I first met Rukshan during the covid pandemic. Our mutual friend and philanthropist Sukumar Nagendran funded a building for the nursing staff of IDH. I believe that project was overseen by former Army Commander, General Daya Ratnayake. Rukshan elevated the modest opening ceremony with a song.
Since then I’ve met him randomly, mostly at Royal College events. He inhabits a musical world, I am but an occasional listener. For all the stories he could tell and occasionally does tell, what always struck me was the passion in his words and in his eyes whenever he spoke about Sri Lanka and, to a lesser degree, Royal College.
It would not be correct to say that in all things it was country and school that framed his thinking, music and other interventions, although he certainly stood up to be counted (and more!) when the moment demanded presence. Music is what he is all about, I feel. And this in him added melody to other interests and concerns.
Music was scripted into his genes, so to speak. His mother was a teacher at Princess of Wales College, Moratuwa and a church organist. A methodist family, they all sang. He remembers prayers at home even at the age of three where hymns were a regular feature. Most importantly, Rukshan says, his mother sang harmony. Music was part of the household.
Moratuwa. That was the capital of a particular genre of music in Sri Lanka. That’s where he grew up. So, from church and school choirs, young Rukshan moved to a different type of music, along with his older brother PRasanna and younger brother Melantha, who by the way is a keyboardist for the band Mirage.
They had all learned piano from their mother but classical music was not what any of them wanted to pursue, even though they heard it all the time, either from her or her students. It was a time when guitar bands were becoming popular. They chose guitar over piano.
Rukshan moved to Royal College, but apart from being in the choir and participating in some events, his musical involvement had been minimal. He spent more time playing table tennis! He was heavily invested in music by that time, the legendary Clarence Wijewardena having invited him to play with Super Golden Chimes. He played lead guitar with the Golden Chimes and keyboards with the Super Golden Chimes
Music took him all over the world. The inspiration for such adventures is attributed to his father, Boyd Perera who was in the YMCA and had traveled a lot, almost every month in fact. He would tell the kids stories and show pictures from a slide projector. He had even visited the homes of Elvis Presley and Jim Reeves. Naturally, young Rukshan wanted to visit all these wonderful places. Music was his passport and visa.
‘We traveled. I played with the Esquire Set at the Intercontinental Hotel in Kabul, Afghanistan, in the late seventies when the Russians walked in! The International community came for our performances. They brought us albums of the latest songs. Later I played all over Europe with the band Serendib.’
At some point, Rukshan decided it would be good to get back to his books. So he settled down in the USA and read for a degree in Information Systems and later completed an MBA at the City University of New York. He worked for Phillip Morris for more than twenty years.
Music never left him though.
After leaving Phillip Morris, Rukshan returned to Sri Lanka because his father was ill and so was his mother-in-law. Later, he went back to the USA, living in Los Angeles until the war ended and working as a consultant.
'Even in LA, I played music at Jazz Unlimited every month, and at other concerts. I worked with Hussein Jiffrey, a Grammy winner. It wasn’t regular though. There were concerts and dances. There were recordings as well. I wrote a song, “One land for all” and got all Sri Lankan singers/musicians together. In fact I’ve written and recorded around 30 socially conscious songs on various topics. There were also special songs, for example when the war ended, the Easter Sunday attacks and of course Covid. I have also been inspired to write songs about Malala, Nelson Mandela and Mohammed Yunus, all Nobel Laureates, for all they’ve done, their contributions to the world and the inspiration they embody.’
A little known fun fact: when the inimitable Michael Jackson died, Rukshan composed and recorded a tribute titled “You Are The World” and presented it to Jackson’s brother, Jermaine Jackson!
He released a CD of his English originals, 2 live DVDs, and 2 DVDs for Rotary to raise awareness of Rotary service through his originals, and to promote values in young children using value-embedded songs.
Over the years, he has achieved much and been recognised too for his work. Few would know, however, that Rukshan composed the first Sinhala Acapella for pop groups in early 2000s but then again, he is widely recognised as a distinguished composer, director, recording artist, performer, and multi-instrumentalist, essentially an innovative musician who continually pushes musical boundaries. For example, Rukshan’s peace composition “Eka Mawakage Daruwo” won two Gold Medals at the Asia Pacific Choir Games.
Through it all, there’s a Sri Lankan heart beating inside the body of Rukshan Perera. It is made of compassion and love for the land of his birth and the people who inhabit it. Through it all, he stands by the people, especially those whose circumstances aren’t rosy. His interventions may have gone unnoticed but this doesn’t mean he hasn’t touched and changed lives.
It doesn’t end. Although Rukshan claims he is a retired musician who is taking things easy, he plays to raise funds for deserving charities in Sri Lanka through ‘Rukshan Perera Live In’ concerts. This he has been doing for the last ten years.
It’s never about himself. Recently, when he celebrated his 70th birthday, Rukshan did a special landmark show, ‘Rukshan Perera: A Musical Journey,’ all in aid of the Royal College Union Loyalty Pledge Scholarship Fund. Repaying debts, one might say, but then again he owes nothing to either school or country. We owe him.
Malinda Seneviratne is a freelance writer. malindadocs@gmail.com
0 comments:
Post a Comment