Twenty years have passed since Sri Lanka lost one of its most distinctive journalistic voices. Ajith Samaranayake, a writer who marched unmistakably to the beat of his own drum, left behind a legacy that continues to resonate with those who had the privilege of reading his work.
A Career Spanning More Than Three Decades
By the time of his passing, Samaranayake had dedicated over thirty years of his life to the craft of writing. In an era when journalism in Sri Lanka was finding its feet and defining its identity, he stood apart — a figure whose intellectual depth and independence of thought set him on a different plane from his contemporaries.
Hearing a Different Drummer
The words of American philosopher and writer Henry David Thoreau seem almost tailor-made for a man like Samaranayake:
"If a man does not keep pace with his companions, perhaps it is because he hears a different drummer. Let him step to the music which he hears, however measured or far away."
Those who knew Samaranayake, worked alongside him, or simply admired his writing from a distance would readily agree that he was precisely such a man — one who chose authenticity over convenience and principle over popularity.
A Legacy Worth Preserving
Two decades is a long time in the life of a nation, and Sri Lanka has changed enormously since Samaranayake walked away from his typewriter for the last time. Yet the qualities he embodied — rigorous thinking, moral courage, and a commitment to honest expression — remain as urgently needed today as they ever were.
As Sri Lankan journalism continues to navigate a complex and often turbulent landscape, pausing to remember those who helped shape its finest traditions is not merely an act of nostalgia. It is a reminder of the standards to which the profession can and should aspire.
Ajith Samaranayake may have kept his own counsel and walked his own path, but in doing so, he left footprints that many in this country's literary and journalistic community still look to for direction.
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Genuine journalist. Those days newspaper writing had real soul, no?
True men. Now its all copy paste from twitter feeds.