Harindra Jayantha Corea (4 March 1936 – 21 October 2005) was a Sri Lankan politician and Member of Parliament, who represented

Chilaw Chilaw (, ) is a city in Puttalam District, North Western Province, Sri Lanka. It is governed by an urban council, whereas the outskirts are governed by a pradeshiya sabha of the same name. The town is located 80 kilometers away from Colombo via ...

. He was member of the

United National Party The United National Party (UNP; , ) is a Centre-right politics, centre-right political party in Sri Lanka. Founded in 1946, the party was one of Sri Lanka's two main parties for several decades. The UNP has served as the country's ruling party ...

of Sri Lanka. His parents were Sir Claude Corea who was renowned politician and diplomat and Lady Karmini Corea. Sir Claude was Minister of Labour in the State Council of Ceylon led by DS Senanayake, and was appointed the first ever Representative of Ceylon to the UK (before Independence) and was also Ceylon's first Ambassador in the United States.View other Empire Stories – Empire's Children
/ref> Harindra Corea was the brother of Nihal Corea and Chandra Corea. The family home was situated in Alfred House Gardens in Colombo.

Education

Corea grew up in the UK and attended

St Paul's School, London St Paul's School is a Selective school, selective Private schools in the United Kingdom, independent day school (with limited boarding school, boarding) for boys aged 13–18, founded in 1509 by John Colet and located on a 43-acre site by Rive ...

. He went on to study Politics, Philosophy and Economics (PPE) at the

University College, Oxford University College, formally The Master and Fellows of the College of the Great Hall of the University commonly called University College in the University of Oxford and colloquially referred to as "Univ", is a Colleges of the University of Oxf ...

. He was then called to the Bar by the Honorable Society of the

Inner Temple The Honourable Society of the Inner Temple, commonly known as the Inner Temple, is one of the four Inns of Court and is a professional association for barristers and judges. To be called to the Bar and practice as a barrister in England and Wa ...

Political career

He won the Chilaw seat in the 1977 General Elections on the UNP ticket, following in the footsteps of his uncle, Srikuradas Charles Shirley Corea who won the parliamentary seat of Chilaw in 1952. Corea was appointed Minister of

Telecommunications Telecommunication, often used in its plural form or abbreviated as telecom, is the transmission of information over a distance using electronic means, typically through cables, radio waves, or other communication technologies. These means of ...

by President

Ranasinghe Premadasa Sri Lankabhimanya Ranasinghe Premadasa ( ''Raṇasiṃha Premadāsa''; ''Raṇaciṅka Pirēmatācā''; 23 June 1924 – 1 May 1993) was a Sri Lankan politician and statesman who served as the third President of Sri Lanka from 2 January 1989 unt ...

in the 1990s. After a disagreement with the UNP he crossed over to the People's Alliance Government under President

Chandrika Kumaratunga Chandrika Bandaranaike Kumaratunga (; ; born 29 June 1945), commonly referred to by her initials CBK, is a Sri Lankan politician who served as the fifth President of Sri Lanka, President of Sri Lanka from 12 November 1994 to 19 November 2005. ...

in 2000. The Sunday Times of Sri Lanka noted 'the parliamentary debate on the draft constitution saw cross-overs from Dixon J. Perera, Harindra Corea and Mervyn Silva. He was selected as a People's Alliance national list candidate. Harindra Corea was appointed Deputy Foreign Minister by President Chandrika Kumaratunga and travelled around the world representing Sri Lanka. Among the many duties undertaken as Deputy Foreign Minister, he opened the office of the Hony. Consulate General for

Cyprus Cyprus (), officially the Republic of Cyprus, is an island country in the eastern Mediterranean Sea. Situated in West Asia, its cultural identity and geopolitical orientation are overwhelmingly Southeast European. Cyprus is the List of isl ...

in Colombo, Sri Lanka in December 2000.

Descendant of King Dominicus Corea (Edirille Rala)

Harindra Corea took a keen interest in the wider Corea Family. He headed the

Edirimanne Corea Family Union The Edirimanne Corea Family Union (ECFU) is a group set up to 'foster interaction' among the members of the powerful Corea family in the island of Sri Lanka. The Corea family is one of the leading families of Sri Lanka. They trace their ancestry t ...

in Sri Lanka in 2000. He was a descendant of King

Dominicus Corea Dominicus Corea ( Sinhalese family name Edirille Bandara) also known as Domingos Corea and Edirille Rala, was the son of Don Jeronimo Corea and Anna Corea. Don Jeronimo Corea was also known as Mudaliyar Vikramasinha, Commander-in-Chief of King Ma ...

, also known as Edirille Rala.

Jazz Music

Corea was an accomplished jazz musician and he was a fan of some of the 'greats' in jazz music, among them

Louis Armstrong Louis Daniel Armstrong (August 4, 1901 – July 6, 1971), nicknamed "Satchmo", "Satch", and "Pops", was an American trumpeter and vocalist. He was among the most influential figures in jazz. His career spanned five decades and several era ...

and

Duke Ellington Edward Kennedy "Duke" Ellington (April 29, 1899 – May 24, 1974) was an American Jazz piano, jazz pianist, composer, and leader of his eponymous Big band, jazz orchestra from 1924 through the rest of his life. Born and raised in Washington, D ...

(who visited Sri Lanka in 1963). Chamikara Weerasinghe writing in the Daily News in Sri Lanka, observed that 'Among those who promoted jazz music in Sri Lanka are Tommy Perera, Tita Nathaniez, Mahes Perera, former Minister Harindra Corea and Bala Namasvayam.'

Death

Corea died in Colombo on 21 October 2005. Parliamentarians held a Vote of Condolence when he died, speaking about his achievements in the Parliament of Sri Lanka in Kotte. The citizens of Chilaw have named a sports ground in the town, in memory of their Member of Parliament who served them since 1977.

References

Bibliography

*''Handbook of the Parliament of Sri Lanka'' *''Great Sinhalese Men and Women of History – Edirille Bandara (Domingos Corea)'' By John M. Senaveratna, (1937) *''Twentieth Century Impressions of Ceylon: Its History, People, Commerce, Industries and Resources'' By A.W. Wright, Asian Educational Services, India; New Ed edition (15 December 2007)

External links

Edirmanne Corea Family Union Facebook Page

The ECFU Youth Club Facebook Page

Handbook of the Parliament of Sri Lanka

Corea family website

Empire's Children

{{DEFAULTSORT:Corea, Harindra 1936 births 2005 deaths Sri Lankan Christians Harindra Members of the 8th Parliament of Sri Lanka Members of the 9th Parliament of Sri Lanka Members of the 10th Parliament of Sri Lanka Members of the 11th Parliament of Sri Lanka Ministers of state of Sri Lanka Non-cabinet ministers of Sri Lanka Deputy ministers of Sri Lanka People from Chilaw