Nissanka Wijeyeratne

from Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

Deshamanya Nissanka Parakrama Wijeyeratne ( Sinhala නිශ්ශංක පරාක්‍රම විජයරත්න ; born June 14, 1924 ; died January 7, 2007 ) was a Sri Lankan politician, civil servant, diplomat and poet. His most important honorary office was that of Diyawadana Nilame (Senior Lay Custo ) of Sri Dalada Maligawa , Kandy , from 1975 to 1985. Until his death he was also chairman of The Law and Society Trust in Sri Lanka.

Life

youth

Nissanka Wijeyeratne was born on June 14, 1924 into an influential family. The family came from Sabaragamuwa . He was the second son of Sir Edwin and Lady Leela Wijeyeratne from Buddenipola Walauwa , Kegalle . Edwin Wijeyeratne was a former Cabinet Minister for Home Affairs and Rural Development . His older brother, Tissa Wijeyeratne, served as ambassador to France and Switzerland , as additional secretary in the Ministry of Foreign Affairs and as advisor on foreign affairs under Prime Minister Sirimavo Bandaranaike . The younger brother, Cuda Wijeyeratne , is a psychiatrist .

Wijeyeratne received his education at the Royal College, Colombo . He then studied at the University of Ceylon , where he earned a BA in history. Further subjects of study were sociology and the philosophy of religion .

Career

Wijeyeratne entered the Ceylon Civil Service (CCS) after university . He also served briefly as a second lieutenant in the reserve of the Ceylon Artillery Volunteers . He has held various positions in the civil service, including permanent secretary in the Ministry of Information, Broadcasting, Transportation and Cultural Affairs, government agent in Anuradhapura , Mannar and Jaffna , and assistant government agent in Galle . He was also chairman of the Anuradhapura Preservation Board . In 1973 Wijeyeratne retired from the Sri Lanka Administrative Service . From 1987 to 1989 he was a member of the Executive Board of UNESCO .

Anuradhapura

From 1958 to 1962 Wijeyeratne was a government agent for the Anuradhapura district. He worked with great commitment for the district and, in addition to his duties in Colombo, also chaired the Anuradhapura Preservation Board . At that time, the city of Anuradhapura was significantly changed. A completely new city was built and the residents were relocated. The Holy City and Anuradhapura Airport were created. Wijeyeratne led this process with courage and remarkable political skills. During this time he also unveiled a memorial to HR Freeman , a popular British government agent who was later elected to the 1st State Council of Ceylon to represent the district .

Coat of arms and flag of Sri Lanka

  • Sri Lanka coat of arms

  • Flag of Sri Lanka

In 1972 the current national coat of arms of Sri Lanka was created. Nissanka Wijeyeratne played a key role in this. At that time he was Permanent Secretary for the Department of Cultural Affairs and Chairman of the National Emblem and Flag Design Committee . The painter of the coat of arms was the Buddhist monk Mapalagama Wipulasara Maha Thera and the handicrafts were carried out by SM Seneviratne. In 1972, four leaves of the Bo tree were placed in the four corners of the Sri Lankan flag . Spearheads were previously depicted there. The four Bo-leaves symbolize the four Buddhist " heavenly abiding states ", Metta (goodness), Karuna (compassion), Mudita (joyful compassion) and Upekkhā (equanimity).

Diyawadana Nilame

For 10 years Wijeyeratne was also the Diyawadana Nilame of Sri Dalada Maligawa (Temple of the Tooth) in Kandy. In 1975 he was elected, making him the first govigama (lower caste) in Sri Lankan history to successfully challenge the prevailing hierarchy of the Kandy Radala . During his tenure, he introduced administrative methods and founded the Gold Museum . He also re-organized the Kandy Perahera (annual procession) and founded the Kandy Esala Perahera Fund . He was succeeded by his eldest son, Neranjan Wijeyeratne , who was elected in 1985 and re-elected in 1995.

Political career

Wijeyeratne was a member of the United National Party . In 1976 he was elected as the main organizer for the Dedigama constituency, where he won the 1977 general election. He subsequently served as Cabinet Minister for Education and Justice in the administration of President Junius Richard Jayewardene .

As Cabinet Minister for Education, Wijeyeratne introduced Universities Act No 16 into Parliament in 1978 . The University of Ceylon was until then the only university in Sri Lanka (1942–1978). Under the decree, it was divided into five independent universities: University of Colombo , University of Peradeniya , University of Sri Jayewardenepura , University of Kelaniya and University of Jaffna . He also proposed the establishment of the University of Ruhuna and the Open University of Sri Lanka . In 1980 he introduced the right that schoolchildren from ethnic minorities may wear a school uniform that corresponds to their respective traditions, ethnic identities and religious customs.

The new building complex of the Supreme Court in Colombo was built by Wijeyeratne with the support of the Chinese government. He also founded the Sri Lanka Cultural Triangle with the support of UNESCO to protect the cultural heritage sites in Sri Lanka, and established the Sri Lankan President's Fund , which provides health and educational support for the needy and underprivileged. One of his great personal successes was the enactment of the Mediation Board Act No.72 in 1988.

diplomat

In the 1990s, Wijeyeratne was appointed Sri Lanka's ambassador to the Soviet Union . He was head of the diplomatic mission in Moscow for 3 years. As a member of the Executive Committee of UNESCO , he proposed that the ancient library of Alexandria be revived.

family

Wijeyeratne was also active as a poet. A collection of his English poems was published by his family in 2001 in the anthology Ape Appacci: An Anthology of Our Father's Poems .

Wijeyeratne was married to Nita Dullewe , the only daughter of Tinnie and Mallika Dullewe from Meeduma Walauwa, Rambukkana. With her he had five children: Neranjan, Mano, Anuradha, Lankesh and Nishanganie.

Neranjan Wijeyeratne is opposition leader in the Kandy Municipal Council and was Diyawadana Nilame of Sri Dalada Maligawa in Kandy for 20 years.

Mano Wijeyeratne (the second son of Wijeyeratne) was MP for the Kegalle District and Minister of Enterprise Development , as well as Coordinating Secretary for the President and Chief Organizer of the Sri Lanka Freedom Party for the Dedigama District in the Kegalle District. He was also Minister of Plantation Services under President Dingiri Banda Wijetunga .

Anuradha Dullewe Wijeyeratne (the third son) entered politics in 1988 as a member of the United National Party and a member of the Sabaragamuwa Provincial Council in Ratnapura. He is also a member of the UNP's National Executive Committee . He also served as Diyawadana Nilame of Sri Dalada Maligawa for 30 years, where he was appointed by the Commissioner of Buddhist Affairs on the recommendation of Mahanayaka Theras of the Malwatte and Asgiriya orders.

Honors

Individual evidence

  1. ↑ Leelananda responds to Jolly Somasunderam . The Island (Sri Lanka), July 15, 2017.
  2. ↑ Biography of the Hon. HB Udurawana . Hon. HB Udurawana (The 16th Diyawadana Nilame of the Temple of the Tooth)
  3. ↑ Page 127 - If My Table Could Talk: Insights into remarkable lives by Michael Wynne-Parker .
  4. ↑ An illustrious son of Sabaragamuwa . Daily News (Sri Lanka).
  5. ↑ Wikileaks . Wikileaks, March 12, 1974 document.
  6. ^ The First Years of the University of Ceylon . The Island (Sri Lanka), April 19, 2018.
  7. ↑ a b c d e f g h Saga of Nilame and Kumarihamy by Lakmal Welabada . Sunday Observer (Sri Lanka), accessed December 10, 2006.
  8. ↑ Representation on the Executive Board, UNESCO . Sri Lanka in United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization.
  9. ^ A Diverse, Colorful Life. Iceland (Sri Lanka), January 7th 2012. (April 20, 2018)
  10. ^ Rohan H. Wickramasinghe: How Freeman won the NCP seat. Iceland (Sri Lanka), April 20, 2018.
  11. ↑ ශ්‍රී ලංකාවේ රාජ්‍ය ලාංඡනය . Web page of Ministry of Education, Sri Lanka.
  12. ↑ a b Amara Samara in Sinhala . Rivira, accessed January 4, 2009.
  13. ↑ 1977 Parliamentary Elections Results  ( page no longer available , search in web archives )  Info: The link was automatically marked as defective. Please check the link according to the instructions and then remove this notice. . Official Website, Department of Elections, Sri Lanka.@1@ 2Template: Dead Link / www.slelections.gov.lk  
  14. ^ Ranil vows to continue struggle against racism. Lanka e-News, accessed December 6, 2008.
  15. ↑ Hon. Ranil Wickremasinghe's press conference held in the parliament 5th Dec 2008 . Divaina, accessed December 6, 2008.
  16. ↑ He bridged cultures across the world . Sunday Times (Sri Lanka), accessed June 17, 2001.

Web links

Commons : Nissanka Wijeyeratne  - collection of pictures, videos and audio files

Newspaper reports in Sinhala :

personal data
SURNAME Wijeyeratne, Nissanka
ALTERNATIVE NAMES Wijeyeratne, Nissanka Parakrama (full name); විජයරත්න, නිශ්ශංක පරාක් රම (siS)
BRIEF DESCRIPTION Sri Lankan politician, civil servant, diplomat and poet
DATE OF BIRTH June 14, 1924
DATE OF DEATH January 7, 2007