J.R. Jayewardene Archives

Home ⁄ Tag Archives: J.R. Jayewardene

Sir Ponnampalam Ramanathan’s Defiance: A Turning Point-by KKS PERERA After successfully advocating for justice in London, Sir Ponnampalam Ramanathan returned to Ceylon to a hero’s welcome. His tireless efforts to expose the British administration’s oppressive measures, particularly the unjust imprisonment and mistreatment of national and temperance movement leaders after the 1915 riots, had earned him the admiration and gratitude of the people. Recognizing his pivotal role in securing justice, Sinhala leaders and the public organized a grand reception to honor him. The most striking display of their appreciation was the symbolic act of leading him from the port in a grand procession, where prominent Sinhala leaders pulled the chariot carrying Ramanathan through the streets. This extraordinary gesture was a profound acknowledgment of his selfless service and the deep respect he had earned, transcending ethnic and political divides. Thousands gathered to witness the event, with people lining the streets to ...

Feb 4, 2025 Posted by eLanka admin In Articles Tagged British colonial administration, Ceylon National Congress, D.S. Senanayake, J.R. Jayewardene, Sir Ponnampalam Ramanathan

From development to cricket, he had a vision Hon Gamini Dissanayake reminisced on this 30th death annoversary – By Sunil Thenabadu October 23, 1994 was the day of Gamini Dissanayake’s tragic death occurred following a bomb explosion while he was participating in his Presidential campaign meeting. His untimely death was indeed an irreparable loss to all citizens of Sri Lanka.He was a lawyer by profession who sacrificed a lucrative career and entered politics in the early 1970’s. He drew inspiration from leaders like D.S. Senanayake, Dudley Senanayake and J.R Jayewardene. All those who were acquainted with him knew very well that he was a person of courage who always stood up for what was right, He was a humanist – congenial, honest, upright, humble and an exemplary politician. Whatever he did, he did to perfection through sheer commitment. He was initially elected a Member of Parliament by winning a seat ...

Nov 1, 2024 Posted by eLanka admin In Articles, Sunil Thenabadu Tagged D.S. Senanayake, Gamini Dissanayake, Gamini Dissanayake reservoir, J.R. Jayewardene, Kotmale Reservoir, Mahaweli Development Programme

The prelate and the premier: Why Buddharakkitha Thera got S.W.R.D. Bandaranaike murdered-by D.B.S Jeyaraj S.W.R.D. Bandaranaike Source:FT Sri Lanka’s newly elected President Anura Kumara Dissanayake has appointed Dr. Harini Amarasuriya as his Prime Minister. The academic turned politico is Sri Lanka’s third woman Prime Minister. The first woman PM of the island nation was Sirimavo Bandaranaike. Sirimavo shattered a global glass ceiling in 1960 by becoming the world’s first woman Prime Minister. Her daughter Chandrika Kumaratunga became the second woman PM in 1994. Subsequently she too made history as Sri Lanka’s first woman President. As is well known, Sirimavo and Chandrika were the wife and daughter of former Prime Minister Solomon West Ridgeway Dias Bandaranaike (SWRDB) respectively. Prime Minister Bandaranaike was killed in 1959. He died on 26 September 1959. SWRDB was born on 8 January 1899. As such this year marks the 125th birth and 65th death anniversaries of ...

Sep 29, 2024 Posted by eLanka admin In Articles Tagged Buddharakitha Thero, J.R. Jayewardene, Privy Council, S.W.R.D. Bandaranaike, Somarama Thero

Nationalisms in Ceylon: Origins, Stimulants and Ingredients-by MICHAEL ROBERTS Source:Thuppahis REPRODUCING CHAPTER III IN VOLUME I OF DOCUMENTS OF THE CEYLON NATIONAL CONGRESS AND NATIONALIST POLITICS IN CEYLON, 1929-1950, VOL I, 1977, DEPARTMENT OF NATIONAL ARCHIVES, 1977 , PP. LXVIII–LXXVIII ** While the political activists of the first half of the twentieth century were drawn from both the national and the local elites, the political leadership (at significant island-wide levels) was largely composed of individuals who could be ranked among the national elite. As indicated earlier, the national elite was a small segment of the Ceylonese population. Its levels of wealth, power and status, its lifestyle, and its value-system marked it off from the rest of the population. In such circumstances, it is no surprise that the older, rosy image of “nationalists” as selfless-patriots who led the struggle against foreign political domination is no longer accepted. Indeed, the tendency in some circles today ...

Jul 6, 2024 Posted by eLanka admin In Articles, Michael Roberts Tagged Ceylon National Congress, J. E. Amaratunga, J.R. Jayewardene

The Royal-Thomian Cricket Match: Its History–by Michael Roberts Source:Thuppahis Uthpala Wijesuriya, in The Island, 17 March 2023,where the title presented is “The Earth’s Greatest Rivalry” … while the highlighting in this presentation has been imposed by a Thuppahiyaaaaaaaaa. The Royal-Thomian or the Battle of the Blues, the world’s second oldest uninterrupted cricket battle, will unveil for the 144th consecutive year this week. The encounter pits the boys bearing the crests of the Elephant and Palm Tree against those bearing the Cross and Dove. The Royal-Thomian is in many ways greater and more epic than the three matches that can be most favorably compared to it: St Peters–Prince Alfred in Australia, Eton–Harrow in Britain, and the Ashes. This is particularly so in the annals of schoolboy cricket in Sri Lanka. Indeed, the history of Sri Lankan cricket cannot be written without the Battle of the Blues. Chandana Panditharathna once observed, “The magic of the match ...

Mar 25, 2023 Posted by eLanka admin In Articles, Michael Roberts Tagged J.R. Jayewardene, Royal College, St.Peter's College, Uthpala Wijesuriya

Gamini Dissanayake : Superlative revelation of a supreme Politician – by Sunil Thenabadu The day 23rd October 2022 denotes the 28th death anniversary of charismatic, captivating and superlative politician Gamini Dissanayake who was cruelly killed by a LTTE female suicide bomber on the night of the 23rd of October 1994, in Thotalanga along with many UNP stalwarts who were canvassing in a last ditch campaign for his own presidential race. The news of his tragic sparked instantly island wide and also worldwide, the death which shattered all hopes and thwarted people’s dream and aspirations of their charismatic and caring leader becoming the President of the country which otherwise was inevitable, with the presidential election just two weeks away. It was an irreparable rout to the entire nation, as during his 24 year tenure of service in dynamic affairs of state, he had achieved more than a lifetime’s worth of milestones, ...

Feb 25, 2023 Posted by eLanka admin In Articles, Sunil Thenabadu Tagged Gamini Dissanayake, J.R. Jayewardene, Sri Lanka, UNP

Sri Lankan Prime ministers – By Malsha – eLanka Here is a list of Prime Ministers of Sri Lanka since its independence in 1948: D.S. Senanayake (1948-1952) John Lionel Kotalawela (1953-1956) S.W.R.D. Bandaranaike (1956-1959) W.D. SENEVRATNE (1959-1960) Sirimavo Ratwatte Dias Bandaranaike (1960-1965) Dudley Shelton Senanayake (1965-1970) Sirimavo Ratwatte Dias Bandaranaike (1970-1977) J.R. Jayewardene (1977-1978) R. Premadasa (1978-1989) Dingiri Banda Wijetunga (1989-1993) Chandrika Kumaratunga (1994-2001) Ratnasiri Wickremanayake (2001-2004) Mahinda Rajapaksa (2004-2015) Ranil Wickremesinghe (2015-present) D.S. Senanayake Dudley Shelton Senanayake was the first Prime Minister of Sri Lanka (formerly Ceylon), serving from 1948 until his death in 1952. He was a central figure in Sri Lanka’s independence movement, and worked to gain independence from British rule. After independence, he focused on building the country’s infrastructure and promoting agriculture. He is widely regarded as the father of the nation and his son, Dudley Shelton Senanayake, became the second Prime Minister of Sri Lanka. ...

Feb 10, 2023 Posted by eLanka admin In Articles, Malsha Madhuhansi Tagged Chandrika Kumaratunga, D.S. Senanayake, Dingiri Banda Wijetunga, Dudley Shelton Senanayake, J.R. Jayewardene, John Lionel Kotalawela, Mahinda Rajapaksa, R Premadasa, Ranil Wickremesinghe, Ratnasiri Wickremanayake, S.W.R.D. Bandaranaike, Sirimavo Ratwatte Dias Bandaranaike, Sri Lankan Prime ministers, W.D. SENEVIRATNE

Teldeniya – location of “Indiana Jones and the Temple of Doom” – By Arundathie Abeysinghe From thick jungles to spectacular mountains, cascading waterfalls, central hills carpeted with tea, endemic flora and fauna to idealistic beaches, spectacular surfing beaches on the east, kite surfing adventures by the lagoon in the west, the island nation also offers an abundance of paddy fields dotted with farmers, a showcase of Sri Lankan village life. Sri Lanka meaning “a resplendent isle” (in Sinhala) and the country living up to its name has everything a film producer would need to make a film, yet, set within 65,610 kilometers (25,332 miles) with a total coastline of 1,340 kilometers (832.6 miles), accessible within a short time. Released on May 23, 1984, in the USA with a record-breaking $45.7 million in its first week, “Indiana Jones and the Temple of Doom”, the second installment in the Indiana Jones franchise ...

Sep 22, 2022 Posted by eLanka admin In Articles, Arundathie Abeysinghe Tagged American action-adventure film, J.R. Jayewardene, Mahaweli River, Queen Elizabeth II, Sri Lanka, Sri Lankan village, Steven Spielberg, Teldeniya, The Bridge, victoria Dam

A Tribute to Podi hamuduruwo – By Dr. Tilak S. Fernando When I was in London my niece Shyamala Fernando asked me to interview Dr Galagoda Gnanissara Thera when I visited Sri Lanka on holiday in 2000, one of the most respected Buddhist prelates in Sri Lanka. He’s popularly known as Podihamuduruwo, the Chief Incumbent at the Gangarama Temple. Venerable Nayaka Thera was born on 14 December 1943, ordained in the village of Galagoda, Matara, on 8 November 1954. After completing his primary education, he entered Vidyodaya University in 1961 and graduated with a Bachelor of Arts degree. He took up robes at the age of 10, graduated at 17 and had to take the reins of Gangarama Viharaya at the age of 17 when his guru Venerable Devundera Sri Vachissara passed away. Many admire his guidance. The Venerable helps orphans to face life with a strong sense of ...

May 11, 2022 Posted by eLanka admin In Articles, Tilak S Fernando Tagged Gangarama Temple, J.R. Jayewardene, Podihamuduruwo, Sri Jinaratana Technical Training Centre, Sri Lanka, Vidyodaya University

70th Anniversary of the San Francisco Peace Conference J.R. Jayewardene’s momentous speech that changed world history Finance Minister (later President) J.R. Jayewardene Source:Dailynews The New York Times noted that Sri Lankan Finance Minister J.R. Jayewardene’s speech “the voice of free Asia, eloquent, melancholy and still strong with the tilt of an Oxford accent, dominated the Japanese Peace Treaty Conference today.” Excerpts from the speech made by Sri Lankan Finance Minister J.R. Jayewardene at the San Francisco Peace Conference in September 1951. “I consider it a great privilege to be afforded the opportunity of placing before this assembly of fifty-one nations the views of the Government of Ceylon on the draft Treaty of Peace which we have been invited to approve. My statement will consist of the reasons for our acceptance of this Treaty and I shall also attempt to meet some of the criticisms that have been levelled against it. ...

Sep 5, 2021 Posted by eLanka admin In Articles Tagged J.R. Jayewardene