RUKMANI DEVI-
Rukmani Devi (January 15, 1923–October28, 1978) was a Sri Lankan singer and actress, who was often acclaimed as "The Nightingale of Sri Lanka"[1]. She made it to the silver screen via the stage and had acted in close to 100 films, at the time of her death. Having an equal passion for singing as well as a melodious voice, she was Sri Lanka's foremost female singer in the gramophone era. After her death, she was awarded the Sarasaviya 'Rana Thisara'- Life Time Achievement Award at the 1979 Sarasaviya Awards Festival.
Rukmani Devi, was born as Daisy Rasammah Daniels to a Colombo Chetty Christian family on January 15, 1923 at Ramboda in Nuwara Eliya, Sri Lanka. Second, in a family of five, her father, John Daniel worked on a plantation and her mother, Helen Rose was a teacher.
She grew up in Colombo and had her early education at St. Matthew's School and then moved on to St. Clare's School, Wellawatte and Methodist College at Colombo.
(From left Helen Nilanthi, Rukmani, Father, Florence’s daughter
Kanchana, Mother, Florence. Freddy and Sarojini are standing behind)
As a little girl, Daniels showed an inborn talent to sing and dance. At the age of seven she was picked to sing Christmas carols. Impressed with her ability to sing, dance, and also to act, she was selected to perform a main role in a Christmas play, 'The Shoemaker's Wife'.
The stage play was trained and presented by St. Clare's School, Wellawatte.
Watching her play this role much enthusiastically, Walter Abeysinghe, a drama producer sought permission from her father, to invite her to play the lead role of 'Sita' in his drama 'Ramayanaya.' Thus, in 1935 at the age of just 12 years she performed in this stage play, presented by the 'Sinhala Natya Sabha'.
She was so clever that she participated in Christmas Carols when she was a student. Mrs. 'Chandraleka' a teacher of St. Mathew's was her mentor in singing. She became so popular as having the voice of an angel when she was singing in the school.
When the Daniel family shifted to Negombo from Colombo , she met young Eddie Jayamanne at the Negombo beach. It was during the period they were acting in the play 'Awatharaya' that their love affair commenced. The affair had gone so far that they were to get married. As Eddie had no proper employment or a source of income, the parents of Rukmani Devi opposed their marriage and filed action before the then District Judge of Colombo D.R.F. Dias. E.G. Wickremanayake Q.C. appeared for young Eddie, the Plaintiff-petitioner seeking permission of Court to marry Rukmani then in her tender age. However they were granted permission to marry, So it
happened.They lived at "Jaya Ruk"House, at Angurukaramulla, Negombo.
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Rukmani Devi (January 15, 1923–October28, 1978) was a Sri Lankan singer and actress, who was often acclaimed as "The Nightingale of Sri Lanka"[1]. She made it to the silver screen via the stage and had acted in close to 100 films, at the time of her death. Having an equal passion for singing as well as a melodious voice, she was Sri Lanka's foremost female singer in the gramophone era. After her death, she was awarded the Sarasaviya 'Rana Thisara'- Life Time Achievement Award at the 1979 Sarasaviya Awards Festival.Rukmani Devi, was born as Daisy Rasammah Daniels to a Colombo Chetty Christian family on January 15, 1923 at Ramboda in Nuwara Eliya, Sri Lanka. Second, in a family of five, her father, John Daniel worked on a plantation and her mother, Helen Rose was a teacher.
She grew up in Colombo and had her early education at St. Matthew's School and then moved on to St. Clare's School, Wellawatte and Methodist College at Colombo.
(From left Helen Nilanthi, Rukmani, Father, Florence’s daughter
Kanchana, Mother, Florence. Freddy and Sarojini are standing behind) As a little girl, Daniels showed an inborn talent to sing and dance. At the age of seven she was picked to sing Christmas carols. Impressed with her ability to sing, dance, and also to act, she was selected to perform a main role in a Christmas play, 'The Shoemaker's Wife'.
The stage play was trained and presented by St. Clare's School, Wellawatte.
Watching her play this role much enthusiastically, Walter Abeysinghe, a drama producer sought permission from her father, to invite her to play the lead role of 'Sita' in his drama 'Ramayanaya.' Thus, in 1935 at the age of just 12 years she performed in this stage play, presented by the 'Sinhala Natya Sabha'.
She was so clever that she participated in Christmas Carols when she was a student. Mrs. 'Chandraleka' a teacher of St. Mathew's was her mentor in singing. She became so popular as having the voice of an angel when she was singing in the school.
When the Daniel family shifted to Negombo from Colombo , she met young Eddie Jayamanne at the Negombo beach. It was during the period they were acting in the play 'Awatharaya' that their love affair commenced. The affair had gone so far that they were to get married. As Eddie had no proper employment or a source of income, the parents of Rukmani Devi opposed their marriage and filed action before the then District Judge of Colombo D.R.F. Dias. E.G. Wickremanayake Q.C. appeared for young Eddie, the Plaintiff-petitioner seeking permission of Court to marry Rukmani then in her tender age. However they were granted permission to marry, So it
happened.They lived at "Jaya Ruk"House, at Angurukaramulla, Negombo.
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