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Bhareti’s music pulled at the heartstrings of people



 Anil Bhareti went on to make over 150 songs

  • Clarence made Bhareti his first song which was titled ‘Ada Wei Irudina’ in 1972
  • Bhareti’s career received a boost and a blessing he never expected with the song ‘Bethlehem Pure’
  • He also made his contributions to two films, Sihasuna and Damyanthi, with his singing prowess
  • He also sang duets with artistes in the likes of Indrani Perera, Geetharanjini Perera, Chandraleka Perera and Lankika Perera
  • The person who pushed him to do more songs and reach stardom was Vernon Perera, a renowned lyricist

Accomplished veteran singer Anil Bhareti (75) bid adieu to the music industry leaving a legacy for music lovers to cherish forever. His bass voice and the songs that resonated with it made Sri Lankans here and abroad be glued to his songs. People are attuned to his songs regardless of social background or age. We can safely vouch that he was able to bridge generations with his music. 

When we look back at his music career which spanned over five decades, it is important that we note the music environment that existed then and what contributions went into making ‘Anil Bhareti’ the singer of over 150 songs.

In numerous television appearances here and talk shows abroad, Bhareti had said that he blossomed as a singer thanks to the support from the industry and the individuals who pushed him. In other words, he was a bit lazy and to begin with and never dreamt of having such a stellar career as a musician. It is known that a person who pushed him to do more songs and reach stardom was Vernon Perera, a renowned lyricist.  

Like many other singers, a person who had an immense influence on his career was Clarence Wijewardena. After leaving school and when dabbling in music, he had the opportunity to work with Clarence in a band named Golden Chimes. That was a golden opportunity to be involved in professional music. However, Bhareti was only used for chorus singing which he struggled with at first. Knowing that Bhareti’s skills lay in solo singing, Clarence made Bhareti his first song which was titled ‘Ada Wei Irudina’. The year was 1972. Eventually, Clarence broke away from this band. But Bhareti remained with the band despite requests from the former to join him. Bhareti realised that he had no future with this band because when a song was played featuring this music group, the singer was never really credited or highlighted. When he too broke away and went in search of Clarence, the latter’s response was ‘So finally you understood’. Despite not having a close professional working relationship with Clarence, this legendary singer had ‘made’ over eight songs for Bhareti. That was the time Clarence produced music for the song ‘Tikiri Mali’ for which the lyrics were penned by Vernon Perera. Bhareti had once mentioned in a television interview that he would have made more songs had he associated more with Clarence. For the record, Clarence had been a good leader, a solid adviser to talented singers and a disciplinarian who taught the value of punctuality to artistes.

   
Bhareti’s career received a boost and a blessing he never expected with the song ‘Bethlehem Pure’. In an interview with ‘Maharu TV’, he had said that the lyrics were kept simple to ensure that the song became a hit and most importantly was understood by the masses. Interestingly the lyrics for the song were penned by Karunaratne Abeysekara, a Buddhist. Abeysekara is also the lyricist of the song ‘Buddhang Saranang Gachhami’ sung by Mohideen Baig. This underscored the openness in the society back then and the knowledge artistes and lyricists had of religions which they didn’t practise. Due to the blessings of this song—which is about the life of Jesus Christ—he was presented with an opportunity to travel to Bethlehem in Jerusalem during a foreign tour. The tour organiser had facilitated a free visit on his behalf to the place where Christ was born. Bhareti reveals in the interview with the television station mentioned above that he had knelt down at the place where Christ was born and sung that beautiful song. 

Riding on the success of this song, Bhareti had received many offers to sing songs associated with Christ. He had gone on to sing as many as 40 songs in praise of Christ, Christianity and Christmas, out of which 12 were included in a special CD on a request by a friend.  

There is intrigue associated with his name Bhareti and how it came about. In an interview with ‘Sri Lanka Morning Show C31 Television Melbourne’, he says his ancestors used the name Peiris before some members of the family adopted the name ‘Bhareti’ which was quite famous in India. In the interview, he chuckles and says “Though we took the name Bhareti, we remain staunch Sinhalese”. 

The lane leading to Anil’s residence named ‘Anil Bhareti Place’

Bhareti travelled to most countries in the world thanks to his singing. His songs like Tikiri Mali, Seethala Sanda Eliye, Ma Mulin Liyu Pem Patha, Hiru Ipadena Wita, Desa Widala, Rosi and Ma Adarai Nangiye made us not only enjoy the songs but also reflect on the choice of words and their meanings in the lyrics. He also made his contributions to two films, Sihasuna and Damayanthi, with his singing prowess. He also sang duets with artistes in the likes of Indrani Perera, Geetharanjini Perera, Chandraleka Perera and Lankika Perera. His career as an artiste is decorated with many achievements and reaching of milestones, but no one can really remember any organisation or the state presenting him with an award for his services to music. 

Many artistes see their names being placed on honours lists and roads being named after them, but this happens only after their demise. Bhareti got to cherish a moment of honour in 2022 when the Panadura Urban Council contacted him and informed him that the lane leading to his residence would be named ‘Anil Bhareti Place’. The initiation for this project was taken by the then Panadura Urban Council Chairman Nandana Gunatilake. Bhareti’s initial response was ‘no’ and he had as an alternative requested for the mentioned lane to be renovated with that money and bulbs be fitted to add light to the place during the darkest hours of the day. The Panadura Urban Council had however stuck to original plans to honour Bhareti despite there being opposition for it from council members who had proposed other names for such honours. 

People close to Bhareti will vouch that he led a simple life and also term him as someone who had a happy family life. According to newspaper reports, he was ailing for some time prior to his death. One wonders whether all that singing about Christ and Christmas made him think of God when he breathed his last on January 22. This ought to have been the spontaneous thought for a person whose life revolved around his religion and never allowed any of his musical achievements to go to his head.   



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