GeneralEducationHOTWednesday, April 29, 2026

Godage Publications Founder Deshabandu Sirisumana Godage Passes Away at 90

TLDR

Deshabandu Sirisumana Godage, Godage Publications founder, passed away April 29th at 90.
Born May 1936 in Palatuwa, Matara, he established his publishing house in 1956.
Conferred Deshabandu title 2003; final rites May 2nd at Borella General Cemetery.
His publications in Sinhala, Tamil, English won 38 consecutive state awards.

Deshabandu Sirisumana Godage, the revered founder of Godage Publications, passed away recently at the age of 90 while receiving treatment at a private hospital in Colombo. Born in 1936 in Palatuwa, Matara, Mr. Godage made immense contributions to the nation's literary landscape. He established Godage Publications in 1956, which became a cornerstone for local authors and readers. His dedication was recognized with the Deshabandu title in 2003, and his publishing house notably received the state award for the most publications for 38 consecutive years. Mr. Godage's journey began as a bookbinder, overcoming early economic challenges to build a prominent literary institution.

2 Updates

Update #3\u00b7 Apr 30 · 12:34 AM

Deshabandu Sirisumana Godage, founder of Godage Publications, passed away on April 29th at the age of 90. He was born in May 1936 in the Palatuwa village in the Matara District. He was the sixth of nine siblings and received his primary education at Palatuwa Gunaratne Maha Vidyalaya. He was conferred with the Deshabandu title in 2003. Godage Publications produces works in Sinhala, Tamil, and English. His final rites are scheduled for May 2nd at the Borella General Cemetery.

Update #2\u00b7 Apr 29 · 8:16 AM

Deshabandu Sirisumana Godage, founder of Godage Publications, passed away last night at the age of 90 while receiving treatment at a private hospital in Colombo. Born in 1936 in Matara, he began his journey in the world of books through bookbinding, guided by Venerable Balangoda Ananda Maitreya Thero. He established Godage Publications in 1956, which later won a State Award. His final rites are scheduled for next Saturday at 2:00 PM at the Borella General Cemetery, according to family members.

WhatsApp Post on X

Pulse Check — How do you feel?

Discussion

No comments yet. Be the first to share your thoughts!