Ran Daketten Lyrics by Centigradz

From the paddy reaped with a golden sickle,
the granaries overflow with the harvest,
blending in with the koel’s singing,
joy ripens deep within the heart
hearts brimming and spilling over with joy, may the Sun God protect us,
casting divisions aside, all of us united, as we deck ourselves for the sun festival

Faults dispelled, dispelled, the auspicious hour dawns,
the maidens’ beauty, their soft, tender smiles,
the grace of dancing to the rabana drum,
the glory of the New Year flows in a stream across the whole land

From the paddy reaped with a golden sickle,
the granaries overflow with the harvest,
blending in with the koel’s singing,
joy ripens deep within the heart

Why forget our common humanity?
why these disputes and divisions, splitting into factions?
tying our new hopes and ideas together,
let us all unite and think as one

From the paddy reaped with a golden sickle,
the granaries overflow with the harvest,
blending in with the koel’s singing,
joy ripens deep within the heart
hearts brimming and spilling over with joy, may the Sun God protect us,
casting divisions aside, all of us united, as we deck ourselves for the sun festival

This is a joyful Avurudu song, celebrating the Sinhala and Tamil New Year and the harvest that comes with it. It opens in the fields: from paddy reaped with a golden sickle the granaries overflow, and, blending with the koel’s song, the bird whose call announces the New Year, joy ripens in every heart. It calls on the Sun God for protection, fitting for a festival tied to the sun’s movement, and urges everyone to cast divisions aside and unite as they dress up for the celebrations.

The middle paints the festival itself. Faults and misfortunes are dispelled as the auspicious hour, the nakatha, dawns; young women smile softly in their finery; there is graceful dancing to the rabana, the traditional drum; and the glory of the New Year flows like a stream across the whole country. It is a picture of a nation at its happiest and most united.

The last verse turns the festive mood into a plea. Why forget our shared humanity, it asks, why the quarrels and divisions and taking of sides? Instead, tying our new hopes and ideas together, let us all unite and think as one. Written by Chathranga Siripathi, composed by Thusith Niroshana and performed by Centigradz, it is a warm, celebratory New Year anthem that uses the season of renewal to call for harmony across a divided society.