TV Times

TV Times

Rani Lanka breaks her silence
Ranjith Bandara Attanayake
A popular singer of yesteryear Rani Lanka, who is domiciled in Canada has come to Sri Lanka again for a short vacation. She was a Grade B songstress in S.L.B.C. who has sung more then 70 songs from 1990.

Rani Lanka making references to her past said she was able to train her voice as a student singing Psalms at Holy Family Convent and Good Shepherd Convent. ‘But my father didn't want me to study music thinking I might neglect my studies,’ she said.

‘My decree of fate sent me to England, Iran and Nigeria to serve as a montessori teacher and I got a degree in Pre-School Teaching." Among the famous songs sung by Rani Lanka are Dammika P. Ratnayake's 'Piya Puthu Senehasa', 'Me Uyankone' (Upali Ariyarathne), "Mal Wasanthe' (Laxman Mallawarachchi) and ‘Awe Awe’ (Kusum Peiris).

Lanka said modern song fans are not familiar with her songs since they are not being broadcast on Radio Channels. "I have held musical shows in Sri Lanka and abroad. Once I sang a song 'Tikki Tikiri' at a musical show in India they encored and I had to present that song twice', Rani recalled. "The announcer introduced me as Latha Mangeshkar of Sri Lanka", Rani said.

Rani came out with a story how she had to face a challenge when she was about to attend a musical show. She said she got an anonymous telephone call saying not to take part in the musical show with death threat.

‘I immediately informed the Police about this call and Canadian Police had made arrangements to give me full security around the musical show premises."
Pakistan Musician, Nadeemali, music directors Stanley Peiris, Sarath Wickrama, Sarath de Alwis, Sunil Dharmesena, Therupathi Munesinghe and Sudath Fernando have provided music for Rani Lanka's renderings.

She was worried that most of the newcomers to the musical field have not identified the cultured values of Sri Lanka. ‘Their music is noisy. Drowns the voice. Tunes are not mellfluous, she lamented. Her latest audio 'Susum Podak' is released no in Sri Lanak.

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