R. R. Samarakoon

R.R. Samarakoon
ආර්. ආර්. සමරකෝන්
Born
Ranasinghe Rajapakse Samarakoon

(1939-07-17)July 17, 1939
Nawalapitiya, Sri Lanka
DiedAugust 1, 2010(2010-08-01) (aged 71)
Colombo
Resting placeWadduwa cemetery
NationalitySri Lankan
EducationSt Andrew's Girls College, Nawalapitiya
Kingswood College, Kandy
Occupation(s)Dramatist, playwright, translator, author
Years active1965–2008
Spouse(s)Molly Srima Samarakoon
Ramya Wanigasekara (m. 1987)
Children2
AwardsBest Theater production

Ranasinghe Rajapakse Samarakoon (17 July 1939 – 1 August 2010; Sinhala: ආර්. ආර්. සමරකෝන්) [Sinhala]), popularly as R.R. Samarakoon, was a Sri Lankan dramatist, playwright, translator and author.[1] One of the earliest pillars of Sri Lankan drama, he is well known for several stage plays directed and produced in 1970s including Kelani Palama and Ahasin Wetunu Minissu.[2]

Personal life

Samarakoon was born on 14 August 1939 in Dekinda village, Nawalapitiya.[3] He started primary education from St Andrew's Girls College, Nawalapitiya and secondary education from Kingswood College, Kandy. He worked as a teacher of Kingswood for a brief period. Later he moved to Colombo for clerk post of co-operative wholesale corporation Sathosa. Later he worked as a translator and also held the post of Institutional Manager. In 1982, he was transferred to Jaffna for a political revenge. Instead, he quit his job and returned home. In 1995 he got back to work.[4]

Samarakoon was married to Molly Srima Samarakoon and the couple had their first daughter born in October 1978. Her name was Niluka Tharangi Samarakoon. Unfortunately his marriage didn't last long and after 7 years he separated and lived together with a popular artist Ramya Wanigasekara[5] She was born on 17 July in Kotiyakumbura, Kegalle as the fifth child in a family with seven siblings. Her father from Hettimulla, Kegalle was an estate superintendent and mother was from Eheliyagoda. Ramya has two elder sisters, two elder brothers and two younger brothers. She started primary education from Ampe Maha Vidyalaya, Kotiyakumbura. After attending to many school, she completed education finally from Ruwanwella Royal College.[6]

The affair started during the stage play Kelani Palama. The Samarakoon and Ramaya Wanigasekara had their daughter in 1989, her name was Buddhika Mudithani.[7] Buddhika acted in Kelani Palama in little age as "Surangani".[6] She excelled at stage costume designing.[8]

Samarakoon died on 1 August 2010 at the age of 71 following a brief illness.[9] His remains were kept at his residence, No 45, Dibbadda Road, Thalpitiya, Wadduwa North. The funeral was held at the Wadduwa cemetery in August 2010.[10]

Career

During school times, Samarakoon played a female role in the school play Vidura. However, he quit from acting since then and started to script writing. He wrote a detective story while in the school, which was later published as a novel Wes Muhunu.[4][11] Samarakoon enters drama as a pioneer in bringing together Sathosa artists and creating Sathosa art in 1967. His first play was produced in 1968 under the direction of Sathosa Drama Circle.[12]

In 1965, Samarakoon made his maiden stage play Ledak Nethi Ledek.[13] Samarakoon's second play is Charitha Dekak which came on stage under the direction of Sathosa Drama Circle in 1967. The play is considered to be a psychoanalytic work on gender relations.[12]

In 1971, he produced the play Ahasin Wetunu Minissu, where he won nine State awards including four major state awards: Best Script, Best Production, Best Actor and Best Supporting Actress.[14] He went England, France, USA and many other countries to stage the drama as well. His award winning novel Ge Kurullo won the award for the best work of fiction in 1971. The book was also translated into Russian and Tamil languages.[4][11] Samarakoon returned to drama in 1975 with the play Idama which won the Best Independent Essay and Best Actress awards at the State Drama Festival and four Merit Certificates for Outstanding Performance.[12]

In the same year, he won the award for the best original script at the State Drama Festival.[10] On 25 October 1978, he produced the popular stage play Kelani Palama.[15][16] Earlier he selected actress Chandra Kaluarachchi for the main role "Matilda". However she was pregnant at that time, where Samarakoon shifted to popular radio artist and his future wife Ramya Wanigasekara for the role. Still after his death, Wanigasekara produced the play and acted in the role for 41 consecutive years.[17] The play is considered as a milestone in history of Sri Lankan theater.[12]

Samarakoon produced the stage plays Idama (1975), Jailer Unnahe (1986), Doowili (1990) and Raja Kathawa (1991), where Wanigasekara acted in all of them.[6] Doowili is a drama that has gained rapid popularity due to its production on the subject of the world of a superpower in Cinnamon Gardens, Colombo. He also produced the plays Charitha Dekak (1967), Minihek (1979), Kaputu Bo (2003) and Kakul Hathare Ilandariya (2008).[4][18][19][11] The play Kaputu Bo was a new production that changed the title and cast of his second play, Charitha Dekak, but not a new drama.[12]

Even though worked as a translator, Samarakoon was a freelance writer.[11] Later he wrote many books such as Ek Sabhya Kathavak, Akalanka, Asammatha Adarayak, Ran Tharuwa, Thala Mala, Chandra Thapaya, Sundara Saha Sobani, Heta Kaluwara Dawasak, Sanda Eliya Kaluwarai and Loku Akka.[10][20] In 1994, he wrote the novel Eka Kuse Upan Evun which is considered as one of his best publications.[4] His only poem collection was Rathriya Awadi Nowe released in 2002.[12]

References

  1. ^ "ආර්. ආර්. සමරකෝන්". Goodreads, Inc. Retrieved 12 August 2020.
  2. ^ "Kelani Palama to be staged Nelum Pokuna" (PDF). Daily News. Retrieved 12 February 2020.
  3. ^ "From the fond memory of Ramya Wanigasekara about RR Samarakoon". Sarasaviya. Retrieved 12 February 2020.
  4. ^ a b c d e "R. R. who made the theater interesting". Lankadeepa. Retrieved 12 February 2020.
  5. ^ "The Kelani Palama is a milestone in my life". Tharunie. 14 October 2019. Retrieved 12 February 2020.
  6. ^ a b c "I remember my life". Hiru FM. Retrieved 12 February 2020.
  7. ^ "Who else can do what I did - Ramya Wanigasekara". Deshaya. Retrieved 12 February 2020.
  8. ^ "Multi faceted Ramya Wanigasekara". Daily Mirror. Retrieved 14 August 2020.
  9. ^ "My voice and beauty remain in the hearts of people ...... - Veteran artist Ramya Wanigasekara". Divaina. Retrieved 12 February 2020.
  10. ^ a b c "Death of well-known dramatist R R Samarakoon". Daily News. Retrieved 14 August 2020.
  11. ^ a b c d "The playwright who stood on his feet in the dialogue drama: R. R. Samarakoon". Boondi. Retrieved 12 February 2020.
  12. ^ a b c d e f "The creator who made the stage fun: R. R. Samarakoon". Divaina. Retrieved 12 February 2020.
  13. ^ "RR Samarakoon no more". BBC. Retrieved 12 February 2020.
  14. ^ "Ahasin Wetunu Minissu". rangahala. 5 July 2013. Retrieved 12 February 2020.
  15. ^ "A continual cry left perpetually unheard". Sunday Observer. Retrieved 12 February 2020.
  16. ^ "Kelani Palama 40 years on". Sunday Times. Retrieved 12 February 2020.
  17. ^ "Only Geetha Kanthi and I are still on the Kelani Palama". Sarasaviya. 23 October 2019. Retrieved 12 February 2020.
  18. ^ "Kakul Hathare Ilandariya". rangahala. February 2012. Retrieved 12 February 2020.
  19. ^ ""Kakul Hathare Illandariya" at the Wendt on May 8". The Nation. Retrieved 14 August 2020.
  20. ^ "R. R. Samarakoon - ආර්. ආර්. සමරකෝන් BOOKS". KBOOKS & KSP Publishers. Retrieved 12 February 2020.