10 Facts About Robert Gunawardena

Don Benjamin Rupasinghe Gunawardena, popularly as Robert Gunawardena, was a Sri Lankan Marxist politician and diplomat.

Robert Gunawardena was one of the founders of the Lanka Sama Samaja Party, which was the first political party in Sri Lanka, and served as the long time MP for Kotte.

Robert Gunawardena was the leader of the Suriya-Mal Movement and served as ambassador to China between 1965 and 1970.

The fourth of seven children of Don Jacolis Rupasinghe Robert Gunawardena, known as Boralugoda Ralahamy, and Dona Liyanora nee Gunasekera, he was the younger brother of Harry and Philip.

Robert Gunawardena attended the government school in Hanwella for his primary education and went on to the Prince of Wales' College, Moratuwa however following his father's false arrest for allegedly being an agitator in the 1915 Ceylonese riots the family decided to withdraw the brothers from the school and enroll them at Ananda College, Colombo.

Robert Gunawardena was married to Seelakalyana Rupa Kottegoda who was born in Kothhena, Kottegoda, Badulla.

Robert Gunawardena was studied in Tebuwana School, Panadura Sri Sumangala Balika Vidyalaya, St Bridget's Convent, Colombo and Visakha Vidyalaya, Colombo.

In 1942, Robert Gunawardena was arrested in British India and brought to Ceylon where he was jailed from 1942 to 1945.

Later in 1947, Robert Gunawardena was elected as the Member of Parliament for the Kotte Electoral District and remained its elected member until 1960.

Robert Gunawardena lost the first general election in 1965, and then received a message from Prime Minister Dudley Senanayake to be an ambassador.