Veteran Sri Lankan singer Nanda Malini passes away at 82

Veteran Sri Lankan singer Dr. Nanda Malini, who made an unparalleled contribution to Sri Lanka’s music industry for several decades, has passed away at the age of 82.

Born Mirihana Arachchige Nanda Malini Perera on August 23, 1943, in Lewwanduwa, Aluthgama, she later studied at Sri Gunananda Vidyalaya in Kotahena, Colombo, during her teenage years.

Under the guidance of teacher T. N. Margaret Perera, she joined Karunaratne Abeysekera’s “Lama Mandapaya” programme on Radio Ceylon and sang “Budu Sadhu,” written by Asoka Colombage and composed by D. D. Danny.

In 1956, she won a gold medal at a “Padya Gayana” poetry-singing competition held at the Borella YMBA, marking an important early achievement in her musical career.

Her entry into film playback singing came with the 1962 film Ranmuthu Duwa, Sri Lanka’s first full-length Sinhala colour film. She performed “Galana Gangaki Jeewithe” with Narada Disasekara under the music direction of Pandit W. D. Amaradeva. The song was written by Chandraratne Manawasinghe and is regarded as his first song written for a film.

She later studied under musician B. Victor Perera and attended the Heywood Institute of Art before continuing her studies at the Bhatkhande Music Institute in Lucknow, India. She later obtained the Visharada qualification with First Division Distinction in 1984.

Her first solo concert series began in 1973 and continued until 1979, completing 530 performances. Her “Sathyaye Geethaya” concert series began in 1981 and completed 500 performances before ending in 1984.

She launched “Pavana” in June 1987, with the concert series completing 205 performances over 18 months. Songs from “Pavana,” which addressed strong social and political issues, were banned from broadcast by the Sri Lanka Broadcasting Corporation and Sri Lanka Rupavahini Corporation.

Her many recorded releases included “Hemanthayedi,” “Pembara Lanka” and the children’s music collection “Sindu Hodiya.”

In 1984, she established the Nanda Malini Sangeetha Ashramaya, through which she helped train generations of music students.

The University of the Visual and Performing Arts awarded her an honorary Doctor of Philosophy in Fine Arts in 2017. She was the first female artiste to receive such recognition from a Sri Lankan university.

In recognition of her outstanding contribution to music, she received numerous awards and honours during her career, including 12 Sarasaviya Awards, 10 Presidential Awards and a Lifetime Achievement Award at the 2024 Derana Film Awards.