Harini Amarasuriya, Hindu College Alumna, Becomes Sri Lanka’s First Female Prime Minister in 25 Years
Harini Amarasuriya, a 54-year-old scholar, has become Sri Lanka’s first female prime minister and the first to hail from Delhi’s Hindu College.
Image Source: Hindustan Times
A 54-year-old first-time lawmaker and university professor, Harini Amarasuriya, who once walked the lawns and sat on the dusty benches of Hindu College in Delhi, was named Sri Lanka’s 16th prime minister on Tuesday. This appointment not only made her Sri Lanka’s first female prime minister in nearly 25 years but also marked a significant achievement for Hindu College, bestowing upon it one of its most distinguished alumni. A leader of the National People’s Power (NPP), Amarasuriya completed her undergraduate degree in sociology from Hindu College and was sworn in by the island nation’s new president, Anura Kumar Dissanayake, in Colombo. She is the first head of state from the 125-year-old Delhi University college, known for producing prominent actors, national cricketers, bureaucrats, political leaders, and even a former Chief Justice of India.
Hindu College principal Anju Srivastava described the event as a “proud milestone in the college’s storied history.” “We are thrilled to hear that a former student of Hindu College is now the Prime Minister of Sri Lanka. This is a moment of immense pride for the entire Hindu College family. Harini Amarasuriya, who studied sociology here from 1991 to 1994, has distinguished herself as an accomplished academic and politician,” she said. “We hope her time at Hindu College laid the foundation for her future successes. Our college has a longstanding tradition of a parliamentary system, where we elect a prime minister and leader of the opposition each year. Her appointment to this esteemed position is a proud milestone in our history,” Srivastava added.
Amarasuriya is only the third woman to hold the position of prime minister in Sri Lanka. Born and raised in Colombo, she pursued a master’s in applied anthropology in Australia after her time at Hindu College and later earned a PhD in social anthropology from the University of Edinburgh. Bollywood director Nalin Singh, a former English student at Hindu College and a contemporary of Amarasuriya, remembered her as an active participant in various cultural events. “She was a friendly and engaged member of the college community, actively participating in cultural life despite the language barrier,” he recalled. “At a time when the future of relations between the two countries is under question, we hope her connection with Hindu College will help foster a positive relationship,” Singh added.
Ravi Burman, the head of the Hindu College Old Students Association (OSA), also congratulated Amarasuriya. “We are confident she will excel as the new prime minister. Although there have been chief ministers, she is the first Prime Minister from the Hindu College alumni community, marking a significant milestone for us,” he said.
An academic turned politician, Amarasuriya became a member of parliament through the NPP national list in 2020. She has published books and conducted research on a wide range of topics, including youth, politics, dissent, activism, gender, development, state-society relations, child protection, globalization, and development. Suranjan Sinha, a former sociology lecturer at Hindu College who taught Amarasuriya, remembered her as a bright and articulate student who introduced him to the rock band Pearl Jam. “Harini was there in the early 90s when I first started teaching. I have vivid memories of her as a bright and articulate student. I often used references to modern music, novels, films, and so on in my lectures back then. Harini once gave me an audiotape, a compilation of Pearl Jam songs she had curated, and I remember that moment very clearly,” he said.
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