Srilanka, Oct. 24 -- On October 24th, it will be 40 years since the passing of an artiste who added novel meaning to poetry, song, radio drama, journalism, theatre, and cinema. This rare-caliber artist was Thalangama Premadasa.Read Poetry

Although he departed from the field of Sinhala arts, the songs he penned are still occasionally heard on the radio. In such moments, we feel how much today's generation would have derived pleasure from the creations that could have been born from him had this veteran lyricist, poet, and playwright been alive today.

Born on January 21, 1932, in Thalangama, Premadasa Perera loved both prose and poetry right from his school days. In the early stages, he began writing articles and poems for children's new...