THARANGA NANAYAKKARA RENOWNED AS ‘RADIO THARANGA’ A MULTIPOTENTIALITY INDIVIDUAL ALREADY AN ICON IN FM RADIO CHANNELS IN AN UNTARNISHED SCINTILLATING FLAWLESS VOYAGE – By Sunil Thenabadu

Tharanga was born in Matara her mother’s native dwelling Batheegama close to Dickwella  Her parents are Gunasena Nanayakkara and mother Ramani Amarakone while two younger siblings both brothers Dinesh and Manjula.Tharanga had tied the nuptial knot with Dilantha Jayasekera. Immediately after her birth the family had moved to Embilipitiya to live. She had entered to grade 1 to the Embilipitiya National school,  the Central College up to grade five when she had triumphed in the grade five scholarship examination Tharanga had been admitted to Matara Sujatha Balika Vidyalaya to fulfil her mother’s dream.She at the tender age of eleven years only, had been forced to enter into mother’s dream. She has professed that mother was happy but she was unhappy, terribly sad as she was to be boarded at Sujatha Balika Vidyalaya hostel. Up to that day she had never slept on her own but constantly with her mother. She had been taken to the hostel and handed over to the Matron Gangani. Mother to pacify her had told her the beach is in the vicinity as Tharanga loved the sea beaches had acknowledged she could view the sea constantly. As there was no beach seen Tharanga had questioned her mother where is the sea beach you were talking of. It was stated later just to motivate Tharanga.She had observed  Mother had left walking through a long basketball facility, had not looked back when Tharanga yelled to which she had explained later as it would have hurt her too if she looked back at the yelling Tharanga. But soon Tharanga had got used to the environment in the school and the hostel.Though she too had acquired the slightly different Sinhalese vernacular  of the southern  people she had not unveiled it much..

Tharanga more than concentrating on studies had been  a school senior prefect  but involved in countless  external activities like school drama, presenting, organising events ,had participated in sports Netball ,Volleyball had been the House Captain, Senior Prefect, President of Literary committee, Director and script writer  etc .Though all the teachers wanted her to study as her mother too had wished. However it was difficult to turn her away from this path which her mother also had approved and consented. During this tenure she had got used to the microphone having had friendly dispositions and links with the ‘Ruhunu Sevaya’ of the SLBC having contributed to school program ‘Mal Mal Waram’..While during the tenure of the school had won ‘Thurunu Shakthi’. One day when she proceeded to the office room the Vice Principal had proposed her to participate to the ‘Sawana Niwedaka Radio competition’ held at St Servatius College Matara where there were several rivalries in poetry ,verses, presenting etc. she could hear Asiri Priyantha Mulmullage the first presenter in the private FM radio  (Frequency Modulation ) announcing that the triumphant competitor would be given the opportunity to be elected to the “Savana” FM radio channel under illustrious  Jackson Anthony.She had thought to herself that she could make to the first five not principally the first. After several rounds of adjudications Tharanga had been elected as the winner. Tharanga had felt that Mekala Wasundara and Shantha Ponnapperuma  duo also stalwarts in the fm radio arena too wanted this village lass Tharanga to be brought to ‘Sawana’.After she joined she had professed it was not like it was presented like on a flower tray but was challenging which had to be seriously learnt ,which she had navigated through impediments too which had made her at least somewhat important to her superiors. She had been labouring in ‘Sawana” only for a few months as a relief announcer, when it was elevated and modernised to Sri FM  Then with the departure of renowned Jackson Anthony to the Swarnavahini television channel Tharanga had to work under the new  head Mahen Perera.