All time maestro, Pandith Amaradeva was born on December 5, 1927, in Moratuwa as Wannakuwatta Waduge Don Albert Perera. He showed an aptitude for music since an young age and won a gold medal for music and a violin contest held by the Jana Kala Mandalaya in 1945.
He composed music for the ballet Selalihini Sandeshaya by Premakumara Epitawatta, and went on to produce music for 12 films such as Ran Muthu Duwa, Gamperaliya and Getawarayo, as well as compose the melody for the Maldivian national anthem at the request of the Maldivian Government.
In 1986, the government conferred the title Kala Keerthi on Master Amaradeva and in 1990, he received the Sahithya Award at the State Literary Festival for his book ‘Nada Sittam’. He was titled ‘Pandith’ by Bhatkande University of Music for the outstanding contribution made towards the development of Sri Lankan creative music.
He was honoured as Deshamanya in 1998 by the government, and was awarded the Ramon Magsaysay Award of the Philippines in 2001 and Padma Sri Award of India in 2002. The government of France conferred the Officier in the Ordre des Arts et des Lettres (Officer in Order of Arts and Letters) in 2003, and Pandith Amaradeva received the Art Inventor’s Crown for investing a violin version. Pandith Amaradeva was 88 when he passed away on November 3.- IYK
Pix: Thilak Perera,Sudath Malaweera and Malan Karunaratne