Guridevi Music Visharada Sunil Santha the sage, model Sri Lankan music, composer, singer, lyricist, forerunner to our new music culture terminating the Indian culture – by Sunil Thenabadu
Gurudevi Sunil Santha renowned as “Mihikatha Nelevu Gee Handa”, was born on 14 April 1915 on a Sinhalese New Year’s Day in Dehiyagatha, Pamunuwa, Ja-Ela, Sri Lanka was named by his parents as “Baddaliyanage Don Joseph John”. Both his parents very sadly had died before he was two years old, was raised by his grandmother. He loved the environment,particularly the flora and fauna around his village. When young he had loitered predominantly around Dehiyagatha,Pamunugama and Dadugama areas enjoying, viewing the beauty of the vegetation, flora, fauna and of the Dalugama oya and small lakes around the vicinity . At an early age he came to the limelight when he played ‘King Dutugemunu’ in a village play having had abundance of innate talent for art. As a skilled vocalist he was an indispensable member to the church choir. Having excelled in a village theatre play he was presented by an villager who adorned him with a battery-powered lighted necklace. He had his primary education at Dehiyagatha Vidyalaya, secondary education at St Benedict’s College Kotahena,only for a short spell also at St Aloysius College Galle where he excelled in singing and by portraying roles in stage dramas. After entering the catholic training school, he had successfully trained, had succeeded out as a teacher.
It was at Dehiyagatha school , he passed the school leaving certificate examination becoming ‘first’ in the island, with the highest marks in his class as a young adult and was awarded the ‘Weeraratne’ award. In year1933, he completed the Teachers Final Examination and began to work as a teacher at the Mt. Calvary School currently known as St.Aloysius’ College Galle. While tenured there, Sunil Santha had led the school to three consecutive victories at the Southern Schools Music Competition. In year 1939 he passed the Intermediate Gandarva Examination having received a certificate in physical training. He also had learned to play extensively the piano and guitar at that time having innate talent. He had acted and produced several dramas including “Hamlet” during this period of course sans any hereditary affiliations in these fields.
In year 1952, he married a schoolteacher Bernadette Leelawathie Jayasekara.The duo were blessed with four children three sons and a daughter. When the siblings were young, they had not even had a radio at their dwelling. It was later Sunil Santha had made a radio by himself to be heard in the dwelling. The dwelling was sans electricity , the siblings had studied under the light of petromax lamp, initially with the light from a ‘kuppi ‘ lamp.The father had provided food had wanted them to only study well. All children were bright students, the three sons had entered to the science faculty at the Peradeniya University to become engineers while the daughter passed out as a veterinary surgeon also from the Peradeniya university. Sunil Santha died on 11 April 1981 from a heart attack shortly after his son Jagath was drowned under mysterious circumstances in a swimming pool. His age, then was just three days short of his sixty sixth birthday. Sunil Santha was unfortunate not to sing live in any television channel as his death occurred just prior to the advent of the television era. His son Lanka Santha who takes part in all Sunil Santha commemoration ceremony’s and television dialogues ,is an engineer domiciled in USA, is married to Calista Rohini, an agricultural graduate.
In year 1940 Sunil Santha gave up teaching and travelled to famous Shantiniketan in India to study music which was in his blood. The following year Santha enrolled at the Bhatkande Music Institute where he got his “ Sangeetha Visharadha Degree in year 1944. He passed the final exam as the first in the first division in Sitar and Vocals, the first non-Indian Asian to do so.It is said that he had even beaten all Indian students while been triumphant in the final examination. Sunil Santha graduated as a “Sangeetha Visharada” from the Bhathkanda University of Musicology and returned to Sri Lanka in year1944 .He had shunned his English name, Joseph John, and had adapted the musical name Sunil Santha. During his studies in India he regularly contributed to Sri Lankan newspapers,articles on art.Sunil Santha has had one stern intention after he returned to change the monopoly of the “ Uttara Baharathie Ragadari” music not with any hatred but to commence a Sri Lankan style of music of our own with a discrete distinctiveness .Sunil Santha was a massive admirer of Rabindranath Tagore the Indian music legend , polymath, poet, writer,philosopher, playwright, social crusader and painter. Sunil Santha too having all these traits was not at all keen to imitate him but was very anxious to change our music culture concentrating on a diverse path with unique lyrics, music compositions and the singing style not following the Indian traditional ‘uttara bharatha ragadhari’ music that was prevalent. It was Sunil Santha the predecessor to this change that was made upon his arrival after completing his “ Sangeetha Visharadha’ triumph.Sunil Santha wanted to follow the Rabindranath Tagore vision (Chinthanaya) from a Sri Lankan music perspective.
Upon his arrival after his Sangeetha Visharada degree he had approached the educational authorities with his amazing qualifications with batch topping feat. There had been a senior student in a senior batch at Bhathkande Music Institute, Lionel Edirisinghe, who had been jealous about his feats in the academy. He had even told as a senior student we will wait and see what happens when he goes back though he had returned to native Sri Lanka sans the ‘Visharada’ tag. . In the meantime Sunil Santha had been an automatic choice for musical indoor and outdoor concerts when he used to visit native Sri Lanka on vacations having been a sought after vocalist. After Lionel Edirisinghe came after his stint unqualified he had approached . all high officials in the Education department to obtain an appointment as the head of the music school.When Sunil Santha came back after becoming the best student in the later batch had approached the head official of the education department, one Kapukotuwa then.For his disbelief he had said the only appointment he could offer was that as a PT assistant teacher( saramba upa guru). The disappointed Sunil Santha having no alternative had commenced his music classes in Panadura in the years 1945-46.He had initially sought advise from his uncle Fr Moses domiciled in Rakwana in regard to this drastic dilemma.
Sunil Santha had changed the dominance of the ‘Uttara Baratha Ragadara music dominant then ,what was happening was simply inserting Sinhalese words to the Indian music tracks. The famous Munidasa Kumaratunga and other stalwarts in ‘Hela Havula” began to use the term ‘miyasiya’ substituting for music.Hence Sunil Santha was undeniably the forerunner in this endeavour by contributing outstanding lyrics with the innovative type of original music to which he himself sang a sequence of songs which are still been heard and sung by many for concerts, reality shows and television programs. The songs he sung in mid 1940’s are still been sung and heard over our airways daily.For these songs to remain popular there should be a very logical reason. It was Sunil Santha who sang the first two songs recorded at the Radio Ceylon when it was housed in Cotta Road ,Borella.The songs been ‘Olupipila’ and ‘Handapane’ on either side of a disc.
On 2 March 1946 Sunil Santha held a recital for the Kumaratunga Commemoration ceremony and was asked to record for the then Radio Ceylon. Over the next six years, he has had sung competently a string of popular songs including “Olu Pipila”, “Handapane”, “Ho Ga Rella Negay”, “Bowitiya Dan Palukan Vare”, “Suwada Rosa Mal Nela”, “Kokilayange”, and “Mihikathanalawala.” Sunil Santha emphasized his Sinhala legacy in his songs choosing to sing in Sinhalese rather than English, not copying Hindustani and Tamil songs of India.He was able to transform the westernised people in Colombo in particular who were solely English song followers to listen solely to Sinhalese songs. In the meantime, he joined Hela Havula literary association which facilitated him to obtain high standard lyrics from its celebrated members. A meticulous songwriter himself, Sunil Santha sang also songs impeccably with rare lyrics written by lyricists like Huberth Dissanayake, Kumaratunga Munidasa ,Raipiel Tennakoon,Arisen Ahubudu and Fr Marcelline Jayakody. A story that was narrated by his son Sunil Santha at an ITN television program ‘Nomiyena Sihinaya” in year 2018, how Arisen Ahubudu became a lyricist. Once Sunil had asked Arisen Ahubudu to compose lyrics for a song to which he had said he does compose ‘Kavi’ only.Then had told okay compose one for him which he could convert to a song melody. The song was “ Lanka Lanka Pembara Lanka”.Sunil before striking off just one word had gone to meet Arisen Ahubudu for his permission who then had taught at Mahinda College Galle to get his permission. Arisen Ahubudu had been flabbergasted had said why did you come all this way as you could have just deleted sans my authority. That was Sunil Santha in such concerns. In year 1952, Sunil Santha was banned from Radio Ceylon after refusing to audition with Indian musician Ratanjankar, whom the corporation had brought from South India to oversee the direction of music on their stations. While he was studying in Bhathkande Music Institute Ratanjankar had been his ‘Guru’ but has had experience in Indian music only which was completely different to our traditions in music.Many and Sunil Santha in particular had known about his incompetency to the post, that is the reason he had rejected to work under him. Many analysts were also of the opinion that it was Sunil Santha the appropriate person to head the unit.
Sunil Santha experienced monetary problems after being terminated from Radio Ceylon. His songbooks were copied, his songs were sold without consent or royalties by copyright violators. He tried his hand at various trades like photography, selling clothes, electronics, a repairing shop for radio and bicycles, dry fish trader, painter, mason, carpenter over the following few years.During a television dialog son Lanka Santha had lamented that none of his trades had fetched much funds, at most times he had been a loser in many of his endeavours. He used to take photographs of neighbouring people had painted in order they could hang them on their walls. He had received money only from a handful of them as many could not afford. One trader had played him out by not paying a tidy sum for a huge lot of clothes given on credit but who never paid him back.One day he had met him in Ja- Ela town instead of encountering him he had pulled out a ten rupee note from his pocket, had placed in the pocket of the rouge, this was typical Sunil Santha who had quipped that such persons should be treated in that manner, teaching him a lesson. This was expressed by Lanka Santha at television dialog. It was Sunil Santha’s wife in addition to bringing up the four children had guided him in this perilous era to make family ends meet.
He composed the adored soundtracks to Lester James Peries films, Rekava and Sandeshaya in years1956 and 1960.Likewise by doing such musical work he had earned money only to be spent to feed the family cum for the education of his four children which was always his priority. The famous songs in the film Rekava ‘ sudu sanda eliye’ and ‘vesak kekulu’,’olu nelum neliya’ are all of Sunil Santha’s music compositions. In a later comeback, he produced several experimental works in the musical arena.
Image Source : wikipedia
In year 1953, Sunil Santha started a small school at the Maradana Newton building, pledging to teach 10 pupils for free. He often helped fellow artists and those with gifted talent. He wrote to newspapers about the plight of Ananda Samarakoon and tried to bring attention to the composer of the national anthem. At a time when Albert Perera later known as WD Amaradeva who used to play violin at Sunil’s performances, needed help, Sunil gave him two of his music classes at Panadura to teach and make a living at a moment when Amaradeva had decided to quit music. Sunil also helped collect money to send Amaradeva for further studies in India knowing very well about his talent.In this scenario he had published to a newspaper for any willing person to contribute to this worthy cause as later they could boast that such a musician to become aa maestro they too had rendered financial help.
In year 1955 journalist DB Dhanapala started a campaign to expose Sunil Santha’s plight and raised some money through his column on Lankadeepa. It was in year 1967 that the Radio Ceylon became a corporation as the SLBC in 1967. The Director General Mr. Neville Jayaweera had organised a massive concert to celebrate this event at the YMBA hall in Borella. Knowing about the popularity of Sunil Santha’s singing expertise wanted to invite him to sing.He had added that a musical concert sans Sunil Santha would be like a wedding sans the ‘bridegroom’. When he was initially invited point blank he had refused. Thereafter two senior presenters Sarath Wimalaweera and Siyasa Wijeratne had visited him at his humble dwelling in Ja Ela to make a plea on behalf alf the then Director General. Initially he had said this is like a story of a horse who is asked to jump over a fence when his legs were fractured. On the plea and insistence of the presenter duo, he had consented. When he stepped on to the stage with Ivor Dennis to sing two songs “Olu Pipila’ and “ Handapane” there had been a thunderous unending applause from the audience who were mesmerized. The Director General had requested Sunil Santha to come and assume duties at the SLBC.This was after a lapse of fifteen years asked him to come back to the national radio service the SLBC.This period was very long, if he had continued to work he could have contributed much more to the Sinhala music. At the SLBC Sunil Santha had worked in unison with WD Amaradeva and H. W. Rupasinghe to audition the artists. Sunil Shantha was the first to compose the world’s first one note song which was a masterpiece in year 1967. It was named as “Gum Gum Gum” (Wasp Song), which is sung in the tune of a Wasp’s buzz. In Sinhalese, the song is called as “ගුම් ගුම් ගුම් (බඹර ගීය)”. Sunil Santha used to sing this masterpiece along with his colleague Ivor Dennis for his performances and for the SLBC.
Sunil Santha moved into his uncle’s house in year1970 as he was evicted from the rental house, he lived in. In year 1977 a record titled ‘Sunil Gee’ was produced which was sold fast. In year 1980, a record titled ‘Seegiril Gee’ was produced. This contained a set of songs written and composed by Sunil Santha himself with melodies using only four notes. The lyrics were based on ‘Sigiri Kurutu Gee’ (sigiri graffiti). The songs were astonishing in that they used traditional Sri Lankan drums and other instruments to generate a unique sound.During the period of fifteen years when on his own apart from composing and singing songs had written many music books.One that was published and sold fast was “Hela Ridee Walawe” book.
Following a heart attack Gurudevi Sunil Santha had succumbed on the 11th April 1981 just three days prior to his sixty sixth birthday. The last words he had uttered to his son Lanka Santha was “Karana Deyak Hariyata karanna”, as he had done all along his entire life. It is a pity that owing to cruel decision of the Radio Ceylon authorities in not appointing him to audition singers, his entire tenure at the SLBC had been restricted only to an appalling seven and a half years only, which may have definitely retarded the elevating path of our music culture when his services would have been most beneficial. A tribute was made on his one hundred years birth centenary with a concert termed “Kokilaya(n) ge on 11th April 2015.appreciating the Pansilu who synchronized the nation with his enchanting melodies and balanced tonal tunes reaching to the pinnacle of glory. A similar commemoration was held with another concert also to a packed audience to coincide with his 103rd birth anniversary.
Sunil Thenabadu email sthenabadu@hotmail.com. WhatsApp 0061444533242
