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From Rural Poverty to Peradeniya Professorship: Vale for Prof. N. D. Samarawickreme (1943-2022)-by Michael Roberts Source:Thuppahis Sachchitra Samarawickreme, in The Island, 7 January 2023  We owe our existence to a string of unforeseeable events, repeated arbitrary fortune. My father was born in a rural part of the country. He was the eldest of ten siblings, who survived the circumstances and transitioned out of the village. The privileged upbringing and opportunities I had stand in stark contrast to his experience. That I exist is a tribute to his journey. The journey from a spirited child growing up in the shade of the Sinharaja, to an economics professor in lifetime service of the hallowed institution in the Hantane valley, is replete with coincidences. From having a chance to attend school, deciding to compete at the university entrance exam, entering Peradeniya, placing for overseas post-graduate work, and accepting an academic position at Peradeniya – he ...