Scintillating song that sang our soul-by KKS PERERA

Scintillating song that sang our soul-by KKS PERERA

Source:Dailynews

Born 111 years ago on April 14, 1915, Sunil Santha brought  music to life in a way Sri Lanka had never heard before. He was the Pansilu—the one who balanced the nation with his enchanting melodies. For sixty-six years, his voice carried the soul of our island, until he passed away on April 11, 1981, just three days before his birthday.

Mahanamaschool located close to my home in Panadura, an immortal classic is played three times each day. ‘KokilayangeKokilanaade’ (The Cuckoo Bird’s Song) floated through the air at opening, tea-break, and closing times. This wasn’t just music, it was magic. The sweet lyrics ‘Samanmalaknela mage biso-ge…hisegasa – anna mage vinodhe’ captured everything beautiful about our land.

Sunil’s songs take your breath away. When you listen to these melodious treasures and then hear today’s music, you can’t help but wonder what went wrong. Take ‘Ho..o-o-o…ho garellanegey’—the way Santha breaks the flow, takes a breath, blends innocence with mischief. As they say, it takes a true jeweller to identify a real gem. Being Christian, Sunil was influenced by choir music, and he blended these influences beautifully into our own melodies.

Born as Don Joseph John in the village of Dehiyagatha in Ja-Ela, he lost both parents when he was only two years old. His grandmother raised him with love. Years later, after graduating in SangeethaVishaarada from Lucknow’s Bhathkanda University of Musicology, he returned to Sri Lanka in 1952. That’s when Joseph John became Sunil Santha—a name that would echo through generations.

In the 1930s and 40s, Sri Lankan music was dominated by British harmonics, Portuguese Kafferinghnas, and South Indian Carnatic sounds based on Sruti, Swara, Raga, and Taala, along with North Indian Hindustani Sangeet. Sunil created a breakthrough. He joined Radio Ceylon and began forming our own home-based music. His voice gave us the feeling of pure, genuine Sri Lankan song. He avoided Hindustani tunes and Sanskrit words, choosing instead the simple beauty of our mother tongue.

‘Olupipeela,’ ‘Handapane,’ ‘bowitiyadanpalukan ware,’ ‘Suwandarosa mal nela,’ ‘Mihikathanalawala’—these first songs revolutionized our music scene. They are immortal numbers, special in their own way. As a disciple of MunidasaCumaratunga’s ‘Hela School,’ Sunil worked with talented lyricists like Hubert Dissanayake, Raphael Tennekoon, Gunawadu, and Arisen Ahubuduhe. Together they created absorbing lyrics that celebrated the beauties of nature and patriotism.

In 1952, Radio Ceylon authorities decided to conduct grading tests for their own artists under the supervision of India’s famous maestro Ratna Shankar. Sunil strongly protested and refused to appear. Even Ananda Samarakoon, the creator of our National Anthem, followed Sunil’s lead. The institute, then a State Department, expelled both of them. Later it was revealed that some jealous people had conspired against him.

Despite this setback, Sunil created music for legendary film director Lester James Peiris’ films ‘Rekhawa’ and ‘Sandesaya’ in the late 1950s. Father MarcellineJayakody, who wrote lyrics for Rekhawa, convinced him to accept the work. Songs like ‘Olunelumneriyarangala,’ ‘Wesakkekuluatuagapipi,’ and ‘Kabaragoyaageysurathalee—soya diyenagaadiyasulee’ transformed Sinhala cinema’s music culture, taking it away from South Indian influences and making it truly our own.

Sunil’s singing style created unique listening pleasure. He composed a national song genre with an important goal, to reconnect the Sinhalese and English-educated elite with songs in their mother tongue. In his songbook ‘Sunil Handa’ (Sunil’s Voice), he wrote:

‘Those who prefer Western food, drink, clothing, and customs have pushed our language into the kitchen. They are ashamed to talk in our mother tongue. Apart from singing English songs, there is no music of Sri Lanka they like. But now, those who once turned away from the Sinhala language are happily singing ‘Olupipila’ and ‘Handa pane.’ They are becoming familiar with songs in their mother tongue. This is one of the goals of my new music.’

The first song Radio Ceylon recorded was the 1946 hit ‘Olupipeela.’ He also produced a few Vangha songs and even one English number, ‘My Dreams Are Roses.’ In 1967, Director General Neville Jayaweera invited Sunil back to SLBC for a short time, where he created a few more beautiful songs including ‘Emba ganga’ and ‘Walakulenbesa.’

This great musician died of a heart attack three days before his sixty-sixth birthday, a depressed man following his youngest son’s untimely death by drowning in a swimming pool.

His  musical legacy transcends time. The way Sunil wove together Western instruments with our traditional sensibilities created something entirely new, a sound that was unmistakably Sri Lankan yet universal in its appeal. Each note he sang carried the fragrance of our soil, the rhythm of our seasons, and the heartbeat of our people.

What made Sunil truly remarkable was not just his voice, but his unwavering commitment to artistic integrity. In an era when compromising principles might have brought wealth and comfort, he chose dignity over prosperity. He understood that true art cannot be bought or sold, it must remain pure, honest, and true to itself.

Though I am now a septuagenarian, I would gladly live longer just to keep listening to those stunning songs about nature, love, and patriotism. These charming melodies have kept the flickering of my heart alive. When I hear ‘Anna annairathmuudegilenney,’ my soul stirs with the same wonder I felt as a young person discovering beauty for the first time.

Sunil, your golden voice, so sensuous, yet so pure, will remain in the hearts and homes of every Sri Lankan  music lover for many generations to come. You didn’t just create songs; you created a musical revolution that reconnected us with our roots and reminded us of the beauty in our own language, our own land, our own soul.