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by Prof Sunanda Mahendra

As I was getting ready to leave Sri Lanka to spend a few weeks in UK, attached to the Mass Communication Research Centre of Leicester University, the poet and media scholar, Buddhadasa Galapatthi, broke the news regarding the sudden death of Gamini Wijetunga.

For most of us who knew Gamini Wijetunga's versatility, feel his death as a threat to a resurgent new world of arts. He knew for certain the most modern trends in journalism, and actually exhibited that knowledge for a long period through his editorship of 'Desatiya' the fortnightly news magazine, the only type of which was brought out by the Ministry of Information. Gamini, as far as possible tried his best to investigate matters when he edited this journal, and the collections that remain up to date are ample testimony to this fact.

Apart from his talent as a journalist he was also a clever film critic and a scriptwriter. He has shown much skill in this direction regarding most new films of young filmmakers, who are now in the forefront. He was also responsible for the formation of the only pioneer film critic association, for which he forcefully enrolled me as a member. He had such lofty ideas, as having face-to-face encounters with the filmmakers and film critics, and publishing, a learned journal like sight and sound in Sinhala. He was baffling up with ideas that remained known only to a few known to him.

With all the work in media field mounting up around him, he also took time off to do his postgraduate work, through which he managed to earn a Masters degree in Mass Communication from the University of Kelaniya. I know well how he struggled to find research material that went into the presentation. At the interview where the candidate has to defend his research, he excelled well and impressed the interviewers that it was a pioneer attempt at gauging the media ownership and its nature and process. After the interview one of the members of the panel said that though it is submitted for a masters degree, it may well suit a doctoral level.

We all agreed and requested him to do further research leading to a doctoral level. Gamini, was also interested in post modernistic and avant garde literary trends, and took hold of the task of translating a novel of Milan Kundera into Sinhala which centered round various controversies, in the local literary circles. Gamini was also a fearless media practitioner.

Though devoid of any propaganda elements, some of his lyrics written for radio, in the name of development songs remain even today as clever insights to agrarian life and its challenges. Writing creative and developmental messages is not at all an easy task, but Gamini managed to overcome it. He was for some time a needy person for election campaigns for he had the extra sensitive talent as a layout and graphics artist. He knew the local mass conscience and how to address it.

Gamini who had travelled to various parts of the world studying aspects of mass media, was never imitative, and he proved to his contemporaries the need to know the aspects of popular culture in its own perspectives without imitative mannerism. This factor he exhibited time and again through his writings and editing. As he was exposed to a wider number of subject areas, the parochialism was not a dominating factor as is normally found in most journalists.

He searched for the best and tried to do the best possible as a media manager. Perhaps he was frustrated over most assignments he got from advertising firms, and he complained over and over again of the agonies of promoting commodities at the expense of brilliant creative persuasions.

Though he abhorred the horror of earnings through the skills as an adman, he suited his way through philosophically. But he just failed to conquer death at a very early period in the life of a human being.

Out of the young media practitioners I have met for the last ten years or so, Gamini happened to be one of the best examples of an all rounder in the use of mass media channels.

He kept pace with the times and trends as a result of his knowledge both in English and Sinhala. While acquiring knowledge and information through English he utilized the use of Sinhala to put across his message in the best possible lively manner unforgettable as seen in his articles written to 'Desatiya' and lyrics written for films and radio.

This leads to the understanding of the ongoing use of tradition and not being a traditionalist. It is pointed out by many linguists that the use of language matters to the reader. Gamini Wijetunga in most of his prose articles used a classical diction mixed in various manners with the modern day spoken language. Some advertising agencies wanted his services to promote by the use of this mixture. He was also responsible for the promotion of several development and communal campaigns. One lesson he taught to his fellow practitioners, is the importance of being a seeker of knowledge through all possible ways.

It would be a fitting contribution to the modern day media scholars to compile some of his writings both creative and otherwise, especially in the subject areas of film, radio and television.

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