14 Facts About Amara Ranatunga

Dona Amara Kasthuriarachchi, popularly as Amara Ranatunga, was a Sri Lankan singer and music director.

One of the most honored singers of Sri Lanka, Amara is the first Professor of Music in Sri Lanka.

Amara Ranatunga was born on 22 August 1939 in Batuwatta, Gampaha as the fifth child of the family with eleven siblings.

Amara Ranatunga's father was from Batuwatta and her mother was from Mathugama.

Amara Ranatunga was educated at Hanwella Primary School and later attended to Hanwella Rajasinghe Central College.

Amara Ranatunga played netball and attended other activities at school including learning ballet under maestro Wasantha Kumara.

Amara Ranatunga's father Charles Peter Ranatunga was a school principal and his mother Dona Maslin Kolombage was a housewife.

On 16 October 2018, Amara Ranatunga died at the age of 79 while receiving treatment at a private hospital for a heart attack.

Amara Ranatunga started her singing career at the age of eight or ten with the first song Yamuna Yamuna Sobana Yamuna.

Amara Ranatunga got the opportunity of singing according to the music of the musician Lionel Edirisinghe, and playing a role in the play Keppetipola produced by the program 'Lama Uyana' presented by Sarath Wimalaweera.

Dayarathna was the first male student of Heywood, whereas Amara Ranatunga was the first female student.

Amara Ranatunga was appointed to the Meegoda Central College and Dayaratne received the appointment at Richmond College, Galle.

Amara Ranatunga continued to work as a teacher for 43 years.

From 1997 to 2001, Dayarathna and Amara Ranatunga became lecturers on North Indian Classical music in the Ethno Musicology Department at the California University.