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Sunil Ariyaratne’s multi-faceted world

Professor Sunanda Mahendra

My good friend Professor Sunil Ariyaratne needs no introduction to the Sinhala readers and media spectators of this country. His books and films have won quite a number of awards at home and abroad. His specialty is Tamil literature about which he had done extensive studies compiling various types of books in Sinhala inclusive of folktales from various parts of India such as Malayalam and Telegu that appear as most notable languages.

These Indian language folktales have made an indelible mark among the Sinhala readers where the studies in cross cultural currents are mainly concerned. Some scholars say that these mini books finely illustrated by Sybil Wettasinghe have paved the way for the understanding of the mannerisms and behaviour patterns of common folk in both India and Sri Lanka.

From time to time Professor Ariyaratne performs some sort of miracles by bringing out a series of books in the form of scholarly editions. The latest to have come is the completion of the complete works of the late theatre genius John de Silva with annotated references.

For the student of drama and theatre, these works, I am sure, will be quite useful and they have appeared several times in print.

Then comes his volumes of lyric compositions and the latest to come is titled as Visithuruya Re Ahasa, where he is seen compiling almost all his lyrics written for films, teleplays, social events such as the Tsunami devastation, light songs for radio, cassettes and CDs.

I have no doubts that he has written over thousand lyrics over five decades commencing from his schooling days and now most of them have been sung by the most popular songsters of the calibre of Amaradeva, Nanda Malini, Victor Ratnayaka etc.

Professor Sunil also delves in translations. The award winning translation of Garcia Lorca’s celebrated play Yerma which he translated with the late professor Ediriweera Sarachchandra has appeared as the second edition.

This factor is clearly indicative that that the translations of this type are needed by the book lovers and are saleable commodities as well as necessary source material for the student and the teacher. It is indicated that he had written and edited fifty books by a single book publisher and the event was notified over media as an important event in the life of a university don. It certainly is, as he is not only confined to the print medium, but also the other media channels. This especially is noted as the visual medium of television and large screen.

He has directed and sometimes written and directed more than fifty Sinhala films and this should also be counted as a score in the life of a university don.

His latest Sinhala film titled as Uppalavanna became instantly famous and attractive for several reasons. The theme of the film centred round a reinterpreted Buddhist story similar to a Theri gatha story as modernised or rediscovered by the script of Dr. Tissa Abeysekara. It was one of the record breaking box office successes and viewed by various types of members of the society.

His lectures centre round the teaching of Sinhala classics where his forte being the poetry. Have I missed anything else about him? Yes many more. He is one of our clearer minded presenters of musical programmes over radio and television channels.

Once I was watching one of his chatty television programmes, Gi Re, where he illustrated, commented and furthermore interviewed a number of singers and made them remember their own songs sung in the past.

The programmes which were beamed to the night audience was full of stimulating materials with an eye on the historic past as well as present packed with aspects of popular culture.

Strictly speaking, he does not belong to any schools of thought, but he desires and wants insist that the new trendy pseudo creative thinking in the field of communication should be studied without rushing to any obstructive speculations.

From time to time he travels abroad especially to India where he finds more materials for his forthcoming books. In this direction, I observe that his research work Demala Bauddhaya (The Tamil Buddhist) was packed with lots of uncovered socio literary material. But I have a feeling that the work passed unnoticed from the eyes of those who matter.

He encourages his students to take up innovate steps in creativity.

He is also the pioneer of most of the literary events such as Nala mudu Suvanda celebrated annually by the staff and students of the University of Sri Jayawardenepura

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