Nissanka Wijeyeratne was born on 14 June 1924 to a leading family[3] from Sabaragamuwa in Sri Lanka.
He was the second son of Sir Edwin and Lady Leela Wijeyeratne, of Buddenipola Walauwa, Kegalle. SirEdwin Wijeyeratne was a former Cabinet Minister of Home Affairs and Rural Development.[4] His elder brother, Tissa Wijeyeratne a barrister by profession, had served as Sri Lankan ambassador to France and Switzerland,[5] Additional Secretary to Ministry of Foreign Affairs and Defence, and as the senior adviser on foreign affairs to Prime Minister Sirimavo Bandaranaike. Nissanka Wijeyeratne also had one younger brother, Dr Cuda Wijeyeratne who is a consultant psychiatrist.
Nissanka Wijeyeratne after leaving university, served for a brief period for the Ceylon Artillery Volunteers as a (reservist) Second Lieutenant and successfully sat the Ceylon Civil Service (CCS) Examination Those were the days when only six were recruited in a year to civil service as compared with the fifty to hundred now recruited annually to the Ceylon Administrative Service, which replaced the former Ceylon Civil Service. As a member of that Ceylon Civil service, he held several positions including permanent secretary to the Ministries of Information, Broadcasting, Transport and Cultural Affairs, Government Agent in Anuradhapura, Mannar and Jaffna and Assistant Government Agent in Galle. He was also the Chairman of the Anuradhapura Preservation Board. Wijeyeratne retired from the Sri Lanka Administrative Service in 1973.[6] He served as member of the Executive Board of UNESCO from 1987 to 1989.[7]
National emblem and flag of Sri Lanka
The present national emblem of Sri Lanka was created in 1972 under the ideas and guidance of Nissanka Wijeyeratne. At the time, he was Permanent Secretary to the Ministry of Cultural Affairs and Chairman of the National Emblem and Flag Design Committee.[8]The designer of the emblem was VenerableMapalagama Wipulasara Maha Thera and Art Work by S.M Seneviratne. During the same year (1972), four leaves of the Bo tree were added to the four corners of the Sri Lankan National flag under the direction of Nissanka Wijeyeratne. Prior to 1972, the corners of the flag were occupied by symbols depicting spearheads. The four Bo Leaves added by Wijeyeratne reflect the core principles of Mettha (loving kindness), Karuna (compassion), Upeksha (equanimity) and Muditha (happiness).
Sacred City & new town of Anuradhapura
During his public service career, Nissanka Wijeyeratne was Government Agent of Anuradhapura District from 1958 to 1962.
He was arguably the best known of all government agents of his time. His stature ensured that the voice of Anuradhapura was heard at the highest levels in Colombo. Apart from being Government Agent, he was Chairman of the Anuradhapura Preservation Board. This was the time when the city of Anuradhapura was in a period of historic transition. The new town of Anuradhapura was being built, and the residents of the old were being transferred to the new town. It was a time of some tension and of excitement. He managed this process of change with courage and remarkable political skills. While in Anuradhapura, he unveiled a memorial for H. R. Freeman, a popular British Government Agent who later was elected by the people of the district to represent them in the 1st State Council of Ceylon.[9] Coming events cast their shadows before. A striking feature of Wijeyeratne's Anuradhapura days was his great ability to see the bigger picture and focus on the key issues, and delegate responsibilities to his staff officers. He was never one to be enmeshed in detail. He also set up the Sacred City of Anuradhapura shifted the urban city to the newly created Anuradhapura town and is responsible for the establishment of Anuradhapura Airport.
Nissanka Wijeyeratne served as Diyawadana Nilame (Chief lay Custodian) of Temple of the Tooth, Kandy for 10 years. He was elected for the post in 1975. Wijeyeratne was the first low country Govigama person in the history of Sri Lanka who successfully challenged the Kandyan Radala hierarchy for that post.
During his tenure as Diyawadana Nilame, he introduced administrative methods to Sri Dalada Maligawa and established the Gold Museum, and re-organised the Kandy Perahera. He established the Kandy Esala Perahera Fund. He was followed by his eldest son, Neranjan Wijeyeratne who was first elected as Diyawadana Nilame in 1985, and then re-elected in 1995.[6]
Political career
Wijeyeratne was a long-standing a member of the United National Party. In 1976 appointed as chief organizer for the Dedigama electorate, which he won in the 1977 parliamentary elections.[10] He subsequently served as Cabinet Minister of Education, Higher Education & Justice in President JR Jayawardene's government.
The new superior court complex in Colombo was established by Wijeyeratne with Chinese Government aid during his tenure as the Cabinet Minister of Justice.[6] He established the Sri Lanka Cultural Triangle with aid from UNESCO for preservation of National Heritage Sites in Sri Lanka,[6] and proposed the Sri Lankan President's Fund, which provides health and education assistance to the needy and underprivileged.[6] One of his major personal achievements was the enactment of the Mediation Board Act No.72 of 1988.
Diplomatic role
In the 1990s, Nissanka Wijeyeratne was appointed as Sri Lankan Ambassador to the Soviet Union, where he served as the head of the Sri Lanka Diplomatic Mission in Moscow for a period of three years. Wijeyeratne's global perspectives lay not only in Russia but also from his associates in UNESCO (of which he was at one time an executive committee member).[15] His deep interest in scholarship lay behind the proposal he made at UNESCO for the revival of the ancient library of Alexandria.[16]
English-language poetry
A collection of over two decades of Wijeyeratne's English poems was published in a book titled අපේ අප්පච්චි: An Anthology of Our Father's Poems in 2001 (Vijitha Yapa Publications, ISBN978-9558095065). His poetry captures diverse issues ranging from political events to various personalities and incidents as he saw them during his prominent role in public affairs.[17][18]
Family
Wedding Photo
He married Nita Dullewe, the only child of Tinnie and Mallika Dullewe of Meeduma Walauwa, Rambukkana.[6] Nissanka Wijeyeratne and his wife Nita had five children: Neranjan, Mano, Anuradha, Lankesh and Nishanganie.
Anuradha Dullewe Wijeyeratne (third son) entered into active politics in 1988 as a United National Party Member of the Sabaragamuwa Provincial Council in Ratnapura. He also served as Member United National Party National Executive Committee. He was Acting Diyawadana Nilame (Acting Chief lay Custodian) of Temple of the Tooth Kandy on several occasions for three decades, appointed by the Commissioner of Buddhist Affairs with recommendation from Mahanayaka Theras of the Malwatte and Asgiriya Chapters.
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