Sanath Nandasiri

Sanath Nandasiri (සනත් නන්දසිරි), born Herath Mudiyanselage Sanath Nandasiri, was a Sri Lankan singer, composer, music director and academic whose career spanned more than six decades. He is remembered for richly melodic love songs and devotional works, for his playback singing across Sinhala cinema, and for shaping vocal training in Sri Lanka as a university teacher and administrator.

Early life and training

Nandasiri was born on 15 February 1942 in Gothatuwa, then British Ceylon. He first sang on Sinhala radio at the age of thirteen, in 1955. In 1960 he travelled to India to study at the Bhatkhande Music Institute, where he trained in Hindustani classical music. That classical grounding later gave his compositions their distinctive harmonic depth.

Career and breakthrough

After returning to Sri Lanka, Nandasiri built a parallel career as a performer and as a composer for other artists. He wrote and arranged music well beyond his own voice, composing for Amaradeva and providing songs for the actor and singer Vijaya Kumarathunga, among others. He was also a prolific playback singer, lending his voice to a large number of Sinhala films.

In 1974 he joined the University of Kelaniya as a lecturer, and he served as head of its music department from 1988 to 1992. He was later appointed Chancellor of the University of the Visual and Performing Arts, a role that recognised his standing as a teacher as much as a singer. He married the singer Malkanthi Peiris in 1971; their daughter Anuradha also became a musician.

Signature songs

Nandasiri’s best-loved recordings pair clear, controlled vocals with classically informed melodies. Lyrics-lk hosts many of them, including the much-covered Sina Naganni, the wistful Me Prathama Wasanthayai, and Mama Nam Asai Ahanna Nayana. His devotional and patriotic side appears in Mage Ratata Dhalada Himi Sewanai.

• Sina Naganni
• Me Prathama Wasanthayai
• Mama Nam Asai Ahanna Nayana
• Mulu Lowa Magen Asaawi
• Eka Yayata Mal Pidunu
• Lassana Nam
• Sanda Kaluwara

Legacy

Nandasiri died in Colombo on 28 March 2023, aged 81. Across a long working life he received state and cultural honours for his music, but his lasting influence runs through the singers he trained and the standard of vocal craft he set. For Sri Lankan listeners and the diaspora, Sanath Nandasiri remains a defining voice of the classically rooted Sinhala song, and his recordings continue to be sung at weddings, in temples, and on radio.