Three days of national mourning declared for Nanda Malini; final rites Saturday

The government has declared August 21, 22 and 23 as national days of mourning following the death of veteran singer Dr. Nanda Malini, the Department of Government Information announced on Thursday evening.

Further details on arrangements and observances connected with the mourning period will be announced through the Ministry of Public Administration, Provincial Councils and Local Government, the department said.

Nanda Malini died at her home in Nawala on Thursday at the age of 82, three days before her 83rd birthday.

Lying in state and final rites

Her remains will lie in state from 10.00 a.m. on Friday until 3.30 p.m. on Saturday for the public to pay their respects, according to Professor Sunil Ariyaratne, who is speaking for the family.

Ada Derana placed the location at the Nanda Malini Music Ashram at No. 30, Vijayaba Mawatha, Nawala Road, Nugegoda. Daily Mirror described the same address as her residence on Wijayaba Mawatha, Nawala.

Religious observances are set for 3.30 p.m. on Saturday, after which the funeral procession will leave for the General Cemetery in Borella. The final rites will be performed there at 5.00 p.m.

Professor Ariyaratne said the family had decided to honour the singer’s own final wishes by holding the rites without an official or special state funeral ceremony — a private choice that sits alongside the government’s separate declaration of national mourning.

President’s tribute

President Anura Kumara Dissanayake said in a post on X that he was deeply saddened by her death, describing her as “a true musical legend of our time.”

He said her timeless music had inspired generations of Sri Lankans, young and old, and that her musical legacy would live on in the hearts of millions. He extended his condolences to her family, loved ones and admirers.

Nanda Malini’s career spanned close to seven decades and brought her eleven Sarasaviya Awards and eight Presidential Awards for Best Singer. She was widely known by the honorific “Jathiye Yashoraawaya” — the Voice of the Nation — for songs that turned to oppression, corruption and social injustice as often as to love and separation.