He taught us not only to dream sky-high but also the truth that everything can end in an instant through his lyrics. He dreamed of a world where we all soar freely with each other regardless of boundaries and barriers. And then, he let us understand that things we feel are heavier than we think.
His lyrics taught us what life is and what freedom is. Using simple lyrics, he uncovered the truth hidden beneath the flavors of impermanent illusions. This is why we felt his passing away heavier than we ever thought and felt.
“If there are no boundaries holding us, let’s soar freely together under the sky.”
When he sang this song, we felt the lyrics. As you know, the lyrics, though simple, were deep and philosophical. Today’s piece is dedicated to veteran musician Senaka Batagoda.
Born on June 25, 1958 in Seeduwa, Gampaha, he displayed his interest in singing and playing drums. Gifted with the rare skill of composing and singing songs with a mix of unique blend of folk influences, Senaka burst on the musical industry.
Senaka has performed with a popular band – 20th Century AD set up by Peter de Almeida. As one of the talented guitarists, he had performed at very popular hotels including Brown’s Beach. As noted by Peter, their mind-blowing performances propelled their stardom even to win the award of the Regional Band of The Year 1994 at an awarding ceremony organised by Lake House.
Before planting himself as a solo singer, Senaka was a member of the band Chandimal and the Second Connection in 1980. With his song ‘Api Kawuruda’ Senaka came under the spotlight. In 2011, it was Sangeeth Wijesuriya who released the song ‘Api Kawuruda’ with his new music band Wayo. Not only Api Kawuruda , Wayo released his other song ‘Api Senasille’ in 2014.
Going deeper into Senaka’s musical creations, it is clear that he has given his songs a touch of Western style for the Sri Lankan western music audiences. When we listened to his songs, we felt ourselves being carried away to another world, transcending time and space.
But now, whenever we hear his songs, tears well in our eyes. Indeed, though there are galaxies of stars twinkling in the sky, they are no brighter than the moon. Now we feel it.
