‘Bright Light’ reaches out to shine
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By Sanath Weerasuriya
‘Bright Light’ is Sri Lanka’s first-ever musical band composed entirely of visually impaired young musicians. Founded and guided by veteran musician Melantha Perera of Mirage fame, this talented group comes together to inspire audiences and showcase their exceptional musical abilities.
As a non-profit organization, the ‘MJF Charitable Foundation’ serves as the primary supporter of this musical project under the leadership of Melantha Perera. According to the foundation, its core mission is to nurture the talent of these visually impaired youngsters and ensure their sustainable growth in music.
‘Bright Light’ will make its debut public performance on June 7, 2025, at the MJF Center Auditorium in Katubadda, Moratuwa.”
‘It was not an easy task. Teaching visually impaired youngsters online for two years, with students from different parts of the island, was quite a challenge’ said Melantha. ‘There were times when band leader Dinesh felt sorry for me because some students wouldn’t show up for classes, and he even suggested giving up. On some days, he was the only one waiting online for others to join’ he added.
Despite these challenges, Melantha noted that the boys have come a long way in music. Over the past few months, they have been meeting in person, allowing him to guide them in playing as a band. ‘They have now developed a genuine interest as they delve deeper into it. Previously, they weren’t exposed to English songs, but now we are introducing a few to expand their repertoire’ he shared.
Riversheen School of Music, led by Melantha Perera, is dedicated to bringing these young talents together. He invests his time and resources in organising their transport and providing refreshments during practice sessions. A committed committee also works tirelessly to ensure the success of this endeavour.
‘On June 7, we are inviting the public to witness their incredible talents and help us take this project island-wide, spreading the message that ‘we can do it.’ We also hope to create a database to build a strong following. For now, we would greatly appreciate your support by attending the show’ Melantha requested.
Bright Light with Melantha -From Left to right- Theekshana, Sadun, Akila, Navoda, Samudra, Randi, Sethini, Rashini, Tharidu, Jonathan and Mela (behind)
Melantha Perera has dedicated himself to teaching underprivileged and special needs students at the MJF Centre in Moratuwa. One morning, the center’s head, Rehana Weththasinghe, approached him with a request—could he teach visually impaired students? True to his nature, Melantha never says no to a challenge.
Through this initiative, he was introduced to Prabath Wickramasinghe, who was leading the Brightening Life project. As an extension of this, Melantha launched Brightening Life Music Academy, where he began teaching music online for over two years. However, he soon realized that virtual lessons alone weren’t enough, as he felt he was losing connection with his visually impaired students.
Determined to bridge this gap, he came up with the idea of meeting them physically once a month. He expanded his efforts by bringing students from various parts of the island together in one place, training them to play as a band. Eventually, he named this group ‘Bright Light’.
Reflecting on this journey, Melantha admits he didn’t initially know what he was getting into, but he was confident in his ability to teach music—a field he has been immersed in for the past 45 years. Since starting formal teaching in 2015, he has mentored over a thousand students. Music runs in his blood, as his late mother, Mrs. Trila Perera, was a respected music teacher at Prince of Wales College, Moratuwa.
When he founded the ‘Riversheen School of Music’, students from all walks of life joined his classes. One of the biggest challenges he faced was correcting tone deafness, a condition where students struggle to pitch a note. Teaching students to maintain proper timing while singing and playing was another hurdle. He recalls students traveling all the way from Kandy just to attend his classes. To date, he has successfully trained and corrected nearly 22 students, both physically and online.
Over the years, Melantha has grown significantly as a teacher and even invented his own notation system for the guitar, which he named ‘MelaNota.’ This system has been copyrighted in the USA and received ISO certification from Australia. However, it is yet to gain official recognition in Sri Lanka.
Through his unwavering passion and dedication, Melantha continues to shape the future of music education, breaking barriers and proving that music knows no limits.
For any queries or additional information, please contact Melantha on 071 454 4092 or via email at thebandbrightlight@gmail.com.
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