Half an hour with Vijaya Corea

By Aditha Dissanayake

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Thursday mornings in a newsroom are always filled with chaos. “Where is the copy? Where are the pictures? The questions fly around non-stop.

When my colleague Maryanne shouts “Aditha, call for you” from the top of her voice, it’s hard not to groan in dismay. The most marvellous headline for JJ’s Crime story had been on the tip of my mind...and now all is lost. I Mutter a reluctant “Hello” into the receiver hoping this is not yet another reminder about a book that has to be reviewed for Writer’s Den. The voice at the other end is deep, well regulated and slightly familiar. I have heard him before. When?

Where? Suddenly the Background sounds vanish. My mind rewinds to the past...a voice from my childhood...the radio.. And as if on cue the voice says “I am Vijaya Corea.”

I drag a chair, search for an empty page on my notebook and begin to scribble. I cannot believe I am listening to that resonant voice which had made such a difference in the entertainment world from the mid-sixties to the present. Not a word of what he is saying should be missed.

Though I have never managed to figure out what Forest Gump means when he says My momma always said, “Life is like a box of chocolates. You never know what you’re gonna get.”, I feel I come almost close to grasping the meaning when Vijaya says that, if not for a chance meeting, he would have been a chartered accountant today! I remind him of the line in John Lennon’s Beautiful Boy which goes like this: “Life is what happens, while you are making other plans”. Yes! Agrees Vijaya and explains “After my secondary education at S. Thomas’ College Mount Lavinia, I Opted for a career in chartered accountancy, but quite by chance ventured into the arena of broadcasting. In an interview held at Radio Ceylon in the year 1964 to select announcers, I came first of just five selected among 350 applicants.”

After that it was natural that he should have abandoned his pursuits in the field of accountancy, and heralded the beginning of a career in broadcasting.

He recalls how he followed a league of world-class Broadcasters such as Tim Horshington, Mil Sansoni, Livy Wijemanne, Barry Wittington, Chris Greet, Vernon Corea, Jimmy Barucha, Bob Harvey and others who were meticulous in the correct usage of language and pronunciation.

Whether “on air” or “live” on stage, with his excellent command of the English language and outstanding style of presentation, in a short time span, he had earned for himself thousands of fans both here and abroad - specially in parts of India where the All-Asia Service was Transmitted from Radio Ceylon.

Many still recall how they kept everything else aside just to keep a special date with the radio to listen To Vijaya presenting “The Morning Show” on the air. Whenever a Popularity poll was conducted by the newspapers, Vijaya always came way ahead of the others to be voted the Most Popular DJ and Showbiz Personality. He has also been commended as an excellent Newsreader.

In his hay day, no important state function, big show or dance went on The boards without Vijaya’s services as Master of Ceremonies.

He has had the privilege of being called upon for his presentation skills, before audiences including such distinguished personalities as The Queen of England, Prince Philip and many Heads of State at various functions of national and international importance.

Recalling how he became the first ever Television Presenter in Sri Lanka, he says “I had The Distinction of being the first to stand on the BMICH stage to present a musical evening and cultural pageant inaugurating the 5th Non-Aligned Summit Conference In the year 1976, which was designed for television and telecast ‘live’ on global television”.

He also holds the unbroken record of presenting 16 sponsored programs per week, thus earning much revenue for Radio Ceylon which was converted to the Ceylon Broadcasting Corporation and afterwards the Sri Lanka Broadcasting Corporation and was the only electronic medium at that time.

Among the ‘live’ audience radio shows he handled are the Maliban Talent Quest, Elasto’s Moving Designs, Zellers Go-Go Show, The Sooriya Show and the Take it or Leave it Show. He had used the radio to Identify and bring to the forefront many well-known musicians and groups such as Clarence Wijewardene, Stanley Peiris, Annesley Malawana, Indrani Perera, the Moonstones, Gypsies and many others, too numerous to mention. Defiant in the face of opposition, he had introduced to the listeners the brand of music known today as Sinhala Pop, thus,enabling many to gain recognition and develop a career with their talents.

The climax to his broadcasting career had come when he was appointed the Director General of the Sri Lanka Broadcasting Corporation during which time his hands-on skills combined with administrative capabilities resulted in a fresh impetus and resurgence in the broadcasting arena.

His love and dedication to the radio station he worked for, becomes evident when he narrates how one morning he had simultaneously kept the Sinhala and English transmissions going, when the Sinhala announcer had failed to turn up for duty.

“I voluntarily stepped in to open the Sinhala Transmission and keep it going when the rostered Announcer failed to turn up for duty whilst simultaneously performing my duties on the English Transmission and, furthermore, preparing to read the news bulletin too. I did not wish to allow the station to suffer embarrassment or revenue loss until a replacement arrived”.

When the country went through turbulent times and when the lives of broadcasters were under threat, Vijaya had evinced no hesitation in performing his duties with loyalty and commitment.

Yet, with the many opportunities that were open to him and the talent he’s blessed with, Vijaya, a widely travelled man when asked why he never chose to pursue his career on greener pasture, says, he would much rather remain here in his beloved motherland and make it greener by contributing his mite to it.

He concludes with the words “Let it be that I should remain in Sri Lanka bringing a ray of hope to the hopeless with my voice”.