Sumithra Arachchige Don Bandula Chandrasiri Gunawardane (born 15 March 1953) is a

Sri Lanka Sri Lanka, officially the Democratic Socialist Republic of Sri Lanka, also known historically as Ceylon, is an island country in South Asia. It lies in the Indian Ocean, southwest of the Bay of Bengal, separated from the Indian subcontinent, ...

n politician, teacher, and film producer, who was a member of the

Parliament of Sri Lanka The Parliament of the Democratic Socialist Republic of Sri Lanka (Sinhala: ශ්‍රී ලංකා පාර්ලිමේන්තුව ''Śrī Laṇkā Pārlimentuvā'', Tamil: இலங்கை நாடாளுமன்றம் '' ...

for

Colombo District Colombo District ( ''kol̠am̆ba distrikkaya''; ''Koḻumpu Māvaṭṭam'') is one of the 25 districts of Sri Lanka, the second level administrative division of the country. The district is administered by a District Secretariat headed by a D ...

, and a former government minister.

Early life

He was born in Mabula village, in Avisasalwella Electorate,

, Sri Lanka. His primary education was at Roman Catholic School in Mabula and for secondary education he entered Rajasinghe Central College. He entered Lumbini College for his Advanced Level studies and entered

University of Sri Jayewardenepura The University of Sri Jayewardenepura (also known as Jayawardhanapura University or USJ; , ) is a public university in Sri Lanka. It is in Gangodawila, Nugegoda, near Sri Jayewardenepura Kotte, the country's administrative capital. It was form ...

after passing A/Ls in commerce stream.

Career

He was a tutor in the city which he started as a hobby while he was still in the university. He successfully contested the 1989 parliamentary election as a candidate for the

Mahajana Eksath Peramuna The Mahajana Eksath Peramuna (People's United Front) is a political party in Sri Lanka. The party is currently led by former Prime Minister Dinesh Gunawardena, son of Philip Gunawardena, the founder of the party. History Under Philip Gunaw ...

party, and entered parliament. He was defeated in the subsequent 1994 parliamentary election. Gunawardena was the producer of the film, '' Suddilage Kathaawa'', which won

Sarasaviya Awards ''Sarasaviya Awards'' (Sinhala:සරසවිය සම්මාන) is an award bestowed to distinguished individuals involved with the Sinhala cinema, each year by the Sarasaviya weekly newspaper in collaboration with the Associated Newspapers ...

Personal life

He is married and has four children: a son, Sahan, and three daughters. In 2021, his daughter Randula was appointed

Third Secretary Diplomatic rank is a system of professional and social rank used in the world of diplomacy and international relations. A diplomat's rank determines many ceremonial details, such as the order of precedence at official processions, table seating ...

to the Sri Lankan Permanent Mission to the United Nations in New York.

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