22 Facts About Neela Wickramasinghe

Visharada Dona Delicia Neela Wickramasinghe, popularly as Neela Wickramasinghe, was a Sri Lankan songstress, teacher, playback singer and musician.

Neela Wickramasinghe was born on 30 March 1950 in Wattala, Ceylon, as the youngest daughter of the family.

Neela Wickramasinghe's mother Withanaratchige Done Yasawathie Gunasekera was a housewife.

Neela Wickramasinghe had one elder sister, Dona Aruni Rita Wickramasinghe.

Neela Wickramasinghe became a victim of Polio at the age of six months.

Neela Wickramasinghe first attended Kirimatiyagara Vidyalaya for primary education and then she was admitted to Kesbewa Government private school in 1954 where she first started to be involved in music.

Neela Wickramasinghe died in Milan, Italy, on 17 January 2022, at the age of 71 by cardiac arrest.

Neela Wickramasinghe's remains were brought to her home at Pepiliyana in Dehiwala and the funeral took place on 29 January 2022 at the Kanatte Cemetery.

Neela Wickramasinghe learned music under maestro Vincent Somapala and Ananda Jayasinghe.

Neela Wickramasinghe sang her first song for the then Radio Ceylon in 1959 for a programme 'Amateur voice.

Neela Wickramasinghe won the first place in the All Island Singing Competition held in 1963 and 1965.

Neela Wickramasinghe won the first place in the academic category in 1965.

Neela Wickramasinghe was diagnosed with abdominal cancer in a very serious manner and survived.

Neela Wickramasinghe won her first Sarasaviya Award in 1984 for the song "Bodhiye Viharaye" for the film Athin Athata, and won the Sarasaviya Award for Film Backing Vocals in 1988,1992 and 2006.

Neela Wickramasinghe was once awarded the Presidential Award in 1986 and the Sumathi Award in 1996 for a song in the teledrama Sankranti Samaya.

In 2012, to mark 45th anniversary of her musical career, Neela Wickramasinghe started a solo concert named "Master Sir".

Neela Wickramasinghe was the music director of the teledrama Nikini Wessa.

Neela Wickramasinghe was an active member of the Free Arts Organization during the last election season in 2018.

In 2002, Neela Wickramasinghe founded a charity organization named "The Mother" with the aim of catering to children, elders and artists who made a lifetime contribution to the field.

Neela Wickramasinghe participated in the UNICEF Project to save the children by eradicating polio from her country in 1989.

Neela Wickramasinghe's efforts helped immensely to eradicate polio through this campaign and by 2000 not a single case of polio had been recorded since.

Neela Wickramasinghe has won the Sarasaviya Award thrice, Presidential award, Sumathi tele award, Zonta award and Vanitha award.