Today we meet Chithru. She is on and off chemotherapy, however she is testing her limits to her fullest in writing, singing and social activity. Let's meet Chithru up close and personal.

Tell us about your education background.

I studied at Holy Family Convent, Bambalapitiya and studied psychology at Leeds International. Currently, I am an undergraduate at the University of Sabaragamuwa specializing in English Literature and Sociology as a minor subject.

Tell us about your singing life.

Singing has always been a part of my life. My grandmother and mother were active in singing. They were my initial influences and inspirations to sing. I was a part of the school choir and the church choir at St. Thomas' Kotte. I never intended to take part in TNL Onstage but then a friend uploaded a cover I did of Jennifer Rush's 'Power of Love' on YouTube which became an unexpected hit and gave me a lot of good exposure. Then I applied for TNL Onstage in 2013 and went on to become runners up in the solo category. The best moment were the finals when I covered Whitney Houston's 'I Will Always Love You'. The crowd's response was just amazing. That would definitely be my favourite moment in my journey so far.

I made it to the top 12 on Derana Kavitha, a competition organized by the government for local university students. I released my original 'If I last year and am currently recording another. I also collaborated with fellow artiset Housni Yakoob and am working on a new track. I sang the jingle for the latest Anchor milk powder advertisement. 

This year has been special because I did my very first video.  It is for an inter-university outward bound competition called 'Sabra Challenge' organized by the Department of Sports Sciences and physical education of the University of Sabaragamuwa where students from all 10 state universities take part every year. I was privileged enough to sing the theme song of this and also to do a video. Then I won a scholarship from the Royal Academy of Music, England to study music.

You are an active social activist. What made you such a strong hit social activist? 

I am a social activist. It all started in 2012 where I realized that a majority happens to have a misconception regarding the word feminism including myself. We live in a society where women are told what to wear instead of men being told that they should not rape. Look at the words we use to insult a woman or a man? Bitch, slut, don't be a girl etc. Basically being called a 'woman' or being equalled to one is the biggest insult one could possibly receive. There's something seriously wrong with this, don't you think? That's the day I found a reason to fight for my passions.  

Then with the help of the general public I managed to shut down a pornographic page called 'school girls' where unauthorized images of school girls were published for sexual purposes. After starting an awareness campaign we managed to take this page down but it was far from over. There were many more pages which led me to create a group specifically dedicated to report and take action against such pages. So far we've managed to bring down over 60 pages.

StreetHarassmentHurts is a group which stand against street harassment of men, women and children. We are simply tired of being told to turn a blind eye at the atrocities one must face once they leave their households. We strive to make the streets safe for everyone. The specialty is that we do not simply stick to a mere Facebook page or one or two protests. Our mere goal is to create awareness. I mean I do know that it's going to be difficult to completely eradicate harassment but what we want to do is make someone think before they commit the crime. They'll think twice before they catcall or harass inside a bus. We target all social classes and we address the issue through Sinhalese, Tamil and English. I recently did a photoshoot as a part of an awareness campaign.

Photos courtesy Native Tribe Studios

What about your siblings?

No, I am the only child and no, I am not a spoiled one.

You were into writing and journalism, why did you leave that area? 

I was a feature writer for 2 major English news papers in Sri Lanka. the greatest moment was when I was able to interview the legendary Dr. Lester James Peiris. I had to quit as I was occupied with both singing and studying.

What are your other areas of achievements?

I happen to have a number of hobbies and these include acting, dancing, sketching, photography and have a collection of over 4000 stamps. Recently I discovered that I have a special talent in embroidery because I became runners up at a provincial embroidery competition.

'If you have a passion towards something and deep down you know that this is how you see yourself in the future and that's your driving force, give it a chance. Keep your dreams alive. Be creative and determined. Never only do it for the fame and money.'

Interview and pics by Jayantha Fernando
Location: Coco Veranda