Dr. P.B. Sannasgala was born on June 15, 1915 when Sri Lanka (or Ceylon as it was then known as) was still under British rule. He was born in the remote, picturesque village called Ambagasdowegedara in Ambawela, situated in the Uva Province in the foothills of the Pattipola mountains.
He was the eldest of eight siblings (three brothers and four sisters) and from an early age showed great academic promise. However, early life was hard; the village had no electricity, pipe-borne water nor roads which necessitated walking miles to the local school, an institution probably established by the British colonial administration.
His academic abilities were recognised by a prominent bhikkhus who was instrumental in the provision of early educational opportunities through the then well-developed Pirivena education. He graduated from Pirivena education at the top of his class, winning numerous awards. He enrolled at St. John’s College, Panadura for further education and thereafter entered the University of Colombo and obtained BA (Honours) in Sinhala, followed by a Master’s Degree and Doctor of Philosophy from the University of Peradeniya. He was older than his colleagues throughout his entire undergraduate and postgraduate degrees but showed tremendous aptitude, despite his humble background.
He married Nalini Ratnayake, the eldest daughter of A Ratnayake, the Minister of Home Affairs and Rural Development at the time and a longstanding parliamentarian who first entered the Legislature in 1931 as a member of the State Council of Ceylon for Dumbara.
Dr Sannasgala’s career began in 1947, and includes several original publications the most celebrated of which is the Sinhala Sahitya Wansaya, which still remains the only book written on the entire history of Sinhala Literature. This is a significant book, a recommended text for scholars and has been reprinted several times.
Later in his professional career, he moved to Lexicography and travelled to The Netherlands, Germany, the United Kingdom and the United States to study Lexicography further. He researched the influence of several languages on Sinhala such as, Portuguese, Malay/Javanese and Dutch languages and published the Sinhala Vocables of Dutch Origin in 1976.
His last major book was The Cookery book of the Kandyan Palace, a compilation of recipes in verse on royal meals which were provided to the Kandyan Kings. This was published in 1989 when he was nearly 75 years of age illustrating a lasting interest in the Sinhala culture and enduring academic abilities.
Perhaps one of Dr Sannasgala’s most significant achievements relates to his management of the Sinhala Dictionary Project. When asked to take over as Editor-in-Chief, in 1975 the project had barely started and under his editorship, the entire dictionary was completed in 1988.
Dr Sannasgala had a disciplined daily routine, rising at the crack of dawn to make his own cup of tea before settling down to his academic work. There is no doubt that his work ethic and his very effective use of time was central to his impressive literary output. His grit and determination to overcome his disadvantages of birth in a very remote village were instrumental in helping to rise to the pinnacle of his academic field. He passed away peacefully on March 22, 1997, after a lifetime of contribution to Sri Lankan literature. His books remain his lasting gifts to the nation.
– Dr Manouri Senaratne and Prof. Kshanika Hirimburegama