Nimal Mendis is one of Sri Lanka's outstanding singer/songwriters. He is a composer with dual nationality of Sri Lanka and Britian.
Nimal Mendis was 'discovered' by Radio Ceylon during an era when the oldest radio station in South Asia ruled the airwaves. They plugged his song 'Kandyan Express' and all his songs turning them into hits.
At present Nimal Mendis is living in France. He had 22 songs recorded in Britain in the sixties and appeared on the popular TV show “Top of the Pops " in 1968 with his own song " Feel like a Clown ". It was with his singing partner Sandra Edema as Ranee and Raj. It was a guest appearance. He is among a handful of Sri Lankan artistes ever to go on the 'Top of the Pops' TV program during the height of the the BBC program's popularity in the Swinging Sixties.
One of his songs " Master Sir " has been a popular song in Sri Lanka for many years. He also wrote " Ganga Addara " for the late Vijaya Kumaratunge, the Sri Lankan President's husband who was assasinated in 1988 . He has written these and many other popular film songs for our country’s foremost filmmakers Lester and Sumitra Pieris 's . The two songs mentioned are still played often in Sri Lanka.
Following the destruction and horror of the Tsumani that struck Sri Lanka Nimal Mendis composed a new song. It is based on the unprecedented sadness that the entire island of Sri Lanka is experiencing. The song will be translated into Sinhala and also to Tamil. Nimal Mendis needs sponsorship for a recording of this song by an organization who could do it like the Band Aid effort by British artistes that collected a huge sum of money for charity. He does not want anything for the song.
To contact Nimal Mendis:
Tel: ( 0033 ) 5 45 65 17 66 - nimal.mend@wanadoo.fr
His son ( Paulmarie Mendis ) contact details: in London. Tel: ( 0044 ) 207 272 5748 - datamyst@aol.com
In Sri Lanka - Varadatta Aravinda -
mobile: Tel: ( 00941 ) (0) 777 749420 - saman_li@yahoo.com
THE COMPOSITION BY NIMAL MENDIS:
1st Verse
Oh see the foam
The foam-crested wave
Everyone is dying
No one to save
Rising terror thirty feet
Crashing on the shore
Rolling horror on the land
Destroying door to door
Did you need the tsunami
To leave war behind
To come together
Love each other
My child I cannot find.
CHORUS
Tsunami Tsunami
Can I forget this day
My hand has lost its grip
My child is washed away
Tsunami Tsunami
From the bottom of the quake
Why have you done this?
Hundreds and thousands to take
The sea speaks to you man
The sea speaks to you
I’m cleansing your sins man
And all of your motherland.
2nd Verse
I was watching the sea gull
Diving for the fish
It caught the swimming eel
Out of the deep
I remembered the bullet
Past my ear with a swish
I grabbed my child, saved ourselves
With one mighty leap.
Give me an answer
You transgressed the law
What is in your mind now
My child is no more.
CHORUS
Words and Music by Nimal Mendis.
For further information:
http://mediaeyeproductions.blogspot.com