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Sri Lankan Prime Minister Harini Amarasuriya during her swearing-in ceremony at the Presidential Secretariat, in Colombo on Tuesday
Delhi University’s North Campus is unusually busy. The roads are littered with pamphlets, the walls plastered with hoardings, and the students are charged with political fervour as the university goes to polls on Friday. While candidates across parties are busy discussing manifestos and debating the issues the university faces, the Hindu College is already celebrating a political victory – one far away from the campus, and beyond even the country’s borders. Its alumna, Harini Amarasuriya, has just been sworn in as prime minister of Sri Lanka.
Amarasuriya graduated in sociology from the college in 1994. Her batchmates and professors remember her as a disciplined young woman – not flamboyant, but not one to be lost in the crowd.
“She had something in her personality. She was surely among the toppers but didn’t limit herself to academics,” says Achla Tandon, a sociology professor who taught Amarasuriya. Tandon notes that Sri Lanka was struggling with its own problems during that time, which was probably a reason Amarasuriya came to India to study.
“Though a foreigner on campus, she carried herself with confidence,” she says, adding that this is a personality trait she has often observed in other Sri Lankan students she has taught.
“She used to participate in all music contests,” recalls film director Nalin Singh who was Amarasuriya contemporary at Hindu College. “We were conscious of her being a foreigner, but she had friends whom she hung around with. She was not into college politics at all.”
While the students currently busy with university elections are largely unbothered by the development in the neighbouring country, the Hindu College alumni association is celebrating. Singh says the alumni’s WhatsApp group hasn’t had a moment’s rest since the news broke.
“This is the first time that we have such a successful political alumnus internationally,” says Ravi Burman, president, Hindu College Old Students Association. He says the association has already written a letter to Prime Minister Narendra Modi requesting for a chance to felicitate Amarasuriya with a distinguished alumni award when she visits India.
“Hindu has a vibrant system of Parliament. We work with the Prime Minister and the Leader of Opposition,” says Burman, adding that this frames the public lifeskills of the students. “Such an achievement will definitely boost the morale of all DU students.”
He says the alumni association believes it can play a role in furthering India-Sri Lanka relations.
Tandon hopes the development will draw attention to sociology as a subject in India. “Currently, there are few colleges that offer this degree, and fewer politicians [who pursue it],” she says. “She [Amarasuriya] was a well-acclaimed academician. A PhD-holder reaching such heights is a fact that should be highlighted,” she adds.
Several Indian politicians, including Hardeep Singh Puri, Meenakshi Lekhi and Subramanian Swamy, are alumni of Hindu College. DU students say the university offers good training for politics. “Lately, though, we haven’t seen many graduating from university politics to national politics,” says Umesh Yadav, a second-year student of Faculty of Law. Amarasuriya’s example could be an inspiration.
First Published: Sep 26 2024 | 12:09 AM IST
