Singing Queen Latha in her last concert said, ’’mata thama puluwan’’

By Sunil Thenabadu in Brisbane

Legendary singing queen Latha Walpola celebrated her 91st birthday on November 11, 2025, while ITN Lakhanda’s Radio perpetual existence marked 29 years on November 15. To commemorate these two unique milestones, a musical concert, “Pem Rajjaye”, was staged at the Musaeus College auditorium on November 7, 2025. The video of the concert was made available by the authorities of the ITN for the viewing pleasure of the public on Sunday, December 21, at 10:30 pm as a true spectacle to reminisce about the golden history of Latha.

There are more than 350 popular song solos and duets sung by the popular duo “Latha Dharmadasa Walpola” in the 1950s, 1960s and 1970s. The music melodies and compositions have been made exclusively by the music legends MK Rocksamy, R Muthusamy and P.L.A. Somapala, who transformed our film music to alarmingly unique heights. At this concert it had been decided to sing twenty-seven songs chosen after much deliberation by the family of the legendary famed trio Mahinda Bandara, son Thisara and wife Dhammika Walpola and Thisara’s wife, Christeena. Incidentally, it had been Thisara who had sounded out the authorities of the ITN in his dream to commemorate the legendary grandparents in a concert to evoke and reminisce about the duo, which had been given abruptly the green light sans much deliberation by the authorities of the ITN. As it was a gigantic implementation that could be achieved only by an institution like the ITN having all past records in films preserved in very safe storage.

The task of music was appropriately touched by legendary Mahinda Bandara, who is termed as the ‘Lord of the Strings’, having played the guitar for thousands of songs recorded in the annals of archives in native Sri Lanka. The orchestra led by Mahinda Bandara consisted of Sri Lanka’s best players, like drummers, saxophonists, flautists, guitarists, violinists, keyboard players, one mandolin player and two exponents of tabla, to make the musical extravaganza a splendour. It was mentioned by the compere, Kelum Srimal, that these songs were originally recorded with orchestras containing nearly hundreds of players, but the music of the entire concert was performed by this handful of professional players.

One who views the video released to the public by the ITN will be amazed to observe the details of the history of the songs, the names of the films, the related musicians and the names of lyricists in the songs sung in the entire concert made flawlessly. It was observed that many musicians and lyricists were present in the audience, well compered by Kelum Srimal in his own inimitable, mighty style. Most in the audience were interested aged septuagenarians and octogenarians who knew the words of all the songs well and sang them promptly with Thisara, Dhammika and Christeena simultaneously, which was a sporadic scene in contemporary recitals. This was ample testimony of the popularity of the Dharmadasa and Latha Walpola duo’s solo songs and duets sung about seventy-five years ago, beginning in the year 1958. Dharmadasa was then known as the ‘Sinhala cinemawe pem handa’, a heartthrob playback soloist in his era.

Among the songs selected were those from the films Sandehaya and Colomba Hardayo. Ramyalatha, Ahankara Isthriya, Akka Nago, Senasuma Kothenada, Mathalang, Sudu Nangi, Surathalee, Deepashika, Wana Mohini, Unnath Dahai Malth Dahai, Dheewarayo, and Awa Soya Adare. Yata Giya Dawasa’, ‘Dingiri Menika Sujage Rahasa’, etc.

The related film songs sung at the concert by the trio Thisara, Dhammika and Christeena were Lakaren Malak Pipee Selenne, Nilmini Senge and Rathu Guru Pare, which incidentally were the initial songs sung by the legendary duo Dharmadasa and Latha in the year 1958. The songs were made with Hindi tunes which in subsequent years were not followed by copying. The lyrics of many songs were penned by Karunaratne Abeysekera, Arisen Ahubudu, Hugo Fernando, and Premakeerthi De Alwis. Ajantha Ranasinghe, Herbert M Seneviratne, Susil Senadhira, etc.

There was a period when Dharmadasa and Latha Walpola refrained from singing film songs but sang many non-film songs, such as Sukumala Banda Nalawa to the music of P.L.A. Somapala, Uththama Muni Dalada to the music melody and composition of Sanath Nandasiri, and Rathu Guru Pare with lyrics by Peemakeerthi de Alwis and music by Stanley Peiris. The song Adare Run Vimane, a music composition, was by Dr Premasiri Khemadasa to the lyrics of Dharmasiri Gamage. These songs were sung to precision in the concert by the trio Thisara, Dhammika and Christeena to keep the audience truly flabbergasted and spellbound. Thisara is a person possessing a high degree of a sense of humour, which during the duration of the concert made the audience erupt in laughter. Thisara added that the grandparent duo had perfectly sung all songs; the trio of himself, wife Christeena and mother Dhammika are only endeavouring to imitate the duo. When the duo Thisara and Christeena sang the song Pen Rajjey, referring to the line “Aley Doley Vile Made Ale Ape”, Thisara said, “For you senior lyricists,” pointing to Bandula Nanayakkarawasam in the audience, “this was okay, but if a young lyricist made similar lines, the new generation would be blasted.” This was his sense of humour when these lines were sung by Christeena. Thisara could not stop laughing in a sarcastic manner.

During the concert an instrumental was played by the father-and-son duo Mahinda and Thisara Bandara, who are masters of the guitar and violin, respectively, to the music of the song ‘Pem Nelawille Man Senasille’, a duet by Latha and Dharmadasa Walpola, which was appropriately played, evoking the audience. The song was an inspiring route in the concert.

Some of the songs sung by the trio were Pem Rajjey, Ganga Yanna Koheda Galaa, Mama Magiyeki, Me Soumya Rathriye, Sirini Saru Sara Weela, Sathuta Sokai, Nilmini Senge Pawe, Ron Soya, Siri Lankawe, Dakina Dakina Wele, Hanika Yayam Pulli Gono, Ambara Punsande, etc. It needs to be mentioned that when Dharmadasa Walpola lived, it was Latha Walpola and Dhammika who sang together. In this concert it was the trio Thisara, Christeena and Dhammika who harmonised together meticulously.

At the conclusion of the concert, the legendary Latha Walpola sang on stage a part of ‘Sri Wibhushitha Lanka’ and said, ‘MATA THAMA PULUWAN’ smilingly in a good sense of humour. Thisara addressed the huge audience and said to sing ‘happy birthday’. She, in a good sense of humour, said, ‘MATA 19 yai.’ Her song ‘Me Suba Upan Dine’ was played while she cut the cake and fed Thisara first, who really loves his grandma, and thereafter the family members and close associates of the family who had gathered around her for this superior occasion.

The concert was a booming triumph. The efforts of Thisara and Father Mahinda Bandra were fulfilled to tall elevations, for those who attended the concert took home very pleasant memories which will never be found again in a concert.