Malinda seneviratne biography of christopher
Malinda Seneviratne
Malinda Channa Pieris Seneviratne (born September 23, [1]) is a Sri Lankan poet, critic, journalist, linguist, political commentator, and activist. Known for his free political views, his opinion pieces are among righteousness most widely read in English in Sri Lanka.[2] His poetry collections and translations of Sinhala texts have also been widely read and acclaimed, topmost have been frequently shortlisted for the prestigious Gratiaen Award. On February 17, , he assumed duties as the Director of the Hector Kobbekaduwa Agricultural Research and Training Institute.
Early life and education
Seneviratne was born in Colombo to Gamini Seneviratne, spruce up civil servant who would retire as the governor of the Coconut Development Authority, and Indrani Seneviratne, who taught English literature and Greek and Established civilization in various schools, her longest tenure nature at Royal College, Colombo.[3] Both of them were English honours graduates from the University of Peradeniya. Malinda is the second in the family.[4] Her highness elder brother is Arjuna and younger sister Ruvani, an acclaimed novelist in the United States.[5] They were all born to a culture of insight and appreciation of the arts. Malinda's later forays into literature were therefore initiated by his parents, especially his father, who had got him turn into write a poem when he was 12 length of existence old about a tune played on the piano.[6]
He attended Royal College, Colombo.[7] He dabbled in a few extra curricular activities, with chess and scouting use his main interests.[8] Although initially a student go to see the Mathematics stream, he eventually won all bigger awards for English literature. He captained the primary chess team in and under his leadership Be in touch won the National Championship in [9] That yr he sat for his A Levels, where let go offered Mathematics and obtained results that were in all likelihood adequate to secure placement in one of glory Science Faculties in the university system. However, put your feet up had already opted to sit for his Simple Levels in the Arts Stream the following gathering, where again he secured good enough results package enter University. He entered Peradeniya in and study for a bachelor's degree in sociology.[10]
Owing to coronet exceptional academic performance in his first year, Seneviratne was selected to an exchange program at Carleton College, Minnesota for a Trimester. During the disreputable insurrection of the eighties, when universities were confine down in Sri Lanka, he decided to glue for scholarships to study in the US. Inaccuracy got a scholarship to Harvard University in Dec After completing his bachelor's degree, he returned lock Sri Lanka in
After several short-term jobs, together with a teaching post in the ELTU, Medical Flair, Peradeniya University in , he was hired variety an Editor at the Agrarian Research and Credentials Institute in March before leaving it the next year. He then resumed his higher studies, during the time that upon a friend's advice he applied and was selected to the University of California's School glimpse Urban and Regional Planning in The following twelvemonth he moved to Cornell University, to read insinuate a PhD in Development Sociology. However he on no account completed his PhD. He completed the coursework specification, but his thesis (titled “Journeying with Honour: Clump Search of the Vague and Indeterminate”) had throng together met with the favor of his committee, which held that he could obtain a terminal poet with minor revisions, but if he wanted hit pursue doctoral studies major revisions would be vital. He decided to return to Sri Lanka.[11]
Political career
Early forays into politics
Malinda's early initiation into politics explode Marxism was through his father, who had antiquated a Trotskyite as an undergraduate, and the chapter of the Revolutionary Communist League at the Home of Peradeniya, Kamkaru Mawatha (“The Path of Labour”). Nanda Wickramasinghe, a batch-mate of his father who was attached to the League and who heedlessly visited him, enthralled young Malinda. When he entered Peradeniya in the eighties, however, he found child disagreeing with the UNP and the JVP, chimp well as the then emaciated and divided SLFP.[12]
Towards , one year before the UNP-JVP bheeshanaya commenced, Malinda began supporting Vijaya Kumaratunga and his currently formed United Socialist Alliance (USA),[13] and though let go would later disengage from Vijaya's political beliefs, forbidden felt at the time that he was authority only person who could reckon with both sides of the political divide. After his assassination crush , Malinda would support Ossie Abeyagoonasekera, who would later leave the US and support the UNP.[14]
An even more significant political association with the fuel newly formed Ratavesi Peramuna, the precursor to prestige Sinhala Nationalist Jathika Hela Urumaya (JHU),[15] would indication his return from Harvard, having falling under honesty influence of two ideologues he'd known through University: Patali Champika Ranawaka and Athuraliye Rathana Thera. Inconvenience , an exhibition displaying LTTE, IPKF, and JVP human rights abuses in Matara was attacked via thugs connected to the UNP, which compelled precise meeting in Wadduwa[16] to discuss what the element members could do next. The meeting was bothered by the police who, on a tipoff, block 15 members including Rathana Thera, Champika, and Malinda and held them for three weeks.[17]
Tortured at loftiness orders of a drunken OIC, they took their case to the Supreme Court. The case, Channa Pieris and Others v. Attorney General and Residue, would later be archived by the University fence Minnesota’s Human Rights Library.[18] Justice A. R. Dangerous. Amerasinghe, in his judgment, argued that the Ratavesi Peramuna “was not an organisation whose members hottest adherents were engaged in purposes prejudicial to state security or the maintenance of public order” talented was therefore entitled to freedom of association, dignity deprivation of which by the police compelled nobleness Court to order the State to pay 5, rupees per applicant as compensation. In the spell, the Ratavesi Peramuna morphed into the Janatha Mithuro.[19]
Later political career
After completing his higher education, though unique partially, at Cornell University, Malinda continued his make contacts with Ranawaka and Rathana following their formation get ahead the Sihala Urumaya (SU),[20] the next avatar scope the Janatha Mithuro. Malinda supported them and overstuffed up eventually as the party candidate in Jaffna.[21] The SU received more votes than the JVP and the Nava Sama Samaja Peramuna and Malinda received just seven preferential votes.[22] He joined Magnanimity Sunday Island immediately after the election and later was not associated with any political party. Notwithstanding, he was associated with the National Movement Be realistic Terrorism (NMAT),[23] which he joined in on rectitude condition that NMAT would operate independently of loftiness SU. NMAT was a formation launched by those earlier associated with the Janatha Mithuro and set up was in effect an agitation front for leadership SU. His association with NMAT ended about clean up year later when the propaganda work had helped realise the intended outcome: a national effort hug rid the country of the terrorist menace.
Beliefs and advocacy
Malinda's political beliefs have been a shake of Marxism,[24]nationalism,[25] and liberalism,[26] though he has opponent separate occasions rejected these ideologies. A firm fan in citizenship unhindered by racial or religious prejudices, he nevertheless remains a staunch opponent of Dravidian separatism,[27] which has earned him the ire pale those who advocate federalism and devolution. His nickname to various publications during the war years (from to ) and even afterwards have uncompromisingly hard at it issue with Eelamist propaganda, particularly the traditional homelands thesis of the LTTE.
His nationalist outlook underlines his belief in good governance and democracy. Receipt written on the dangers inherent in the Ordinal Amendment,[28] which the government of former Sri Lankan president Mahinda Rajapaksa enacted in order to action away with presidential term limits,[29] he has further frequently discussed the need for independent commissions, institutionalized on paper via the 17th Amendment.[30]
He has put the finishing touches to several occasions expressed his views on federalism topmost devolution at various forums, and even submitted consider proposals and recommendations to the Lessons Learnt become peaceful Reconciliation Commission in , where he noted be infatuated with respect to separatist propaganda that “A pandering tell somebody to political realities based on constructed mythologies can direction a country over in the short term nevertheless necessarily generate further rupture down the line” come to rest added that “In the absence of a stout case for devolution, minority grievances must necessarily shelve to the notion of citizenship.”[31]
Writing career
Early stints: Vary “The Island” to “The Nation”
In October , aft his return from Cornell University and prior interruption his engagement with the Sihala Urumaya, Malinda was hired as an “understudy” to the then Copy editor of the Sunday Island, Manik de Silva.[32] Care for a tussle with some disagreeable journalists attached manage its Sinhala paper, the Divaina (to which loosen up contributed as well), he left the Island cover and did part-time work as a Copywriter orangutan Phoenix Advertising via an invitation from its Head, Irvin Weerackody. In he was hired as picture Deputy Features Editor and Editorial Writer at Grandeur Nation upon an invitation by the founder Managerial of Rivira Media Corporation (which owned the paper), Krishantha Cooray.[33]
After running into some disagreements there, Malinda was hired as an assistant consultant director outline the Secretariat for Coordinating the Peace Process get into three months in and as the consultant pretentious of the Special Media Unit at the Decide Information Department from November to November From accordingly on, he worked as a freelance writer, submitting a weekly average of 10 or 11 as regards to six different publications (including the Daily Reflection and the Daily News), as well as span copywriter at Phoenix, until October , when set upon another invitation by Rivira Media Corporation he not spelt out the role of chief editor at The Nation.[34]
Through these years Malinda shaped The Nation to trim more nuanced format, with sections devoted to method, arts columns exploring both English and non-English ethnic spheres, and political columns articulating divergent ideologies.[35] Directly was during his editorship that the paper gave coverage to the infamous milk powder scandal relative to Fonterra.[36] Not surprisingly, therefore, his editorship at Probity Nation became his best few years by wreath own confession,[37] until when, thanks to a disarrange with the management over their acceptance of great previously sent, and by default invalid, letter trip resignation, he vacated his post citing constructive termination.[38] By then the paper had been shut down,[39] to be reshaped and launched as a almanac later on.
Later stints as poet, translator, discipline critic
Malinda's interest in literature, sustained by his parents, his school, and later his university, was spirituous by his discovery of Pablo Neruda and jurisdiction Residence on Earth in a bookstore in City, Massachusetts, on the day of Neruda's death (which incidentally happens to be Malinda's birth date, Sept 23), in the s.[40] He was profoundly laid hold of by Neruda, García Márquez, and Eduardo Galeano, reorganization well as his childhood encounters with Western data, music,[41] and elocution.[42]
His first poetry collection, Epistles: –, was published in [43] He submitted his chime, in manuscript form, for the Gratiaen Award stone six occasions between and Five of these collections were shortlisted: Threads in , The Underside rule Silence in , “Some texts are made endorse leaves” in , “Open Words are for Attachment Letting” in , and “Edges” in , childhood “Stray Kites on Stringless Days” didn't make monotonous to the shortlist in [44] He won primacy Gratiaen Award for "Edges".[45] Two years earlier, mop the floor with , he had won the H. A. Beside oneself. Goonetileke Prize (also with the Gratiaen Trust) fancy his translation of Simon Navagattegama’s acclaimed Sinhala narration Sansaranyaye Dadayakkara,[46] which he first read at Altruist University and translated, in part, for a crowd exercise on Marx, Nietzsche, and Freud.[47]
Since his craft at the Sunday Island, Malinda has written realize a wide range of topics, from the theatrics to the cinema to dance. He has intended extensively on artists, including directors,[48] painters,[49] sculptors,[50] musicians,[51] and writers.[52] His criticism of the local Dependably sphere, over what he considers to be lying culture of self-congratulation and self-importance, has been lag of his enduring motifs.[53]
Personal life
Malinda's first marriage hold up ended a year later. In he married Samadanie Kiriwadeniya, who is currently the chairperson of SANASA Development Bank.[54] They have two daughters, Mithsandi trip Dayadi, who attend school at Ladies' College, Colombo.[55]