Death of renowned author and journalist, Eva Ranaweera

Prasad Gunewardene

The nation yesterday (09) recorded the death of another renowned author and a reputed journalist cum editor, Eva Ranaweera who shone in the medium of Art for several decades.She lived a full life and was 85 at the time of her death. Language and the medium of Art was her forte.

Eva was a household name when it came to Language among students and journalists of the past century. A conversation with Eva was similar to a narration of a story and the contents remained in the mind of the partner who conversed with her. Her Language skills were excellent. She possessed a sequence in her presentations with much elegance.

Eva Ranaweera began her fruitful career at the Official Language Department. Her skills in journalism made her the first editor of the popular Vanitha Viththi women’s weekly at that time.

Her leadership in that weekly, attracted the women folk from all corners of the country and Vanitha Viththi recorded the highest circulation among women’s weeklies in the latter part of the previous century.

She led that weekly for a decade, a landmark in a journalistic career by a woman as an Editor of a womens weekly.

She proceeded overseas on many assignments to work and represent Sri Lanka at international forums.

Eva was one of the few bilingual journalists of the bygone era who authored several books in both languages.

“When we returned without you” and “With Maya” were her creations that won state literary awards in 1993 and 1998.