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Mapatunage James "M. J." Perera was a
Sri Lankan civil servant (3 February 1915 – 14 March 2002) with nine members in his family in Udumulla,
Padukka
Padukka ( si, පාදුක්ක, ta, படுகா) is a town in the district of Colombo in the Western Province of Sri Lanka. It has a population of roughly 8,000. Elevation 44feet.
Padukka, which is part of the Avissawella electorate ...
. He created broadcasting history by being the first
Ceylonese
Sri Lankan or Ceylonese may refer to:
* Something of, from, or related to the country of Sri Lanka
* A person from Sri Lanka, see Demographics of Sri Lanka
** Sinhalese people, the ethnic majority
** Sri Lankan Tamils, an ethnic minority
** Sri L ...
Director General of
Radio Ceylon, the oldest radio station in
South Asia
South Asia is the southern subregion of Asia, which is defined in both geographical
Geography (from Greek: , ''geographia''. Combination of Greek words ‘Geo’ (The Earth) and ‘Graphien’ (to describe), literally "earth descr ...
, taking over the helm from John Lampson of the
BBC #REDIRECT BBC #REDIRECT BBC
Here i going to introduce about the best teacher of my life b BALAJI sir. He is the precious gift that I got befor 2yrs . How has helped and thought all the concept and made my success in the 10th board exam. ...
...
.
Perera witnessed the transformation of Radio Ceylon as ''King of the Airwaves'' in South Asia
the radio station was the market leader and the number one radio station in the region during the 1950s and 1960s, with a loyal base of millions of listeners.
Radio Ceylon enjoyed huge success under his leadership.
Clifford Dodd, an
Australian administrator, was appointed (via the
Colombo Plan
The Colombo Plan is a regional intergovernmental organization that began operations on 1 July 1951. The organization was conceived at an international conference, The Commonwealth Conference on Foreign Affairs held in Colombo, Ceylon (now Sri L ...
) as the first Director of the Commercial Service of Radio Ceylon and he contributed to the station's popularity across the Indian sub-continent.
Perera was also appointed the first Chairman of the
Sri Lanka Rupavahini Corporation,the island's television station and the country's first competent authority.
Perera was born on 3 February 1915 in Udumulla, Padukka, in a family of nine. He was educated at Rajabisheka Vidyalaya (Primary education) - Padukka
Nalanda College Colombo and at the
University of Ceylon
The University of Ceylon was the only university in Sri Lanka (earlier Ceylon) from 1942 until 1972. It had several constituent campuses at various locations around Sri Lanka. The University of Ceylon Act No. 1 of 1972, replaced it with the Unive ...
. He became an assistant
Government Agent and went on to become the
Permanent Secretary of the Education and Cultural Affairs Ministry and later as first Chairman of the Rupavahini (Television) Corporation, retiring from the
Sri Lanka Administrative Service
The Sri Lanka Administrative Service (SLAS) ( Sinhala: ශ්රී ලංකා පරිපාලන සේවය; śrī laṁkā paripālana sēvaya) is the key administrative service of the Government of Sri Lanka, with civil servants workin ...
after 48 years public service. He had also been the founder Chairman of The Paddy Marketing Board from 1972 to 1977 during which time he changed grain buying and storage from Bushel-Volume system to Metric-Weight system.
Civil Service Career
*Director-General of Radio Ceylon,
*First Chairman of the Sri Lanka Rupavahini Corporation
*Founder Chairman of Paddy Marketing Board
*Permanent Secretary, Ministry of Education
*Chairman National Library Services Board
*Chairman State Fertilizer Manufacturing Corporation
*Chairman River Valley Development Board
*Vice Chancellor University of Peradeniya
*Director Cultural Affairs
Desabandu Mr.M.J.Perera
Curriculum Vitae
Born – 3 February 1915 at Padukka
Student Career
Attended Government Bilingual School, Padukka from 1920 – 1927. (Later renamed as Rajabhisheka Kanishta Vidyalaya and currently M.D.H. Jayawardena Kanishta Vidyalaya.
Passed B.S.L.C. and E.S.L.C. in 1st Division.
Entered
– 1928 to 1932.
Cambridge Senior 1st Division with exemption from London Matriculation twice as underage to enter University first time.
Entered Ceylon University College 1933, Intermediate in Arts (London) 1939 with Pali, Sanskrit, English and Logic.
Bachelor of Arts (University of London) Indo-Aryan (Hons.) 1st Class in 1936, Honours Course covered in 2 years.
Won Government Scholarship and joined London School of Oriental Studies and studied under Professor Turner, Dr. Stede and Mr. Rylands for a post-graduate course but interrupted studies and returned to Ceylon on passing the Ceylon Civil Service Examination in 1938 getting 3rd place in order of merit in the whole examination. (1st place in the written papers.)
Professional career as Member of the C.C.S. and later C.A.S.
* 1939 January – Cadet, Galle Kachcheri and Matara Kachcheri, Additional Magistrate, Matara
* 1940 - Cadet, Hambanthota Kachcheri and Additional Magistrate, Hambanthota.
* 1941 - Assistant Land Settlement Officer.
* 1942 - Assistant Government Agent, Trincomalee (Covering war emergency duties)
* 1944 - Assistant Land Commissioner and Additional Assistant Government Agent, Anuradhapura
* 1945 - Assistant Government Agent (Emergency), Mathugama.
* 1945 - Administrative Secretary (Present designation of post of Deputy Director Administration), Department of Agriculture, Peradeniya.
* 1948 - Administrative Secretary, Irrigation Department.
* 1949 - Assistant Secretary, Ministry of Agriculture and Lands.
* 1952 - Director-General of Broadcasting.
* 1955 - Director-General of Broadcasting and in addition, Commissioner, Department of Swabasha (Set up for the first time to publish Sinhala and Tamil Text Books.)
* 1956 - Deputy Commissioner of Official Language Department (by amalgamation of Swabasha Department with Official Language Department under special Commissioner.)
* 1957 - Deputy Commissioner of Official Language Department and Director Information.
* 1959 - Deputy Commissioner of Official Language Department and Acting Director of Cultural Affairs,
* 1960 - On leave Abroad.
* 1960 - On return Director of Cultural Affaires and Acting Director, Government College of Fine Arts.
* 1962 - Senior Assistant Secretary, Ministry of Home, Industries and Cultural Affairs.
* 1963 - Senior Assistant Secretary, Ministry of Education.
* 1963 - Chairman of initial committee appointed to draft bill of Parliament for the establishment of National Science Council.
* 1963 - 1968 - Permanent Secretary, Ministry of Education and Cultural Affaires.
* Member of the Ceylon Civil Service from 1939 – 1968
* 1968 – March 1969 – Vice-Chancellor, University of Ceylon – Peradeniya.
* 1969 - Chairman River Valleys Development Board.
* 1970 - Chairman State Fertilizer Manufacturing Corporation.
* 1971 – 1977 - Chairman (Founder) – Paddy Marketing Board.
* 1977 – 1980 – Member of Governing Council / Associate Director – Sri Lanka Centre for Development Studies.
* 1981 – 1982 – Chairman – National Library Services Board.
* 1981 – 1987 – Member of the Board of Independent Television Network (ITN) of Government of Sri Lanka
* 1982 – 1987 – Founder Chairman Sri Lanka Rupavahini (Television) Corporation.
* 1984 – 1987 – Member of the Board of Sri Lanka Television Training Institute
* 1989 - 2000 – Member of the Board of Management of the Postgraduate Institute of Pali and Buddhist Studies
* 1995 – 2000 – Member of the Council, University of Kelaniya
*
Extra functions of Importance
1959 – 1963- President, Arts Council of Ceylon. Member and Executive Committee member,Sri Lanka Sahithya Manadalaya.
1960 – 1962 - Founder and President of the National Theatre Trust.
1960 – 1968 – Ex – officio member and later Chairman, National Book Trust.
1963 – 1968 – Chairman, National Commission of UNESCO in Ceylon (ex-officio).
1964 – 1968 – Chairman, Public Performance Board (Film and Stage Censor Board).
1966 – 1968 – Member, United States Educational Foundation in Ceylon.
1966 - 1968 – Member, National Council of Higher Education.
1991 - - Founder member of Sri Lanka Association for the Advancement of Education. Later President. The name for this Association (SLAAED) has been proposed by him.
Special Functions
* 1962 - 1966 - Member of the Vidyodaya University Council appointed by the Chancellor.
* 1964 - 1966 - Member of the Vidyalankara University Council appointed by the Chancellor.
* 1963 - 1966 – Elected Member, Senate of the University of Ceylon.
* 19- - Member of the Steering Committee of the UNESCO Cultural Triangle - Polonnaruwa Project. Served as an advisor and Coordinator and closely involved with conservation work of Alahana Pirivena, Tivanka Pilimage, Gal Vihara, Lankathilaka.
Attended many international conferences in Ceylon and abroad; Leader, Ceylon Delegation to the 1st Commonwealth Broadcasting Conference; Leader, Ceylon Delegation to 13th General Conference, UNESCO; Invited to seminar by Brookings Institution, Washington; Chairman or Member of various Government Committees, Particular mention may be made of Official Language Policy Implementation (1962). Revision of CAS Minute (1964). Advisory Committee on Academy of Administrative Studies; Chairman, Manpower and Education Committee of the Ministry of Planning (1965).
1967 December – Competent Authority under section 86 of the Higher Education Act for the University of Colombo and Vidyalankara University.
Publication
A number of essays, articles and reviews published in Journals on literary, cultural and religious subjects both in English and Sinhala. Creator of the Sinhala word Rupavahini to the Sinhala vocabulary to identify the English word "Television" in 1954 at the Sandeshaya Programme of the BBC while participating at the Commonwealth Broadcasting Association meeting in London. Creator of the Magazine "Tharangani" for Broadcasting at Radio Ceylon.
Religion and Culture
1948 - 2002 - Life member of Young Men’s Buddhist Association. (YMBA)
1952 – 2002 - Founder member of German Dharmadutha Society.
1952 - - Vice President German Dharmadutha Society
1966 – April 2000 - Member of the Board of Trustees German Dharmadutha Society
Awards
1992 - ''Nalanda Puthra Abhinandana Award – Service to the nation''. awarded by alma mater
.
---- - ''Independent Television Network Sri Lanka'' award for contribution to Television Media.
1996 - ''Vishva Prasadhini Award''. ''Conferred by the Honourable Prime Minister of Sri Lanka Mrs.
Sirimavo Bandaranaike felicitation award'' for the field of Administration.
1996 - Award presented by ''Sri Lanka Rupavahini Corporation'' in appreciation of being ''the pioneer of the new social media service and the development of a very special identity and tradition for it''.
1997 - Award for the ''contribution to Sri Lanka Librarianship''. Presented by Sri Lanka Library Association.
1998 - ''Presidential (National) Award of Desabandu title conferred by Her Excellency the President of Sri Lanka for excellent Administrative Capabilities''.
1999 - ''Hideo Shimizu Foundation Sri Lanka - Award'' for ''the excellent contribution towards the overall development of
media policy planning in Sri Lanka.''
2000 – ''Award presented by the University of Kelaniya'' in appreciation of ''the invaluable service rendered for a period over 30 years to University of Kelaniya in the capacity of Secretary, Ministry of Education, Competent Authority of the Vidyalankara University and Member of the Council of the University of Kelaniya.''
2001 - ''Golden Award for older persons presented by Helpage Sri Lanka'' ''for excellence in Public Administration.''
2004 - ''Award in appreciation of the distinguished and dedicated service'' ''rendered to the cause of Education in Sri Lanka.'' Presented by ''Sri Lanka Association for the Advancement of Education''.
2012 - ''Felicitation award for the contribution for the Sri Lankan creative Literary work'' and for bringing glory to the Sri Lanka Administrative Service. Award presented by ''Sri Lanka Administrative Service Association''.
See also
*
Radio Ceylon
*
Sri Lanka Broadcasting Corporation
The Sri Lanka Broadcasting Corporation (SLBC) ( si, ශ්රී ලංකා ගුවන් විදුලි සංස්ථාව, ''Shrī Lankā Guvan Viduli Sansthāva'', ta, இலங்கை ஒலிபரப்புக் க ...
*
Nalanda College Colombo
Further reading
"When life was simple"As told to D.C. Ranatunga by M. J. Perera former Civil Servant and Permanent Secretary to the Education and Cultural Affairs Ministry
by Noel Crusz
"Cultural orthodoxy and popular Sinhala music"an article by Dr. Tissa Abeysekara
"At the Berliner Ensemble"Henry Jayasena Column
References
External links
Sri Lanka Broadcasting Corporation - Live StreamingVernon Corea of Radio Ceylon
{{DEFAULTSORT:Perera, M.J.
Sri Lankan radio executives
1915 births
2002 deaths
Sri Lankan Buddhists
Alumni of the University of Ceylon (Colombo)
Alumni of Nalanda College, Colombo
Sinhalese civil servants
Vice-Chancellors of the University of Ceylon