Caroline Anthonypillai (born Dona Caroline Rupasinghe Gunawardena; 8 October 1908 – 7 July 2009) was the wife of S. C. C. Anthonypillai, a Sri Lankan union organizer and Indian politician. An activist in her own right, she was eulogized as a "leading light of the leftist movement"."Leading light of leftist movement in Sri Lanka dead"
'' The Hindu'', 7 July 2009.

Early life

Caroline (born ''Dona Caroline Rupasinghe Gunawardena'') was born on 8 October 1908, in

Avissawella Avissawella, ( si, අවිස්සාවේල්ල, ta, அவிசாவளை) is a township in Sri Lanka, governed by an Urban Council, situated on the A4 route from Colombo to Ratnapura, Colombo District, Western Province, Sri Lanka, ap ...

to Don Jakolis Rupasinghe Gunawardena, a headman of the village and British agent, and his wife. She had eight siblings, including

Philip Gunawardena Don Philip Rupasinghe Gunawardena (11 January 1901 – 26 March 1972) was a Sri Lankan Marxist politician and leftist. A founder of the Lanka Sama Samaja Party, the first political party in Ceylon which was known for having introduced Trotsk ...

. After her father was arrested by the British during communal roundups, she was sent to a Buddhist girls' school, where she gained nationalist views. After completing her studies, she went back to her village to teach at a Buddhist school.Pioneer Sri Lankan Socialist Celebrates Her 100th Birthday Caroline Anthony Pillai – The Lioness of Boralugoda
Island.lk. 28 September 2008. She was asked to teach Sinhala to Anthonypillai, one of many

Tamils The Tamil people, also known as Tamilar ( ta, தமிழர், Tamiḻar, translit-std=ISO, in the singular or ta, தமிழர்கள், Tamiḻarkaḷ, translit-std=ISO, label=none, in the plural), or simply Tamils (), are a Dravi ...

who decided to join the labor movement. Though he was a Tamil Christian and she was a Sinhala Buddhist, and she was six years older than he was, they married in 1939 and had four children.

Pre-war activism

In 1931, she began to work on political campaigns, and helped her brother contest a close election, which deepened her resolve for social justice. She also participated in protests to gain equal rights for

Ceylonese Sri Lankan or Ceylonese may refer to: * Something of, from, or related to the country of Sri Lanka * A person from Sri Lanka, see Demographics of Sri Lanka ** Sinhalese people, the ethnic majority ** Sri Lankan Tamils, an ethnic minority ** Sri ...

soldiers of World War I, who were neglected by the colonial government. In 1935, she helped found the Lanka Sama Samaja Party (Sri Lanka's first political party) with her brothers, Harry, Philip, and Robert."The labour leaders from Ceylon"
'' The Hindu'', 23 February 2009. After their marriage, Anthonypillai and Caroline went to the

Hill Country The Texas Hill Country is a geographic region of Central and South Texas, forming the southeast part of the Edwards Plateau. Given its location, climate, terrain, and vegetation, the Hill Country can be considered the border between the Americ ...

to organize Tamil labor groups.

Wartime activism

As an avid Trotskyist, Caroline and Anthonypillai opposed the war as an example of imperialism, and the British government cracked down on the LSSP. In 1942, Caroline joined her husband in

Madurai Madurai ( , also , ) is a major city in the Indian state of Tamil Nadu. It is the cultural capital of Tamil Nadu and the administrative headquarters of Madurai District. As of the 2011 census, it was the third largest Urban agglomeration in ...

, India, where they continued their path of resistance. After her brother was arrested in Mumbai, Caroline fled back to Sri Lanka to protect her two children.Death of Caroline Anthonypillai

Post-war activism

Anthonypillai and Caroline then moved back to Madurai to become union leaders. She organized many marches for the mill workers of Madurai, which led to many of the union's demands being met. As crackdowns occurred, Caroline used ingenious methods of dispensing information to subvert the crackdowns.

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Anthonypillai, Caroline 1908 births 2009 deaths Sinhalese activists Sri Lankan women activists Sri Lankan Buddhists Lanka Sama Samaja Party politicians Sri Lankan centenarians Women centenarians People from Colombo District Indian independence activists