Guru Devi Sunil Santha has created history, but there are many who would say, the history he created is waning from the younger generation in Sri Lanka. In this backdrop, Kapila Disasekera, a music enthusiast, organized a musical evening named, “Sunila Nada”, to pay homage to this mighty musician.
Speaking to the Sunday Observer, he said, Sunil Santha introduced an alternative, a more Sri Lankan variety of music at a time when Hindustan music was the base for artistic creations in Sri Lanka. “We live in an environment today where children do not have a choice, an opportunity to pick the music they want to listen to. The media chooses what they should listen to, so, I wanted to introduce Sunil Santha’s songs to the young generation”.
Sunila Nada, Sunil Santha’s songs performed by students from Grade one to university level, was a great success due to the commendations they received from the Sunil Santha Foundation, as well as, the oldest pupil of the Guru Devi, Kala Keerthi Ivor Dennis.
Appreciating the effort to bring Sunil Santha’s songs back to the younger generation, Dennis commended the children and teenagers who performed at Sunila Nada for perfecting the singing techniques. Recollecting his time with Sunil Santha, he said, the music Santha introduced became very popular even back then, and with Sunil Santha composing music for movies such as, Rekhava and Sandeshaya, people embraced his music, which is still popular.
Dennis met Santha in 1952, and joined him in all of Santha’s programs, working along with other mighty musicians, such as, Premasiri Khemadasa, W. Makuloluwa, and Somadasa Elvitigala. However, Dennis is of the view that Sunil Santha and his contribution to music is appreciated now much more than back then. “There’s more awareness now, and people are more appreciative of what he did back then,” Dennis said.
Author Vijith Kumara Senaratne of the Sunil Santha Foundation was another supporter of the Sunila Nada program, who regularly gave his support and guidance on Sunil Santha’s music and the specifications he followed in writing and speaking Sinhala, being a member of the Sinhalese literary organisation ‘Hela Haula’.
Senaratne explained that singers such as Milton Mallawarachchi and Victor Ratnayake developed their music based on Sunil Santha’s music. “Amaradeva also took his music to a new level though he embraced the Hindustan music.”
The unfortunate aspect of this introduction of a new variety of music, originally Sri Lankan, is that many felt threatened and blocked avenues for Santha to perform his best. “He was not recognized for being the genius he was,” Senaratne explained that Sunil Santha refrained from creating music for 15 years as a result.
If he was discouraged by the negativity, it was not reflected in his music. His return was marked by songs with music that were more original than before. But, most importantly, Santha always maintained correct Sinhala in his lyrics. His songs carry Sinhala words with their exact pronunciations adhering to the ‘lagu-guru’ difference which determines the sounds that stretch and those that don’t stretch. And, he composed music respecting that difference and not changing it in any way.
“People in high positions back then wanted to establish Hindustan music. Using one ‘raga’, a musician can compose any amount of music. But Sunil Santha’s music is not like that. It’s completely different, pure and new.
There were continuous attempts to block them,” Senaratne said. “All Santha wanted was to create a Sri Lankan identity in music and let people know that great music can be created with limited notes. He composed a song with one note, that’s how talented he was”.
The organiser of Sunila Nada, Disasekera said, Guru Devi Sunil Santha could be named the first pop singer in Sri Lanka. Unlike classics, it was easy for people to relate to that music, and that’s one reason for the undying love for the musician and his songs, Disasekera said.
Having a group of children and young adults performing, Disasekera said, he wanted to have a collection of songs appropriate for young people, covering a variety of subjects such as, nature, patriotism and so forth, and Sunil Santha’s songs fit into all these categories. “The song ‘Olu pipila’ has multiple meanings. As an adult, you see it as a love story, but when the seven year old boy sang it in the show, he perceived it as a song sung by the brother to his sister. There aren’t songs like that anymore”, he said.
The young participants who sang Sunil Santha’s songs were mesmerized by his music. “They knew only a handful of Santha’s songs, but now they are looking for more of his songs. That was our objective in having this performance; improving the music taste of young people in Sri Lanka,” Disasekera said.
Disasekera thanked the parents of the children who performed, for their commitment and encouraging the children to take part, without any financial remuneration, and the Sunil Santha Foundation who supported the endeavour from the beginning, and are still supporting. “Sunil Santha’s son Lanka Santha gave me authority to sing any of his father’s songs as long as I don’t make any changes to them, which I highly appreciate,” Disasekera said.
“We stuck to all the traditions that Sunil Santha followed, including the ‘one sentence one breath’ tradition. Even the seven year old boy followed it when singing Santha’s songs,” he said, explaining that Ivor Dennis has agreed to work with them in the future and use this team as a model team. “We are already getting invitations for more performances”.
The participants of Sunila Nada are from various backgrounds, most of whom have worked with or studied under Kapila Disasekera, from various Dhamma schools, schools as well as the SOS Children’s Village.
Shashika Ushani, a third year student of Kelaniya University said, her knowledge of music expanded as a result of the training she went through, which gave more meaning to words and music and an understanding of the technical aspect of the music created by Sunil Santha at a time when technology was not as developed as now. “I feel that Sunil Santha deserves more respect and I am sad about my lack of awareness about his music before,” she said.
Ranisu Kongalage is still in school and is delighted that he was introduced to Sunil Santha’s music at such young age. “I learnt a lot, working with others, not just music and songs, but also language, correct pronunciation and so forth”, he added.
Seven-year-old Senura Wijekoon is the youngest member of the group and he admits that the songs he sings in the group sounds very different and beautiful compared to other songs he has listened to. His mother S. Wijekoon said, the main reason for encouraging him to take part in the show is to help him develop a good taste for music, and give him the ‘right kind’ of exposure, and not market oriented music.
