Karunaratne Abeysekera - AbsoluteAstronomy.com

Karunaratne Abeysekera was one of Sri Lanka's most famous Sinhala broadcasters. He was also an acclaimed poet

Poet

A poet is a person who writes poetry. A poet's work can be literal, meaning that his work is derived from a specific event, or metaphorical, meaning that his work can take on many meanings and forms. Poets have existed since antiquity, in nearly all languages, and have produced works that vary...

and songwriter

Songwriter

A songwriter is an individual who writes both the lyrics and music to a song. Someone who solely writes lyrics may be called a lyricist, and someone who only writes music may be called a composer...

and was widely admired for his excellent command of Sinhala.

Abeysekera wrote the lyrics

Lyrics

Lyrics are a set of words that make up a song. The writer of lyrics is a lyricist or lyrist. The meaning of lyrics can either be explicit or implicit. Some lyrics are abstract, almost unintelligible, and, in such cases, their explication emphasizes form, articulation, meter, and symmetry of...

to over 2000 song

Song

In music, a song is a composition for voice or voices, performed by singing.A song may be accompanied by musical instruments, or it may be unaccompanied, as in the case of a cappella songs...

s, a record for a lyricist

Lyricist

A lyricist is a songwriter who specializes in lyrics. A singer who writes the lyrics to songs is a singer-lyricist. This differentiates from a singer-composer, who composes the song's melody.-Collaboration:...

in Sri Lanka. His composition

Musical composition

Musical composition can refer to an original piece of music, the structure of a musical piece, or the process of creating a new piece of music. People who practice composition are called composers.- Musical compositions :...

s are still covered by some of the island's top musicians to this day, introducing his lyrics to new audiences in South Asia

South Asia

South Asia, also known as Southern Asia, is the southern region of the Asian continent, which comprises the sub-Himalayan countries and, for some authorities , also includes the adjoining countries to the west and the east...

, and his songs are played regularly by the Sri Lanka Broadcasting Corporation

Sri Lanka Broadcasting Corporation

The Sri Lanka Broadcasting Corporation came into existence on January 5, 1967 when Radio Ceylon became a public corporation. Dudley Senanayake who was the Prime Minister of Ceylon in 1967 ceremonially opened the newly established Ceylon Broadcasting Corporation along with Minister Ranasinghe...

Early years

Abeysekera was born on June 3, 1930 in Ratmale near Matara

Matara, Sri Lanka

Matara is a city on the southern coast of Sri Lanka, 160 km from Colombo. It is one of the largest cities in Sri Lanka. It was deeply affected by the Asian tsunami in December 2004.-History:...

in Southern Sri Lanka. He was educated at Nalanda College Colombo. Some of his notable classmates at Nalanda College were Dr Gunadasa Amarasekara

Gunadasa Amarasekara

Gunadasa Amarasekera is a prominent Sinhala writer, poet, and essayist from Sri Lanka. Gunadasa Amarasekera was born in Yattalamatta in Galle District. He was educated at Mahinda College, Galle and Nalanda College Colombo...

, Stanley Jayasinghe

Stanley Jayasinghe

Stanley Jayasinghe is a former Sri Lankan cricketer who played for Ceylon prior to the country being renamed Sri Lanka, and prior to them receiving either Test of ODI status. He was a right-handed batsman and part time offbreak bowler. In his first class cricket career which began in 1949/50 he...

, Dr Harischandra Wijayatunga

Harischandra Wijayatunga

Wijayatunga Mudalige Harischandra Wijayatunga is a Sri Lankan author, translator, lexicographer, teacher, lawyer and politician. He held various offices in different institutions of the Government of Sri Lanka. At present he is the leader of Sinhalaye Mahasammatha Bhoomiputra Party...

, Dr Hudson Silva

Hudson Silva

Deshabandu Dr. F. G. Hudson Silva was the founder and president of the International Eye Bank, Tissue Bank, and the Sri Lanka Eye Donation Society. He was an honorary Fellow of the College of Ophthalmologists of Sri Lanka....

, Hon. Rupa Karunathilake

Rupa Karunathilake

Rupa Karunathilake was a former Cabinet Minister and ex Member of Parliament representing Bentara-Elpitiya electorate, in Galle District. He was also the former Sri Lanka Ambassador to the Netherlands...

, Hon. Dr Dharmasena Attygalle

Dharmasena Attygalle

Dr Dharmasena Attygalle was a MP in Sri Lanka's parliament from 1972 to 1983.He was Deputy Minister of Health and Minister of Indigenous Medicine representing the Kesbewa seat....

, Dr Henry Jayasena

Henry Jayasena

Henry Jayasena born in Bendiyamulla, Gampaha is a Sri Lankan actor and dramatist.-Early Life:Jayasena studied at the Gampaha branch of Lorenz College and at Nalanda College Colombo. Some of Jayasena's notable classmates at Nalanda College were Karunaratne Abeysekera, Dr Harischandra Wijayatunga,...

.

He was discovered by the children's radio

Radio

Radio is the transmission of signals through free space by modulation of electromagnetic waves with frequencies below those of visible light. Electromagnetic radiation travels by means of oscillating electromagnetic fields that pass through the air and the vacuum of space...

programme Ḷamā Piṭiya ("Children's Field") hosted by Siri Aiya (Also known as U.A.S.Perera - Siri Perera

Siri Perera

Siri Perera QC a Buddhist leader who was one time the President of the Colombo YMBA.He was also a former Sri Lanka High Commissioner to India.He was educated at Nalanda College Colombo.-References:* By Rajah Kuruppu - Vice President Colombo YMBA...

Q.C) and broadcast over Radio Ceylon

Radio Ceylon

Radio Ceylon is the oldest radio station in Asia. Broadcasting was started on an experimental basis in Ceylon by the Telegraph Department in 1923, just three years after the inauguration of broadcasting in Europe.- Edward Harper :...

, the oldest radio station in South Asia. Ḷamā Piṭiya was a showcase for young talents, and Abeysekera performed with his poems on the Radio Ceylon programme in the 1940s. He was an instant hit with the general public and remained a pop icon

Pop icon

A pop icon is a celebrity, character, or object whose exposure in pop culture constitutes a defining characteristic of a given society or era. The categorization is usually associated with elements such as longevity, ubiquity, and distinction. Moreover, "pop icon" status is distinguishable from...

until his death.

A teenage broadcaster

Abeysekera was a pioneering Sinhala broadcaster. He was a rare breed, a "teenage broadcaster" launching a broadcasting career with Radio Ceylon, which he joined in 1950 at the age of 20. In 1958 he was sent to London

London

London is the capital city of :England and the :United Kingdom, the largest metropolitan area in the United Kingdom, and the largest urban zone in the European Union by most measures. Located on the River Thames, London has been a major settlement for two millennia, its history going back to its...

for specialist broadcasting training with the BBC

BBC

The British Broadcasting Corporation is a British public service broadcaster. Its headquarters is at Broadcasting House in the City of Westminster, London. It is the largest broadcaster in the world, with about 23,000 staff...

. Studio 5 of the Sri Lanka Broadcasting Corporation has been named after him.

Career

Abeysekera was an announcer

Announcer

An announcer is a presenter who makes "announcements" in an audio medium or a physical location.-Television and other media:Some announcers work in television production , radio or filmmaking, usually providing narrations, news updates, station identification, or an introduction of a product in...

, compere

Master of Ceremonies

A Master of Ceremonies , or compere, is the host of a staged event or similar performance.An MC usually presents performers, speaks to the audience, and generally keeps the event moving....

, lyricist, dialogue writer, and poet - he also wrote children's stories

Children's literature

Children's literature is for readers and listeners up to about age twelve; it is often defined in four different ways: books written by children, books written for children, books chosen by children, or books chosen for children. It is often illustrated. The term is used in senses which sometimes...

. He worked very closely with another famous broadcaster, Vernon Corea

Vernon Corea

Vernon Corea was a pioneer radio broadcaster with 45 years of public service broadcasting both in Sri Lanka and the UK. He joined Radio Ceylon, South Asia's oldest radio station, in 1956 and later the Sri Lanka Broadcasting Corporation...

. It was one of the most productive radio partnerships in Sri Lanka. His songs have been sung by a range of musicians, among them Nanda Malini

Nanda Malini

Nanda Malini who traditional style Singer is well known the queen of classical , contemporary Sinhala music and the most talented and much loved female singer in Sri Lanka....

, H. R. Jothipala

H. R. Jothipala

Hettiarachchige Reginald Jothipala was a prolific playback singer in the Sinhala cinema. His voice, style and songs are a blessing to the numerous listeners, who are musically inclined and could make a quote that none of those duplicated voices match the golden voice of this gifted...

, J. A. Milton Perera

J. A. Milton Perera

J. A. Milton Perera was a leading playback singer of Sri Lankan cinema during the '60s and '70s.Milton was born on May 9, 1929 the son of J. A. Edwin Perera, also known as Tabla Podi Appuhamy, an accomplished tabla player...

and Mignonne Fernando

Mignonne Fernando

-Introduction:Having won Radio Ceylon's Talent Contest at the age of seven, a year later she wrote her first music composition. Her father. Arnold Rutnam, was renowned for his mathematical skills, and her mother, Marie was a devoted and much loved teacher of music....

and the Jetliners. Abeysekera was also behind the Sinhala translation of classic hits such as ' Master Sir

Master Sir

"Master Sir" is a classic Sinhala song written by the Sri Lankan singer/songwriter, Nimal Mendis, and sang most famously by Neville Fernando of Los Caballeros. Nimal Mendis was born in Ceylon. The song was composed by Nimal Mendis and released in Sri Lanka...

' written and composed by Nimal Mendis

Nimal Mendis

Nimal Mendis is a Sri Lankan singer and songwriter. He is one of a handful of Sri Lankan musicians to make it to the BBC television programme Top of the Pops in 1968....

. Karunaratne Abeysekera won the prestigious Sarasaviya Awards

Sarasaviya Awards

Sarasaviya Awards are the most prestigious awards presented to distinguished individuals involved with the Sinhala cinema, each year by the Sarasaviya weekly newspaper in collaboration with the Associated Newspapers of Ceylon Limited , Sri Lanka in recognition of the contributions made by them to...

for his lyrics on two occasions. The Government of Sri Lanka named a road after him in the capital city of Colombo.

Pioneer Sinhala cricket commentator

Abeysekera made history in the world of radio by being the first cricket

Cricket

Cricket is a bat-and-ball game played between two teams of 11 players on an oval-shaped field, at the centre of which is a rectangular 22-yard long pitch. One team bats, trying to score as many runs as possible while the other team bowls and fields, trying to dismiss the batsmen and thus limit the...

commentator

Sportscaster

In sports broadcasting, a commentator gives a running commentary of a game or event in real time, usually during a live broadcast. The comments are normally a voiceover, with the sounds of the action and spectators also heard in the background. In the case of television commentary, the commentator...

using the Sinhala language. He commentated on matches played by Ceylon against visiting English

England

England is a country that is part of the United Kingdom. It shares land borders with Scotland to the north and Wales to the west; the Irish Sea is to the north west, the Celtic Sea to the south west, with the North Sea to the east and the English Channel to the south separating it from continental...

, India

India

India , officially the Republic of India , is a country in South Asia. It is the seventh-largest country by geographical area, the second-most populous country with over 1.2 billion people, and the most populous democracy in the world...

n and Australia

Australia

Australia , officially the Commonwealth of Australia, is a country in the Southern Hemisphere comprising the mainland of the Australian continent, the island of Tasmania, and numerous smaller islands in the Indian and Pacific Oceans. It is the world's sixth-largest country by total area...

n teams from the 1950s to the 1970s. He also commentated on local cricket matches. He had to devise cricket terminology

Terminology

Terminology is the study of terms and their use. Terms are words and compound words that in specific contexts are given specific meanings, meanings that may deviate from the meaning the same words have in other contexts and in everyday language. The discipline Terminology studies among other...

to describe cricketing actions - this was uncharted territory in Sinhala; his words to describe various aspects of cricket are used to this day.

Quote on Karunaratne Abeysekera

"Karu (...) has won many awards for his lyrics and achievements in broadcasting and allied fields. Through his children's programmes of the then Radio Ceylon (now SLBC) thousands of young people were able to display their talent and a large number of them later became popular (...). Karu loved cricket

Cricket

."
- Daily News (Colombo)

External links