News
Ariyaratne’s last rites held amidst large crowd
View(s):The funeral of Sarvodaya Shramadana Movement founder Dr. Ahangamage Tudor Ariyaratne took place yesterday at Independence Square in Colombo 7 attended by a large crowd.
Dr. Ariyaratne passed away on April 16 aged 92 at a private hospital while undergoing medical treatment. His remains lay at the Damsak Mandira of the Sarvodaya Headquarters in Rawatawatte before the funeral.
Among those who paid their final respects to the late Dr. Ariyaratne were President Ranil Wickremesinghe, Prime Minister Dinesh Gunawardena, religious leaders and many political figures at the Sarvodaya Headquarters.
Born on November 5, 1931, in Unawatuna, Galle, Dr. Ariyaratne began his early education at Buona Vista College, Unawatuna, and secondary education at Mahinda College, Galle. He later obtained a Bachelor of Arts (BA) degree in economics from Vidyodaya University. He was also honoured with a Doctor of Letters (D.Litt.) degree from the University of Sri Jayewardenepura and a Doctor of Humanities (D.H.) degree from the Emilio Aguinaldo College of Medicine in the Philippines. He also served as a teacher at Nalanda College in Colombo.
Dr. Ariyaratne became the founder and President Emeritus of the Sarvodaya Shramadana Movement in 1958. It is now one of the largest non-governmental organisations (NGOs) in Sri Lanka.
In 2007, Dr. Ariyaratne was bestowed with the ‘Sri Lankabhimanya Award’, considered the highest national recognition presented by the President of Sri Lanka. He also won many international awards such as the Ramon Magsaysay Award in the Philippines in 1969, the King Baudouin Award for International Development in Belgium in 1982, the Niwano Peace Price in Japan in 1992 and the Mahatma Gandhi Peace Prize in India in 1996 for his contribution to human wellbeing and peace.
The best way to say that you found the home of your dreams is by finding it on Hitad.lk. We have listings for apartments for sale or rent in Sri Lanka, no matter what locale you're looking for! Whether you live in Colombo, Galle, Kandy, Matara, Jaffna and more - we've got them all!