Patrick de Silva Kularatne
| Patrick de Silva Kularatne | |
|---|---|
 |
|
| Born |
March 31, 1893 Ambalangoda, Sri Lanka |
| Died | November 16, 1976 (aged 83) |
| Nationality | Sri Lankan |
| Alma mater |
Richmond College, Galle Wesley College, Colombo |
| Occupation | Teacher and politician |
Panis (Patrick) de Silva Kularatne (31 March 1893 – 16 November 1976) (known as P de S Kularatne) was an educationist and politician of Sri Lanka. He established Nalanda College Colombo, Ananda Balika, Moratuwa Vidyalaya and Dharmapala Vidyalaya. His wife, Hilda, a scholar, was the principal of Ananda Balika and she founded the Sri Sumangala Girls' School at Panadura and the Maliyadewa Girls' School at Kurunegala.
Born in Ambalangoda on March 31, 1893, he received his early education at Richmond College in Galle and Wesley College, Colombo. He went to England for further studies at the University of London.
On 1 January 1918 began his duties as principal of Ananda College. In 1919, the Dutugemunu fund was inaugurated. The funds raised paid for the first building of the Kularatne era, with nine classrooms. That same year, eight classes for Buddhist monks began.
In the same month a 4-acre (16,000 m2) block of land was made available for the college playground at Campbell Place. He was able to win the cooperation of current British Governor Sir Graeme Thompson, Sir Herbert Stanley and Sir Murchison Fletcher in his effort to acquire more space for Ananda College and Nalanda College Colombo. On 31 March 1922, Thompson laid the foundation stone for a sixteen classroom building at Campbell Place. In August of the same year the first stage of the two storied hostel was opened.
Nobel laureate Rabindranath Tagore visited the college on November 10, 1922, as chief guest at the annual prize giving. He declared on that occasion: "I acknowledge that the life of Ananda is its humility and unassuming nature."
Mahathma Gandhi visited Ananda in 1927. In 1928 the college won the Herman Loos cup for the best cadet platoon and the Stubs challenge shield for boxing. In 1929 Ananda won the CVRA shield for rifle shooting.
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