Digitally-preserved Sinhala songs

Interviewed by Charith Perera

One of the salient contributions that Nalin Jayawardena made over the years is creating a formidable corpus of digitally-preserved Sinhala songs with universal accessibility in the World Wide Web. He is also a much-needed helping hand for aspiring newcomers in the field of music not only from Sri Lanka but also from diverse parts of the globe.

In a way, Nalin’s exercise is, really, a broadbasing of the arena of Sinhala music adding Sinhala songs to the artistic digital legacy of humanity. Nalin Jayawardena is credited with becoming a first Sri Lankan singer to release an internet-based audio album for his fans around the globe to download free. The album entitled Kanda Paamule was launched in 2004. Nalin has, so far, released 10 CDs, and he is in the process of making another five CDs .

These songs were composed in partnership with talented Sinhala lyric writers such as Dr Vicumpriya Perera, Sunil Govinnage, Sriya Kumarasingha Bhadraji Mahinda, Daya Anada Ranasingha and Chrishanthi de Fonseka.

Music scores for Nalin’s songs were composed by Sri Lankan musicians such as Nimal Mendis, Rohan Jayawardena, Sangeeth Wickramasingha, Ananda Widyasekara and Rukshan Karunanayaka.

Apart from songs, Nalin also contributed to the creation of the first –ever Dhammapada Stanzas in CD Packs in partnership with Ven. Beruwela Siri Sobitha Thera, Dr Gill Fronsdal, Dr Vicumpriya Perera and Janaka Wimaladharama. He also collaborated in making the charity CD/DVD in aid of the tsunami victims in Sri Lanka.

His repertoire includes Kanda Paamule (2004), Anusmarana Upahara – H R Jothipala Tribute (2004), Tsunami Audio CD (2005), Cold Cold Night [Seetha Sisil Rea] – Xmas Single (2005), Paata Paata Heenayak (2008), Upahaara Sihiwatana (2009), Weli Aetayak – Vicumpriya Perera Lyrics 02 (2009), Athithawarjanaa – Jothi Upahara Gee Pelahara (2010), Perth Gamata Paayayi Sandha (2010), Paata Paata Samanalayin (2010) Oba Soya Enem and Duru Ratawala Api (2011).

Following are excerpts of an interview with Nalin Jayawardena

Question: What are the novel ventures that you have currently engaged in?

Answer: I am busy as I have always been with my artistic work. Despite my busy schedule, I am completing my 11th music CD titled Mal Renuwak.

Q: Who are the musicians and lyricists who contributed songs to the CD?

A: This time I solicited the help of a group of well-known musicians to compose music and write songs for the CD.

The galaxy of musicians include Dr. Rohana Weerasinghe, H.M Jayawardena, Nimal Mendis, Sarath de Alwis, Ernest Soyza, Bhadragi Mahinda Jayatilaka, Navarathne Gamage, Ananda Waidyasekara, Sangeeth Wickremasinghe, my brother Rohan Jayawardena, Marvin Priyantha and the new and upcoming musician Rukshan Karunanayake. The lyrics for the album were written by Dr. Vicumpriya Perera. The singers who sang duets were Walter Fernando Amila Nadishani, Bhadraji Mahinda Rupa Indumathi, and Thilini Authkorala

Q: It was a different group of personalities who had previously contributed to your work. What was your criterion in selecting them?

A: For my previous works, I selected a group of personalities known to me since my childhood and who are talented on their own right. They, I would say, are accomplished lyricists and singers music directors, although most of them are my friends and those young talents I came to know through them.

For this group, I included those Sri Lankans like me, from the Sri Lankan diaspora. It’s a rather long list but principal among them are Perth based poet Sunil Govinnage, Sriya Kumarasinghe, Daya Anada Ranasinghe, Dulip Patabedi,Latha Perera, Krishanthi de Fonseka and Minali Gamage.

Q: How did you conceive the idea to venture into the field of music with such a group of personalities given the stiff competitive nature of the field?

A: I thought launching into the field with such a group would bear fruit rather than the advantage of using names of well-established persons in the field.

Unlike today, in our youth, we did not have a free medium such as the internet for talented youngsters to venture into the field.

The media available were dominated by a few. You had to either reach them through contacts or with the help of a politician. So it was either cronyism or political patronage which opened the doors for new talents into the field. I wanted to put an end to this ‘convention’.

Q: When and how did you put your ideology into practice?

A: It was following the invention of the World Wide Web or Internet in the year 2000 and with my fortuitous encounter with Dr Vicumpriya Perera who lives in the USA, I launched my project.

Dr. Vicumpriya invited me to contribute to the first-ever-website featuring Sinhala songs.

It was Dr. Vicumpriya who commenced the website.

Thereafter, on a suggestion by him we leased the first ever Sinhala CD or Sinhala album in internet in 2004 which offered Sinhala fans to either play online or download free. It is a gift.

Q: Was the outcome encouraging?

A: Yes, the response from Sri Lankan fans scattered in diverse parts of the globe was extremely positive and encouraging, they not only began to download songs from the website but also used it as a platform to introduce creations of Sri Lankan musicians in diverse parts of the world.

Now, Sri Lankan talents (both young and old) can introduce their creations without soliciting the support of music barons in the field and that too, absolutely free, without any financial transaction on the part of the creators.

Dhammapada in CD

Q: Apart from engaging in the field of arts, what are the other activities you are involved in?

A: I had the opportunity of involving in tsunami reconstruction activities. I also contributed to offer the Dhammapada in Sinhala and English in CD format and also in the creation of Bhadraji Mahinda Jayathilka’s first audio Sinhala novel [2012].

When the Asian tsunami hit, my friend Legendary musician Nimal Mendis was in France. Nimal, Dr. Vicumpriya and I often communicated with one another. We were shocked to see the extent of the devastation on television and would talk about it often. Suddenly in the middle of the night, Nimal would tell me that he had not had a wink of sleep the previous night and that he wrote a song. Nimal asked me whether we could get it produced and the proceeds donated to tsunami victims in Sri Lanka.

We readily agreed to the idea. Since Nimal writes his songs in English. Dr. Vicumpriya translated his song into Sinhala and a businessman in Australia [Bill Skuthorp] contributed to the production of the song. With the help of my brother, Rohan, we produced the song in Sinhala and English. Waradatta Aravinda from Sri Lankan rendered his voice to one of the Sinhala versions and Nimal Rohan and, I sang another song. We handed over the proceeds from the sale to the organising committee of the Wesley College Old Boys' Association in Perth.

The OBA, at the time, was engaged in the reconstruction of Bathigama Mahavidyalaya and several other schools. Our song was acclaimed by the international audience. Nimal’s song was highly acclaimed even in the British Parliament. The English translation of my song Ruduru Ralu Maha Muhuda was appreciated by international journalists. All the creations can be played online or downloaded from the websites free.

Q: How would you look back on the releasing of the Dhammapada in CD format?

A: On the suggestion of Dr Vicumpriya Perera, I made the technical arrangement for the work. The Dhammapada Stanzas in CD Packs (5 Cds) were made with Ven. Beruwela Siri Sobitha Thera, the chief Sanghanayake of Perth rendering his melodious voice in Pali/Sinhala and Dr Gill Fronsdal in English.

It was also later released in the internet free of charge as a gift of Dhamma.

Diversity

Q: The 11 CDs you produced are amazingly diverse in nature. What made you to make such diversity in your albums?

A: As a vocalist, I do not want to confine myself to one style of music. When you look at the musicians of my selection, you could see the diversity of their styles and renditions. I wanted to face that challenge.

Even the themes of the successive lyrics are diverse. Ultimately, though it has given me enormous satisfaction it is the audiences which appreciate our creations.

Q: How would you position the new generations of musicians against the present scenario?

A: They are extremely fortunate and unlike those days when we aspired to become artistes. Now they have lots of avenues in the internet and other media. Modern technology is so advanced that one can make a creation by oneself at home or with a group of friends. The monopoly over artistic creation is over.

Q: Would the easy accessibility and production capability lead to popularise cheap creations?

A: Cheap creations would flood the market in any country. But, they will not last long and would, ultimately, be rejected by music lovers. There may be one or two newcomers who would make cheap creations. But, that should not be a pretext to out- rightly condemn and thrown overboard each and every creators and musicians of the new generation. In fact, the duty of the veterans is to make creations with them. Once, they taste the high quality creations, they will eventually step on to the correct path. The veterans should be the pathfinders for the new generation artistes.

One’s talents would not be in shadow when a veteran plays with an armature artiste. A vocalist who would not hesitate to pair with a newcomer was H.R Jothipala. How many duets had he sang with new fellow artistes? That’s the real talent of a singer.

Tribute

Q: You have rendered your voice to hundreds of songs of our own, and why did you sing songs originally sung by H.R. Jothipala?

A: That’s simply as a tribute to him. The other factor is that I sang not so popular but memorable songs originally sung by Jothipala since they are obscure now. Then, Jothipala’s fans would look/search for the originals and enjoy these songs over and over again. That was my intention. All these CDs were distributed free.

Q: Where can one obtain your CDs from and listen to your songs in the internet?

A: Most of my albums are available at popular international websites such as Google play, I-Tune, Amazon and CD Baby and such commercial websites. They can be obtained free from Net CD, Hela Nada, and Lankaheritage Sinhalese song website. Also one can watch them on YouTube. There are several clips made by fans, which eventually have been uploaded to the net.

Q: What is your next venture?

A: I have already completed and am about to release my 12th and 13thCDs, a double Album. Most of the songs were written by expatriates around the world who became friends through the social media forums and some are from Sri lanka. The 14th CD is in the making, it will be made up of songs similar to those made in the 1970s. And most of the singers who sang duets are from the new generation. Music for the CD is composed by the leader of a new and upcoming band ‘Chimes of the 70s’, Rukshan Karunanayake. Some of the lyrics written are also by several new comers. A contract has been signed to produce the 15th CD. This will be a reversal, and is intended to do all songs by using oriental instruments, classical or semi classical songs and Dr Vicumpriya Perera will write lyrics for some songs and Sangeeth Wicramasingha will make the music arrangements for the CD .

Q: Who lent a helping hand in this exercise?

A: It is a long list. But, some key persons in the new venture are my wife, two daughters, my brother Rohan Jayawardena, Dr. Vicumpriya Perera, Nimal Mendis, Ananda, Sangeeth, Rukshan, Devinda, Hemasiri and Janaka, Praba, Anusha Thilini and Eranga. I thank all the other artistes, writers, music directors whose names could not be mentioned here, as it is a long list.