Veteran singer Visharad Dr. Nanda Malini was cremated at the General Cemetery in Borella on Saturday evening, in a ceremony attended by relatives and close associates.

Ada Derana reported that the cremation took place at 5.00 p.m. Daily Mirror, filing on Saturday morning, had given the scheduled time as 5.30 p.m.

She died on August 20 at her home in Nawala at the age of 82. She was born on August 23, 1943 in Lewanduwa, Aluthgama — her 83rd birthday falls on Sunday, Hiru noted in its report on the funeral.

Hundreds of thousands pay respects

Her remains had been placed at the Nanda Malini Sangeetha Ashramaya, her music academy on Vijayaba Mawatha, Nugegoda, where Ada Derana said hundreds of thousands of people including political leaders, artists and fans gathered. Hiru reported that admirers waited in long queues late into Friday night, with large crowds returning on Saturday morning.

Pansukula rites were performed by the Maha Sangha at around 10.00 a.m. on Saturday. The public was given until 3.30 p.m. to pay respects before the funeral procession left for Borella.

State honours

President Anura Kumara Dissanayake visited the Nawala residence on Friday, where the remains lay in state. Prime Minister Dr. Harini Amarasuriya also paid her final respects.

In a condolence message reported by NewsFirst, the President described Nanda Malini as an exceptional artist whose music became a voice for social justice and the oppressed. He pointed to her civic activism during the political turmoil of the 1980s, saying she had remained steadfast in her principles without compromising her values, and said her contribution to the country’s social and cultural fabric would endure.

The government declared August 21, 22 and 23 days of national mourning, and the Ministry of Public Administration, Provincial Councils and Local Government instructed state institutions to fly the national flag at half-mast for the three days. Parliament observed a minute of silence in her memory on Friday.

A six-decade career

Nanda Malini moved to Kotahena as an adolescent and studied at Sri Gunananda Vidyalaya under the teacher T.N. Margaret Perera, who introduced her to Radio Ceylon after she won a poetry competition. She made her broadcast debut with the song “Budu Sadu” on Karunaratne Abeysekera’s programme Lama Mandapaya.

She trained under B. Victor Perera, studied at the Heywood Institute, and in 1963 went on to the Bhatkhande Music Institute in Lucknow, India. She obtained her Visharada degree in 1984.

Sources