Premil Ratnayake

{{Infobox person

| name = Premil Ratnayake

| native_name = ප්‍රෙමිල් රත්නායක

| image = File:At the Ministry of Trade.jpg

| birth_name = Premil Ratnayake

| birth_date = {{birth date|1933|04|03|df=y}}

| birth_place = Hatton, Ceylon

| death_date = {{death date and age|df=yes|2013|04|10|1933|04|03}}

| death_place = Colombo, Sri Lanka

| nationality = Sri Lankan

| spouse = {{marriage|Jasmine Ratnayake|1964}}

| children =

| alma_mater = Ananda College, Colombo

| occupation =

Journalist –
The Lake House
The Island (Newspaper)
The Daily News{{cite web|url=http://archives.dailynews.lk/2009/12/04/fea04.asp|title=Features | Online edition of Daily News – Lakehouse Newspapers|website=archives.dailynews.lk}}
First Secretary – Ministry of Foreign Affairs
Press Secretary – Ministry of Trade & Shipping

| website = {{URL|www.premilratnayake.wordpress.com}}

}}

Premil Ratnayake, (Sinhala: ප්‍රෙමිල් රත්නායක; 3 April 1933 – 10 April 2013), was a Sri Lankan journalist, author,{{cite news|last=Ratnayake|first=Premil|url=http://www.island.lk/2003/06/15/opinio02.html|title=Sarthaka vivahayata maga – Book review/ Opinion |publisher=island.lk|accessdate=17 September 2012}}{{cite news|url=http://archives.dailynews.lk/2012/02/02/fea30.asp|title=Historical remnants of Kotte Kingdom|newspaper=The Daily News|first=Premil|last=Ratnayake|date=2 February 2012|access-date=24 September 2018}} writer, diplomat, and former First Secretary (Press and Information). Ratnayake was a prominent journalist, having worked at The Lake House, The Daily News, and The Island.

He also worked under Lalith Athulathmudali, as Press Secretary, at the Ministry of Trade and Shipping. In 1984 he was assigned to Bonn, Germany, as First Secretary, for Press and Information, on behalf of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs. Later while in retirement, he returned to The Daily News for a short period.{{cite web|url=http://www.island.lk/index.php?page_cat=article-details&page=article-details&code_title=76726|title=The Island|website=www.island.lk}}{{cite web|url=http://www.island.lk/index.php?page_cat=article-details&page=article-details&code_title=77667|title=The Island|website=www.island.lk}}{{cite web | title=Premil Ratnayake dies| website=archives.dailynews.lk | date=11 April 2013| url=http://archives.dailynews.lk/2013/04/11/news60.asp | access-date=31 December 2023}}

Early life

Ratnayake Mudianselage Premil Ratnayake was born on 3 April 1933, in Hatton, Ceylon. He was the fourth son of Mudianselage Marshal Ratnayake and Rossyln Paranavitanage. He had four siblings; Willy, Wimala, Edwin (former Commissioner of Labour) and Lal, former DIG.{{Cite web|url=https://www.sundaytimes.lk/020106/sitrep.html|title=::: The Sunday Times : Situation Report|website=www.sundaytimes.lk}} Ratnayake was an exceptionally talented student, athlete, boxer and cadet at Ananda College.

Personal life

Premil married Jasmine Ratnayake in 1964, they had three children; Manohari, Sirimali, and Nayomini Ratnayake Weerasooriya.

Journalism and writing career

Ratnayake started his career working at the Bank of Ceylon. Afterwards, he left to pursue his passion, which was writing. Ratnayake then joined the Lake House,{{cite web | url=http://archives.dailynews.lk/2009/12/25/fea04.asp | title=Features | Online edition of Daily News - Lakehouse Newspapers }} working as a journalist for the Ceylon Daily News.{{cite web|url=http://archives.dailynews.lk/2010/01/14/fea15.asp|title=Features | Online edition of Daily News – Lakehouse Newspapers|website=archives.dailynews.lk}}{{cite web|url=http://archives.sundayobserver.lk/2015/09/06/fea11.asp|title=Mervyn de Silva: the feared outsider|website=archives.sundayobserver.lk}}{{cite web|url=http://archives.sundayobserver.lk/2005/05/29/fea31.html|title=Online edition of Sunday Observer – Features|website=archives.sundayobserver.lk}} Premil worked alongside the likes of Mervyn de Silva{{cite web | url=https://www.colombotelegraph.com/index.php/mervyn-de-silva-an-intellectual-thinking-alone/ | title=Mervyn de Silva: An Intellectual Thinking Alone | date=4 September 2015 }}{{cite web|url=http://www.dailymirror.lk/Opinion/an-intellectual-thinking-alone/172-86121|title = An intellectual thinking alone - Opinion | Daily Mirror}} who was the editor of the Lake House, Willie de Alwis{{cite web|url=http://archives.dailynews.lk/2001/pix/PrintPage.asp?REF=/2009/11/26/fea04.asp|title=|| Daily News Online Edition – Sri lanka :: Print Page|website=archives.dailynews.lk}} D. B. Dhanapala, and Christie Seneviratne.{{cite web|url=http://archives.dailynews.lk/2010/01/15/fea09.asp|title=Features | Online edition of Daily News – Lakehouse Newspapers|website=archives.dailynews.lk}} Ratnayake, while being a skilled writer, could also speak Sinhalese, Tamil and Hindi.{{Cite web|url=https://www.lankaimage.com/2018/11/appreciations-19-11-2018.html|title=[APPRECIATIONS - (19-11-2018)]|date=19 November 2018 }}{{Cite web|url=http://archives.dailynews.lk/2009/12/11/fea04.asp|title=Features | Online edition of Daily News - Lakehouse Newspapers|website=archives.dailynews.lk}}

File:While working at the Lake House (On the Right).jpg

=Apollo 12 crew tour=

In March 1970, Premil covered the historic event of the arrival of the Apollo 12 mission crew in Ceylon, for the Ceylon Daily News,{{Cite web |url=https://roar.media/english/life/in-the-know/ceylon-and-the-moon-men-the-time-the-apollo-12-astronauts-visited-our-country/ |title=Archived copy |access-date=22 June 2020 |archive-date=22 June 2020 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20200622155034/https://roar.media/english/life/in-the-know/ceylon-and-the-moon-men-the-time-the-apollo-12-astronauts-visited-our-country/ |url-status=dead }} part of a 20-nation goodwill tour, to celebrate the successful voyage to and back from the Moon. The Apollo 12 was the second spaceflight to land men on the Moon, it consisted of Charles "Pete" Conrad Jr., Richard F. Gordon Jr., and Alan L. Bean. The crew was welcomed by the then Minister of State, J. R. Jayewardene, US Ambassador Andrew Corry,{{cite web|url=https://history.state.gov/departmenthistory/people/corry-andrew-vincent|title=Andrew Vincent Corry – People – Department History – Office of the Historian|website=history.state.gov}} and the Mayor of Colombo, Vincent Perera.

=1977 Parliamentary elections=

Ratnayake was assigned to cover the 1977 Parliamentary elections, this assignment entailed covering all the election meetings held by J. R. Jayewardene (Leader of the Opposition at the time), on behalf of the Ceylon Daily News. They covered almost all parts of the island.{{Cite web|url=https://www.sundaytimes.lk/000917/plus11.html|title=The Sunday Times Plus Section|website=www.sundaytimes.lk}}

Government positions

Later in his career, Ratnayake was invited by Lalith Athulathmudali to join the Ministry of Trade and Shipping, as the Press Secretary, in order to handle publicity for the Ministry.{{cite web|url=http://archives.sundayobserver.lk/2007/04/22/fea03.asp|title=Features | Sundayobserver.lk – Sri Lanka|website=archives.sundayobserver.lk}} In 1984, the Ministry of Foreign Affairs subsequently sent him to Bonn, Germany, as First Secretary, for Press and Information.

File:NDR Talkshow Tietjen und Hirschhausen Messestudio Hannover.jpg

Post retirement

After retiring, Ratnayake returned to Lake House, to write for The Daily News briefly.{{Cite web|url=http://archives.dailynews.lk/2012/02/02/fea30.asp|title=Features | Online edition of Daily News - Lakehouse Newspapers|website=archives.dailynews.lk}} Since he was a writer and journalist belonging to the old world order, he didn't fancy writing on computers, and managed to get himself the only typewriter left at the Lake House as he simply says "To hell with the modernity, the scuttling mouse. All this sophisticated hi-fi gadgetry nauseates me and threatens to kill my journalistic creativity. Give me the typewriter any day – I am like an orphan child re-united with his mother. To be true I detest the computer. Only the typewriter can instil in me the desire to write. Its touch the loving caress, inspires me. Maybe I am naive and old-fashioned but I am me and I am in love with the old mistress."

File:Premil Ratnayake doing what he always likes to do. (4th Dec 2009).jpg

Death

Ratnayake died on 10 April 2013, at the age of 80.

Bibliography

Ratnayake wrote several books in his lifetime, four of which were published. One notable example was an autobiography of Lalith Athulathmudali.

= ''War and Warriors'' (1996) =

Ratnayake's first novel was published in 1996. The story follows Kumar Ranjana, a boy aged 10, and his life ordeals during World War II, following the Easter Sunday Raid, where Japanese forces attacked Ceylon on Easter Sunday.{{cite web | url=https://www.airforce.lk/tamil/history_pages.php?pages=royal_air_force_and_world_war_ii#:~:text=On%20Easter%20Sunday%2C%2005%20April,attacked%20strategic%20targets%20in%20Colombo | title=Royal Air Force & World War II | Sri Lanka Air Force }}{{cite web | url=https://www.sundaytimes.lk/100411/Plus/plus_26.html | title=Ceylon's Pearl Harbour attack }}{{cite web | url=https://www.sundaytimes.lk/110403/Plus/plus_13.html | title=Easter Sunday attack and the 'Saviour of Ceylon' }}{{cite web | url=https://www.hindustantimes.com/india-news/ceylons-first-air-raid-on-easter-sunday-japanese-attack-colombo-25-enemy-planes-shot-down-by-british-fighters-minimal-damage-and-casualties-ceylon-airraid-eastersunday-japanese-britishfighters-colombo-enemyplanes-damage-casualties-101680717098118.html | title=HT This Day: April 6, 1942 -- Colombo bombed: 30 planes shot down | date=5 April 2023 }}

= ''The Third Person Note'' (1997) =

His final novel, The Third Person Note was presented on 12 November 1997, at an event held at the National Library Services Board Auditorium, it was attended by Gamini Weerakoon, editor of The Island, and Dr. A. T. Ariyaratne, president of the Sarvodaya Shramadana Movement.{{Cite web|url=https://www.sundaytimes.lk/971109/plus10.html|title=The Sunday Times On The Web - Plus|website=www.sundaytimes.lk}}

class="wikitable" style="width:50%;"
style="width:15%;"\| Year ! style="width:100%;"\| Book ! style="width:40%;"\| Publisher
1986 \|Charisma: Lalith Athulathmudali, a fiftieth year volume \|Premil Ratnayake{{Cite book \| url = https://books.google.com/books?id=RChuAAAAMAAJ \| title = Charisma: Lalith Athulathmudali, a fiftieth year volume \| author1 = Premil Ratnayake \| year = 1986}}
1996 \|War and Warriors \|S. Godage & Bros{{Cite book \| url = https://www.worldcat.org/oclc/37580342 \| title = War and warriors \| isbn = 9789552019685 \| author1 = Premil Ratnayake \| year = 1996\| publisher = S. Godage & Bros. \| oclc = 37580342 }}
1997 \|Apostle of Peace : Gandhi Peace Prize winner, Sri Lankan Sarvodaya leader Ariyaratne : a narrative \|S. Godage & Bros{{Cite book \| url = https://www.worldcat.org/oclc/38139755 \| title = Apostle of peace : Gandhi Peace Prize winner, Sri Lankan Sarvodaya leader Ariyaratne : a narrative \| isbn = 9789552024559 \| author1 = Premil Ratnayake \| year = 1997\| publisher = Godage & Bros. \| oclc = 38139755 }}
1997 \|The Third Person Note : (a novel) \|Sarvodaya Vishva Lekha Publications{{Cite book \| url = https://www.worldcat.org/oclc/164925882 \| title = The third person note : [a novel] \| isbn = 9789555990868 \| author1 = Premil Ratnayake \| year = 1997\| publisher = Sarvodaya Vishva Lekha Publ. \| oclc = 164925882 }}

class="wikitable" style="width:50%;"

style="width:15%;"| Year

! style="width:100%;"| Book

! style="width:40%;"| Publisher

1986

|Charisma: Lalith Athulathmudali, a fiftieth year volume

|Premil Ratnayake{{Cite book | url = https://books.google.com/books?id=RChuAAAAMAAJ | title = Charisma: Lalith Athulathmudali, a fiftieth year volume | author1 = Premil Ratnayake | year = 1986}}

1996

|War and Warriors

|S. Godage & Bros{{Cite book | url = https://www.worldcat.org/oclc/37580342 | title = War and warriors | isbn = 9789552019685 | author1 = Premil Ratnayake | year = 1996| publisher = S. Godage & Bros. | oclc = 37580342 }}

1997

|Apostle of Peace : Gandhi Peace Prize winner, Sri Lankan Sarvodaya leader Ariyaratne : a narrative

|S. Godage & Bros{{Cite book | url = https://www.worldcat.org/oclc/38139755 | title = Apostle of peace : Gandhi Peace Prize winner, Sri Lankan Sarvodaya leader Ariyaratne : a narrative | isbn = 9789552024559 | author1 = Premil Ratnayake | year = 1997| publisher = Godage & Bros. | oclc = 38139755 }}