great lanka essay

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An Introductory Essay

Sri Lanka is an island nation located in the Indian Ocean, just off the southeastern coast of India. Despite its modest size—slightly larger than the state of West Virginia—Sri Lanka has a population of about 20 million people, almost equal to the population of Texas. The island is rich in natural resources, and has a diverse economy based on agriculture, mining, fishing, manufacturing, and tourism. On becoming an independent nation in 1948 Sri Lanka (formerly called Ceylon) seemed to be headed for a future as a stable and prosperous democracy. Since the 1970s, however, the country has been torn by violent struggles between the two main ethnic groups, Sinhalese and Tamils, that make up its population. Sri Lanka suffered severe damage and loss of life from the tsunami of 2004; what effect that disaster will have on the country’s political future remains to be seen.

Shaped like a teardrop, the island of Sri Lanka measures about 255 miles (415 km.) from north to south, and about 135 miles (220 km.) from east to west, with a total land area of about 25,300 square miles (65,600 square km.). It has more than 830 miles (1340 km.) of coastline. The island is ringed by a broad coastal plain, rising to an inland terrain of gently rolling hills. A range of mountains dominates the south-central interior, with the highest peak, Mt. Piduruthalagala, reaching more than 8200 feet (2524 meters) in height.

Located between 5 and 10 degrees latitude north of the equator, Sri Lanka has a tropical climate dominated by two monsoon seasons. The summer monsoon lasts from mid-May to October, when winds from the southwest bring rain from the Indian Ocean to the southern and western parts of the island. During the winter monsoon, from December through March, winds from the northeast bring rain from the Bay of Bengal to northern and eastern regions. Monsoon rains are constant and heavy, with up to 100 inches of rain per month falling during the summer monsoon in the southwest. October-November and mid-March to mid-May are intermonsoon seasons, with less rainfall. The climate is hot and humid for much of the year, but is cooler in the highlands.

The Ancient Period About 2600 years ago, migrants from northern India, the ancestors of today’s Sinhalese people, arrived in Sri Lanka. The Sinhalese were among the earliest people outside northern India to adopt the Buddhist religion, which they did around 300 B.C.E. The Buddhist kingdoms of Sri Lanka were related by language and culture to the classic states of northern India, such as the Maurya (324-187 B.C.E.) and Gupta (c. 320-c.550 C.E.) empires, and were in contact with them through diplomacy and trade.

The Sri Lankan Buddhist kingdoms flourished by building and controlling irrigation networks on the plains in the northern part of the island. One ancient capital, Anuradhapura, was home to some of the largest and most impressive Buddhist temples of southern Asia. The ruler of another Sri Lankan state, King Kasyapa (r. 473-491) made his capital at Sigiriya, a natural rock fortress rising a sheer 500 feet above the surrounding plain, on top of which the king built an elegant city of palaces and gardens.

King Kysapa and other Sri Lankan kings had to deal with occasional invasions from Tamil Nadu, in southern India, which increased in frequency and severity after around 600 C.E. Sri Lanka struggled, not always successfully, to remain independent of the great Chola Empire that dominated southern India from about 850 to 1279 C.E. A Tamil kingdom was established on the Jaffa Peninsula, in the northern part of Sri Lanka, by the early 13 th century. Meanwhile the center of Sinhalese royal power drifted steadily toward the southern and western parts of the island, and the separate Sinhalese kingdom of Kandy rose to power in the central hills. The division of Sri Lanka into a Tamil north and east, and a Sinhalese south, center and west, is thus not a new phenomenon of the 20th century, but a situation that has existed for hundreds of years.

Trade and the Colonial Era

Long-distance ocean trade in the Indian Ocean region has existed since ancient times. The Roman Empire imported luxury goods from Sri Lanka, including gemstones and cinnamon. Sri Lankan ships sailed as far west as Arabia, and as far east as China. Arab and Persian merchants knew Sri Lanka as the island of Serendib (a word that gives us “serendipity,” meaning “something which comes as a pleasant surprise”). “Treasure ships” sent by the emperor of Ming Dynasty China visited Sri Lanka during the 15th century.

Sri Lanka began to feel the impact of Europe soon after Portuguese ships found their way to the Indian Ocean at the end of the 15th century. Because Sri Lanka was rich in goods that Europeans wanted, and also because it is a convenient place to stop on the way from Europe to Indonesia and China, Europeans competed to control the island and its trade. The Portuguese conquered Sri Lanka’s coastal cities in the 16 th century but faced fierce competition from the Dutch for control of the island. By 1707 the Dutch had captured the last of the Portuguese forts along the coast and became the main European power in Sri Lanka, but they in turn lost out to the British in 1795-96. By 1818 the British had also defeated the independent inland Kingdom of Kandy, and the whole island of Sri Lanka became part of the British Empire.

Under British colonial rule, the economy of Sri Lanka was transformed to become a producer of agricultural products for foreign trade. Soon the economy was dominated by plantation crops such as coffee, tea, rubber, and coconuts. The British authorities also encouraged the migration of Tamil laborers from southern India to Sri Lanka to work on the plantations. Colonial rule created new elite groups, including plantation managers, intellectuals who took advantage of the opportunity to gain a western-style education, and bureaucrats who worked for the colonial government. But ethnic problems continued to complicate Sri Lankan national life.

Independence

All over South Asia (including today’s countries of India, Sri Lanka, Myanmar, Pakistan, and Bangladesh), resistence to British rule grew rapidly after the end of World War I in 1919. In Sri Lanka, which was comparatively small, stable, and well governed under British rule, the country’s first democratic election was held in 1931. A movement toward economic self-determination leading to full independence was spearheaded by Sri Lanka’s greatest modern leader, Don Stephen Senanayake (1884-1952). When Sri Lanka became independent on February 4, 1948, Senanayake became the country’s first prime minister. He committed his government to the principles of a free, democratic, and multi-ethnic Sri Lanka. However, long-standing problems between the Sinhalese and Tamil communities made it difficult to create a truly multi-ethnic society. Many Sinhalese resented the Tamils as “newcomers” who took jobs and political power away from them (although the ancestors of some Tamils had lived in Sri Lanka for centuries). Many Tamils feared that their rights would be ignored by the Sinhalese majority.

Modern Sri Lanka: Problems and Promise

Sri Lanka’s path as a modern, independent nation has been marred by almost continual political violence. Governments have faced popular pressure from the Sinhalese majority not to make concessions to the Tamil minority; Tamils have agitated for more autonomy. An agreement in 1957 recognizing Tamil as a national language and calling for the creation of a semi-autonomous Tamil state in the northeast was never fully implemented. Since 1972 the armed uprising of the Liberation Tigers of Tamil Eelam (“Tamil Tigers”) has been met with government military force, leading to outright civil war. Hundreds of political leaders, including Prime Minister W. R. D. Bandaranaike in 1959 and President Ranasinghe Pemadasa in 1993, have been assassinated by extremists from both communities. Despite cease-fires, negotiations, and peace-making efforts by India, Norway, and Thailand, by the early 21 st century the civil war had been responsible for at least 60,000 deaths. Foreign investment in manufacturing and tourism has stagnated in part because of fears of violence, with negative effects on national economic growth.

Renewed peace talks in 2002-04 have led to a reduction in the level of violence, and new hopes for a long-term settlement. Sri Lanka has a large, well-educated population, great economic potential, and a long tradition of democracy. It is poised for a great future if it can solve its key problem of Sinhalese-Tamil conflict. Many observers hope that a national effort towards recovery from the tsunami of 2004 will be a step in the right direction.

Discussion Questions

• Based on what you have learned in this essay, how would you describe U.S.-Sri Lanka relations today? Think about its form of government, its domestic policies and unrest, and its trade goods. Can you make a hypothesis on bi-lateral relations?
• Colombo was not physically impacted by the December 2004 tsunami. Why?
• Several countries in South and Southeast Asia, including India, Indonesia, Pakistan, Bangladesh and Myanmar, gained independence around the same time Sri Lanka did. How do these countries' experiences compare and contrast? What roles do ethnic and religious diversity play?
• Sri Lanka is geo-politically tied to India. What are Sri Lanka's other important foreign relations? Why?

Author: John Major.

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Essay on Sri Lankan Culture

Students are often asked to write an essay on Sri Lankan Culture in their schools and colleges. And if you’re also looking for the same, we have created 100-word, 250-word, and 500-word essays on the topic.

Let’s take a look…

100 Words Essay on Sri Lankan Culture

Sri lanka: a tapestry of tradition.

Sri Lanka, an island nation nestled in the Indian Ocean, boasts a vibrant and diverse culture shaped by its rich history, geography, and ethnic diversity. Its people, warm and hospitable, celebrate life with zeal, embracing traditions passed down through generations.

A Symphony of Flavors

Sri Lankan cuisine is a harmonious blend of local and foreign influences, reflecting the island’s diverse history. Rice, the staple food, is accompanied by curries brimming with spices, coconut milk, and fresh vegetables. From fiery curries to delicate sweets, Sri Lankan dishes tantalize taste buds with an array of flavors.

Vibrant Festivals and Arts

Sri Lanka’s cultural heritage shines brightly during its many festivals and celebrations. Traditional dances, colorful costumes, and lively music fill the air as communities come together to honor their traditions. From the grandeur of Kandy Esala Perahera to the rhythmic beats of traditional drumming, Sri Lankan art forms captivate audiences with their beauty and energy.

A Legacy of Craftsmanship

Sri Lanka’s artisans possess remarkable skills, crafting exquisite works of art that reflect the island’s cultural heritage. From intricate wood carvings and delicate pottery to intricate handloom textiles, their creations showcase the dedication and skill that have been passed down through generations.

A Tapestry of Faiths

Sri Lanka is home to diverse religious traditions, including Buddhism, Hinduism, Christianity, and Islam. Temples, mosques, and churches stand side by side, representing the island’s long history of religious tolerance and harmony. The coexistence of different faiths enriches the cultural fabric of Sri Lanka, fostering a spirit of unity and understanding.

250 Words Essay on Sri Lankan Culture

The warm hospitality.

The people of Sri Lanka are known for their warmth and hospitality. They welcome visitors with open arms and go out of their way to make them feel at home. Sri Lankans are always willing to help others, and they are always happy to share their culture and traditions with visitors.

The Rich History

Sri Lanka is a country with a rich and diverse history. The island has been inhabited for thousands of years, and many different civilizations have left their mark there. Visitors can explore the ancient ruins of Anuradhapura and Polonnaruwa, or visit the historic city of Kandy.

The Stunning Natural Beauty

Sri Lanka is a land of stunning natural beauty. It is home to lush rainforests, pristine beaches, and towering mountains. The island is also home to a wide variety of plant and animal life. Visitors can go on safaris in the national parks, go hiking in the mountains, or simply relax on the beach.

The Diverse Culture

Sri Lanka is a diverse country, home to many different cultures and religions. The main ethnic groups are the Sinhalese and the Tamils, but there are also many other smaller groups. The various cultures of Sri Lanka are reflected in the country’s food, music, and dance.

The Conclusion

Sri Lanka is a fascinating and beautiful country with something to offer everyone. From its warm hospitality to its stunning natural beauty, Sri Lanka is a destination that will stay with you long after you leave.

500 Words Essay on Sri Lankan Culture

Sri lankan cuisine: a culinary symphony, sri lankan dance: a rhythmic extravaganza.

Sri Lankan dance is an expression of the country’s vibrant culture and heritage. Traditional dances like Kandyan Dancing, originating from the hill country, are characterized by elaborate costumes, intricate footwork, and graceful movements. They tell stories of mythology, history, and daily life. The energetic and colorful fire dance, known as Fire Devils, is a captivating spectacle, while the rhythmic beats of the drums accompany the mesmerizing movements of the dancers.

Sri Lankan Festivals: A Celebration of Life

Sri Lanka is known for its vibrant festivals that reflect the country’s diverse religious and cultural traditions. The Sinhala and Tamil New Year, celebrated in April, marks the beginning of the new year with feasts, music, games, and traditional rituals. Vesak, the festival of lights, commemorates the birth, enlightenment, and passing away of Lord Buddha and is celebrated with colorful lanterns, processions, and acts of kindness. Deepavali, the festival of lights, is celebrated by the Hindu community with oil lamps, fireworks, and traditional sweets.

Traditional Sri Lankan Dress: Elegance and Simplicity

Sri lankan crafts: a showcase of skill and creativity.

Sri Lanka has a long tradition of skilled craftsmanship, evident in its diverse range of handicrafts. Intricate wood carvings, delicate handwoven textiles, and stunning batiks reflect the country’s rich artistic heritage. The intricate designs and motifs tell stories of Sri Lankan culture, history, and mythology. These crafts are not only beautiful but also serve a purpose, from clothing and household items to decorative pieces that adorn homes and temples.

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The History Hit Miscellany of Facts, Figures and Fascinating Finds

The 10 Best Historic Sites in Sri Lanka

Explore the ancient history of sri lanka through our guide to the island's 10 best historic tites, featuring the sacred anuradhapura and the colossal jetavanarama dagoba..

Peta Stamper

18 aug 2021.

Nestled within the Indian Ocean, the island of Sri Lanka boasts a documented history of over 3,000 years to explore. Sri Lanka’s location has made it strategically important from the earliest days of the ancient Silk Road trade route right up to today’s so-called maritime Silk Road.

Beyond its rich history of trade, many of Sri Lanka’s incredible historic sites reflect the island’s Buddhist heritage, as well as the legacies of vast and powerful kingdoms from the Anadhurapura and Sinhalese periods.

So what are you waiting for? From the Temple of the Tooth to the Dambulla Cave Temple, these are our 10 best historic sites of Sri Lanka.

1. Polonnaruwa

Polonnaruwa contains the awe-inspiring UNESCO-listed ruins of what was the medieval capital of Ceylon. It comprises, besides the Brahmanic monuments built by the Cholas, the monumental ruins of the fabulous garden-city created by Parakramabahu I in the 12th century.

Polonnaruwa was initially a temporary royal residence. However in the late 10th century, it became a capital city of Ceylon (the former name of Sri Lanka) after the ancient capital of Anuradhapura was conquered and destroyed by King Chola Rajaraja I. The Chola dynasty favoured Polonnaruwa over Anuradhapura as it was thought to be easier to defend.

2. Anuradhapura

Anuradhapura is a sacred ancient city in Sri Lanka founded in the 4th century BC, whose beautiful ruins are now a UNESCO World Heritage Site. Over time, Anuradhapura became one of the great capitals of Sri Lanka (then called Ceylon), garnering both political and religious significance.

In around 250 BC, Anuradhapura gained its first Buddhist sovereign, Tissa, and in the same century, the city was gifted a highly sacred object in the shape of a tree cutting.

The fig tree from which the cutting originated is believed to be the same one under which Siddharta – the founder of Buddhism – became enlightened…

3. Sigiriya

Sigiriya is a vast rock used over time as a Buddhist monastery and as a 5th century royal fortress. Comprised of a vast red rock mound rising over 660 feet, it is thought that Sigiriya (meaning “Lion Rock”) was originally inhabited during the 3rd century BC, when a Buddhist monastery was founded there.

The ruins of Kashyapa’s castle can still be seen at Sigiriya today, and include the remnants of a city at the foot of the rock. From these ruins, it is evident that the king’s city was grand, with gardens, monuments and of course, his palace.

4. Temple of the Tooth

The Temple of the Tooth is a colourful temple which is said to hold the tooth of Buddha – one of the most important Buddhist relics.

The subject of fierce fighting, it is said that the tooth – one of the Buddha’s teeth and therefore one of the most important Buddhist relics – was first brought to Sri Lanka in the 4th century AD and has been part of the politics of the local region ever since. Legend has it that whoever owns the tooth has governance over the local area.

The Temple of the Tooth was part of Kandy, a royal city founded in the 14th century that became the capital in the 16th century. Subject to various colonial invasions, Kandy fell to the British in 1815.

5. The Dambulla Cave Temple

The Dambulla Cave Temple, often known as the Royal Rock Temple, is a cave temple complex in the centre of Sri Lanka. It is made up of series of 5 caves instilled with over 20 centuries of history and imbued with religious significance. The temple contains a wealth of Buddhist art, including numerous statues and murals of Buddha.

The Dambulla Cave Temple is also known as the Golden Temple of Dambulla. It is the largest and best-preserved cave temple complex in the country, with the rock towering 160m over the surrounding plains. Inhabited since prehistoric times, it was in the 3rd century BC that a monastery was initially constructed at Dambulla.

6. The Ruwanwelisaya Dagoba

The Ruwanwelisaya Dagoba, or the Great Stupa, is a magnificent Buddhist sacred site in the ancient city of Anuradhapura in Sri Lanka . Today, the Ruwanwelisaya Dagoba is the most prominent of the “Atamasthana”, the 8 holy places Buddhists should visit on pilgrimage to Anuradhapura, UNESCO World Heritage Site.

The Ruwanwelisaya Dagoba was built in 140 BC by King Dutugemunu, who later became King of all Sri Lanka after defeating the Chola King, Ellalan.

The stupa was constructed in a hemispherical shape, its purpose to hold the relics of the Gothama Buddha. However, King Dutugemunu died before its completion, his brother Saddhatissa ascending the throne.

7. The Jetavanarama Dagoba

The Jetavanarama Dagoba is a vast Buddhist shrine, and at the time of building was the third tallest monument in the world. The stupa is located in the ancient city of Anuradhapura in  Sri Lanka  and is believed to hold part of a sash worn by Buddha.

With its huge dome and reddish-copper hue – accounted for by the millions of burnt bricks used to build it – Jetavanarama Dagoba remains an incredible structure.

Together with its sister stupa,  Ruwanwelisaya , the Jetavanarama Dagoba remains one of the best-preserved monuments to the ancient city of Anuradhapura. The stupa towers over 89 metres, shorter than its original 121 metres, and you can see on stone inscriptions the names of those who contributed to the building effort.

8. The Sri Maha Bodhi Tree

The Sri Maha Bodhi Tree in  Sri Lanka  is one of Anuradhapura’s most important Buddhist sites and is a sacred place of pilgrimage. It is thought the tree grew from a cutting of the fig tree under which Buddha gained enlightenment, making the tree almost 2,000 years old. Pilgrims continue to flock to see the Sri Maha Bodhi Tree.

The tree lost two branches to storms in 1907 and 1911, as well as having one stolen in 1929. In 1985, during Sri Lanka’s civil war, the sacred site also witnessed the massacre of Sinhalese-Buddhists by the Liberation Tigers of Tamil Ealam in what is known as the Anuradhapura Massacre.

9. The Brazen Palace

The Brazen Palace in Anuradhapura was once a magnificent structure initially built during the reign of King Dutugemunu of Sri Lanka (161 BC-137 BC).

Rebuilt on several occasions, at its peak, it would have had over a thousand rooms and would have risen nine storeys.

Today, the sole remains of the Brazen Palace are 1,600 neatly aligned granite columns arranged in forty rows.

10. Lankatilaka Vihara

Lankatilaka Vihara was a large sacred building known as a “gedige” in the medieval city of Polonnaruwa which would be used to house images of Buddha. One such impressive sculpture of Buddha remains in the ruins of Lankatilaka, albeit without its head.

The Lankatilaka Vihara is believed to have been built during the reign of Parakramabahu (1153-1186) and to have been restored by Vijayabahu IV (1513-21).

Sri Lanka: The Pearl of the Indian Ocean - Uncover Its Tourist Paradises

Tourism in sri lanka essay english 150 words.

Sri Lanka is one of the most elegant and attractive green tourist paradises in the world. Our country is an island surrounded by the Indian Ocean and located near to South India. It has been very popular as the " pearl of the Indian Ocean " and Fortress of Theravada Buddhism. Today, Colombo is the biggest commercial city and the legislative capital is Sri Jayewardenepura Kotte. Sinhala, Tamil, Muslim, Burgher, Malay and other minority people live here. Sinhalese are the majority. All are very peaceful. There are so many things here for tourists to visit and enjoy.

This tourist destination is very rich with golden beaches, games, very high mountains, green rain forests, waterfalls with sceneries, beautiful tea estates, so many huge and long rivers. Furthermore, it has ancient heritage ruins of Sinhala Buddhist kingdoms. This heritage has a recorded history of more than 2500 years and thousands of archaeological sites including many huge incredible man-made world heritages like Sigiriya named by UNESCO.

essay about tourism in Sri Lanka English 300 words

A tourist can travel throughout the island easily. Almost all the roads are carpeted and they have a very good transport services; they are not much expensive. This small island only 65,610 square km. Therefore, different climates like hot and cool are possible to be accessed within a few hours.

Tourist also can go on safari in Yala, Kumana and Sinharaja forests and do camping to visit wild animals like elephants, leopards, tigers, beautiful birds etc.

Tasty food, quality accommodations are available everywhere. The smiling people live in the rich cultural of the country are very friendly and helpful. So, tourism in Sri Lanka provides utmost happiness and satisfaction.

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Kumar Sangakkara: The greatest hero of our time

on 08/24/2015 08/23/2015

The Cricketing world will pause for a moment, to celebrate the legendary career of Kumar Sangakkara that draws to a close, and then move on; a bit richer for the legacy he leaves behind, for the standards he raised, expectations he upheld and for his story being entwined with the story of Cricket. He has already confirmed his place among the greatest test batsmen the game has ever seen.

Yet the people of Sri Lanka will pause for longer and with heavier hearts; not merely beset by doubts about who now will rescue their hopes the next time their openers get dismissed in quick succession. To most Sri Lankans, he is more than the greatest Cricketer their country has ever produced. By far the most loved and respected Sri Lankan on his generation in Sri Lanka and throughout the Cricket playing world, for Sri Lankans, he is also their Hero.

Our choice of heroes – as individuals and as nations – reflect more deeply and authentically, our history and character as well as our hopes and aspirations. Every civilization, culture and historical epoch is characterised by the heroes they spawn, whose lives personify the values and aspirations of their time and whose tales become the template by which heroes of subsequent generations will be cast, and judged by.

The first popular hero of the Sinhalese was a king named Gamini from Sri Lanka’s Deep South, whose mythology is constructed around his vanquish of a popular Tamil king from South India who ruled over the Northern half of the island. Gamini was a rebel from his younger days, raging against his father’s inhibition to evict Ellalan: a Cholan invader who occupied richly irrigated Northern plains – the rice bowl of Sri Lanka. It earned him the nickname ‘Dutugamunu’, meaning ‘Gamini the Wicked’.

When Gamini eventually waged his successful military campaign against Ellalan, he did so with the army that his father had built, having marched along the East Coast through Tamil villages where his father had nurtured friendships in order to supply his troops. Gamini’s army is said to have been led by ten ‘giant’ generals with superhuman powers that his father had recruited and around whom he had organised his troops. The impassioned king and his ten giants led a heroic campaign against many odds to unify the island politically – in 205 BC – for the first time in the islands recorded history. Despite the connotations of this event, Tamils and Sinhalese continued to live rather peacefully together for centuries to come.

Yet, for two millennia, as Sri Lanka came under constant attack and threat of invasion, the quintessential Sri Lankan hero conformed to a version of Gamini’s prototype – usually a tragic-heroic king or royal princeling who defended his race from foreign invaders and protected of his faith from heresies. Every generation and historical epoch that followed was characterised by the nationalism and fervour of heroes they spawned; whose lives reflected the fears and aspirations of their time and whose tales become the progenitor of heroes that came after. The stereotypical Sri Lankan hero therefore, was invariably a brave nationalist. From Dutugamunu in the third century BC, to Veera Puran Appu in the nineteenth century, this type of heroism crystallized in the national psyche to the exclusion of all others. The notion of a stable, independent and unified Sri Lanka did not materialise for another two thousand years, and the intermittence of political and geographic unity never allowed a coherent and inclusive national identity to emerge, let alone the unity of hearts and minds of the diversity of people that inhabited the island and came from afar to trade and settle.

Like Gamini, for much of the island’s long, rich and conflicted history, its heroes have been cast on the field of battle. They distinguished themselves in conquests waged to unify their land politically; but opinions about their heroism or villainy remained divisive because they often fought to protect their own ethnic, religious or cultural identity to the exclusion of others. It has therefore been a common feature even during its struggle for independence from British rule in the aftermath of WWII, that Sri Lankan heroes of one community were often perceived as villains by others.

Therefore at its birth as a modern nation state in 1948, the Dominion of Ceylon faced a serious deformity that would cripple it for decades to come. Strong nation states – more often than not – are born out of collective struggles; through which emerge their defining values, legends, myths and – perhaps most importantly – heroes that personify and embody all the vital elements of a nation’s identity as well as the aspirations of its people. While each community had their own leaders and historic legends, there weren’t a single heroic figure that represented the identity and aspirations of the young nation as a modern, united and pluralistic state. Instead, narrow visions of national identity and short-sighted politics led to decades of divisive communal violence. Most notably at the end of the war in 2009, Sri Lanka needed – more than ever – a voice of intelligent cosmopolitanism that could elevate the island nation from the divisive legacy of its past heroes and give cause for the myriad cultural and religious groups to unite. Yet, it was a void that the island’s conflicted history was ill-equipped to solve by itself.

Sri Lanka required a different kind of battlefield and a new and revolutionarily new type of heroes to emerge – who could unite its ancient peoples in heart and mind like never before. They came in the form of Arjuna Ranatunga and his own band of ten ‘not quite giant like’ men. As diverse a group as the people they represented – they came from the all walks of life including the urban middle class and the rural heartlands that had rarely filled the heroic template of heroes past. Their vocation was even more peculiar. Cricket was very much a symbol of foreign conquest and occupation of the island. Heroes were more likely to be made fighting it than playing the game. Besides, heroes and are often those inclined to imperil themselves in pursuit of immortal glory – not those who side with pragmatism or caution as Cricketers were required to be. Upul Tharanga was ever lauded for bravely chasing deliveries outside off stump nor Chandimal for courageously hooking bouncers down deep square-leg’s throat. But they nevertheless managed to achieve something that Sri Lankan heroes have never done before. 2201 years after the famous campaign of Dutugamunu and his ten giant worriers had briefly united it politically, a contrastingly modest and unassuming band of eleven men united Sri Lanka in heart and mind for the first time in the island’s history in 1996: when they won a world cup (or “THE world cup” – if you are Sri Lankan).

Until 1996 and then again in the early 2000s, Sri Lanka’s cricketers, much like the celebrated kings and rebels of their ancient past, were tragic heroes who valiantly resisted foreign attacks; but often failed despite their own bravery and ingenuity. Most notably, they failed against better equipped and organised conquerors. Yet, whereas history had often trickled down in little streams, they were a torrent that carved out in the space of a decade – a special space for Cricketers to stand among its pantheon of heroes. The legends of Aravinda and Sanath were created on the field. Underdogs for much of their careers, they rose heroically to often rescue Sri Lanka against intimidating oppositions and sometimes, singlehandedly carried the hopes of their nations to victory. But they were hardly consistent enough to be relied upon and their legends rarely not extend beyond the boundary ropes the same way their shots did.

The colonial legacy in Sri Lanka had left a deep and enduring imprint in its society and culture, and Cricket was no exception. Aside from a few exceptions like Duleep Mendis – Sri Lankan Cricketers were rather timid – easily satisfied with a draw against major test nations. Much like the Israelites who had to wonder in the wilderness for 44 years after being rescued from slavery in Egypt, it took the passing of two generations of Sri Lankan Cricketers, for them to unshackle themselves from the game they were drilled to play, and discover the way they were meant to play it. So, it was only with the generation of Cricketers that emerged in the 90s, that they had the lightness of memory and force of their own identity to disregard the text-books and express themselves more authentically. Romesh Kaluwitharana, Mahela Jayawardene, Avishka Gunawardene and Kumar Sangakkara – unlike even Arjuna and Aravinda’s generation – had no direct links to the Cricketers who had only played the game as they were taught by the masters of a forgotten era.

With the opening up of the Indian economy and the advent of dedicated sports TV channels in the 90s, the modern international game transformed into a commercial enterprise – almost unrecognisable from the refined pastime that it used to be, both on and off the field. In that context, it makes little sense to compare modern Cricketers against the greats of its past; the yardstick had changed. Yet, even in that comparison, Kumar Sangakkara statistically ranks among the best three test batsmen of all time. But Sri Lankans who celebrate his heroism don’t often cite statistics to quantify their argument. Where Cricket is much more than a sport, even numbers don’t mean what they say. As much as he has been relied upon consistently to bat his team and country to victory, people all over the world remained glued to their TVs after the match was over – to hear him speak. Though his hero’s journey had started on the pitch with bat in hand, he came to the fore with a microphone in hand at a podium.

Heroes are more inclined to monopolise the limelight than share it, so it would not have been a surprise if the war hero of Sri Lanka’s past and the Cricket hero of its present eventually clashed before one would emerge dominant while the other is relegated to the shadows of time. At an august gathering at Lord’s, two years after what mercifully turned out to be merely an ordeal in Lahore, Kumar recalled an encounter he had with an unknown soldier, at an obscure checkpoint somewhere in the labyrinth of Colombo’s streets. By the soldier’s own admission, the Cricketer was the more dominant and valuable of the two. Remarkably, Kumar had survived an armed attack just a week earlier. It is possible to imagine that the soldier would have never experienced the heat of battle himself – but could only hope that the next vehicle he hailed down to inspect would not be a fatal choice. Yet, the unknown soldier and the great Cricketer took turns appreciating each other’s contribution to their own lives and the life of their country – calling each other ‘heroes’ before departing, perhaps never to meet again. They were both right of course; but the Cricket star and soldier both were enhanced by that experience.

In that speech, Kumar went on to brew a cocktail of emotion, wit, humour passion and rage with his words that tugged at the heartstrings of the Cricketing world. From Sri Lankans in his worldwide audience, it drew tears. A few months earlier in November 2010, Mathews and Malinga had turned an impossible chase against the odds at the Melbourne Cricket Ground. Jayawardene had scored a match saving century just weeks before. But, in the years since Arjuna and his team won the world cup in 1996, it was through Kumar’s voice that Cricket spoke most compellingly to Sri Lanka’s identity and aspirations. They were note merely tears of joy – his words also made Sri Lankans look at themselves in a way that made them sad, and angry, and laugh. That story and the broader content of his speech, has since become a mirror in with Sri Lankans can look at themselves and take stock in their bravest moments. Cricket writers all over the world have invariably wove it into the story of Cricket. Kumar grabbed the conscience of the world on that day in a way that it could never escape. Those who doubted him before could not escape his charm afterwards. His moving lecture at Lord’s was perhaps the inception of his heroic status in the international game, and the way he spoke and conducted himself outside the field has been the foundation of its longevity. But the roots of his legend lay buried deeper in the land and its history, up in the hills of Kandy.

Through much of the island’s history, the irrigated lowlands of the North and the fertile South Western plains nurtured Sri Lanka’s cultural, political and economic centres. The wealth of ancient Sri Lanka and its heroic architects were made in its northern and western plains. Vestiges of great monuments that had witnessed bygone times of immense prosperity and creativity, as well as the continuous cycles of conflict that raged over them, still lie in ruins there. Kandy did not feature in any legend or myth in all that time; no hero of consequence in Sri Lanka’s glorious past was ever known to have been born or raised there. Even with the ripening of time, Kandy could not produce a hero on its own accord. It required a long and remarkable collaboration with an occupying enemy and a struggle with its own geography.

A game like Cricket could never grow organically in the mountains around Kandy. Even when it was brought in as a foreign implant, roads had to be straightened and mountains – quite literally – had to be moved before the game could dig in its roots and draw from its fertile soils. One such effort was sparked by the vision of a man named Alek Garden Fraser who took over as Principal of Trinity College at the turn of the twentieth century. He wanted Trinity to have a Cricket field and ambitiously acquired crown land spanning over two nearby hills to build one. There was no heavy machinery or equipment at hand, so the students and staff of the school made their way to the site a few hundred yards from the school premises, every day; where over a couple of years, they cut down the bigger hill and filled the valley below to make a Cricket field. Kandy nurtured the two greatest Cricketers that Sri Lanka ever produced. Kumar learned his Cricket at Trinity and played much of his Cricket on the Ground that Fraser built; and nearly a century later, scored two test centuries and a double century there.

Fraser was not done however. Much to the displeasure of his own colonial secretary, he envisioned that his school should nurture Sri Lankan leaders who were immersed in their own culture and learn about their own history and proud heritage. Fraser made social service, the teaching of local languages and comparative religion a cornerstone of his education policies, much to the dismay of the colonial authorities at the time. Perhaps Kumar Sangakkara was innately predisposed to reach out to his own people with respect and empathy and speak against injustice. Perhaps it was instilled in him but the individuals and institutions that nurtured him. Whatever the case may be, the quality that people of Sri Lanka would later celebrate as his ‘heroism’ was not cultivated on the Cricket pitch alone. His empathy for the struggles and triumphs of life in many corners of Sri Lanka and of the world not only reflects the best features of the rebellious past and proud heritage of his people, but is also informed by a deep and heart-felt knowledge of it.

Heroism is always bestowed by popular consensus. It is the common man who elevates heroes to their status and immortalise them in legend. Heroes are made exceptional among the common and ordinary men and women of the land and that relationship is symbiotic. The legend of Kumar Sangakkara the man was made among victims of a Tsunami and inhabitants of a war-ravaged landscape in the North and East as much as by a fairy-tale test century at Lord’s. Kumar still speaks of the power of Cricket to unite and heal the diverse communities of his war ravaged country. If the reception he gets whenever he visits the north and east of Sri Lanka is anything to go by, few Sri Lankans have personified that message as effectively as he has. That is what makes him a hero. If heroes like him had lent themselves to previous generations, Sri Lanka could well have been a different place. Loved and respected by Sri Lankans of all cultural and religious backgrounds, as well as fans and opponents all over the world – the power of his personality has been unique among Sri Lanka’s pantheon of heroes in its ability to unite as well as inspire humility.

Especially in contemporary Sri Lanka – emerging from three decades of war – celebration of the lives of ‘war heroes’ comes naturally. Cricketers – at least until they won the World Cup in 1996 – were not more than celebrities, among actors and music stars. Merely six years after the war ended, Kumar and Mahela in particular have become iconic and exceptional heroes of their time – eclipsing even the heroes of contemporary military campaigns. The association of Cricketers to heroism – even after 1996 – especially in a country at war, was not only improbable but cut against the grain of the traditional mould of the nationalist heroes of the past. Yet, the privileged place that Cricket occupies in hearts and minds of people has deep roots in the grand and conflicting historical narrative of the island. ‘The boys’ – as Arjuna and Aravinda often referred to their teammates – have been a beacon of hope and an example of what Sri Lankans could be as a nation and as individuals. Heroics on the Cricket field infuse hope – and that hope is very different from the kind that military victories inspired. Kumar Sangakkara’s sensitivity to the heartbeat of his people and the humility with which he served the game and its fans has entwined his story and the story of Cricket with the proud history of his country and of the people for whom he played his Cricket.

But it was with these famous words, that he unites them;

I am Tamil, Sinhalese, Muslim and Burgher. I am a Buddhist, a Hindu, a follower of Islam and Christianity. I am today, and always, proudly Sri Lankan.

Through those words, he epitomised the hero that Sri Lanka, in his generation, so desperately needs. Described by Michael Roberts as an ecumenical Sri Lankan; in him, the diverse ethnic, religious and cultural communities of the island have found a hero they could all love and possess in equal measure. For a country that enjoys neither great influence nor privileged status among world powers, he has risen to capture the love and admiration of the world and represent the best of the proud history and rich culture of his people in a way that hardly any Sri Lankan has been able to do before. For that alone, he is without equal among all the heroes of our generation, and is arguably unparalleled in his Sir Lanka’s history and civilisation.

In a post-match interview, Kumar once famously called on his team mates to understand their place in history.  As much as history is made by heroes, they are nevertheless fallible human beings. As much as they reflect what we can hope to be, they also stand to warn us against blindly attaching our future hopes and ambitions to individuals no matter how brave or virtuous they may be. Very few Cricketers have retained their ability to inspire and awe in life beyond the boundary. Some have even turned into villains. Therefore, being the astute student of history that he is, he will have an important message to deliver to his fans and team mates on the eve of his retirement; that the legends of heroes like him are not meant to be venerated, but to inspire. Their heroism is worth nothing if all they inspire is nostalgia and longing. The greatest heroes are those who make others feel they too can, and indeed must, become heroes themselves. Kumar is the son of a lawyer and a teacher – not of a Jewish carpenter and his virgin wife. In the years after his retirement, he will probably devote his time to raising his own children to be independent and productive citizens because every parent must by default, also be a hero. As much as he became a hero to his people when his country desperately needed one, the greatest tribute to his legacy would be to see more heroes like him emerge in years to come; not only from the Cricket fields but from many other walks of life.

Harendra Alwis as a Cricketer of dubious significance and an umpire with an incurable prejudice against batsmen who have bad footwork. He currently lives in Melbourne, Australia.

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I've visited 60 countries. Skip the crowds in Bali — visit this lesser-known gem in South Asia instead.

• I've been traveling for years but never encountered a place like Sri Lanka before.
• Sri Lanka has much of what Bali has to offer and more, but with a fraction of the tourists.
• It has a lot of amazing wildlife, beautiful beaches, and a rich culture and history. 

Imagine a tropical island with unspoiled beaches. Towering palm trees dot the shore, and ornate Hindu and Buddhist temples beckon you inward.

You can embark on a jeep safari to spot big game and, on the same day, lay down a towel on white-sand beaches and bask in the sun.

This is Sri Lanka, a tiny island nation alone in the Indian Ocean that looks like a tear falling from continental India. But although Sri Lanka is called India's teardrop, I think it's really its gem.

The country is emerging out of a dark past with political turmoil and economic crises , and its tourism industry is just taking off. In December, Sri Lanka recorded more than a million tourist arrivals — the first time over a million arrivals have been recorded there in four years.

In my seven years of traveling to 60 countries — including most countries in Southeast Asia — I have rarely been anywhere as wild and diverse as Sri Lanka. Here, you can see beaches, jungles, and mountains in a small space.

Like Bali, Sri Lanka is a tropical island with rainforests, beaches, thieving monkeys, sacred Hindu and Buddhist temples, vibrant surfing communities, and roads with more motorcycles than cars.

But above all, it hasn't been harmed by overtourism the way Bali has .

There's a lot to do in Sri Lanka

One of the main advantages of Sri Lanka is its size.

Although the country is smaller than New York state, it packs a diversity of environments, cultures, and activities into one place.

Within this small strip of land, there are trendy surfing villages that host famed competitions, sacred mountain towns with glittering golden temples, historic tea plantations, ancient ruins of forgotten empires, safari camps, and tropical beaches with calm waters and cocktail bars.

Because of its size, Sri Lanka is also relatively easy to get around. You can ride colonial-era trains through the heart of the country or rent a motorbike and drive yourself around.

The local buses are also useful, but they can get a bit packed with people and are not the most comfortable, in my experience. However, a scenic, five-hour bus journey will only cost you between $3 and $6, and it's quite an adventure.

The wildlife is also incredible

In my opinion, the best thing about Sri Lanka is its incredibly diverse ecosystems, which offer great opportunities for wildlife watching.

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Its national parks are teeming with wildlife, and its safaris are similar to those available in sub-Saharan Africa but at a fraction of the price.

On these safaris, you can climb into a jeep at sunrise and race over bumpy dirt roads through dry grasslands to spot elephants, leopards, water buffalo, sloth bears, crocodiles, and rare birds.

If you're more of an ocean person, you can swim with black-tip reef sharks, snorkel with dolphins, and go whale watching in Trincomalee.

If you prefer jungles, there's even a tropical rainforest — Sinharaja — where endangered species of monkeys and giant squirrels leap through the forest canopy.

For history and culture buffs, Sri Lanka is also a must-visit country

Sri Lanka is also rich in history and culture. Formerly known as Ceylon, Sri Lanka was once home to the Kingdom of Kandy until it was taken over by the British in the 1800s.

You can view the relics of that empire in the country's many national museums. Historic Portuguese, Dutch, and British forts also line the coastline from the different periods of colonization.

But if food is more your cultural interest, don't worry — Sri Lanka has got you covered. The traditional dinner consists of four types of curries and a giant serving of rice in a pile that you can dig into with your hands. And it always comes with a side of coconut sambol, grated coconut mixed with chopped chiles.

During my travels, I've also met some of the kindest, most hospitable people in Sri Lanka. It's truly a special place, and I recommend checking it out.

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Sri Lanka is a land of great cultural diversity . Religion pervades many aspects of life and constitutes a basic element of this diversity. Buddhist and Hindu temples, as well as mosques and churches, with their own colourful rituals, are the most readily visible features of the cultural landscape. Varying degrees of colonial impact, modernizing influences, and wealth and income add other shades to the cultural mosaic.

In architecture, sculpture, and painting, Sri Lanka’s traditions extend far back into antiquity. The remnants of ancient works restored and preserved at archaeological sites, while reflecting Indian influences, also bear testimony to the inspiration derived from Buddhism . Classical literature , too, presents a blend of stylistic influences from India with Buddhist themes. Since the beginning of the 20th century, with the literati being exposed to European literature, local creative writing has acquired greater diversity in style and has become more secular in content.

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In the performing arts there are several Sinhalese and Tamil folk traditions and a host of recent imports and imitations. Among the folk dance forms, for example, one finds the highly refined Kandyan dancing , which has been associated over several centuries with state ceremony and religious ritual in and around the historic hill capital of Kandy . The more improvised “ devil dancing ” is performed at healing rites and exorcisms. In drama , modernized versions of folk theatre share the limelight with modern original works and adaptations from Western dramatists. Both Indian and Western influences are strongly apparent in the popular forms of music.

Government assistance to the arts is channeled through several institutions under the Ministry of Cultural Affairs. Art, music, and dancing are included in the school curriculum. Advanced training in these and several other fields of fine arts is provided at the Government College of Fine Arts, the Institute of Aesthetic Studies, and several private institutions. The Department of National Archives and the National Museum, both in Colombo , are the main repositories of historical documents and archaeological treasures of the country .

Many internationally recognized sports have found participants in Sri Lanka. The most popular among them are volleyball , cricket , football (soccer), bicycle racing , and various water sports.

The sites of ancient cities and other religiocultural centres such as Anuradhapura , Sigiriya , Polonnaruwa , Kandy, Kataragama, and Adam’s Peak attract thousands of tourists and pilgrims.

Print and broadcast media reach all parts of the country in Sinhala , Tamil, and English. The government controls radio and television broadcasting and several widely circulated daily newspapers. Several private daily and weekly newspapers operate independently of the government and exercise considerable freedom of expression. However, the government is empowered to impose censorship under the Public Security Act.

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The 'Lion Fortress' of Sri Lanka was swallowed by the jungle

Built in the fifth century, Sri Lanka’s Sigiriya fortress attracted the attention of British archaeologists in the 1800s, who were amazed by its leonine rock art and beautiful frescoes.

Perched on a slab of rock that juts dramatically over the forests of central Sri Lanka , Sigiriya is as imposing a sight now as it must have been when it was first built by a fierce king in the fifth century A.D. Meaning “lion’s rock,” Sigiriya (designated a UNESCO World Heritage site in 1982) is accessed by way of passageways cut into the rock face between a monumental pair of lion paws.

The fortress was later swallowed by the forest, and only familiar to local villagers. Outsiders used knowledge of its past, preserved in Buddhist texts, to search for the ancient site. British historians rediscovered its astonishing buildings and frescoes in the 19th century.

Kingdom to colony

Sigiriya was built by the fifth-century king Kashyapa I, who ruled the native Sinhalese dynasty, the Moriya. The imposing fortress was the capital of the Sinhalese kingdom until Kashyapa was defeated in A.D. 495. (Watch: An ancient palatial fortress overlooks this barren desert in Israel .)

After Kashyapa, dynasties rose and fell, their fortunes shaped by internal power struggles and conflicts between native Sinhalese and outside invaders from India .

The Lion People

The Mahavamsa, a fifth-century Sri Lankan epic, tells how the Indian prince Vijaya was the grandson of a lion. He traveled to the island of Sri Lanka and married Princess Kuveni. From their union was born the Sinhalese race ( sinhala means “of lions”). In the Sinhalese tradition, the lion is the mythical ancestor of kings and a symbol of royal authority. The photograph shows what remains of the monumental Lion Paws Gate at Sigiriya.

Various cities held the status of capital after Sigiriya, such as Polonnaruwa. By the 12th century, however, overall control of Sri Lanka progressively weakened. Sinhalese power retreated to the southwest of the island, abandoning the Rajarata region, and the former administrative centers, including Sigiriya, started to fall into disuse.

Sri Lanka’s position in the Indian Ocean made it vulnerable to Europeans looking to expand their control in the region. By the mid-1500s the Portuguese had thoroughly exploited dynastic tensions in Sri Lanka’s ruling elite and controlled much of the island.

A century later the Dutch had replaced the Portuguese as colonial masters, and they were in turn displaced by the British in the late 1700s. By 1815 the Kingdom of Kandy, the last independent, native state on the island, became part of the British Empire.

Knowledge is power

British imperial rule brought civil servant George Turnour to the island. An aristocrat, scholar, and passionate historian, Turnour worked with a Buddhist monk to translate an ancient fifth-century chronicle, the Mahavamsa, from the Sri Lankan Pali language into English. Based on this and other texts, he identified two ancient capitals: Anuradhapura and Polonnaruwa.

Turnour also studied a later chronicle of Sri Lankan history, the Culavamsa, which told the story of King Kashyapa. In the late fifth century, this Sinhalese prince killed his father, King Dhatusena, and seized the throne, usurping his brother, who fled to India. Fearing reprisals, he built the fortress Sigiriya—but in vain: His brother returned, defeating Kashyapa, and Sigiriya lost its brief status as capital.

In 1827 a Scottish officer, Jonathan Forbes, became friends with Turnour, and on hearing the story of Kashyapa and his palace, decided to look for it. In 1831 he set off to where locals told him he would find the remains of an ancient city.

His memoir, Eleven Years in Ceylon, describes “the rock of Sirigi [sic], . . . frowning defiance over the scanty fields and the far-extending forest of the surrounding plain.” As he approached, he could see platforms and galleries carved into the rock. Two of his party managed to scramble some way up but dislodged rocks, “which crashed among the boughs of the trees at a great depth below.”

Unsure as to whether he had found the Sigiriya mentioned in the Buddhist texts, Forbes abandoned the expedition. Revisiting a few years later, he traced the moat that surrounds the gardens at the foot of the rock but did not attempt to climb the cliff face. He doubted that the name Sigiriya was related to lions, as he had seen nothing to support that etymology.

Fabulous frescoes

British mountaineers eventually reached the top in 1851, but the task of surveying the site fell to the Archaeological Commissioner of Ceylon, Harry C.P. Bell. His survey at the end of the 19th century has formed the basis of all studies since.

Bell painstakingly ascertained the layout of Kashyapa’s fantastical city as well as detailed the magnificent carving of the lion’s paws at the entrance, which Forbes had not been able to see.

In addition to the elaborate water gardens at the foot of the rock, Bell’s survey also lavished attention on the galleries on the rock face. These are decorated with exquisite wall paintings that have become some of the most prized objects in Sri Lanka’s artistic heritage. A total of 21 surviving frescoes may depict apsaras, celestial singers and dancers. (See also: 40,000-year-old cave art may be world's oldest animal drawing .)

Nearby, also on the walls of the rock face, are well over 1,000 items of graffiti, scratched by monks and pilgrims who visited the site in the eighth to the 13th centuries. These messages from the past can cause a frisson when read by visitors today. One reads: “At Sigiriya, of abundant splendor, situated on the island of [Sri Lanka] we saw, in happy mood, the rock that captivates the mind of all people who come here.”

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Otara Gunewardene is a Sri Lankan Businessperson and Philanthropist. Through her work, she continues to commit to responsible entrepreneurship and philanthropy in Sri Lanka. With a total commitment to national interest in all that she does, Otara’s vision is to provide an example and mandate for peaceful progress throughout the island – uniting people of all walks of life with compassion as its driving force.

Otara Del Gunewardene was born on 30th August, 1964 in Colombo, Sri Lanka. The youngest child and only daughter of Delysia and Norman , Otara’s life and spirit have set the foundations for an extraordinarily Sri Lankan story.

Her father, Norman Gunewardene taught her the importance of hard work, the value of consistently striving while adhering to an honourable work ethic in all that she does. Her mother Delysia Gunewardene showed her a world of limitless possibility, herself a woman of her time proving by example that with dedication and compassion, all things are possible.

Along with her two older brothers Ruchi and Ajit , Otara’s childhood took the road less travelled quite literally, with countless family holidays in wilderness areas and many an animal-centred adventure, coupled with school at Ladies’ College and an early love of ballet and sports. Excelling as a young athlete, Otara raced through busy teenage years, reaching young adulthood with a decision to study Biology at the Bowling Green State University, Ohio, USA. Her experiences nurturing animals and volunteering at Sri Lanka’s National Zoo in Dehiwela made her certain of a future in veterinary science but life and destiny had other plans…

Enjoying college life in the USA and heading home for the holidays, it wasn’t long before the world of high fashion beckoned. Soon modelling fulltime, Otara found herself enjoying the design aesthetics of her work, growing in confidence and stature, as both in Sri Lanka and internationally, she became the face and the persona of many a catwalk, fashion magazine, catalogue and billboard.

A Business World

A chance encounter with a friend in the Sri Lankan garment manufacture industry and a small loan from her brother Ajit and mother led to Otara’s first business venture – selling clothes from the boot of her station wagon in 1989. With a discerning eye, she found clothes manufactured in Sri Lanka that matched international trends and before long, incorporated her first retail store Odel at Dickman’s Road (1999). Odel soon grew to be iconic in its representation of Sri Lanka and expansion of fashion retail.

Otara opened Odel stores across the island – eventually culminating in the flagship store Odel Unlimited in Colombo 7, the first department store in the country. The Odel brand of t-shirt design became a reflection of Sri Lanka’s island spirit, while behind the smile, Otara dedicated her business growth to building the retail capacity of her country, employing thousands, creating careers and skillsets in retail and fashion that still set the bar today.

In 1990, Otara married Raju Chandiram (m.1990-2007 ) and welcomed the birth of two boys, Kiran (1994) and Rakhil (2000). Her life it would seem, was full; as her star continued to rise in the world of business. In 2005 there came another serendipitous meeting, this time with an abandoned puppy on Peterson Lane who changed the course of Otara’s life forever. That puppy was Niko, Otara’s newest family member and soon to be the first (doggy) face of Embark, the Brand that would define her Passion. Through Niko’s story, pain and recovery, she saw the fate of not only one lonely, abandoned street dog but the many he spoke for. She understood then, not only the importance of compassion but that her voice could be used to be a driving force of change in Sri Lanka.

The Passion

Otara expanded Odel’s corporate social responsibility (CSR) operations toward the rescue, rehabilitation and empowerment of the oft-neglected street dogs of Sri Lanka. Odel’s CSR had already made a significant impact – with environmental campaigns, beach clean ups, tree planting and funding of wildlife conservation projects creating positive change and awareness throughout the island. To align public perception toward a compassionate outcome for a being many considered ‘pests’ would not be easy she knew, when conceptualising the Embark vision.

To make an impact, she aligned her skills in branding toward launching Embark with a line of clothing that personalised the very specific loving, mischievous, independent attitude of the dogs that needed a nation to care. And care we did, as the rise of the Embark brand revolutionised CSR in Sri Lanka – an outpouring of public support led to a thriving operation behind the scenes – one of rescue, medical intervention and long-term aftercare while to the public – Embark gave a new identity and lease of life to the most marginalised of urban society.

Odel continued to grow, with Embark by its side carrying the street dogs along a meteoric rise in reputation and recognition. In February 2010, Otara became the first woman to list her company on the Colombo Stock Exchange as Odel became the first retail brand in Sri Lanka to release an IPO. A partnership with Malaysian retail giant Parkson gave Odel the ability to diversify its reach. At the pinnacle of corporate success, Otara’s business entailed 15 retail stores, including several department stores across the country. Realising that only further large-scale expansion and diversification in retail remained ahead, Otara sold her stake in the business she founded. She exited her corporate life at its peak, taking with her only Embark and its four-legged assistants as she was determined to answer the calling that she could no longer ignore. She had proved with Embark that in a harsh world, her distinct voice and a compassionate agenda could make all the difference.

The New Direction

It was 2015, and it was finally time for the Otara Foundation. The organisation became the channel by which Otara Gunewardene would once again change the scope of the country that she loved, and the voiceless animals in it. Her strong focus on environmental protection, animal welfare, education and empowerment has quietly changed lives, while her Passion remains Embark.

Proud to establish her own identity amongst a sea of conflicting politically-motivated voices, Otara has always structured her interests and lifestyle to reflect her continued growth, within the framework of entrepreneurial and philanthropic leadership. Of particular pride is the zero-corruption mandate she adheres to in all matters. Physically fit, Otara challenges herself in strength training, alongside a focus on holistic living. Largely vegetarian for decades, she now embraces a more plant-based diet and shies away from conventional medicine in favour of the alternative therapies of Avruveda and Homeopthy for her family’s wellness needs. She continues to practice yoga and enjoys clean living – consuming no alcohol or tobacco and embracing the philosophy that is more relevant now than ever: ‘We are what we eat’.

Through it all, Otara takes her role as a mentor for the next generation of Sri Lankans very seriously. She cares about the example she sets, as a woman and as a calm voice of reason, in her often-chaotic island in the sun.

She continues to provide guidance, volunteer initiatives and leadership seminars to young people – nurturing their independence while teaching the importance of compassion in all aspects of life.

Today, Otara’s focus while diverse, remains 100% within Sri Lanka. She balances wise investments and recognised business acumen toward philanthropic ventures, many of which are rarely shared with the public. As the primary national female voice on social media, Otara shares a life that still takes the road less travelled, but these days it is a life that is almost entirely dedicated to philanthropy. Successful, relevant, progressive and at all times kind, Otara’s vision for her country defines her legacy as she continues to strive as she always has, toward being a channel for positive change and sustainable development in Sri Lanka.

• Date of Birth; 30th August 1964, Colombo, Sri Lanka
• CMS Ladies’ College, Colombo 7
• Bowling Green State University, Ohio – BSc Biology
• Professional Fashion Model – 1987 – 2004
• Modelled for high-profile fashion brands and international apparel catalogues, TV commercials and runway shows.
• Founder/CEO of Odel PLC – 1990 – 2014
• 1989 – Started selling surplus factory garments from the boot of a Blue Station Wagon.
• 1990 – Founded Odel, a 1,100 sq. ft. store in Colombo 5, Sri Lanka.
• 1999 – Launched Odel’s flagship store in Colombo 7. 35,000 sq. ft. luxury department store in the heart of Colombo.
• 2007 – Launched the Embark brand and the beginning of the program to improve the lives of street dogs of Sri Lanka.
• 2010 – Converted Odel into a public liability company, becomes the first fashion retail brand to be listed on the Colombo Stock Exchange and the first female entrepreneur to take a company public in Sri Lanka.
• 2011 – Odel launched the Luv SL brand – a concept carrying stylish souvenirs and products catering to locals and tourists.
• 2012 – Sale of close to 50% of Odel to Parkson Retail Asia, bringing significant investment of over $ 20 million into Sri Lanka.
• 2014 – Sells shares in Odel PLC to Softlogic Group.
• 2014 – Started the Otara Foundation – to improve the lives of animals and advocate for better animal welfare and for environmental conservation.
• 2014 – Selected and honored as one of the ‘Prominent Women of the Country’ by the Women’s Parliamentarians’ Caucus, for her achievements in business and for her service to the country.
• 2018 – Appointed as Non-Executive Director for Singer Sri Lanka
• 2019 – Sri Lanka Tamil Women’s Union Women’s Day Award in recognition of outstanding excellence, dedication and kindness to all animals.
• 2019 – Invited by the Rwandan Government as an honorary guest to name a baby gorilla at the national Kwita Izina naming ceremony.
• 2020 – Launch of Who We Are an online platform that retails products made in Sri Lanka by small businesses. www.whoweare.lk

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My country Sri Lanka My country is Sri Lanka. It is an island situated in the Indian Ocean. It is known as the ‘Pearl of the Indian Ocean’. It is a beautiful country. The largest river in Sri Lanka is the Mahaweli and the highest mountain is Piduruthalagala. The highest waterfall is Bambarakanda. The capital [...]

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Kids Essays

My country Sri Lanka My country is Sri Lanka. It is an island situated in the Indian Ocean. It is known as the ‘Pearl of the Indian Ocean’. It is a beautiful country. The largest river in Sri Lanka is the Mahaweli and the highest mountain is Piduruthalagala. The highest waterfall is Bambarakanda.

The capital of my country is Sri Jayewardenepura Kotte and the commercial capital is Colombo. The president of my country is Hon. Maithripala Sirisena and the prime minister is Hon. Ranil Wickramasinghe.

Our national flag is called the Lion Flag. Our national flower is the Blue Water Lily, national tree is Na tree, national bird is the Jungle Fowl, national animal is the Giant Squirrel and our national sport is Volleyball. But Sri Lanka is famous for Cricket. The world’s best tea comes from Sri Lanka.

On February 4, 1948 Sri Lanka gained independence. Our national anthem is ‘Sri Lanka Matha’.  The official languages in Sri Lanka  are Sinhala, Tamil and English.

My country is a peaceful country where all the religions such as Buddhists, Christians, Muslims and Hindus all live in harmony. I am so proud to be a Sri Lankan. I love my motherland Sri Lanka a lot.

Naqeeb Shamroz (7 years) Zahira College, Colombo 10

My father My father’s name is Sampath. He is 35 years old. He has curly hair. He drops me to school. I love my father.

Pabalu Dikkumbura (6 years) Musaeus College

Myself My name is Thenulya. I am eight years old. I live in Maharagama. I study at Logos College. My favourite colour is pink. My best friend is Atara and I love to play with her. I have one sister and no brothers. My hobbies are drawing pictures and making models with clay. I love to eat chocolate cake and drink Milo. Out of all the countries I have visited, my favourite country is Dubai.

Thenulya Weerawardhana (8 years) Logos College

Ramazan Ramadhan is the month of fasting. Every Muslim of all ages takes part in the fast. Ramadan, the annual fast, falls in the ninth month of the Muslim calendar. Those who fast, must neither take food nor drink throughout the hours of daylight. Above all, they must keep away from things shameful, and telling lies.

Fasting can be a little difficult when it falls during summer. Though it will be a little difficult, a Muslim fasts joyfully in any season, obeying the orders of Allah. There are Muslims who love summertime fasting the most. There is a deep relationship between Ramadhan and the Holy Quran. Those who fast, turn again and again to the Holy Quran because Allah revealed it in the month of Ramadhan to our Holy Prophet Muhammed.

Shaifna Aroos (10 years) Ilma Int. Girls’ School

How could TV be better?

We all enjoy watching television. One of the main reasons which we watch television is to gain knowledge. Some knowledgeable channels are NatGeo, Discovery, NDTV Good times, NatGeo Geography etc. These channels are based on all about the world and types of people, natural disasters, ancient and historical places and many more.

There are also other useful as well as fun and interesting channels. For example, FoxLife is a channel which displays different types of food and recipes. They tell us about types of food eaten in various parts of the world. We as kids love watching animated programmes which can be found on Cartoon Network, Nickelodeon, Pogo and many more. We can watch cartoons such as Tom and Jerry which have a moral.

It teaches us not to fight and quarrel and instead to live in peace, friendship and harmony. News is one of the most important programmes that we must watch. We must make it a habit of watching at least one news episode a day as there are many news updates daily from early morning until midnight.

By watching these types of important programmes we can develop our brain and learn a lot about the world. We can also watch cartoon but not too much as it may affect our eyesight and brain.

Amal Gaffoor (11 years) Royal Institute Girls’ School

My best friend My best friend is Sandra. We both go to Kudapaduwa Sinhala Mixed School in Negombo. She is eleven years old. Her favourite food is grapes and her favourite colour is red. She has a pet dog. Her favourite subject is Science and she would like to be a teacher. Sandra likes to read English books. She has a very good heart. I love my best friend very much.

Anne Hansika (Grade 6) Kudapaduwa Sinhala M.S., Negombo

Importance of trees Trees are one of the most important things in the world. They give us shade. When we are going somewhere in the sun, when we are tired, we sit under a tree to rest. We choose a tree because it is shady. Trees give us food. We take fruits, vegetables, grains and green leaves from trees. We also eat roots like carrots, sweet potatoes, manioc and beetroot. Trees give us wood to make houses, buildings, furniture etc. The most important things is that they give us oxygen to breathe. Trees make our earth clean and beautiful. We must not cut trees. It takes only a few minutes to cut a tree but it takes years to grow.

Sanduni Jayathilake (Grade 7) Little Flower Convent, Bandarawela

The moon In the evening when the moon sets, The eyes of bats open wide. Children stop playing and go back home.

Shops are closed for the day, Darkness appears little by little And the night dominates.

Children go to sleep, At midnight thieves come to steal, But they cannot hide from the moon.

The sun rises and the children open their eyes Moon disappears and day begins.

Aysha Amani (Grade 5) Royal Int. School, Kegalle

An unforgettable trip We went on a trip to England for a few months. I had lots of fun while we were travelling. It was a great experience for us. We went there after two days. I was so excited. After we went there we had lots of fun playing tennis. Then at night we settled in a great five-star hotel. We had our dinner from that hotel. It was very delicious. Then in the morning we went to our uncle’s house. It was near the hotel. All of us went to Bits Park to play. We were very fortunate because it was winter season as well as snowy days. We made a snowman and played with snowballs. Then after a few days, my parents as well as my uncle entered me into a famous school in England. It is called ‘Richard Rose Morton Academy.’ It was a turning point in my life. I learned to speak English properly from my school. That’s why I respect my school. My life was changed from that day. I met a myriad of friends called Daisy, Molly and Kara. My sister and my brother also entered into a school. I have never seen snow before that day. We went to see a duck park. It was a fantastic park. That’s how I spent my trip. I can’t forget it forever.

Dilmi Nipuna (Grade 10) Tangalle B.V.

My hobby A hobby is nothing but to have a change in the routine work. It is a happy union of profit and pleasure. Hobby is also man’s past time. There are varieties of hobbies. My hobby is gardening.

I spend my leisure hours in my garden. My garden is in front of my house. I have prepared the flower beds and planted varieties of flowering plants. The plants give out a sweet scent in the evening. I love being in the garden and I watch the butterflies. I water the plants and enjoy the nature of the pure air in the evening. I water the plants twice a day during the summer. I dig out the withered plants and plant new ones.

I talk to the plants and sing to them. I feel as if my plants nod their heads in agreement. All plants are living things. My hobby gives me happiness and some exercise for my body. My hobby satisfies my inner urge and gets an emotional response.

S. Shimeshika (Grade 6) Tamil C.C., Bandarawela

My pet My pet is a dog. Its name is Blacky. It has four legs and a nice tail. It likes to eat meat. It likes to drink milk. My pet runs with me in the garden. My dog loves me and my mother. When I am going to school, he is looking at me. My brother loves my dog. He likes to jump. I have one small cat. When I am doing my homework it stays near me. I love my pet very much.

Julia (Std. 3) Jennings Int. College, Nainamadama

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The primary school students of gateway college staged their, cinnamon peelers.

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Democratic Socialist Republic of Sri Lanka South Asia Colombo 21,866,445 inhabitants 65,610 sq km 333.28 inhabitants/sq km Sri Lankan rupees (LKR) population evolution

Famous people from Sri Lanka

Here is a list of famous people from Sri Lanka . Curious if anybody from Sri Lanka made it our most famous people in the world list? Read the aformentioned article in order to find out.

M. G. Ramachandran

Marudhur Gopalan Ramachandran, popularly known by his initials MGR, was an Indian film actor, director, producer, and politician who also served as the Chief Minister of Tamil Nadu successively for three terms. In his youth, MGR and his elder brother, M. G. Chakrapani became members of a drama troupe to support their family. Influenced by Gandhian ideals, MGR joined the Indian National Congress. After a few years of acting in plays, he made his film debut in the 1936 film Sathi Leelavathi in a supporting role. In the late 1940s he graduated to leading roles and for the next three decades dominated the Tamil film industry. He became a member of the Dravida Munnetra Kazhagam and rose rapidly through its ranks. He successfully used his popularity as a film hero to build a large political base. In 1972, he left the DMK to form his own party the Anna Dravida Munnetra Kazhagam. In 1977 he became the chief minister of Tamil Nadu - the first film actor in India to become the chief minister of a state. He remained as chief minister till his death in 1987.

Kumar Sangakkara

Cricket Bowler

Kumar Chokshanada Sangakkara is a Sri Lankan cricketer and a former captain of the Sri Lanka national cricket team, who is widely regarded as one of the greatest batsmen ever. He is a left-handed top-order batsman and the wicket-keeper in the One Day International and Twenty20 formats of the game. He captained the national team from 2009 to 2011, stepping down after the 2011 ICC World Cup final. The same year, he was named the ODI Cricketer of the Year at the ICC awards ceremony. In 2012, he was honoured as one of the top-five Wisden Cricketers of the Year. Sangakkara is described as one of the "most polished and prudent of batsmen" in cricket. Currently Kumar Sangakkara is placed at number 2 in ICC test rankings. With 8 double centuries, he is the third in the list of Test double century-makers, behind Donald Bradman and Brian Lara. He is also the first cricketer ever to score 150+ scores in four consecutive Test matches. As the wicket keeper, he has contributed to the 3rd highest number of dismissals in ODIs—382. It includes 81 stumpings, which is the highest for a wicket keeper in one-day international cricket.

Jacqueline Fernandez

Jacqueline Fernandez is a Sri Lankan actress, former model and beauty queen who won Miss Sri Lanka Universe in 2006. Fernandez marked her Bollywood debut in Sujoy Ghosh's Aladin, for which she won an International Indian Film Academy Award for Best Female Debut and Stardust Award for Lux Exciting New Face in 2010. She shot to fame with Mahesh Bhatt's blockbuster hit Murder 2 in which she grabbed a lot of attention due to her sex appeal. She subsequently featured in top-grossing films such as, Housefull 2 and Race 2 . Major Bollywood production Roy and Kick feature her in lead role. She also has bagged a lead role in According to Mathew, which is her Hollywood debut and approached to act in Prince of Malacca. Apart from doing full fledged roles in movies, she rose to prominence by featuring in songs including Dhanno, Lat Lag Gayee and Jadoo Ki Jhappi She thus established herself as a promising actress of Indian Cinema.

Muttiah Muralitharan

Muttiah Muralitharan is a Sri Lankan cricketer who was rated the greatest Test match bowler ever by Wisden Cricketers' Almanack in 2002. He retired from Test cricket in 2010, registering his 800th and final wicket on 22 July 2010 from his final ball in his last Test match. Muralitharan took the wicket of Gautam Gambhir on 5 February 2009 in Colombo to surpass Wasim Akram's ODI record of 501 wickets. He became the highest wicket-taker in Test cricket when he overtook the previous record-holder Shane Warne on 3 December 2007. Muralitharan had previously held the record when he surpassed Courtney Walsh's 519 wickets in 2004, but he suffered a shoulder injury later that year and was then overtaken by Warne. Averaging over six wickets per Test, Muralitharan is one of the most successful bowlers in the game. Muralitharan held the number one spot in the International Cricket Council’s player rankings for Test bowlers for a record period of 1,711 days spanning 214 Test matches. Muralitharan's career was beset by controversy over his bowling action for much of his international career. Due to an unusual hyperextension of his congenitally bent arm during delivery, his bowling action was called into question on a number of occasions by umpires and sections of the cricket community. After biomechanical analysis under simulated playing conditions, Muralitharan's action was cleared by the International Cricket Council, first in 1996 and again in 1999. Former Australian Test player Bruce Yardley, who himself was an off spinner in his day, was assigned with the task of ensuring Muralitharan bowled all his deliveries with the same vigour as he would do so in match conditions when tested in 2004. Muralitharan had not commenced bowling the doosra at this time. The legality of his doosra was first called into question in 2004. This delivery was found to exceed the ICC elbow extension limit by nine degrees, five degrees being the limit for spinners at that time. Based on official studies into bowling actions, which revealed that 99% of bowlers whose actions were examined exceeded the elbow flexion limits, ICC revised the limits applying to all bowlers in 2005. The new limit of 15-degrees, one degree greater than Muralitharan was bowling his doosra, allowed him to continue without being called for throwing from then on.

Mahinda Rajapaksa

Percy Mahendra "Mahinda" Rajapaksa is the 6th President of Sri Lanka and Commander in Chief of the Sri Lankan Armed Forces. A lawyer by profession, Rajapaksa was first elected to the Parliament of Sri Lanka in 1970, and served as Prime Minister from 6 April 2004 until his victory in the 2005 Presidential election. He was sworn in for a six-year term as president on 19 November 2005. He was re-elected for a second term in office on 27 January 2010.

Mahela Jayawardene

Denagamage Praboth Mahela de Silva Jayawardene, known as Mahela Jayawardene, is a former captain of the Sri Lankan cricket team. He is a specialist batsman. Jayawardene made his Test debut in 1997 and his One Day International debut the following season. In 2006 he made the highest ever score by a Sri Lankan in Test cricket, scoring 374 in the second Test of Sri Lanka's home series against South Africa. He has a Test average of over 50 and an ODI average in the 30s. He is the first player in the history of Sri Lankan cricket to score over 10,000 Test runs. Despite his relatively low ODI average, Jayawardene is considered to be one of the best batsmen produced by Sri Lanka and is generally held in high regard as a legend of the modern game along with team-mate Kumar Sangakkara. He is one of only three Sri Lankans—the others being Sanath Jayasuriya and Kumar Sangakkara—to have scored more than 10,000 runs in ODIs. In 2006, Jayawardene was named by the International Cricket Council as the best international captain of the year and he was nominated in 2007 as the best Test cricket player of the year. He is also known for his fielding skills in the inner ring, with a report prepared by Cricinfo in late 2005 showing that since the 1999 Cricket World Cup, he had effected the most number of run-outs in ODI cricket of any fieldsman, with the fifth highest run-out/match ratio in ODI's. Statistics also reveal that c Jayawardene b Muttiah Muralitharan is the most common bowler-fielder combination in the history of Test cricket.

Michael Ondaatje

Philip Michael Ondaatje, OC, is a Sri Lankan-born Canadian novelist and poet. He won the Booker Prize for his novel The English Patient, which was adapted into an Academy Award-winning film.

Velupillai Prabhakaran

Organization member

Thiruvenkadam Velupillai Prabhakaran was the founder and leader of the Liberation Tigers of Tamil Eelam, a militant organization that sought to create an independent Tamil state in the north and east of Sri Lanka. For over 25 years, the LTTE waged a violent secessionist campaign in Sri Lanka that led to it being designated a terrorist organization by 32 countries. Prabhakaran was wanted by Interpol for terrorism, murder, organized crime and terrorism conspiracy. He also had arrest warrants against him in Sri Lanka and India. Founded in 1976, the LTTE rocketed to prominence in 1983 after they ambushed a patrol of the Sri Lanka Army outside Jaffna, resulting in the deaths of 13 soldiers. This ambush, along with the subsequent rioting which resulted in the deaths of hundreds of Tamil civilians, is generally considered the start of the Sri Lankan Civil War. After years of fighting, including the unsuccessful intervention of the Indian Army, the conflict was halted after international mediation in 2001. By then, the Tamil Tigers controlled large swaths of land in the north and east of the country, running virtually a mini-state with Prabhakran serving as its unquestioned leader. Peace talks eventually broke down, and the Sri Lanka Army launched a military campaign to defeat the Tamil Tigers in 2006. Prabhakaran was killed in fighting with the Army on May 18, 2009. It was alleged that his 12-year old son was executed a short time later. His death brought an immediate end to the Civil War.

Lasith Malinga

Separamadu Lasith Malinga is a Sri Lankan cricketer and present vice-captain of their T20 side. He is a specialist fast bowler with a unique round-arm action, sometimes referred to as a sling action, which leads to his nickname, "Slinga Malinga" and conversely, his bowling style being nicknamed the "Malinga Slinga" both terms still consistently being associated with him in street cricket and general cricketing society. He is well known for his ability to take consecutive wickets: he is the first and only bowler in the world to have two World Cup hat-tricks, the first and only bowler to have taken three hat-tricks in ODIs and he is also the first, and currently the only, player to have taken four wickets in four consecutive balls in any form of international cricket. On 22 April 2011, he announced his retirement from Test cricket. He bowls around a speed of 140 km/h. His fastest ball was clocked at 155.7 km/h in 2011. His ODI and T20 bowling average and economy rate are amongst the best in the game. He is known for his ability to bowl yorkers and slower bowls to restrict scoring in the later overs of games.

Tillakaratne Dilshan

Tillakaratne Mudiyanselage Dilshan; born October 14, 1976 in Kalutara, Sri Lanka is a Sri Lankan cricketer and former captain of the Sri Lanka national cricket team. He has been a member of the team since November 1999, and was also known as Tuwan Mohammad Dilshan before his conversion to Buddhism. He is an aggressive right-hand batsman who invented a stroke, which has come to be known as a dilscoop, that pitches the ball over the wicketkeeper's head. He is also capable in spin bowling; his off breaks are mostly used in the one-day arena. Dilshan won the award of Twenty20 International Performance of the Year at the 2009 ICC Awards for his 96 off 57 balls against West Indies in the semi-final of the 2009 ICC World Twenty20 in England. He also won man of the series trophy for his individual batting performances in the 2009 ICC World Twenty20 tournament.

Sirimavo Bandaranaike

Sirimavo Ratwatte Dias Bandaranaike was a Sri Lankan politician and the modern world's first female head of government. She served as Prime Minister of Ceylon and Sri Lanka three times, 1960–65, 1970–77 and 1994–2000, and was a long-time leader of the Sri Lanka Freedom Party. Bandaranaike was the widow of a previous Sri Lankan prime minister, Solomon Bandaranaike, and the mother of Sri Lanka's fourth Executive President, Chandrika Kumaratunga, as well as Anura Bandaranaike, former speaker and cabinet minister.

Chaminda Vaas

Warnakulasuriya Patabendige Ushantha Joseph Chaminda Vaas, usually known as Chaminda Vaas, is a former Sri Lankan cricketer regarded as the best fast bowler to have come out of the country. He has been described as the 'most penetrative and successful new-ball bowler Sri Lanka have produced'. In 2004 he gained international recognition when he was selected for the World Test and one-day XI at the inaugural ICC Awards. He was once again selected for the World Test XI at the 2005 awards.

Pooja Umashankar

Pooja Gauthami Umashankar, mononymously known as Pooja is an Indian-Sri Lankan actress, who has primarily appeared in Tamil films as well as Sinhala, Malayalam and amateur films. Following a series of successful commercial ventures, Bala's Naan Kadavul saw Pooja's performance as a blind beggar praised by the critics, securing major awards, including the South Filmfare and Tamil Nadu State Film Awards establishing herself as a leading contemporary actress in Tamil Cinema. She simultaneously appeared in several commercial successes in Sinhala Cinema like Anjalika, Asai Man Piyabanna, Suwanda Denuna Jeewithe and Kusa Pabha, thus establishing herself as one of the leading actresses of Sinhala cinema.

Balu Mahendra

Cinematographer

Balanathan Benjamin Mahendran is an Indian filmmaker, screenwriter, and cinematographer. He is widely regarded as part of the first in a wave of directors and screenwriters from the Chennai film industry who revitalised Tamil cinema. Born and brought up in Sri Lanka, Mahendra developed an early interest in photography, after his father presented him with a camera. After completing an honours degree London University, he enrolled himself in a cinematography course at the Film and Television Institute of India, Pune. He passed out with a gold medal from the institute and started his film career as a cameraman for the Malayalam film Nellu in 1974. The film earned him the best cinematographer award from the Government of Kerala. Since then he has been chosen as the best cinematographer for many times in various Indian films. Mahendra was among the first to pioneer innovative camera style for colour in South India. Making his directional debut in 1977 through the Kannada fim Kokila, he went on to make over 20 films in Tamil, Malayalam, Telugu and Hindi. Mahendra has won five National Film Awards, three Filmfare Awards South and numerous state awards. He is considered as one of the few film makers in Tamil who can tell a story visually. Mahendra usually writes the script for his films, handles the camera and edits the film himself, thus retaining a firm control over his creative output.

Angelo Mathews

Angelo Davis Mathews is a Sri Lankan cricketer and the present captain of their Test and ODI sides. Like Chaminda Vaas he had his formal education in St. Joseph's College, Colombo. Born in Colombo, to Burgher father Tyronne Mathews and Sinhalese mother Monica Mathews, he captained the Sri Lankan cricket team in the 2006 U-19 Cricket World Cup in Sri Lanka. He made his international debut in a One Day International against Zimbabwe in November 2008. In the Indian Premier League, he originally played for the Kolkata Knight Riders team. In the fourth season of the Indian Premier League, he was contracted by Sahara Pune Warriors for US$950,000. He was ruled out of IPL, for up to 8 weeks, due to injury sustained during the 2011 Cricket World Cup. In November 2010, he was named 'Personality of the Year' by Living Magazine in Sri Lanka. After Kumar Sangakkara stepped down as captain following the ICC Cricket World Cup 2011, Mathews was widely tipped to be Sri Lanka's next captain. Mathews has been praised by Sangakarra to having good leadership qualities; Sangakarra had also tipped him to take over as captain after his resignation. Dilshan was later named as captain. However, Mathews was strangely overlooked as vice captain, with the selectors naming Thilina Kandamby, who had not played for Sri Lanka regularly or for a prolonged period as vice captain for Sri Lanka's 2011 ODI and T20 tour of England. But the move backfired on Duleep Mendis's selection panel, when Kandamby fared miserably with the bat, forcing them to drop the new vice captain. At the end of July 2011, Mathews was named as Dilshan's vice-captain. He was retained in the role after Dilshan resigned and was replaced by Mahela Jayawardene in January 2012.

John Fisher, 1st Baron Fisher

Military Person

Admiral of the Fleet John Arbuthnot "Jacky" Fisher, 1st Baron Fisher, GCB, OM, GCVO was a British admiral known for his efforts at naval reform. He had a huge influence on the Royal Navy in a career spanning more than 60 years, starting in a navy of wooden sailing ships armed with muzzle-loading cannon and ending in one of steel-hulled battlecruisers, submarines and the first aircraft carriers. The argumentative, energetic, reform-minded Fisher is often considered the second most important figure in British naval history, after Lord Nelson. Fisher is primarily celebrated as an innovator, strategist and developer of the navy rather than a seagoing admiral involved in major battles, although in his career he experienced all these things. When appointed First Sea Lord in 1904 he removed 150 ships then on active service which were no longer useful and set about constructing modern replacements, creating a modern fleet prepared to meet Germany during World War I. Fisher saw the need to improve the range, accuracy and firing rate of naval gunnery, and was an early proponent of the use of the torpedo, which he believed would supersede big guns for use against ships. As Controller, he introduced torpedo boat destroyers as a class of ship intended for defence against attack from torpedo boats or submarines. As First Sea Lord, he was responsible for the construction of HMS Dreadnought, the first all-big-gun battleship, but he also believed that submarines would become increasingly important and urged their development. He was involved with the introduction of turbine engines to replace reciprocating designs, and the introduction of oil fuelling to replace coal. He introduced daily baked bread on board ships, whereas when he entered the service it was customary to eat hard biscuits, frequently infested by weevils.

Chandrika Kumaratunga

Chandrika Bandaranaike Kumaratunga was the fifth President of Sri Lanka, who served from 12 November 1994 to 19 November 2005. The country's only female president to date, she is the daughter of two former prime ministers and also the leader of the Sri Lanka Freedom Party until the end of 2005.

Raj Rajaratnam

Entrepreneur

Raj Rajaratnam is a Sri Lankan American former hedge fund manager and billionaire founder of the Galleon Group, a New York-based hedge fund management firm. On October 16, 2009, he was arrested by the FBI on allegations of insider trading, which also caused the Galleon Group to close. He stood trial in U.S. v Rajaratnam in the United States District Court for the Southern District of New York, and on May 11, 2011 was found guilty on all 14 counts of conspiracy and securities fraud. On October 13, 2011, Rajaratnam was sentenced to 11 years in prison and fined a criminal and civil penalty of over $150 million combined. As of January 14, 2013 Raj Rajaratnam is currently incarcerated at Federal Medical Center Devens in Ayer, Massachusetts, an administrative facility housing male offenders requiring specialized or long-term medical or mental health care. Rajaratnam's release date is 7/4/2021.

Computer Scientist

Sir Charles Antony Richard Hoare, commonly known as Tony Hoare or C. A. R. Hoare, is a British computer scientist. He developed the sorting algorithm Quicksort in 1960. He also developed Hoare logic for verifying program correctness, and the formal language Communicating Sequential Processes to specify the interactions of concurrent processes and the inspiration for the occam programming language.

Kumar Dharmasena

Handunnettige Deepthi Priyantha Kumar Dharmasena, more commonly known as Kumar Dharmasena, is a Sri Lankan cricket umpire and former international player. He was a member of the Sri Lanka team that won the 1996 Cricket World Cup. He was a right-handed batsman and a right-arm off break bowler.

Aravinda de Silva

Pinnaduwage Aravinda de Silva is a former Sri Lankan cricketer, who is considered one of the finest batsmen produced by the country. He is also regarded as one of the most elegant batsman in his generation, and to date is the only player to make a hundred and take 3 or more wickets in a World cup final. He was the head of the national selection committee briefly before stepping down after the ICC Cricket World Cup 2011.

Sujatha was a popular South Indian actress who performed in Tamil, Malayalam, Telugu, Kannada and Hindi language films, and was best known for restraint and subtlety in portrayal of varied emotions. Sujatha was introduced to the Tamil film industry by veteran director K. Balachander as a protagonist in Aval Oru Thodar Kathai. She paired with Kamal Haasan in most of her films. She also acted with leading actors Sivaji Ganesan, Kamal Haasan, Rajinikanth, Akkineni Nageswara Rao, Shobhan Babu and Krishna. She died of cardiac arrest in Chennai.

Upul Tharanga

Warushavithana Upul Tharanga, commonly known as Upul Tharanga, is a Sri Lankan cricketer. He is a left-handed opening batsman and wicketkeeper.

George Alagiah

George Alagiah OBE is a British newsreader, journalist and television news presenter. Since 3 December 2007, he has been the sole presenter of the BBC News at Six and has also been the main presenter of GMT on BBC World News since its launch on 1 February 2010. He is also the main relief presenter for the BBC News at Ten and has held this role since its launch in 2000, making him the longest serving presenter of the flagship news programme.

Geoffrey Bawa

Deshamanya Geoffrey Manning Bawa, FRIBA was a Sri Lankan architect. He is the most renowned architect in Sri Lanka and was among the most influential Asian architects of his generation. He is the principal force behind what is today known globally as ‘tropical modernism’.

Arjuna Ranatunga

Arjuna Ranatunga is a Sri Lankan politician, former international cricketer and cricket administrator. He served as the captain of the Sri Lankan cricket team for much of the 1990s, and the team won the 1996 Cricket World Cup under his leadership. He is the serving member of the Parliament of Sri Lanka from Kalutara District. A specialist left-handed batsman and part-time medium pace bowler, Ranatunga's career with the Sri Lankan national team began in 1983, when Sri Lanka were relative newcomers to international cricket and did not perform well against the well-established teams. He became an important player in the middle order of Sri Lanka's batting. Under Ranatunga's captaincy, Sri Lanka began to play more aggressively in both ODI and Test cricket the mid-'90s. Their growing success rate culminated with a dominating performance and triumph in the 1996 Cricket World Cup. Although some of his actions caused some controversy, Ranatunga was praised for his leadership in raising a team long regarded as underdogs to the status of world champions. Upon retirement from playing cricket, Ranatunga became influential in the administration of cricket in Sri Lanka and entered politics, joining the People's Alliance and winning election to the Sri Lankan parliament. He served a tenure as deputy minister for tourism, and later served as the president of Sri Lanka Cricket until December 2008. He joined the Democratic National Alliance in 2010.

Thisara Perera

Narangoda Liyanaarachchilage Thisara Chirantha Perera is a Sri Lankan cricketer. He represents Sri Lanka at the Test, One Day International and Twenty20 levels. He plays first class cricket in Sri Lanka for the Colts Cricket Club and the Wayamba Wolves. An all-rounder, he is an aggressive left-handed batsman and a right-arm medium-fast bowler. In Australia he is known by his nickname panda, which was bestowed upon him by George Bailey during his stint at BBL with Brisbane Heat, although he prefers TP.

Ajantha Mendis

Balapuwaduge Ajantha Winslo Mendis is a cricketer who plays for the Sri Lankan national cricket team. Mendis, although classified as slow-medium, bowls a mixture of deliveries, including googlies, off-breaks, top-spinners, flippers and leg-breaks, as well as the carrom ball, released with a flick of his middle finger. For Sri Lanka Army in 2007-08 he averaged a mere 10.56 and took 46 wickets in six games, his strike rate a startling 31. This gained him a call-up to the full Sri Lanka squad for the Caribbean tour in April 2008. His best bowling performance in a One Day International came in the final of the 2008 Asia Cup, where he took 6 wickets for 13 runs in just his eighth match. His 17 wickets in the tournament earned him the Man of the Series award. Mendis made his One Day International debut against the West Indies at Port of Spain in 2008 and took 3 for 39. He also plays for the Kolkata Knight Riders in the Indian Premier League. His first Test Match was against India at Colombo on 23 July 2008 in which he returned match figures of 8-132, thereby becoming the first Sri Lankan bowler to get an eight-wicket haul on Test debut. Ajantha Mendis won the Emerging Player of the Year award at the LG ICC Awards ceremony held in Dubai in September 2008.

Ananda Coomaraswamy

Philosopher

Ananda Kentish Coomaraswamy was a Ceylonese philosopher and metaphysician, as well as a pioneering historian and philosopher of Indian art, particularly art history and symbolism, and an early interpreter of Indian culture to the West. In particular, he is described as "the groundbreaking theorist who was largely responsible for introducing ancient Indian art to the West."

Ranil Wickremasinghe

Ranil Wickremesinghe is a Sri Lankan politician and current Leader of the Opposition in the Sri Lankan parliament. He was Prime Minister of Sri Lanka twice, from 7 May 1993 to 19 August 1994 and from 9 December 2001 to 6 April 2004. A member of the United National Party he was appointed party leader in November 1994. He is also the leader of the United National Front having been appointed head of the alliance in October 2009.

Sarath Fonseka

Gardihewa Sarath Chandralal Fonseka, known as Sarath Fonseka is a former commander and General of the Sri Lanka Army and a former candidate for President of Sri Lanka. As Commander of the Army, he played an integral role in ending the 26-year Sri Lankan Civil War in 2009, defeating the rebel Liberation Tigers of Tamil Eelam. He later had a public falling out with President Mahinda Rajapaksa, and unsuccessfully challenged Rajapaksa in the 2010 presidential election. Fonseka joined the Sri Lanka Army in 1970 and saw extensive action throughout the 26-year civil war, culminating in a term as Commander of the Army from 6 December 2005 – 15 July 2009. As commander, he oversaw the final phase of the Sri Lankan Civil War, which resulted in the total defeat of the militant Liberation Tigers of Tamil Eelam organisation. He also survived an assassination attempt when an LTTE suicide bomber attacked his motorcade in April 2006. Following the end of the war Fonseka was promoted to a four star rank in the Sri Lanka Army, becoming the first serving officer to hold a four star rank. He has been described as Sri Lanka's most successful army commander.

Stephanie Laurens

Stephanie Laurens is a best-selling Australian author of romance novels.

St. John Philby

Hillary "Harry" St-John Bridger Philby CIE, also known as Jack Philby or Sheikh Abdullah, his Arabic name, was an Arabist, explorer, writer, and British colonial office intelligence officer. He was educated at Westminster School and Trinity College, Cambridge, where he studied oriental languages under E.G. Browne, and was a friend and classmate of Jawaharlal Nehru, later prime minister of India. In his travels he also took great interest in birdlife and he gave a scientific name to the Arabian Woodpecker, as well as a subspecies of an owl. Most of his birds were named after women whom he admired. He contributed numerous specimens to the British Museum. He also contributed to the draft of a book on the birds of Arabia by George Latimer Bates. However, it was never published, but was made use of in a work on the same subject by Richard Meinertzhagen. Philby is remembered in ornithology by the name of Philby's Partridge. As he states in his autobiography, he "became something of a fanatic" and "the first Socialist to join the Indian Civil Service" in 1907, and was posted to Lahore in the Punjab in 1908. He acquired fluency in Urdu, Punjabi, Baluchi, Persian, and eventually Arabic languages. Philby married Dora Johnston, his first wife, in September 1910, with his distant cousin Bernard Law Montgomery as best man. He also later married an Arab woman from Saudi Arabia. He had one son, Kim Philby, later a British intelligence agent infamous as a double agent for the Soviet Union, and three daughters.

Marvan Atapattu

Marvan Samson Atapattu is a former Sri Lankan cricketer and former Sri Lankan captain. Towards the end of his career he joined the Indian Cricket League and captained the Delhi Giants. He is the current coach of Singapore national cricket team.

S. W. R. D. Bandaranaike

Solomon West Ridgeway Dias Bandaranaike frequently referred to as S.W.R.D. Bandaranaike was the fourth Prime Minister of Ceylon, serving from 1956 until his assassination by a Buddhist monk in 1959.

Anagarika Dharmapala

Organization founder

Anagarika Dharmapala was a Sri Lankan Buddhist revivalist and writer. He was one of the founding contributors of non-violent Sinhalese Buddhist Nationalism and Buddhism. He was also a pioneer in the revival of Buddhism in India after it had been virtually extinct there for several centuries, and he was the first Buddhist in modern times to preach the Dharma in three continents: Asia, North America, and Europe. Along with Henry Steel Olcott and Helena Blavatsky, the creators of the Theosophical Society, he was a major reformer and revivalist of Ceylonese Buddhism and very crucial figure in its Western transmission. Dharmapala is one of the most revered Buddhists in the 20th century.

J. R. Jayewardene

Junius Richard Jayawardene, famously abbreviated in Sri Lanka as JR, was the leader of Sri Lanka from 1977 to 1989, serving as Prime Minister from 1977 to 1978 and as President of Sri Lanka from 1978 till 1989. He was a leader of the nationalist movement in Ceylon who served in a variety of cabinet positions in the decades following independence. A longtime member of the United National Party, he led it to a crushing victory in 1977 and served as Prime Minister for a year before becoming the country's first executive president under an amended constitution.

Dinesh Chandimal

Lokuge Dinesh Chandimal is a Sri Lankan international cricketer. He is a right-handed batsman and wicket-keeper.

William Chester Minor

William Chester Minor, also known as W. C. Minor was an American army surgeon and one of the largest contributors of quotations to the Oxford English Dictionary. He was held in a lunatic asylum at the time.

Susanthika Jayasinghe

Olympic athlete

Susanthika Jayasinghe is a Sri Lankan sprint athlete specializing in the 100 and 200 metres. Jayasinghe was born in Atnawala, Sri Lanka. Brought up in a poor family in a small village 60 kilometres north of Colombo, where running spikes cost more than the average month's wage, she had no access to proper sports equipment or coaches. Yet in spite of these underprivileged conditions she managed to progress to a standard where she could claim medals at both the Summer Olympics and IAAF World Championships in Athletics. Susanthika was the first and only Asian national to win an Olympic medal in any of 100 m, 200 m or 400 m sprint events.

Ranasinghe Premadasa

Sri Lankabhimanya Ranasinghe Premadasa was the 3rd President of Sri Lanka from 2 January 1989 to 1 May 1993. Before that, he served as the Prime Minister in the government headed by J. R. Jayewardene from 6 February 1978 to 1 January 1989. He was assassinated in Colombo in a suicide bombing, by the LTTE.

Rangana Herath

Herath Mudiyanselage Rangana Keerthi Bandara Herath, also known as H. M. R. K. B. Herath or Rangana Herath or Jack is a Sri Lankan cricketer. He was educated at Mayurapada Central College, Narammala and Maliyadeva College Kurunegala. He has also played cricket for Kurunegala Youth Cricket Club and Moors Sports Club. His bowling style is slow left arm orthodox. He made his Test match debut at Galle, Sri Lanka against the Australian cricket team in 1999, and his One Day International debut against the Zimbabwean cricket team at Harare Sports Ground in 2004. Herath joined the Sri Lankan squad in 2008 to face West Indies, for two Tests and three ODIs. In one of his warm up matches he got a five wicket haul. He played a few matches for Surrey during the latter part of the 2009 English cricket season. In April 2010, Herath joined Hampshire, where he played in the first half of the 2010 County Championship before fellow Sri Lankan Ajantha Mendis replaced him for the second half of the season.

Sinnathamby Rajaratnam

Sinnathamby Rajaratnam, better known as "S. Rajaratnam", was a Deputy Prime Minister of Singapore from 1980–85, and a long-serving Minister and member of the Cabinet from 1959–88. He was one of the pioneer leaders of independent Singapore as it achieved self-government in 1959 and later independence in 1965. He devoted much of his adult life to public service, and helped shape the mentality of Singaporeans on contemporary issues. One of the schools of Nanyang Technological University, is named the S. Rajaratnam School of International Studies in honour of him, as is the S. Rajaratnam block of his alma mater, Raffles Institution.

Gotabhaya Rajapaksa

Lieutenant Colonel Nandasena Gotabaya Rajapaksa, RWP, RSP, psc, GR is a retired officer of the Sri Lanka Army, the current Defence Secretary of Sri Lanka and Chairman of Lanka Hospitals. After serving through the early parts of the country's civil war with Tamil Tiger rebels, he retired from the Army in 1992. With the election of his brother Mahinda Rajapaksa as President of Sri Lanka, Gotabaya Rajapaksa was appointed Defence Secretary in November 2005. As Defence Secretary, Rajapaksa is largely credited for masterminding the successes achieved by the Sri Lankan Military in defeating the Tamil Tigers and ending Sri Lanka's 26 year long civil war in May 2009 under the leadership of President Mahinda Rajapaksa. He was also one of the top targets of the Tamil Tigers, and survived an assassination attempt in December 2006 by a Tamil Tiger suicide bomber. He is also accused of war crimes as reportedly ordered the killings of LTTE leaders during the bloodiest domestic civil war, prominent supporter of hardline religious group Buddhist Bodu Bala Sena and often criticised for controlling Sri Lankan media.

W. D. Amaradeva

Wannakuwatta Mitiwaduge Don Albert Perera in Moratuwa, Sri Lanka better known by his adopted name Amaradeva, is a Sri Lankan vocalist, violinist and a musical composer. Primarily using traditional instruments like sitars, tablas and harmoniums, Amaradeva incorporates Sinhala folk music with Indian ragas in his work. In the mid-1950s, Amaradeva in his Janagayana project consulted experts of the Kandyan dance tradition like Pani Bharata, Kiriganita, Gunamala, Ukkuva and Suramba in his path to understand what constituted Sinhala folk music. Noting that it mostly revolved around a single melody, he decided to add verses that would lead up to the central melody which would now be a chorus thus forming two parts removing restrictions that had existed earlier. In doing so, Amaradeva created a uniquely Sinhalese music style that stayed true to folk tradition while incorporating outside influences. His work was vital in the creation of the sarala gee genre practiced subsequently by artists like Victor Ratnayake, Sunil Edirisinghe and Sanath Nandasiri

Lakshman Kadirgamar

Sri Lankabhimanya Lakshman Kadirgamar PC was a Sri Lankan Tamil diplomat, politician and a lawyer. He served as Minister of Foreign Affairs of Sri Lanka from 1994 to 2001 and again from April 2004 until his assassination in August 2005. He achieved international prominence in this position due to his wide ranging condemnation of the LTTE (Tamil Tigers) and his efforts to have them banned internationally. A distinguished lawyer and international humanitarian, he was assassinated by an LTTE sniper in August 2005 Accounts of his views on politics and international relations, with much information about his life and career, can be found in the book Democracy, Sovereignty and Terror: Lakshman Kadirgamar on the Foundations of International Order, edited by Professor Adam Roberts.

Execution of Rizana Nafeek

Deceased Person

Rizana Nafeek was a Sri Lankan woman convicted and subsequently executed in Saudi Arabia for the murder of four-month-old Naif al-Quthaibi. Her parents alleged that in order to get work in Saudi Arabia the date of birth was altered on Nafeek's passport when in reality she was under 18 when the offence took place, meaning her execution was contrary to the Convention on the Rights of the Child. The initial confession made by Nafeek was claimed by her to have been made under duress and without linguistic assistance.

Dav Whatmore

Davenell Frederick Whatmore is a former international cricketer who represented Australia. He had a very short international career from March 1979 to January 1980 in which he played just seven Test matches and one One Day International. At first-class level, he scored over 6,000 runs for Victoria. Whatmore is the current coach of Pakistan.

Malini Fonseka

Malani Senehelatha Fonseka is an award-winning Sri Lankan film actress, also known as the "Queen of Sinhalese cinema". Her cinema career which has spanned many decades began with Tissa Liyansooriya's Punchi Baba in 1968. She first earned recognition, when she won the 'Best Actress Award' at the 1969 National State Drama Festival This was followed by Sarasaviya Best Actress Awards for Hingana Kolla in 1980, Aradhana in 1982 and Yasa Isuru in 1983. In 2010 she has been named by CNN as one of Asia’s 25 greatest film actors of all time.

J. B. Jeyaretnam

Joshua Benjamin Jeyaretnam was a Singaporean politician and lawyer. He was the leader of the Workers' Party from 1971 to 2001. In 1981, he became the first opposition politician since Singapore's independence in 1965 to win a seat in Parliament, when he defeated the candidate of the governing People's Action Party at a by-election in the constituency of Anson. He was re-elected at the 1984 general election, but lost his seat in Parliament in 1986 following a conviction for falsely accounting the party's funds. He returned to Parliament after the 1997 general election as a Non-Constituency Member of Parliament. However he was stripped of his NCMP seat in 2001 when he was declared bankrupt after failing to keep up with payments for damages owed to PAP leaders as a result of a libel suit. He left the WP later that year. He was discharged from bankruptcy in 2007, and founded the Reform Party in June 2008. He died of heart failure in September 2008, three months after founding the Reform Party which is now led by his son Kenneth Jeyaretnam.

Robert Napier, 1st Baron Napier of Magdala

Military Commander

Field Marshal Robert Cornelis Napier, 1st Baron Napier of Magdala, GCB, GCSI, CIE, FRS was a British soldier.

Arumuka Navalar

Arumuka Navalar was one the early revivalists of native Hindu Tamil traditions in Sri Lanka and India. He and others like him were responsible for reviving and reforming native traditions that had come under a long period of dormancy and decline during the previous 400 years of colonial rule by various European powers. A student of the Christian missionary school system who assisted in the translation of the King James Bible into Tamil, he was influential in creating a period of intense religious transformation amongst Tamils in India and Sri Lanka, preventing large-scale conversions to Protestantism. As part of his religious revivalism, he was one of the early adaptors of modern Tamil prose, introduced Western editing techniques, and built schools that taught secular and Hindu religious subjects. He was a defender of Saivism against Christian missionary activity and was one of the first natives to use the modern printing press to preserve the Tamil literary tradition. He published many polemical tracts in defense of Saivism, and also sought and published original palm leaf manuscripts. He also attempted to reform Saivism itself – an effort which sometimes led to the decline of popular deities and worship modes and confrontation with traditional authorities of religion. Some post-colonial authors have criticised his contributions as parochial, limited, conservative, and favouring the elite castes.

Eric Shipton

Mountaineer

Eric Earle Shipton CBE was a distinguished British Himalayan mountaineer.

David Wilkie

David Andrew Wilkie MBE is a Scottish former swimmer, who was Olympic and Commonwealth Games champion in the 1970s. He is the only person to have held British, American, Commonwealth, European, World and Olympic swimming titles at the same time and was the first British swimmer to win an Olympic gold medal in 68 years. He is a member of the Scottish Sports Hall of Fame, the International Swimming Hall of Fame, has been described as Scotland's greatest swimmer. and Britain's finest swimmer.

Anarkalli Aakarsha

Anarkali Akarsha Jayatilaka is an award winning Sri Lankan film and teledrama actress, model,singer, TV presenter and a politician. She was crowned Miss Sri Lanka 2004 and represented Sri Lanka at the Miss World 2004 beauty pageant. She has worked as a brand ambassador & a fundraiser. She attended Colombo International School.

Namal Rajapaksa

Lakshman Namal Rajapaksa is a son of Sri Lankan President Mahinda Rajapaksa and a Member of Parliament. It is widely believed that Rajapaksa is being groomed to succeed his father.

Vijaya Kumaranatunga

Kovilage Anton Vijaya Kumaranatunga, also known as Vijaya Kumaranatunga, was a popular Sri Lankan film actor and politician, married to former Sri Lankan president Chandrika Kumaranatunga from 1978 to his assassination in 1988.

Russel Arnold

Russel Premakumaran "Rusty" Arnold is a former Sri Lankan cricketer of Tamil descent. Arnold made his Test debut against Pakistan in 1997 and his One day international debut against South Africa later in the year. Originally an opening batsmen, Arnold has since moved down the batting order. He is most famous in the pearl island as a utility and very versatile player, making him ideally suitable for the limited over version of the game. However, when he started his career, he was seen primarily as a solid top order batsmen where he impressed against Australia during the AIWA cup of 1999, as well as the subsequent Test series against them, where he batted at No. 3. Failure in the 2003 Cricket World Cup saw him sidelined for many months. However, he fought his way back into the side with a string of good scores in domestic cricket for his club, Nondescripts. A calm and cool player in a crisis situation, Arnold has dragged Sri Lanka out of many sticky situations. He is highly valued for his gritty qualities and is considered an unselfish team man. He is considered an ideal No. 6; he is a Methodist Christian of Tamil descent as is Muttiah Muralitharan.

Alexander Khloponin

Alexander Gennadyevich Khloponin was born on March 6, 1965 in Colombo, Ceylon. Khloponin was the governor of Krasnoyarsk Krai in Siberia, Russia. Khloponin has a finance degree from the Finance Academy and was chairman of the board of the Norilsk Nickel company. In 2001, he became the governor of Taymyr Autonomous Okrug in northern Siberia, holding that position until 2002. Khloponin won the election for governor of Krasnoyarsk Krai against Alexander Uss, another man with major business links. The race was relatively close, with Khloponin winning only 48% of the vote even in the runoff. He has been governor of Krasnoyarsk Krai since October 2002. In 2002 Alexander Khloponin was named Person of the Year by Expert magazine, the Russian business weekly. Russian President Dmitry Medvedev has approved the establishment of the North Caucasian Federal District and appointed Alexander Khloponin Vice-Premier of the Russian Federation and Plenipotentiary Envoy of the President to the new federal district while relieving him from the governor's office.

Albert Moses

Albert Moses is a British-based actor born near Kandy, Sri Lanka. He had begun to act by the 1960s in India where he appeared in several films, then produced and directed his first. From India, he moved to Africa where he undertook work on documentaries. From the early 1970s, in Britain, Moses played small parts in several television series before being cast as Ranjeet Singh, a Sikh from Punjab, India, in the ITV sitcom Mind Your Language.

John Carson

John Carson is an English actor noted for his appearances in film and television. Making his film debut in 1947, he carved out a career appearing in low budget British movies such as Seven Keys; Smokescreen; and Master Spy. His saturnine looks and sinister voice led to him starring in a number of horror films including The Night Caller; Plague of the Zombies; The Man Who Haunted Himself; Taste the Blood of Dracula; and Captain Kronos – Vampire Hunter. Beside his appearances in horror films he is also known for his many villainous turns in adventure series of the sixties, such as The Avengers; The Saint; Adam Adamant Lives!; The Baron; Man in a Suitcase; The Champions; and Department S. His long and varied list of television credits include The Adventures of Robin Hood; Emergency - Ward 10; Ivanhoe; William Tell; Armchair Theatre; Maigret; Out of the Unknown; Emma; Dixon of Dock Green; Crown Court; The New Avengers; Secret Army; The Professionals; Tales of the Unexpected; Hammer House of Horror; Doctor Who; and Poirot. He was also famously the voice-over on the Sunsilk TV commercial that featured the John Barry music "The girl with the sun in her hair".

D.S. Senanayake

Don Stephen Senanayake was an independence activist who served as the first Prime Minister of Ceylon from 1947 to 1952.

Farveez Maharoof

Mohamed Farveez Maharoof is a Sri Lankan cricketer. He first made his impression in the 2004 U19 World Cup in which he captained the Sri Lankan team. He enjoyed a prolific school career for Wesley College, with a highest score of 243 and best bowling figures of 8 for 20. An all-rounder, he made his Test debut in 2004. He has featured more frequently in One Day Internationals and has played nearly 100 for Sri Lanka since 2004. At domestic level, he has represented Bloomfield, Nondescripts, Wayamba, Delhi Daredevils, Lancashire and Barisal Burners.

John Kotelawala

General Sir John Lionel Kotelawala, CH, KBE, KStJ, CLI was a Sri Lankan soldier and politician, most notable for serving as the 3rd Prime Minister of Ceylon from 1953 to 1956.

Lester James Peries

Film Director

Sri Lankabhimanya Lester James Peries is an internationally acclaimed Sri Lankan film director, screenwriter, and film producer. An active filmmaker since 1949, Peries has been involved in over 28 films, including shorts and documentaries. He has received critical acclaim for directing Rekava, Gamperaliya, Nidhanaya, Golu Hadawatha, Kaliyugaya, Awaragira and Yuganthaya. Movie Wekande Walauwa starring Ravindra Randeniya and Malini Fonseka was the Sri Lankas first ever submission for the Academy Awards and film also had screenings at many International level film festivals. Peries's films often deal with Sri Lankan family life in rural settings and conflicted characters.

Henepola Gunaratana

Bhante Henepola Gunaratana is a Sri Lankan Theravada Buddhist monk. He is often affectionately known as Bhante G.

Chandra Wickramasinghe

Nalin Chandra Wickramasinghe is a Sri Lankan-born British mathematician, astronomer and astrobiologist. He is currently Professor and Director of the Buckingham Centre for Astrobiology at the University of Buckingham, a post he has held since 2011. Chandra Wickramasinghe has written 24 books about astrophysics and related topics; he has made frequent appearances on radio, television and film, and he writes extensive online blogs and articles. His research interests include the interstellar medium, infrared astronomy, light scattering theory, applications of solid-state physics to astronomy, the early Solar System, comets, astrochemistry, the origin of life and astrobiology. A student and collaborator of Fred Hoyle, the pair worked jointly for over 40 years as influential proponents of panspermia. In 1974 they proposed the hypothesis that some dust in interstellar space was largely organic. He is currently a consultant team member of the European Space Agency's Rosetta mission which will arrive at comet 67P/Churyumov–Gerasimenko in 2014. He is also making further identifications of spectral features in comets and in the interstellar medium. More recently, Wickramasinghe has hypothesized that elementary living organisms like the lichen-forming alga spores present in the red rain in Kerala are of extraterrestrial origin, and that pathogens as the SARS virus also arrived on Earth from deep space carried in asteroids and comets. However, these speculations lack support from the scientific community and are at times published in the fringe Journal of Cosmology.

Chandran Rutnam

Chandran Rutnam is a film maker from Sri Lanka who has been in Los Angeles for more than 38 years. He is of mixed Tamil and Sinhalese ancestry. Having started his movie career with Britain's David Lean in the oscar-winning The Bridge on the River Kwai at the age of 16 and studied with American director George Lucas in film school, Rutnam brought numerous Hollywood movies to Sri Lanka. He worked as the production supervisor in Sri Lanka for Indiana Jones and the Temple of Doom amongst many other Hollywood movies. Rutnam is an award winning director for the movie A Common Man at the Madrid International Film Festival as the Best Director. Steven Spielberg once referred to Rutnam as "Our most valued friend in the Far East". He is the President and Chief Executive Officer of the Asian Film Location Services which mostly hosts foreign films to be shot in Sri Lanka. He founded the once-popular local airline company, Lionair and currently owns the Asian Aviation Centre in Sri Lanka. He is the chief consultant at selvaass.com which is on film promotion via social media and location services worldwide.

Michelle de Kretser

Michelle de Kretser is an Australian novelist who was born in Sri Lanka, and moved to Australia in 1972 when she was 14.

Martin Wickramasinghe

Martin Wickramasinghe, MBE was a Sri Lankan novelist. His books have been translated into several languages. The search for roots is a central theme in Wickramasinghe's writings on the culture and life of the people of Sri Lanka. His work explored and applied modern knowledge in natural and social sciences, literature, linguistics, the arts, philosophy, education, and Buddhism and comparative religion to reach beyond the superficial emotionalism of vulgar nationalism, and guide Sri Lankan readers to the enduring roots of their common national identity that exists in the folk life and folk culture of Sri Lanka.

Mervyn Silva

Hewa Koparage Mervyn Silva is a Sri Lankan politician, Member of Parliament and government minister.

Lahiru Thirimanne

Hettige Don Rumesh Lahiru Thirimanne is a Sri Lankan international cricketer. A left-handed batsman and right-arm medium-fast bowler, he made his One Day International debut in early 2010. He made his Test debut against England at the Rose Bowl in June 2011, coming into the side for the injured Tillakaratne Dilshan. In his first Test innings, he was dismissed for 10 runs caught behind off the bowling of James Anderson. Thirimanne Scored his first ODI century against Australia at Adelaide Oval during second ODI of 2012–13 Commonwealth Bank Series. Lahiru is an old boy of Prince of Wales' College, Moratuwa

Rathika Sitsabaiesan

Rathika Sitsabaiesan is a member of the House of Commons of Canada for the New Democratic Party, representing Scarborough—Rouge River. She is the first person of Tamil-origin to be elected to federal parliament in Canada and the first female and first person of colour to be elected as Member of Parliament in Scarborough—Rouge River. She is also the youngest Member of Parliament in the Greater Toronto Area.

Thilan Samaraweera

Thilan Thusara Samaraweera is a Sri Lankan cricketer, born 22 September 1976 in Colombo. Samaraweera plays international cricket for Sri Lanka and is in the side primarily for his solid right-handed batting but is also a capable off spinner.

Vinayagamoorthy Muralitharan

Vinayagamoorthy Muralitharan is a Sri Lankan politician and former militant. After fighting for the Liberation Tigers of Tamil Eelam for over 20 years, he rose to prominence as the leader of the Tamil Makkal Viduthalai Pulikal, a breakaway faction of the LTTE. After giving up arms and entering politics, he was appointed as a National List Member of Parliament for the ruling United People's Freedom Alliance, the party of President Mahinda Rajapakse, in 2008 and sworn in as Minister of National Integration on March 9, 2009. He later joined the Sri Lanka Freedom Party, the largest party in the UPFA, and on April 24, 2009 he appointed a Vice President of the Sri Lanka Freedom Party.

Malcolm Ranjith

Albert Malcolm Ranjith Patabendige Don, often known simply as Malcolm Ranjith or Albert Malcolm Ranjith, is a Sri Lankan cardinal of the Catholic Church. He is the ninth and current Archbishop of Colombo, serving since 2009. He was elevated to the cardinalate in 2010. Ranjith previously served as auxiliary bishop of Colombo, Bishop of Ratnapura, Adjunct Secretary of the Congregation for the Evangelization of Peoples, Apostolic Nuncio to Indonesia and East Timor, and Secretary of the Congregation for Divine Worship and the Discipline of the Sacraments.

Rosemary Rogers

Rosemary Rogers, née Rosemary Jansz is a best-selling author of historical romance novels. Her first book, Sweet Savage Love, was published in 1974. She was the second romance author, after Kathleen Woodiwiss, to have her novels published in trade paperback format. Both writers owe their initial success to legendary editor Nancy Coffey who was then with Avon Books. Rogers is considered to be one of the founders of the modern historical romance, and many of today's writers cite her writing as one of their biggest influences. She lives in Connecticut.

Cecil Balmond

Structural engineer

Cecil Balmond is a Sri Lankan - British designer, artist, architect, and writer. In 1968 Balmond joined Ove Arup & Partners, leading him to become deputy chairman. In 2000 he founded design and research group, the AGU. He currently holds the Paul Philippe Cret Chair at Penn Design as Professor of Architecture where he is also the founding director of the Non Linear Systems Organization, a material and structural research unit. He has also been Kenzo Tange Professor at Harvard Graduate School of Architecture, Saarinen professor at Yale University School of Architecture and visiting fellow at London School of Economics. In 2010 Balmond set up his own architectural practice, Balmond Studio, with offices in London and Colombo. The research led practice is involved with art, architecture, design and consulting. One current project is the Gretna Landmark, Star of Caledonia for which Cecil is the artist. It is an illuminated sculpture that marks the Scottish and English border crossing, and will be completed in 2015.

Roshan Mahanama

Roshan Siriwardene Mahanama is a former Sri Lankan cricketer and currently an ICC match referee. Although he averaged less than 30 at Test cricket, he did score four centuries, including a top score of 225 for the Sri Lankan cricket team against India at Colombo, where he shared a then world record second wicket partnership of 576 runs with Sanath Jayasuriya. This record was surpassed in July 2006 as the largest partnership in Test match history by fellow Sri Lankans Kumar Sangakkara and Mahela Jayawardene who put on 624 against South Africa. Roshan Mahanama was the stylish batsman in Sri Lankan cricket side. He established himself as stylish opening batsman in late 80's & early 90's. In W.C. 1992, Roshan Mahanama performed as opening batsman along with M.A.R. Samarasekera & U.C. Hathurusingha. During the captaincy of Aravinda de silva in early 90's, Roshan Mahanama was a consistent opening batsman. In W.C. 1992, Roshan Mahanama scored: 59 runs off 89 balls v.s. Zimbabwe, 80 runs off 131 balls v.s. New Zealand & 68 runs off 121 balls v.s. South Africa. During 1995/96, whenever Roshan Mahanama gets out, Aravinda de Silva gets out easily. Roshan is the 36th Sri Lanka Test Cap [Sri Lanka Vs Pakistan at Colombo 1985/86].

Bernard White

Bernard White is a Sri Lankan-born American actor, screenwriter and film director. A 1977 graduate of Detroit Catholic Central High School, he graduated from Michigan State University. He was previously married to American actress Julia Campbell and French actress Nathalie Canessa-White. He also founded plymouth, an experimental theater company in Hollywood, California. He was raised in Detroit, Michigan.

Gamini Fonseka

Sembuge Gamini Shelton Fonseka was a Sri Lankan film actor and politician. Fonseka was born on March 21, 1936 in Dehiwela the third child of William and Daisy Fonseka. Starting school at a Presbyterian institution, Gamini moved on to S. Thomas' College, Mt. Lavinia. As a youngster, he gained repute for imitating administrative figures at school. Gamini also prospered in the study of the Sinhala language and literature and placed in the upper fourth for a Sinhala literature prize. The award for this achievement was presented to him by S. Thomas' graduate and Sri Lankan Prime Minister D. S. Senanayake. Gamini was also an accomplished cricket player. Gamini Fonseka married his longtime girlfriend Dorothy Margaret Valencia also known as Tina in 1962 and had four children Chamila, Thanuja, Dammith and Ishara. Many years later he also fathered Kaushalya and Poornima. He remained married to Tina until his death in September 2004.

Shanmugalingam Sivashankar

Shanmugalingam Sivashankar Tamil: பொட்டு அம்மான் is a Sri Lankan Tamil militant. He was indicted by the Indian government's Jain Commission for involvement in the assassination of the former Indian Prime Minister Rajiv Gandhi.

Dilhara Fernando

Congenige Randhi Dilhara Fernando is a cricketer who plays for Sri Lanka. He is a right-handed pace bowler. Dilhara studied at De Mazenod College Kandana. He started off his school career as a basketball player but was spotted by the college cricket coach because of his build and height. Fernando is best known for his rare technique when bowling the slower ball by splitting the fingers on the ball as it is released from the hand. Fernando first debuted for Sri Lanka in a Test Match against Pakistan at Colombo in June 2000. Six months later in a game at Durban he clocked 91.9 mph. He bowled at 93.40 mph vs Bangladesh at India. His international career however has been limited due to injury. In the period of a year he suffered two stress fracture of the back and as a result missed the their home series against Australia in 2004. In the 2010 tour of Australia, in the 3rd and final ODI at The Gabba, he clocked speeds reaching 150 kilometres per hour. In 2008 he appeared briefly in English county cricket, playing one County Championship and two Pro40 matches at the end of the season for Worcestershire. He is a Christian and sometimes attends church with Chaminda Vaas.

Chitral Somapala

Heavy metal Artist

Chitral "Chity" Somapala is a Sri Lankan hard rock and heavy metal vocalist and former lead singer of Firewind and the British power metal band Power Quest. He is better known for his work with European power metal bands Firewind, Avalon, Faro, Red Circuit and Civilization One. Somapala gained popularity in his home country Sri Lanka due to his Sinhala track "Nadee Ganga" which was released in 1998.

H. R. Jothipala

Hettiarachchige Reginald Jothipala was a prolific playback singer in the Sinhala cinema. He also worked as an opera singer. He died in July 1987 at the age of 51 years and 5 months. Jothipala lent his voice to all classes of actors ranging from Eddie Jayamanne, Ananda Jayaratne, Gamini Fonseka, Vijaya Kumaratunga, Sanath Gunathilaka, Tony Ranasinghe, Ravindra Randeniya and even several of the young generation of actors in Sri Lanka.

Lalith Athulathmudali

Lalith William Samarasekera Athulathmudali, PC was a Sri Lankan politician of the United National Party and former Cabinet Minister of Trade, National Security, Agriculture, Education and deputy minister of defence.

Henry Montgomery Lawrence

Sir Henry Montgomery Lawrence KCB was a British soldier and statesman in India, who died defending Lucknow during the Indian Mutiny.

Rohana Wijeweera

Patabendi Don Nandasiri Wijeweera or Rohana Wijeweera was a Sri Lankan Marxist politician, rebel and the founding leader of the Janatha Vimukthi Peramuna. Wijeweera led the party in two unsuccessful insurrections in Sri Lanka, in 1971 and 1987 to 1989.

Colin Gordon

Colin Gordon was a British actor born in Ceylon. He was educated at Marlborough College and Christ Church, Oxford. He made his first West End appearance in 1934 as the hind legs of a horse in a production of Toad of Toad Hall. From 1936 to 1939 he was a director with the Fred Melville Repertory Company at Brixton. He served in the army during World War II for six years. His performance in 1948 as Rupert Billings in The Happiest Days of Your Life won the Clarence Derwent award. Gordon had a long career in British cinema and television from the 1940s to the 1970s, often playing government officials. His films include The Pink Panther and Casino Royale although he is probably best known for his portrayal of Number Two in the ITC classic series The Prisoner. Along with Leo McKern, he was one of only two actors to play Number Two more than once. He first played the character in "The General" and later reprised his role in "A. B. and C.". In fact, the episodes were subsequently broadcast in reverse order: when "The General" was in production, "A. B. and C." had not yet been cast. Gordon was a regular in another ITC production, The Baron playing civil servant Templeton-Green opposite Steve Forrest. He also played the host and occasional narrator of the 1969 London Weekend Television series The Complete and Utter History of Britain, which arose from a pre-Monty Python collaboration between Michael Palin and Terry Jones; and was the Airport Commandant in the 1967 Doctor Who story The Faceless Ones. He was also in Bachelor Father and made a notable guest appearance in "The Holiday" episode of Steptoe and Son.

Jeevan Mendis

Balapuwaduge Manukulasuriya Amith Jeevan Mendis is a Sri Lankan international cricketer. A left-handed batsman, he debuted in 2000/01 and the following season captained the Under-19 team to victory in a one-day game. He represented the Sri Lankan A side in 2005. He first debuted in the Zimbabwe Triangular series in the 3rd Match on 1 June 2010 he didn't got any oppurtinity to bat as his number didn't come up but he bowled 4 overs, giving 12 runs and took two wickets,he got a chance to bat in his second ODI and scored a decent 35 of 35 balls. He has also played for Dhaka Dynamites in Bangladesh's NCL T20 Bangladesh. In the opening match of T20 World Cup 2012 against Zimbabwe at Hambantota, he came to the crease at 82/3 after 11.3 overs and scored a 43* from 30 balls hitting 4 fours and a six and scripted a game-changing 49 ball 94 runs partnership with Kumar Sangakkara to help his side reach 182/4. With the ball, he took 3/24 from his 4 overs & ably assisted spin partner Ajantha Mendis who took a record 6/8 from his 4 overs.

Rukmani Devi

Rukmani Devi was a Sri Lankan singer and actress, who was often acclaimed as "The Nightingale of Sri Lanka". She made it to the silver screen via the stage and had acted in close to 100 films, at the time of her death. Having an equal passion for singing as well as a melodious voice, she was Sri Lanka's foremost female singer in the gramophone era. After her death, she was awarded the Sarasaviya 'Rana Thisara'- Life Time Achievement Award at the 1979 Sarasaviya Awards Festival.

Niranjan Joseph "Nirj" De Silva Deva-Aditya FRSA DL is a politician from the United Kingdom. A member of the Conservative Party, he has been a Member of the European Parliament representing South East England since 1999. He was previously a Member of Parliament in the British House of Commons from 1992 to 1997, representing the constituency of Brentford and Isleworth. Deva was born in Sri Lanka into a politically active family, and was raised in Britain. He was only the fourth Asian-born person to be elected a Member of the House of Commons, and was the first Asian-born person to be elected as a Conservative member of the European Parliament.

Sajin Vass Gunawardena

Sajin de Vass Gunawardena, MP is a controversial Sri Lankan businessmen and politician. He has been accused of and has been involved in several controversies ranging from fraud, criminal record, remand time, fraud bureau investigations, unpaid loans, spying, overstepping and unfulfilled promises. He was widely criticized for his role as CEO of Mihin Lanka and allegedly was responsible for bankruptcy and financial misfortune of the airline. A current member of Parliament of Sri Lanka, he was the former CEO of Mihin Lanka government sponsored budget airline. He has also served as coordinating secretary on trade and foreign affairs to the President of Sri Lanka. Prior to entering parliament in 2010 he was a member of the southern provincial council.

Suraj Randiv

Hewa Kaluhalamullage Suraj Randiv Kaluhalamulla, known as Suraj Randiv, born Mohamed Marshuk Mohamed Suraj is a Sri Lankan international cricketer who plays first-class cricket for Sinhalese Sports Club. Suraj was educated at Rahula College Matara. A right arm offspinner, Suraj had a successful under-age career in Sri Lanka. He represented his country at under-15 and under-19 level and took 23 wickets in four matches at an Under-23 tournament of 2003-04. This effort caught the attention of Marvan Atapattu, who was influential in getting him over to Sinhalese Sports Club. He went on play for Sri Lanka A and Sri Lanka. In December 2009, he replaced Muttiah Muralitharan in Sri Lanka's ODI squad in India and he made his debut in the second match of the series in Nagpur. He impressed by taking three wickets for 51 runs; Sri Lanka went on to win the match by three wickets. On 16 August 2010, in an incident that drew considerable media attention, Randiv intentionally bowled a no ball—overstepping the bowling mark by a significant margin—to Virender Sehwag—then on 99—that ensured a victory for India in the ODI, while denying Sehwag a chance to score a century. Sehwag hit the ball for six but as the winning run was registered as soon as the umpire signalled no ball, Sehwag's shot was incorrectly deemed to have been made after the end of the match. Randiv later apologised to Sehwag for use of the tactic; he was docked his match fees for the game and handed a one match suspension by Sri Lanka Cricket.

C. W. W. Kannangara

Christopher William Wijekoon Kannangara was a Sri Lankan lawyer and politician. Rising up the ranks of Sri Lanka's movement for independence in the early part of the 20th century, he became the first Minister of Education in the State Council of Ceylon, and was instrumental in introducing extensive reforms to the country's education system that opened up education to children from all levels of society. Born in rural town in Balapitiya, South, Sri Lanka, his academic prowess enabled him to win a scholarship to Richmond College, Galle, a prestigious national school at the time. Initially working as a lawyer after leaving school, he entered politics as the movement for independence was gathering strength in Sri Lanka. Kannangara was first elected to the Ceylon Legislative Council in 1923 and then to the State Council. He also served as the President of the Ceylon National Congress. As Minister of Education in the State Council, Kannangara introduced extensive reforms to the education system of Sri Lanka throughout the 1940s. They befitted thousands of underprivileged students in rural parts of the country by making education free for all students. He also began a central schools scheme, which established high quality secondary schools in rural areas of the country. Kannangara's significant achievements in areas of education have led him to being commonly referred to as the Father of Free Education in Sri Lanka.

Douglas Devananda

Kathiravelu Nithyananda Devananda, commonly known as Douglas Devananda, is a Sri Lankan Tamil politician, Cabinet Minister and leader of the Eelam People's Democratic Party. Originally a Sri Lanka Tamil militant who fought against the Sri Lankan government for an independent Tamil Eelam, he became a pro-government paramilitary leader and politician. Due to his strong opposition to and vocal criticism of the rebel Liberation Tigers of Tamil Eelam, they unsuccessfully tried to assassinate him over 10 times. Devananda is a proclaimed offender in India and is wanted on charges of murder, attempt to murder, rioting, unlawful assembly and kidnapping.

John Eyton Bickersteth Mayor

John Eyton Bickersteth Mayor was an English classical scholar. He was born at Baddegama, Sri Lanka, and returned to England to be educated at Shrewsbury School and St John's College, Cambridge. From 1863 to 1867 he was librarian of the University of Cambridge, and in 1872 succeeded HAJ Munro in the professorship of Latin, which he held for 28 years. His best-known work, an edition of the thirteen Satires of Juvenal, is notable for an extraordinary wealth of illustrative quotations. His Bibliographical Clue to Latin Literature, based on Emil Hübner's Grundriss zu Vorlesungen über die römische Litteraturgeschichte, was a valuable aid to the student, and his edition of Cicero's Second Philippic became widely used. He also edited the English works of John Fisher, Bishop of Rochester; Thomas Baker's History of St John's College, Cambridge; Richard of Cirencester's Speculum historiale de gestis regum Angliae 447–1066; Roger Ascham's Schoolmaster; the Latin Heptateuch; and the Journal of Philology. According to the Enciklopedio de Esperanto, Mayor learned Esperanto in 1907, and gave a historic speech against Esperanto reformists at the World Congress of Esperanto held at Cambridge.

Denzil Kobbekaduwa

Lieutenant General Denzil Lakshman Kobbekaduwa RWP, RSP, VSV, USP, rcds, psc, SLAC was a highly decorated and respected General in the Sri Lanka army. He was assassinated along with 9 other military officers in a land-mine explosion.

Shyam Selvadurai

Shyam Selvadurai is a Sri Lankan Canadian novelist who wrote Funny Boy, which won the Books in Canada First Novel Award, and Cinnamon Gardens. He currently lives in Toronto with his partner Andrew Champion. Selvadurai was born in Colombo, Sri Lanka to a Sinhalese mother and a Tamil father—members of conflicting ethnic groups whose troubles form a major theme in his work. Ethnic riots in 1983 drove the family to emigrate to Canada when Selvadurai was nineteen. He studied creative and professional writing as part of a Bachelor of Fine Arts program at York University. Selvadurai recounted an account of the discomfort he and his partner experienced during a period spent in Sri Lanka in 1997 in his essay "Coming Out" in Time Asia's special issue on the Asian diaspora in 2003. In 2004, Selvadurai edited a collection of short stories: Story-Wallah: Short Fiction from South Asian Writers, which includes works by Salman Rushdie, Monica Ali, and Hanif Kureishi, among others. He published a young adult novel, Swimming in the Monsoon Sea, in 2005. Swimming won the Lambda Literary Award in the Children's and Youth Literature category in 2006. He was a contributor to TOK: Writing the New Toronto, Book 1.

Famous Sri Lankan People

Right Icon This ranking is based on an algorithm that combines various factors, including the votes of our users and search trends on the internet.

Talent knows no geographical boundaries and Sri Lankan actress and model, Jacqueline Fernandez, showed it with her success in Bollywood and the numerous awards she won. Raised in a multi-ethnic family, she is known for glamour and found a place in Forbes’ India list of 100 celebrities. Fernandez is also noted for her concern for animals as acknowledged by PETA.

Michael Ondaatje is a Sri Lankan-born Canadian poet, writer, and filmmaker. Born in Sri Lanka, he eventually migrated to Canada. He studied at Bishop's University and embarked on a teaching career. His literary works include poems, novels, and essays. He is the recipient of multiple prestigious awards, including the Giller Prize and the Booker Prize. 

Former Sri Lankan prime minister Ranil Wickremasinghe was born into a family of print media moguls and grew up to become an advocate. The United National Party leader had also been in the news for his rounds of peace talks with the LTTE . He is married to academic Maitree Wickremasinghe.

Ranasinghe Premadasa was a Sri Lankan politician who served as the third president of Sri Lanka from 1989 to 1993. Before serving as the president, Premadasa served as the prime minister of Sri Lanka from 1978 to 1989. In 1986, he became the first Sri Lankan to receive the prestigious Sri Lankabhimanya , the country's highest civilian award.

Sukumari was an Indian actress known for her contribution to Tamil and Malayalam films. One of the most acclaimed actresses of her generation, Sukumari acted in over 2,500 films in a career that spanned over 50 years. In 2003, she was honored with the Padma Shri . In 2011, she won the National Film Award for her performance in Namma Gramam. 

Ananda Coomaraswamy was a Ceylonese Tamil philosopher of Indian art, metaphysician, and pioneering historian. He is credited for being one of the earliest interpreters of Indian culture to the West. He is also held responsible for introducing ancient Indian art to the West. Apart from bridging the gap between East and West, Coomaraswamy's works also aimed at rehabilitating original Buddhism.

Chandrika Kumaratunga is a Sri Lankan politician who became the first female president when she was elected as the president of Sri Lanka in 1994. Having served as the president from 1994 to 2005, Kumaratunga is the only female Sri Lankan president to date. She also served as the head of the Sri Lanka Freedom Party from 1994 to 2006. 

Arul Pragasam was a Sri Lankan Tamil activist and revolutionary. He played an important role in the formation of the Eelam Revolutionary Organisation of Students during the Tamil independence movements in England. The movement, which originated in Sri Lanka, aimed at securing an independent Tamil state in the island country due to the oppression of Sri Lankan-Tamils by the government.

J. R. Jayewardene was a Sri Lankan politician and leader. He served as the prime minister of Sri Lanka from 1977 to 1978 and then went on to serve as the country's second president from 1978 to 1989. A controversial figure, Jayewardene's actions have been recognized as a contributing factor to the commencement of the Sri Lankan Civil War .

Sri Lanka’s first prime minister, D. S. Senanayake, was the son of a plantation owner and graphite miner and was raised as a devout Buddhist. An amateur cricketer in school, he later took to rubber planting and formed the cooperative-society movement. He rejected the honor of a knighthood.

C. W. W. Kannangara was a Sri Lankan politician and lawyer. He played an important role in the Sri Lankan independence movement, a peaceful political movement aimed at achieving freedom from the British Empire. As a lawyer, C. W. W. Kannangara defended many political prisoners during the Riots of 1915 and later served as the President of Ceylon National Congress.

Sarath Fonseka is a Sri Lankan former politician and army officer. He served as the Commander of Sri Lanka Army during the Sri Lankan Civil War and is credited with ending the 26-year war in 2009 by defeating Liberation Tigers of Tamil Eelam . After serving as the Commander, Sarath Fonseka briefly served as Chief of the Defence Staff in 2009.

Ranjan Ramanayake is a Sri Lankan former politician, film director, actor, script writer, and singer. He achieved immense popularity during the 1990s, when he appeared in many Sinhala language films. One of the most popular and celebrated Sri Lankan actors of his generation, Ranjan Ramanayake has won numerous awards, including nine Sarasaviya Awards.

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An Olympics Scene Draws Scorn. Did It Really Parody ‘The Last Supper’?

Some church leaders and politicians have condemned the performance from the opening ceremony for mocking Christianity. Art historians are divided.

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By Yan Zhuang

A performance during the Paris Olympics’ opening ceremony on Friday has drawn criticism from church leaders and conservative politicians for a perceived likeness to Leonardo da Vinci’s depiction of a biblical scene in “The Last Supper,” with some calling it a “mockery” of Christianity.

The event’s planners and organizers have denied that the sequence was inspired by “The Last Supper,” or that it intended to mock or offend.

In the performance broadcast during the ceremony, a woman wearing a silver, halo-like headdress stood at the center of a long table, with drag queens posing on either side of her. Later, at the same table, a giant cloche lifted, revealing a man, nearly naked and painted blue, on a dinner plate surrounded by fruit. He broke into a song as, behind him, the drag queens danced.

The tableaux drew condemnation among people who saw the images as a parody of “The Last Supper,” the New Testament scene depicted in da Vinci’s painting by the same name. The French Bishops’ Conference, which represents the country’s Catholic bishops, said in a statement that the opening ceremony included “scenes of mockery and derision of Christianity,” and an influential American Catholic, Bishop Robert Barron of Minnesota, called it a “gross mockery.”

The performance at the opening ceremony, which took place on and along the Seine on Friday, also prompted a Mississippi-based telecommunications provider, C Spire, to announce that it would pull its advertisements from Olympics broadcasts. Speaker Mike Johnson described the scene as “shocking and insulting to Christian people.”

The opening ceremony’s artistic director, Thomas Jolly, said at the Games’ daily news conference on Saturday that the event was not meant to “be subversive, or shock people, or mock people.” On Sunday, Anne Descamps, the Paris 2024 spokeswoman, said at the daily news conference, “If people have taken any offense, we are, of course, really, really sorry.”

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