විජේරත්න වරකාගොඩ
4 songs performed
Wijeratne Warakagoda (විජේරත්න වරකාගොඩ, also spelled Wijerathne Warakagoda or Wijerathna Warakagoda) is a Sri Lankan actor, radio voice artist, and singer whose career on stage, screen, and Radio Ceylon spans more than six decades. He is widely recognised for the role of Korale Mahaththaya in the long-running radio drama Muwan Palessa, and as a Radio Ceylon vocalist his recordings remain part of the golden-era Sinhala song catalogue.
Warakagoda was born on 21 November 1933 in Kurunegala. He studied at St. Anne’s College, Kurunegala, and later at Ananda College, Colombo. Before his work in music and broadcasting took hold, he joined the police service in the mid-1950s and served for several years as a sub-inspector, an unusual path into the arts.
In 1960 Wijeratne Warakagoda was graded as an A-class singer at Radio Ceylon, the institution that shaped much of mid-century Sinhala music. Alongside his vocal work he became one of the most familiar voices in Sri Lankan radio drama, playing several characters in Muwan Palessa over a run that lasted decades. The same period placed him in the wider theatre and film world, working in the orbit of figures such as the playwright Ediriweera Sarachchandra and dramatist Henry Jayasena.
The Radio Ceylon recordings preserved here show the measured, narrative style typical of his era. Several carry lyrics by Henry Jayasena and arrangements from composers active in that period, including Shelton Premaratne.
For listeners who grew up with Radio Ceylon, Wijerathna Warakagoda is remembered as much for a voice on the airwaves as for any single hit, a performer whose acting and singing belonged to the same broadcasting tradition. Each of the songs above is presented with its Sinhala lyrics and English translation for readers following along in either language.
Every Sinhala lyric, composition, and song credit by Wijerathne Warakagoda.