|
|
 |
 |
| Sunday, 6 April 2003 |
 |
|
 |
News |  |
| News Business Features Editorial
|
The soul cry of a generation by Ajith Samaranayake Gunadasa Kapuge whose sudden and untimely death has sent shock waves throughout the nation was not merely a singer but also a cultural symbol. Coming from humble beginnings in which he took great pride, he fought his way to the pinnacles of national acclaim through sheer grit and determination. The man who started life as an operational assistant at the Sri Lanka Broadcasting Corporation became the golden voice of a new awakening. Born in Elpitiya and educated at the Karandeniya Maha Vidyalaya and Dharmasoka College, Ambalangoda, Kapuge was initially a Science student. However he discovered himself as a musician and graduated from the Institute of Aesthetic Studies and the Bhaathkande University in India. An 'A' grade singer of the SLBC, Kapuge captured the imagination of the young with a blend of emotion and ideas, which took the contemporary cultural field by storm. His two musical shows, 'Kalaye Rawaya' and 'Kampana', enjoyed huge popularity. Kapuge was perhaps the only cultural figure that dared to be different. He believed in swimming against the tide. Exiled to the Rajarata Sevaya of the SLBC, he found congenial company in the likes of Newton Gunasekera and the late Swarnasri Bandara and spearheaded a wonderful resurgence of provincial broadcasting which gave true meaning to the whole concept of public sector broadcasting. Kapuge did not found any cult but he discovered and nurtured rural singers such as Karunaratne Divulgane, Jayatillake Bandara,both of Anuradhapura, and Janaka Wickremaningha. His output was enriched by the lyrics of Ratnasri Wijesinghe, surely the best lyrics writer of our times. Wijesinghe's evocative diction and Kapuge's melodious voice were combined in such songs as 'Bimbarak Maara Senega', on the multi-national take-over of the Wellassa heartland, a song which will be forever memorable for its fusion of ideas and melody. Perhaps no other singer of our times captured the hearts and minds of the young as Gunadasa Kapuge did and when we bid goodbye to him this evening at the Kanatte cemetery, it will mark the stilling of the soul cry of a generation. |
|
News | Business | Features
| Editorial | Security Produced by Lake House |
