Sandadas Coperehewa

Sandadas Coperahewa (23 January 1923 – 7 June 2022) was a Sri Lankan Sinhala writer, poet, scholar, art critic, teacher and journalist.

Life and career
Coperahewa was born in Pamburana, Matara on 23 January 1923. He was educated at Pamburana Sariyuth College, then attended St. Thomas' College, Matara from the age of 9. He was recruited by Warden R.S.de Saram and taught Sinhala, Art and Buddhism for thirty two years (1951 -1983) at S. Thomas' College, Mt Lavinia alongside Arisen Ahubudu, GL Jinadasa and D.S. Jayasekera.

Coperahewa contributed poems to Subasa, a journal started by Munidasa Cumaratunga in 1941, and became an active member of the Hela Havula organization. He was deputy leader of the Hela Havula, an editor of the Pali Dictionary published by "Siri Vajiranana Bhikku Center Maharagama" and Editorial Consultant of Little Star Children’s weekly and Lankadeepa. He wrote columns on issues of Art, Buddhism, Sinhala Language and Literature in the English broadsheets, and translated Prof R.H.Wilenskis Miniature History of European Art to Sinhala ( Uropa Kala Itihasaya ha Uropa kala Hela Kala Sasandua Colombo: M.D. Gunasena, 1958). He also wrote a commentary to Sinhala poem Daham Gaeta Mala Vivaranaya.

Sandadas Coperahewa died on 7 June 2022, at the age of 99.

Honours
The "Hela Havula Movement" awarded him the title "Hela Bas Mini" 1993 in recognition of his services to Sinhala Language and the Department of Cultural Affairs awarded him the title the "Kala-Bhushana" in 2003 and "Divaman Pranama" by Godage Literary Festival in 2015 in recognition of his services to Art, Literature and Sinhala language.