Yesteryear’s voice returns
Jayanthi Liyanage
Maya Damayanthi Perera emerged as a singer during the seventies
upsurge of original lyricism and music in popular mainstream.
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Maya Damayanthi. Picture by Tennyson Edirisinghe |
Hers was not a spur-of-the-moment entry. It had behind years of
classical study as Visharad and Sangeet Nipun-I at Lucknow Bhathkande
University and achieving air-play as an A Grade singer at Sri Lanka
Broadcasting Corporation. In 1976, she was a formerly unheard of new
voice. Lyrics she sang chased poetry and had a ring of sincerity. Tunes
were tasteful, avoiding imitation. All this gave her an edge over the
normal run. Soon Maya was a regular voice on television and films.
Her knowledge base was a steely insulator for her in times of
heartburn, new trends and competition. Not even a merit award came her
way while being a female playback singer accumulating 166 films, with
the highest number of the eighties decade. The close of the past 30-odd
years finds her as pliant as her voice has been, cooing and cajoling to
liven film personae ranging from Malini Fonseka to Nilanthi Dias
Karunaratne. “I am still firmly entrenched in the music scene,” she says
with justifiable content.
“Before you run after stardom on waves of popularity, obtain a
western or oriental education,” she advises star-aspirants.
“This will see you through in the long run without being rooted out.”
As a panelist of Super Star TV competition, she brought out the talents
of Sureni and Maya’s own pupils Gayani and Nadini Premadasa. Maya
appreciates that some sing very well even without a musical knowledge
but remains unbudged in her conviction. “Ultimately, education is
crucial, With it, you can read a musical notation and do not feel lost.”
She helped her daughter Sachini Nirasha and specially the eldest,
Kushanee Sandarekha, to achieve the same. Kushanee turned her mother’s
song “Kurullo” into a savvy modern performing act.
Yet Kushanee’s career is firmly grounded in qualifications of vocals,
Kandyan, oriental and contemporary dance and even karate.
Demands of the youthful numbers coming to Rekha Sangeet Ashram in
Kohuwala, run by Maya, her husband Victor Vijayantha and Kushanee, state
in no uncertain terms that hip hop is where we are heading in popular
trends. Responding to the times, Ashram offers voice training and
dancing for TV hunts for Super Star and Dream Star, besides regular
classes for academical exams, traditional and creative dance and
instruments. Applicant ages range from 3 to 76. Maya abides with rap and
hip hop but “street-talk” in lyrics makes her bristle, prompting her to
exclaim that from Nanda Malini to Chandralekha, all singers of worth
sang lyrics with a message or a meaning.
“In our times, even a slight vocal or orchestral error made us do the
song over and over again until it was perfect. New technology covers up
vocal flaws and songs are recorded in pieces. Our songs were simple but
not silly.”
Music wove around Maya a garland of artistically-bent family members.
Victor who wrote music to her first song and married her is Sri Lanka’s
only Shenai player.
Her sister Indra Jayanthi housed Maya and another sister, actress
Anoja Weerasinghe, in Colombo during their formative years. Maya and
Victor intends visiting their newly-arrived grand daughter in Canada,
born to Sachini and grand son of Dr. Lionel Edirisinghe, another music
stalwart.
She has come a long way from bed-time family sing-alongs and plans on
an Ashram concert next April to present Sri Lanka with pupils of
exceptional ability. Ashram can be contacted on :Tel.5632639 and
072-4359602.
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