Perera was a Sri Lankan civil servant (3 February 1915 – 14 March 2002) with nine members in his family in Udumulla, Padukka.

Clifford Dodd, an Australian administrator, was appointed (via the Colombo Plan) as the first Director of the Commercial Service of Radio Ceylon and he contributed to the station's popularity across the Indian sub-continent.

Perera was also appointed the first Chairman of the Sri Lanka Rupavahini Corporation, the island's television station and the country's first competent authority.

Cambridge Senior 1st Division with exemption from London Matriculation twice as underage to enter University first time.

Entered Ceylon University College 1933, Intermediate in Arts (London) 1939 with Pali, Sanskrit, English and Logic.

Special Functions Attended many international conferences in Ceylon and abroad; Leader, Ceylon Delegation to the 1st Commonwealth Broadcasting Conference; Leader, Ceylon Delegation to 13th General Conference, UNESCO; Invited to seminar by Brookings Institution, Washington; Chairman or Member of various Government Committees, Particular mention may be made of Official Language Policy Implementation (1962).

Publication A number of essays, articles and reviews published in Journals on literary, cultural and religious subjects both in English and Sinhala.

Conferred by the Honourable Prime Minister of Sri Lanka Mrs. Sirimavo Bandaranaike felicitation award for the field of Administration.

1996 – Award presented by Sri Lanka Rupavahini Corporation in appreciation of being the pioneer of the new social media service and the development of a very special identity and tradition for it.

2001 – Golden Award for older persons presented by Helpage Sri Lanka for excellence in Public Administration.

2004 – Award in appreciation of the distinguished and dedicated service rendered to the cause of Education in Sri Lanka.

"When life was simple" As told to D.C. Ranatunga by M. J. Perera former Civil Servant and Permanent Secretary to the Education and Cultural Affairs Ministry "Livy's golden years on radio" by Noel Crusz "Cultural orthodoxy and popular Sinhala music" an article by Dr. Tissa Abeysekara "At the Berliner Ensemble" Henry Jayasena Column