Shiranthi Rajapaksa

Shiranthi Rajapaksa
First Lady of Sri Lanka
In office
19 November 2005  9 January 2015
Succeeded by Jayanthi Pushpa Kumari
Personal details
Born Shiranthi Wickremesinghe
Badulla, Sri Lanka
Nationality Sri Lankan
Spouse(s) Mahinda Rajapaksa (m. 1983)
Children Namal, Yoshitha, Rohitha
Alma mater Holy Family Convent, Colombo
Religion Catholic

Shiranthi Rajapaksa (born Wickramasinghe) is the wife of the sixth President of Sri Lanka, Mahinda Rajapaksa and the former First Lady of Sri Lanka. She is a professional in child psychology and pre-school education.

Early life

Born to Commodore E. P. Wickramasinghe of Sri Lanka Navy (SLN) and his wife, she is the couple's only daughter. Rajapaksa has two brothers.

Education

Shiranthi Rajapaksa completed her primary and secondary education at Holy Family Convent, Colombo. She excelled at school both in the fields of education and sports and was considered a brilliant all-rounder. She finished secondary school with a Diploma in Child Psychology and Pre-school Education.

Miss Universe and Miss World

Rajapakse first entered the limelight prior to her marriage after being crowned Miss Sri Lanka in 1973. Thereafter she had the distinction of being one of the contestants at the Miss Universe 1973 pageant held in Athens. She also participated in Miss World 1973, held at the Royal Albert Hall in London on 23 November 1973.

Child educationist career

Shiranthi Rajapaksa, being a professional in the field of child psychology and pre-school education, established six pre-schools in Colombo and in the southern regions of Sri Lanka - Tangalle, Beliatta, Ranna, Walasmulla and Weeraketiya. Each year, over 600 young children are enrolled and 25 teachers are currently employed in these pre-schools.

Family

In 1983, she married Mahinda Rajapaksa. The couple has three sons. Namal is a current Member of Parliament for Hambantota District while his brother Yoshitha was commissioned as an Acting Sub Lieutenant in the Sri Lanka Navy in March 2009 [1] appointed an Aide-de-camp to the President in 2006 and youngest son is Rohitha Rajapaksa.

Corruption

Shyamali Gunawardena, the wife of former DIG Vass Gunawardena, filed a complaint with the Bribery Commission (CIABOC) against the former first lady Shiranthi Rajapaksa over a gold deal which was revealed by the former DIG. T[2]

See also

References

External links

Honorary titles
Preceded by
Wimalawathi Kumarihami
First Lady of Sri Lanka
19 November 2005 – 9 January 2015
Succeeded by
Jayanthi Pushpa Kumari


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