Irangani Sirimanne – The Beauty Queen by Agnes Thambynayagam “Bitten by the pageant bug, Irangani Gunatillake was thrust into being a goodwill ambassador of her country during the dawn of post independent island nation of Ceylon” ( January 23, 2016, Texas, Sri Lanka Guardian) A few days ago I had the opportunity to read an article written by Mr. S Skandakumar, currently High Commissioner for Sri Lanka in Australia for ‘The Island’ and ‘The Sunday Times’ entitled “The way we were….”, a reflection of the true nature, character and the sprit of the Sri Lankan people. The article inspired me to narrate this little story about an inspiring Sri Lankan woman–a story that must be told: Dr. N.M. Perera, the Finance Minister of Ceylon hugs the Royal Queen Irangani in 1956 Irangani was born on 27 September 1937 in Ceylon (Sri Lanka) to a Ceylonese diplomat Felix Sirimanne and Beatrice ...
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