Harini Amarasuriya Age, Family, Biography

Bio/Wiki
Full Name	Harini Nireka Amarasuriya
Other Name	Dr Harini Amarasuriya
Profession(s)	• Politician • Academic • Activist
Physical Stats
Height (approx.)	5' 5" (165 cm)
Eye Colour	Black
Hair Colour	Black
Politics
Political Party	• Janatha Vimukthi Peramuna • National People's Power (NPP)
Political Journey	• Elected as the Member of Parliament for National List from National People's Power (NPP) (20 August 2020) • Served as a Member of the Committee on Public Accounts and Ethics and Privileges (2020) • Served as a Member of the Ministerial Consultative Committee on Education (2020) • Served as a Member of the CoPA Sub-Committee to investigate the issues on Medical Supplies and related matters of the Ministry of Health (2020) • Appointed as the 16th Prime Minister of Sri Lanka (24 September 2024) • Served as a Member of the Committee on Ethics and Privileges, Public Accounts, and Women Parliamentarians Caucus in Parliament (2024) • Served as a Member of the Sectoral Oversight Committee on International Relations (2024) • Served as a Member of the Sectoral Oversight Committee on Children, Women and Gender (2024) • Served as a Member of the Parliamentary Caucus for Animal Welfare (2024) • Served as a Member of the Select Committee of Parliament, which focus on ensuring gender equality, especially addressing gender-based discrimination and women's rights violation (2024)
Personal Life
Date of Birth	6 March 1970 (Friday)
Age (as of 2024)	54 Years
Birthplace	Galle, Southern Province, Sri Lanka
Zodiac sign	Pisces
Nationality	Sri Lankan
Hometown	Colombo, Sri Lanka
School	Bishop's College, Colombo, Sri Lanka
College/University	• Hindu College, University of Delhi (1991-1994) • Macquarie University, Sydney, Australia • The University of Edinburgh, Scotland
Educational Qualification(s)	• BA (Hons.) in Sociology from Hindu College • MA in Applied Anthropology and Development from Macquarie University • PhD in Social Anthropology from The University of Edinburgh
Religion	Buddhism
Social Media	• Instagram • Facebook • Twitter
Relationships & More
Marital Status	Unmarried
Family
Parents	Father- (Tea Planter) (deceased) Mother- (Homemaker)
Siblings	2 (elder)

Some Lesser Known Facts About Harini Amarasuriya

• Harini Amarasuriya hails from a middle-class family. She grew up on a tea estate in southern Sri Lanka, where her father worked as a tea planter.

• Harini developed an interest in politics while growing up in a politically conservative family. As a child, she often had disagreements with her father about the government’s decisions related to the conflict and ethnic issues.

• In the 1970s, Harini moved with her family to Colombo when the Sri Lankan government took over the tea estates as part of a nationalisation effort. There, she joined Bishop’s College.

• In 1988-89, while still in school, she spent a year in the United States as an exchange student during a time of war in the north and unrest in the south of Sri Lanka.

• Due to the conflict, schools and universities in Sri Lanka were closed, which led her to move to India to complete her undergraduate studies at Hindu College, University of Delhi.

• Harini initially wanted to study English literature; however, her father introduced her to a former diplomat who changed her choice. This diplomat introduced her to the work of anthropologists like Gananath Obeyesekere and Bruce Kapferer, which sparked her interest in understanding human society.

• After pursuing an MA in Applied Anthropology and Development from Macquarie University in Australia, Harini returned to Sri Lanka and began working in the international humanitarian and development sector.

• Harini’s first job was at a community mental health centre named Nest in Sri Lanka, where she worked with a local NGO to support women who had been abused and mistreated in psychiatric hospitals.

• She later served as a board member of the Law and Society Trust (LST) and Centre for Women’s Research (CENWOR) in Colombo.

• Amarasuriya has written several books on topics such as youth, politics, gender development, and child protection. Some of her notable works include ‘Impact of Macro Economic Reforms in Sri Lanka: Retrenchment and Early Retirement of Workers’ (2003) and ‘Gender and Poverty in Selected Locations in Sri Lanka’ (2004)

• In 2011, Harini joined the Open University of Sri Lanka (OUSL) as a sociology and social anthropology lecturer in the Department of Social Sciences. She later became a senior lecturer and head of the department.

• On the first day at the university, she became involved in the Federation of University Teachers’ Association and participated in her first protest march, even before she had received a job offer letter.

• In 2012, she took part in a three-month strike led by university staff to demand better working conditions and fair treatment. It was one of the longest trade union actions in Sri Lankan history.

• Between 2011 and 2012, Harini joined a network of social and political activists who had been student activists during the peak violence in Sri Lanka in the late 80s and 90s. Through this network, she met members of the Janatha Vimukthi Peramuna (JVP).

• After the disappointment with the government that came to power in 2015, Harini engaged more directly with the Vimukthi Peramuna (JVP). This was the first time when she worked with a political party.

• In 2019, Harini became a member of the National Intellectuals Organization. She also supported Anura Kumara Dissanayake, a candidate from the National People’s Power (NPP), during the presidential elections in Sri Lanka.

• On 12 August 2020, Harini was appointed as a national list MP by the National People’s Power (NPP) aka Jathika Jana Balawegaya (JJB). She resigned from her role as a senior lecturer at the Open University to focus on her political career.

• On 24 September 2024, Harini became the 16th Prime Minister of Sri Lanka. She became the first prime minister from her party and the third woman to the position, following Sirimavo Bandaranaike and Chandrika Kumaratunga.
  

  24 September 2024: Harini Amarasuriya during her swearing-in ceremony at the Presidential Secretariat in Colombo, Sri Lanka

• Harini is an avid animal lover and has three pet cats one of which is named Max.
  

  Harini Amarasuriya’s Instagram post about her pet cats

• Amarasuriya actively advocates for gender equality, women empowerment, and LGBTQ+ rights. She has spoken about these topics at various events in countries like New Zealand and the United States of America (USA).
  

  Harini Amarasuriya while speaking on ‘Women Empowerment in Sri Lanka’ at an event held in the United Kingdom