A tribute to a Great Lady:

Damayanthi DUNUWILLE SAHLIN

Nilma Dole

The beautiful Damayanthi was born in Colombo, being the eldest in a family of five to a renowned Sri Lankan Kandyan Sinhalese Family. Her father Richard Dunuwille was a businessman and her mother Gladys Aluwihare was a well-versed academic who was placed first in the Senior Cambridge exam, being a student at Hillwood College, Kandy.

Damayanthi’s siblings are Iris, Manel, Sita and Shanthi who were talented in their own ways. She attended the C.M.S. Ladies College and passed with flying colours to secure a place at the Peradeniya University, probably being one of the first Kandyan girls to do so.

It was during that time that she won a scholarship to study music from the Sri Lankan government and thereafter, she clinched a scholarship to study at the Royal School of Music, London.

Damayanthi then quit her studies at the Peradeniya University to travel to the Queen’s country where she started a new life in London by attending the Royal Academy of Music, working on her music night and day.

She was elected as a Licentiate of the Royal Academy of Music, London in 1950 having qualified by examination. In 1950, Damayanthi Dunuwille was awarded the prestigious History of Music Prize, being the first Asian in history to do so.

However, tragedy struck around 1955 when her father fell seriously ill being on the brink of nearly losing his life. Damayanthi felt her family ties were more important than her career and she left the Queen’s country to sit by her father’s bedside to take care of him.

During that time, Damayanthi also guest performed on Radio Ceylon as an A-grade pianist continuing her musical sojourn and didn’t lose her magical music touch.

After her father had recovered, she hoped of going back to London to continue her music studies but was disheartened to find out that her scholarship fund to study was discontinued. She was rather upset but she didn’t falter and it was through sheer determination and hard work that made her make the use of the limited opportunities. Damanayanthi wanted to go abroad and pursue her music career.

One day, an American millionaire happened to visit Sri Lanka in a Yacht and wanted to write all about his travels around the world.

When he was vacationing in Sri Lanka, he was on the look-out for a proficient writer to publish a book about his travels. After he interviewed her for the job and found that she had an excellent command of English, he recruited her and published the book in the U.S.A. that got wonderful reviews.

Finally, she had a passport to travel the seven seas and she didn’t let go of the opportunity that was given to her. She even travelled to Lisbon, Portugal in this Yacht to research at the Arquivo Nacional da Torre do Tombo (National Archive of the Tower of Tombo) where she found out more about the Portugese especially with reference to their invasion of Ceylon by referring to original manuscripts from 1960-1961.

It was during her time traveling in Europe that she met her life long partner, the dashing engineer Sven Sahlin and then she made Sweden her second home.

They married in 1962 and she bore him a daughter Shanaz (engineer, married to Per Sandberg). After she married Sven, her music career blossomed.

Having an understanding husband helped because while she resumed her music studies again, he attended to the needs of their child and home. In 1962, at the age of about 40 years, Damayanthi became a pupil of Prof.Sven Brandel of the Royal Swedish Academy of Music, Stockholm and then worked with Swedish concert pianist Hans Leygraf in 1968.

In 1975, she obtained her Bachelor of Arts degree specialising in English and French from the University of Linkoping, Sweden. In 1977, she was invited to lecture at the University and even became a sworn translator where she translated Swedish publications into English.

In 1983, she received her Bachelor of Music from the Upsala University and then in 1989, continued her Post Graduate studies in Musicology from the same university.

Damayanthi was also the inspiration of the famous baila song ‘Kandy Lamissi’ which spoke of her early years in Kandy.

Today, Sri Lankan songstress Mariazelle sings it in perfect ‘baila’ mode as a tribute to this legendary music-minded beauty who also subsequently acted in the highly acclaimed ‘Kapuwa Kapoti’ that was directed by Ludowyk, Sarachchandra and E.C.B.Wijesinghe.

Damayanthi was an artistic and creatively talented musician, writer, linguist and beautiful woman who was passionate about her work and was a good friend to all.

She was a well-versed and outspoken lady who knew many languages like English, French, Swedish, Portugese and a little German. Damayanthi also shared a love for animals by being a member of the Nordic R.S.P.C.A.(The Royal Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals) with her daughter Shanaz who is a fine horsewoman. Damayanthi is an epitome of legendary womanhood and a fine example of how you can overcome the odds to realize your dreams, no matter what.