Karunaratne Abeysekera

Karunaratne Abeysekera (1930–1983) was one of Sri Lanka's most famous Sinhala broadcasters. He was also an acclaimed poet and songwriter and was widely admired for his excellent command of Sinhala.

Abeysekera wrote the lyrics to over 2000 songs, a record for a lyricist in Sri Lanka. His compositions are still covered by some of the island's top musicians to this day, introducing his lyrics to new audiences in South Asia, and his songs are played regularly by the Sri Lanka Broadcasting Corporation.

Early years

Abeysekera was born on June 3rd 1930 in Ratmale near Matara in Southern Sri Lanka. He was educated at Nalanda College in Colombo. He was discovered by the children's radio programme "Ḷamā Piṭiya" ("Children's Field") hosted by Siri Aiya (Also known as U.A.S.Perera - Siri Perera Q.C) and broadcast over Radio Ceylon, 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 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 15. In 1958 he was sent to London for specialist broadcasting training with the BBC. Studio 5 of the Sri Lanka Broadcasting Corporation has been named after him.

Career

Abeysekera was an announcer, compere, lyricist, dialogue writer, and poet - he also wrote childrens' stories. He worked very closely with another famous broadcaster, Vernon Corea. 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, H. R. Jothipala, J.R. Milton Perera and Mignonne Fernando and the Jetliners. Abeysekera was also behind the Sinhala translation of classic hits such as ' Master Sir' written and composed by Nimal Mendis. Karunaratne Abeysekera won the prestigious Sarasaviya Awards 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 commentator using the Sinhala language. He commentated on matches played by Ceylon against visiting English, Indian and Australian teams from the 1950s to the 1970s. He also commentated on local cricket matches. He had to devise cricket terminology 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."- Daily News (Colombo)

ee also

*List of cricket commentators
*List of Sri Lankan broadcasters

External links

* [http://www.worldmusiccentral.org/article.php/20060202190653993 World Music Central: Remembering Karunaratne Abeysekera of Radio Ceylon]
* [http://www.dailynews.lk/2006/02/03/fea02.htm Daily News Colombo: Karunaratne Abeysekera of Radio Ceylon - The Legacy Lives On]
* [http://www.bbc.co.uk/radio4/history/empire/yourstories/ BBC Radio 4 - Empire: Young Ceylonese Talents]
* [http://www.dailynews.lk/2002/06/03/new50.html Studio Five named after Karunaratne Abeysekera]
* [http://www.sundaytimes.lk/030105/tv/1.html Abeysekera Peerless Lyricist]
* [http://www.dailynews.lk/2005/12/21/fea10.htm SLBC-creating new waves of history]
* [http://www.dailynews.lk/2005/12/27/fea02.htm Eighty Years of Broadcasting in Sri Lanka]