern Appalachia and the Ozarks. The term was later used to refer to people from other rural and mountainous areas west ...

) from Mihintale and did so with a great sense of pride.

Mature Years

After qualifying as an

attorney-at-law Attorney at law or attorney-at-law, usually abbreviated in everyday speech to attorney, is the preferred term for a practising lawyer in certain jurisdictions, including South Africa (for certain lawyers), Sri Lanka, the Philippines, and the United ...

he practiced in

Hultsdorf Hulftsdorp (also written, incorrectly as Hultsdorf ) is a suburb in Colombo, Sri Lanka. It is part of the postal area known as ''Colombo 12''. It has been known historically as Hulffsdorp, Hulfsdorp, Hulftsdorp, Hulsdorp, Hulstsdorp and Hülffsd ...

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 ...

. He was an active member of the Bar Association of Sri Lanka, notably representing

Sepala Ekanayake Sepala Ekanayake (or Ekanayaka; born June 3, 1949, in Karatota, Tissamaharama, Sri Lanka) gained international notoriety after hijacking an Alitalia Boeing 747 with 340 passengers on June 30, 1982. Life and career Early life Ekanayake atte ...

, a Sri Lankan who gained international notoriety after hijacking an Alitalia

Boeing 747 The Boeing 747 is a large, long-range wide-body airliner designed and manufactured by Boeing Commercial Airplanes in the United States between 1968 and 2022. After introducing the 707 in October 1958, Pan Am wanted a jet times its size, t ...

with 340 passengers on June 30, 1982. He embarked on a career in broadcast presentation and was popular for his wit and choice of language as a television and radio personality. However in the 1990s, after likening a

President's Counsel President's Counsel (postnominal PC) is an eminent lawyer who is appointed by the President of Sri Lanka to be one of the "President's Counsel learned in the law". The term is also recognized as an honorific which replaced the practice of appoint ...

newly appointed by Chandrika Bandaranaike Kumaratunga to a donkey while he was on a State television program, he was prohibited from further participation at talk shows. Mr. Seneviratne also gained fame as a lyricist and author both in

Sinhalese Sinhala may refer to: * Something of or related to the Sinhalese people of Sri Lanka * Sinhalese people * Sinhala language, one of the three official languages used in Sri Lanka * Sinhala script, a writing system for the Sinhala language ** Sinha ...

and English, composing many memorable songs sung by the likes of

Gunadasa Kapuge Ellamulla Kapuge Gunadasa ( Sinhala: ගුණදාස කපුගේ; 7 August 1945–3 April 2003) popularly known as Gunadasa Kapuge, was a Sri Lankan singer, musician, music director and playback singer. He was well known among Sri Lankans ...

and

Amarasiri Peiris Senadheerage Amarasiri Peiris ( Sinhala:අමරසිරි පීරිස්: born 21 July 1946) is a Sri Lankan singer. One of the most honored singers of Sri Lanka, Peiris is a well known violinist and a vocalist. Personal life He was born ...

. Many of his lyrics deal with social issues and strike a deeply personal note, drawing from his own cultural roots. Ran Banda Seneviratne died in 2002 and his last rites were performed at Anuradhapura in accordance with his wishes.

Works

Lyrics

* ''Davasak Pala Nathi Hene'' (sung by Gunadasa Kapuge - links to the song as well as interpretation available below) * ''Ula Leno'' (sung by Gunadasa Kapuge) * ''Sumano'' (sung by Gunadasa Kapuge) * ''Landune'' (sung by

) * ''Mariyave'' (sung by Gunadasa kapuge) * ''Pabalu nage'' (sung by

)

Poetry

* ''Hithae Dukata Kiyana Kavi'' * ''Nihanda Nimnaya''

Non-Fiction

* ''A New Political Concept for Sri Lanka'' (1999)

Quotes

References

External links

*
Interpretation of the lyrical symbolism in ''Davasak Pala Nathi Hene''

An online collection of writing including excerpts from his two books of poetry
{{DEFAULTSORT:Seneviratne, Ran Banda 2001 deaths Sinhalese writers Sri Lankan writers Sri Lankan television presenters Sri Lankan radio personalities Sinhalese lawyers Year of birth missing Sri Lankan lyricists Alumni of Anuradhapura Central College