Vasanta Lankatilake in his broadcasting studio
Deciding to immigrate to Canada leaving behind a flourishing career at the premier broadcasting institution in Sri Lanka was no easy decision for Vasanta Lankatilake.
The crucial move made by the broadcasting professional was mainly due to the increasing politicisation of the Sri Lanka Broadcasting Corporation (SLBC), the oldest radio station in Asia and the second oldest in the world.
“When unqualified people are appointed to important positions it is natural that the whole system is destined to crumble. This is what exactly happened in the latter part of my career at the SLBC. I was even on the hitlist of the terrorists and was punished by politicians just because I wanted to do a proper job. But I won back my privileges after a lengthy trial on fundamental rights grounds and in 2005 I decided to call it a day,” says Vasanta in an exclusive interview with the newstrails.com.
After landing in Canada in 2005 he joined Toronto’s CHRY broadcasting studio based at the York University and presented a Sinhala programme which became very popular among the Sri Lankans living in Canada.
The program presented features of interest to the Lankans living here, religious discussions, promoting Sinhala artistes in Toronto and interviews with well-known Sri Lankans here. After CHRY was disbanded he launched the Sawana 24-hour web radio in December 2017.
Toronto-based Sinhala beam is broadcast from 10 am to 10 pm on Saturdays, 10am to 10pm on Sundays and 6am to 10pm on weekdays and plays Sinhala music rest of the time.
Vasanta works on a voluntary basis taking part in all its technical aspects, and he is happy to pursue his life’s passion of broadcasting in his adopted country serving thousands of Sri Lankans living in Canada and other foreign countries.
“I contribute to the community what I know best and derive great satisfaction by still being in the profession for more than 40 years,” he says adding that he got job offers from two Toronto radio stations in the 70s but could not come here as it took a long time for a visa to be processed.
The web radio is a massive improvement of Vasantha’s CHRY days, presenting a range of programmes by professionals in a variety of fields.
Variety of interesting programs on Sawana
Among the presenters are Ven. Udupihille Wimalabuddhi Thero (dhamma discussions), Sunimal Balasuriya (interviews with well-known Sri Lankans in Canada), Dr. Sarath Chandrasekera (Letter from Toronto), Dr. Swarna Chandrasekera (world women’s literature), Vasanta’s wife Champa Godakandaarachchi (chidren’s programs and travel experience), Anuruddha Weligamage (short story), Dr. Ovida Vipulagune (medical opinions), Mahinda Jayasundera (computer technology), Dr. Jagath Rupasinghe (Sinhala films), Deepa Hettige (An Hour from Capital Ottawa), Asoka Tilakeratne (Documentary) and Hemasiri Kularatne (current affairs).
Vasanta fondly remembers his good friend and colleague Premakeerthi De Alwis, the veteran broadcaster who was brutally gunned down in the 90s during one of the most violent periods in Sri Lanka’s history known as ‘The Reign of Terror’.
Vasanta worked as the editor of a news magazine of 18 minutes called ‘Sarisara Puwath Sanagarawa’ presented by Premakeerthi. “It was the most popular Sinhala radio programme with the highest listenership and I think its record is still unbroken. A week before his death, another broadcasting professional, Thevis Guruge, who rose to the position of top executive of the Independent Television Network was also assassinated.”
Joining as a relief operational assistance in 1971 as a teenager, Vasanta rose to the position of Producer of Current Affairs and as the Controller (Operations) in charge of the new digital studio built with Japanese investments.
During his period of service, global broadcasting underwent revolutionary changes discovering new innovations. When he joined in 1971 the recordings were done on mono technology and within a decade the broadcasts and recordings were stereo-based. Towards the last part of his career he was heavily involved in FM broadcasts.
His most prolific period of service was when he was appointed as the Manager (Operations) of Lakhanda (Voice of Lanka) FM Radio in 1996 followed by a top post as the Manager (Administration) in Independent Television Network (ITN) until he came to Canada.
He got enough opportunities to hone his skills by studying broadcast technology abroad. He studied Planning and Production and Production of Public Program (Radio) at Asia-Pacific Institute for Broadcasting Development in Malaysia, followed by a scholarship to study Radio Broadcasting Management at Asia Mass Communication Research and Information Centre in Singapore.
Reminiscing on the early days of his career, Vasanta says: “The year 1971 was a troubled area in the nation’s history due to the youth insurrection. Before joining the SLBC, I applied for a post of sub inspector of police and my parents did not allow me to go for the interview as they were concerned about my safety. I was rejected by the SLBC when I applied first time as I was below 18, but was successful in my second attempt,” he said.
In the 70s he was involved in recording the songs of popular Sri Lankan artistes. It was quite a tough task considering the limited technology available at the time. Those days the SLBC recorded melodies on spools of tapes with the help of four microphones placed strategically to capture the voice and the orchestra music.
The singers had to go through a system of rigid auditions to be recording artistes. Towards the end of 70s there was an explosion of group pop music popularised by companies like Sooriya Records and Gowri Corporation.
Radio Ceylon oldest in Asia
“These companies released their EPs to the SLBC to be played over its air waves. Mushrooming of pop bands created a revolution in music and the station played those songs bending the rigid rules a bit. There was a strict rule for singers to pass a tough audition before their songs were recorded. Singer Milton Mallawarachchi was the first solo artiste to break that tradition. He was so popular and talented that the SLBC decided to play his songs even before he passed the audition,” Vasanta said.
The precursor of the SLBC, the Radio Ceylon was established in 1923, three years after broadcasting was inaugurated in Europe. The SLBC beam was very popular in Asia and the first men to conquer the Himalayas, Edmund Hillary and Sherpa Tenzing Norgay, listened to the Radio Ceylon after they reached the 29,035-foot summit of Everest on May 29, 1953, according to history.
Talking about the modern broadcasting in Sri Lanka he says today there are more than 20 FM stations catering to a population of 20 million facing tough competition from the TV and other modes of entertainments.
“The SLBC was a very profitable venture in the days of Hindi broadcasts in the 60s and 70s as there was heavy advertising from Indian companies. Today, the field has become very competitive owing to the large number of FM stations and TV channels trying to make a quick buck,” he states.
Now, stations try to lure listeners by offering money by way of competitions and some conducts dubious listener surveys in an attempt to project a wrong impression of their popularity just to keep their heads above water.
Vasanta’s wife Champa, an accountant by profession and writes songs during her spare time, was the main inspiration behind the launch of the CHRY broadcast and the web radio, according to him.
Champa who was present during the interview says her nick name for her husband is Dibba-sota. It is a Buddhist Pali term meaning clairaudience or divine ears, hypersensitivity of the brain lobes that are related to hearing.
“I am always surprised by his rare ability to hear sounds normally other people fail to pick up,” says Champa. That explains partly why Vasanta is shining as a successful programme producer and a recording professional in an area where one’s auditory faculty has to be in peak condition. – Somasiri Munasinghe
