Merlin the classics wizard’s odyssey Surrounded by books and memories in photographs, one of Sri Lanka’s premier classicists, 91-year-old Prof Merlin Peris talks to Yomal Senerath-Yapa Source:Sundaytimes Prof. Merlin Peris’s little house in Dangolla, Kandy is his own Arcadia, where, after a long romance with the Peradeniya University (his second love, after wife Kshanti) he has retired. He still has emeriti ties with the old place where he spent a lifetime of classical scholarship, proving wrong the great Sir Ivor Jennings who once declared: “A Classics PhD is impossible for a Sri Lankan; it is a thoroughly ploughed field.” The first Sri Lankan to acquire a doctorate in Classics, the professor now 91, has written more than 50 books, a number of them not limited to the standard textbooks and translations, but comparative studies that weave glorious arras, with such diverse interests as Ceylon history, wildlife and the classical world’s ...
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LEGENDARY VOCALIST DHARMADASA WALPOLA A DOYEN IN PLAYBACK SINGING IN SINHALA FILMS TO BE REMINISED ON HIS 39th DEATH ANNIVERSARY – by Sunil Thenabadu Dharmadasa Walpola was born on 27 November 1927 in Deiyannawea,Kandy ,this future play-back singer displayed his innate talents of musical virtuosity with inherited music affiliations too from his childhood. His father Charles Appuhamy a dress maker by profession tailored costumes to the Tower Hall artistes who also learnt his art from him though not much interested in studies. His mother was Karunawathie a housewife. Young Dharmadasa for a period had made masks for the Sri Lankan Army to contribute to the family expenses. His father’s close association with artistes had paved way for him to know the leading artistes on stage.Before he sang in a Sinhalese film in year 1952 there was a public poll to elect the ‘most popular vocalist” initiated by cinema newspaper titled ‘cinemawa’ of ...
Nov 16, 2022
Posted by eLanka admin In
Articles, Sunil Thenabadu
Tagged Ananda Samarakoon, CT Fernando, most popular vocalist, PLA Somapala, RA Chandrasena, Sri Lankan male playback singer, Sunil Santha, WD Amaradewa.
LEGENDARY VOCALIST DHARMADASA WALPOLA A DOYEN IN PLAYBACK SINGING IN SINHALA FILMS STILL AT ZENITH OF FAME – by Sunil Thenabadu Dharmadasa Walpola was born on 27 November 1927 in Deiyannawea,Kandy ,this future play-back singer displayed his innate talents of musical virtuosity with inherited music affiliations too from his childhood. His father Charles Appuhamy a dress maker by profession tailored costumes to the Tower Hall artistes who also learnt his art from him though not much interested in studies. His mother was Karunawathie a housewife.Young Dharmadasa for a period had made masks for the Sri Lankan Army to contribute to the family expenses. His father’s close association with artistes had paved way for him to know the leading artistes on stage.Before he sang in a Sinhalese film in year 1952 there was a public poll to elect the ‘most popular vocalist” initiated by cinema newspaper titled ‘cinemawa’ of Robert Jayawardena. ...
Oct 13, 2022
Posted by eLanka admin In
Articles, Sunil Thenabadu
Tagged Ananda Samarakoon, Latha Walpola, Singer, Sinhala films, Sri Lankan male playback singer, Sunil Santha
