Ediriweera Sarachchandra

Veditantirige Ediriweera Ranjitha Sarachchandra (born Veditantirige Eustace Reginold de Silva; 3 June 1914 – 16 August 1996), popularly known as Ediriweera Sarachchandra එදිරිවීර සරච්චන්ද්‍ර), was a Sri Lankan playwright, novelist, poet, literary critic, essayist and social commentator. Considered as the premier playwright in Sri Lanka, Sarachchandra produced several critically acclaimed theatre plays in a career spanned for more than four decades. He also served as a senior lecturer at the University of Peradeniya for many years and as Sri Lankan Ambassador to France from 1974 to 1977.

Sarachchandra was born on 3 June 1914 in Dodanduwa, Rathgama, Galle, Sri Lanka.

He completed his early education at Richmond College in Galle, St. John's College Panadura, S. Thomas' College, Mount Lavinia and St. Aloysius' College in Galle.

1933, gained admission to the Ceylon University College and offered Pali, Sanskrit and Sinhala for the first degree and passed out in 1936 with a first class and sat for the Ceylon Civil Service examination (because of his parents' insistence) and came first in the island.

He subsequently travelled to Santiniketan to study Indian philosophy and Music.

In 1939 Sarachchandra married Aileen Beleth.

Then he married Lalitha Swarna Perera, a children's drama producer.

Sarachchandra was the father of five children: Nanaditha, Sunethra, Kisagothami, Yashodhara and Ransi.

His daughter Sunethra is also a popular actress in cinema, television and theatre who entered acting with his father's stage play Kapuwa Kapothii.

Her performance in Ves Muhunu made her the best actress.

Since then, she has received several state awards.

Sarachchandra started his career as a teacher at St. Peter's College in Colombo 4.

He then joined the publishing company Lake House in an administrative position.

Sarachchandra returned to Sri Lanka in 1940 and resumed his teaching career at St. Thomas College in Mt. Lavinia.

Sarachchandra entered the drama around 1940 as a playwright who followed the Western natural drama tradition.

For the next ten years or so, he was involved in Western natural drama adapted into Sinhala.

From 1942 to 1944 he worked on his master's degree in Indian philosophy as an external student of the University of London while holding the position of Sub-Editor of the Sinhala Dictionary.

During that time, he made the stage plays Mudalalige Peraliya (1943), Kapuwa Kapoti (1945), Hangi Hora (1949), Valaha, Magul Prasthava and Manager (1950) which were adaptive natural dramas produced by him.

Sarachchandra returned to the University of Ceylon serving as a lecturer in Pali from 1947 to 1949.

He gained entry to the University of London in 1949 to study towards a postgraduate degree in Western Philosophy.

Sarachchandra's concept of drama has undergone a major transformation since the early 1950s.

In 1951, he produced the play Bahina Kalawa which was his first naturalistic creation.

Then he made three independent, natural short plays: Vala Ihagena Kema, Tharuna Lekakaya and Sathwa Karunawa.

In 1952, he produced a semi-natural semi-stylized play Pabawathi which was the first step he took to create a local drama tradition.

It was the first time that his play included "Pothe Gura" and songs.

Later, he had the opportunity to study in Eastern countries such as India and Japan.

In 1955, he made his longest natural drama Wadinna Giya Devale, which is a semi-natural drama with two songs based on a golden folk tale.

After returning, he produced his first stylist play Maname in 1956 to widespread acclaim.

Maname is generally considered the first real Sinhala drama, signalling the transition from the Nadagam or folk drama to the modern theatrical drama format.

After those critically acclaimed plays, he made several beyond 'Nadagam' tradition dramas including: Kada Walalu (1958), Elova Gihin Melova Ava (1959), Hasthikantha Manthare (1959), Mahasara (1968), Prematho Jayathi Soko (1969), Wesasanthara Natakaya (1980), Lomahansa Natakaya (1958), Bhava Kadathurava (1988).

Most of his plays were adaptations from Buddhist Jathakas or Sinhala folklore giving his work instant and lasting popularity with the population that identified with their roots.

He followed a stylistic tradition that included singing, playing and dancing in these stage plays.

After the successful venture, he continued as a playwright, developing his next stylist play Sinhabahu in 1961, which is widely considered as his best work.

Based on the Nadagam tradition, he produced only these two plays.

Composed and first produced in 1969, the lyric drama Pematho Jayathi Soko was based on the classic poetry "Swarnathilaka" included in "Saddharmalankaraya".

It was first presented by the Sinhala Drama Board of the University of Ceylon, Peradeniya and was staged for a week from February 25, 1969, to March 2, 1969, at 8 pm at the Sukhawathie Theater (EOE Perera Theater) in the Engineering Department of the university.

The University of Jaffna and the University of Peradeniya conferred Sarachchandra the degree of Doctor of Literature in 1982.

Also in that year, he was made an Emeritus Professor at the University of Peradeniya.

In 1983 the State of Kerala in South India awarded Sarachchandra the Kumaran Asan World Prize.

In 1988 he won the Ramon Magsaysay Award for Literature.