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| Sunday, 02 April 2006 |
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Varatharanie should be introduced as a poet and novelist, but is popularly known as a radio artiste. Her speed with words is exceptional and flows through the Tamil service of the Sri Lanka Broadcasting Corporation building bridges among the Tamil speaking people spread in each and every corner of the island. The encouraging letters she gets from fans have been one of the most heartening and strengthening facts that has helped her endure her career.
Varatharanie recalled the challenging years in the late 90s, when she got the appointment on the special transmission 'Vanampadi service' to conduct 'Ungal Peyargalil Engal Theri Vugal' and 'Thedum Sondhangal Paadum Sandhangal', the two musical programmes. "It was indeed a challenging time and there was trouble in the North and East. The 'Vanampadi' service was started in October, 1997 with the intention of building contact with lost friends and relatives scattered all over, the island, she recollects.
"While transmitting songs we allowed them to phone and talk to us. We allowed them to be on air so that the message would approach their loved ones" she says.
Varatharanie was a versatile young girl. Her mother was her idol. "My mother, Sebestian Mariyasandanam was a teacher. My father Arumugam Suppiah ran a small business at Manning Market.
My two younger brothers followed my father and went into business," she says.
Varatharanie got her primary education at Central College, Kotahena and then studied at Good Shepherd Tamil Girls' school in Kotahena. She was to sit for the O/L exam in 1983. Because of the troubles that broke out at that time, she lost he notes and even her certificates. But, her mother was behind her all the time.
After participating in a few seminars conducted for O/L students, Varatharanie somehow got through the exam. Subsequently, she did her A/Ls in Economics, Political Science, Logic and Commerce subjects at Al Hikma College, Colombo and entered the Peradeniya University. But ragging and endless strikes made her disgusted of campus life. But she wanted to continue her higher studies. Varatharanie enroled as an external student at the same campus.
Extra curricular activities made her a shinning student in school. Arts and sports were among her favourites.
She was involved in many Tamil youth programmes for creative writing, even after leaving school. Varatharanie is a journalist in the electronic and print media and entertains opinions of both traditional life and feminism to a certain extent.
Her creative writing ability is such that if she scribbles a verse full of romance, the next one would be on women's rights. 'Oru Malar Manam Parappugiradhu' ('Thinakaran Varamanjari' - 1987) and 'Nimmadhiyai Thediye' ('Daily Thinakaran' - 1988) were two of her best novels appeared in print. Apart from that she has written many documentaries highlighting the rights of traditional women in Sri Lanka.
Varatharanie mastered the Sinhala language at the Sri Sucharitha Movement, Gunasinghapura and she started her career as a volunteer teacher at Al Hikma College. Her bilingual ability opened the gates for her to work as a co-ordinator for a late Member of Parliament. But the MP's tragic death changed her career.
Even at that time Varatharanie was very engrossed in radio programmes. She stepped into SLBC for the first time, at the age of nine by being with her uncle, Joseph Edward who was once a famous Radio artiste in the Tamil service. After taking part in many children and youth programmes for many years, Varatharanie faced an audition, and then began to work as a relief announcer.
Ibnu Asumath, a freelance journalist and one of the best translators and poets who is fluent both in Sinhala and Tamil languages won Varatharanie's hand after much effort. Today they are proud parents of two daughters and a son.
"I sat for the G.A.Q. exam, but could not continue. Once my younger daughter finishes her Grade five scholarship examination I might be able to re-start my studies," she says.
We spotted this multifaceted woman at the recent Seminar and workshop held for women journalists of multi-media which was held at Hotel Riverina, Beruwala. She was quite open about the unequal payment meted out to Sinhala and Tamil relief announcers and took this opportunity to reveal it.
Her gratitude goes out to her late parents and everybody who has
rendered her a kind word through out. She wants to re-start charity work
in which she was involved in with the Church when she was in school, voice
her opinion against the injustice to women, publish a collection of her
poems and be a good mother to her three children are of paramount
importance to her.
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