28th Death Anniversary tribute:

Sunil Shantha - creative artiste of distinction

Vimal WAIDYASEKERA

On the 27th of April 1981, twenty-eight years ago one of Sri Lanka's most creative artistes of distinction, one who developed a persona and musical personality that is unique, passed away a highly dejected person.

Trained teacher

A first class trained teacher and a follower of Munidasa Kumaratunga, Sunil Shantha found to his dismay that the so called Sinhala music of that era an utter disgrace. He saw no Sri Lankan musician capable of creating a music that is original, simple and keeping with the aspiration and the way of life of the Sinhala people, avoiding the exuberance and rhetoric of Hindustani Music which the followers of the Raga Dhara Sangeeth were striving to reintegrate into the mainstream of contemporary music as one and the only source of inspiration.

That was the era when Colombia and HMV, records disced out carbon copies of hit Hindi film melodies sung by popular singers seeking cheap popularity. This despicable and utterly disgusting situation compelled Sunil Shantha to enter Shanthiniketan and thereafter the bastian of the Raga Dhara Sangeeth, the University of Bathkand, from where he passed out as a Visharada in both vocal and instrumental music. He was the second Sri Lankan musician from Sri Lanka to pass out, the other being Lionel Edirisinghe. Sunil Shantha's decision to enter Shantiniketan and Bathkanda was primarily to make a study of the great Raga Dhara Sangeeth and the Bengali Sangeeth, in order to be able to create a typical Sinhala music that would free the existing music from the heavy learnings of Hindi Film music. Sunil Shantha was aware that it was a formidable task indeed that necessitates a good grasp of an established music tradition as the Raga Dhara Sangeeth.

National Anthem

Whilst Sunil Shantha was away at Bathkanda the proud composer of our National Anthem, Ananda Samarakoon returned to his motherland from Shantiniketan where he had gone to further his studies in art. Seeing the pathetic state of Sinhala music he was compelled to make an attempt to create a music that was original without drawing sustenance from any other form of music. Though not a musician his attempt was indeed praiseworthy and did not go unnoticed.

He was able to set the stage for Sunil Shantha the Herculean task of developing and enriching Sinhala music. Within a short period Sunil Shanta had a mass following and the resounding success of his music shook the very foundation of the attempt that was being made by the followers of the Raga Dhara Sangeeth to establish Hindustani music as the only source of music and for the creation of the academic infrastructure for the teaching and appreciation of Hindustani music. Sunil Shantha was an impediment a thorn in their flesh. He was a dangerous man and as such he had to be eliminated.

An organised smear campaign to discredit, deride mock and disparage this versatile musician commenced in earnest. He was branded 'Saint Sunil' Shantha meaning saint and a singer of hymns because of his Catholic background, degraded as a composer of simple melodies without depth, subtlety or musical complexity, but Sunil Shantha had the courage and determination to withstand the most despicable lies and insults hurled at him by the followers of the Raga Dhara Sangeetha who found him infuriating and unacceptable because he stood like a colossal against the very music he studied at Bathkanda.

Colonial masters

At the interview for the Chief Inspector of Music Education, the Director of Education, the last of the luminaries of the English educated intelligentsia the hegemony of the feeble minded Liberals and Bohemians, the White Collar servants of the Colonial masters, he had the audacity to ask Sunil Shanta as to why he is seeking to be the Chief Inspector of music when you are a first class trained teacher? It was obvious that the post was created for Lionel Edirisinghe. When M.J. Perera who was a great administrator and an oriental scholar brought down Prof. Ratanjankar to audition Radio Ceylon artistes on the advice of Lionel Edirisinghe he took the wrong turn.

Sunil Shanta being the only Visharada and a pupil of the Professor refused to appear to the audition. Sunil Shanta's radio recitals were promptly storyed, and to add insult to injury his song recordings were vandalised. The blind followers of the Raga Dhara Sangeetha had achieved their modus-operandi. Sunil Shanta the patriot who went to Bathkanda to study the complexity of Hindustani music in order that he may be able to create an original style of music in an attempt to stop the heavy learning of the existing music on Hindi film music. Sunil Shanta went into a self imposed exile.

Then in 1970 Mrs. Bandaranaike's government banned plagiarism of Sinhala music at Radio Ceylon he was a happy man but it was too late. Soon after his engineer son's tragic death whilst swimming in the sea this versatile musician passed away leaving a big void in Sinhala music. He left an indelible imprint in the hearts of his many dedicated fans.