Patthinihennadige Warnadeepthia Kurukulasuriya Celestina Rodrigo, (known as Mrs. Jeremias Dias; 11 July 1858 – 26 March 1933) was a

Ceylonese Sri Lankan or Ceylonese may refer to: * Something of, from, or related to the country of Sri Lanka * A person from Sri Lanka, see Demographics of Sri Lanka ** Sinhalese people, the ethnic majority ** Sri Lankan Tamils, an ethnic minority ** Sri L ...

philanthropist Philanthropy is a form of altruism that consists of "private initiatives, for the Public good (economics), public good, focusing on quality of life". Philanthropy contrasts with business initiatives, which are private initiatives for private goo ...

and businesswoman. She was a pioneer in the field of

Buddhist Buddhism ( , ), also known as Buddha Dharma and Dharmavinaya (), is an Indian religion or philosophical tradition based on teachings attributed to the Buddha. It originated in northern India as a -movement in the 5th century BCE, and ...

Girls' education and women entrepreneurs.Remembering…Selestina Rodrigo - Mrs Jeremias Dias
- Dr Harsha Boralessa (the Island) Accessed January 15, 2015People's Spaces: Coping, Familiarizing, Creating
Nihal Perera, p.57 (Routledge) She was the founding patron (1917) of the premier Buddhist School for girls in

Sri Lanka Sri Lanka (, ; si, ශ්‍රී ලංකා, Śrī Laṅkā, translit-std=ISO (); ta, இலங்கை, Ilaṅkai, translit-std=ISO ()), formerly known as Ceylon and officially the Democratic Socialist Republic of Sri Lanka, is an ...

;

Visakha Vidyalaya Visakha Vidyalaya () is a girls' school in Colombo, Sri Lanka. It is a National School managed by the central government providing primary and secondary education. History The school was established in 1917 by Celestina Dias as the Buddhist ...

, located in

Bambalapitiya Bambalapitiya is a southern coastal neighbourhood of Colombo, Sri Lanka. The area also known as Colombo 4, spans about along Galle Road. The western boundary of the suburb is the Indian Ocean and it is bordered to the east by Havelock Town, t ...

Colombo Colombo ( ; si, කොළඹ, translit=Koḷam̆ba, ; ta, கொழும்பு, translit=Koḻumpu, ) is the executive and judicial capital and largest city of Sri Lanka by population. According to the Brookings Institution, Colombo me ...

.Mrs. Jeremias Dias:A visionary of the 20th Century
by Dr. Ganga de Silva (The Island) Accessed January 15, 2015 and few years later Sri Sumangala Girls College,

Panadura Panadura ( si, පානදුර, translit=Pānadura; ta, பாணந்துறை, translit=Pāṇantuṟai) is a city in Kalutara District, Western Province in Sri Lanka. It is located approximately south of Colombo and is surrounded on a ...

Early life

She was born in the coastal town of Nalluruwa,

to an old aristocratic family.The Rodrigos celebrate 175 years of helping the needy
by Ara Rasool (Sunday Times) Accessed January 15, 2015
(Sunday Times) Accessed January 15, 2015 Her father was Pattinihennadige Warnadeepthia Kurukulasuriya Salaman Rodrigo and her mother was Mahawaduge Madalena Perera. She was the third in a family of seven girls and two boys. They were proprietors of

coconut The coconut tree (''Cocos nucifera'') is a member of the palm tree family ( Arecaceae) and the only living species of the genus ''Cocos''. The term "coconut" (or the archaic "cocoanut") can refer to the whole coconut palm, the seed, or the ...

property, distillers, renters and exporters of

arrack Arrack is a distilled alcoholic drink typically produced in India, Sri Lanka and Southeast Asia, made from the fermented sap of coconut flowers or sugarcane, and also with grain (e.g. red rice) or fruit depending upon the country of origin. It ...

, one of the few avenues open to natives for growth and enterprise during the early colonial period. They were also pioneers in the

rubber Rubber, also called India rubber, latex, Amazonian rubber, ''caucho'', or ''caoutchouc'', as initially produced, consists of polymers of the organic compound isoprene, with minor impurities of other organic compounds. Thailand, Malaysia, and ...

and the hotel industry.Charity begins at home – The Rodrigo Saga
by Leelananda De Silva (The Island) Accessed January 15, 2015 The family descends from Thome Rodrigo, a prince who signed the

Convention of Malvana The Convention of Malvana (also spelled Malwāna, ''Malwana Giwisumenda'') was a 1598 agreement between the Sinhalese chiefs of Sri Lanka and the Portuguese. The convention was organised by the Portuguese General Jerónimo de Azevedo who felt ...

in 1597.

Philanthropic activities

Mrs Dias was known for her social service and philanthropy, which was recognized with her appointment as a Member (Civil Division) of the

Order of the British Empire The Most Excellent Order of the British Empire is a British order of chivalry, rewarding contributions to the arts and sciences, work with charitable and welfare organisations, and public service outside the civil service. It was established ...

(MBE) in the

1929 Birthday Honours The King's Birthday Honours 1929 were appointments by King George V to various orders and honours to reward and highlight good works by members of the British Empire. The appointments were made to celebrate the official birthday of The King. The ...

for her charitable service to Ceylon.

National service

In 1917, she established

, Colombo. The funds for setting up the school were derived from the profits from a rubber estate in Matugama: Good Hope Estate. Rs 100,000 was put on trust to set up the school, Rs 50,000 to acquire land and the remaining Rs 50,000 was to be used for its upkeep. She entrusted its management to the likes of

D. S. Senanayake Don Stephen Senanayake ( si, දොන් ස්ටීවන් සේනානායක,; ta, டி. எஸ். சேனநாயக்கா; 21 October 1884 – 22 March 1952) was a Ceylonese statesman. He was the first Prime Mi ...

Dr.

W. A. de Silva 250px, W. A. de Silva's home Sravasti Mandiraya which he presented to the state. Wilmot Arthur de Silva (15 March 1869 - April 1942) was Ceylonese veterinary surgeon, politician and philanthropist. He was the Minister of Health (1936–1942) in ...

, Baron Jayatilaka and the Buddhist Theosophical SocietyPhilanthropy in the twentieth century
by Leelananda de Silva (The Island) Accessed January 15, 2015 She also built a modern laboratory for

Ananda College ''Appamādo Amathapadan'' (Buddhist quote from the Apramada Vagga in the Dhammapada) , motto_translation = Heedfulness, Punctuality leads to Nirvana , location = P De S Kularatne Mawatha , city = Colom ...

in 1916, which helped it to be recognized as a Grade-1 status institute of higher education and eligible for the government grant and a

Sanatorium A sanatorium (from Latin '' sānāre'' 'to heal, make healthy'), also sanitarium or sanitorium, are antiquated names for specialised hospitals, for the treatment of specific diseases, related ailments and convalescence. Sanatoriums are often ...

for Buddhist monks.

Buddhism movement and legacy

She was a former President of the Panadura Association and a chief patron-custodian of the Rankot Viharaya, Panadura and Vajiraramaya, Bambalapitiya. She assisted in the campaign to resurrect Buddhism in this country. The innumerable religious and social service activities initiated by her have helped a large number of organizations to fulfill their objectives. She is widely regarded as the pioneer lady/female entrepreneur and philanthropist of the island.One man’s vision
by D.C. Ranatunga (Daily FT) Accessed January 15, 2015 She died on March 26, 1933.

Personal life

She married Jeramias Dias of

, a businessman, planter and pioneer

revivalist, who was instrumental in organizing the world-famous "Panadura Vivadaya/Debate". They had eight children; Harry, Lillian, Arthur Vincent, Edmund Wilson, Adeline, Ellen, Rosalind and Charles. After the death of her husband in 1902, she became the managing director of the business concerns of the family. The "Panadura Vivadaya/Debate" was the turning point in the Buddhist revival movement in the island, which attracted the likes of

Henry Steel Olcott Colonel Henry Steel Olcott (2 August 1832 – 17 February 1907) was an American military officer, journalist, lawyer, Freemason and the co-founder and first president of the Theosophical Society. Olcott was the first well-known American of Euro ...

. What is not quite so famous is that the

Weslyan Wesleyan theology, otherwise known as Wesleyan–Arminianism, Arminian theology, or Methodist theology, is a Christian theology, theological tradition in Protestant Christianity based upon the Christian ministry, ministry of the 18th-century eva ...

chapel was also built by the Rodrigo family and Mathaes Swaris Rodrigo Goonewardane, the churchwarden on whose land the church was built invited the parties for a debate.Methodist Church, Panadura celebrates 150 years
- Nalin Peiris (Daily News) Accessed January 15, 2015 Her son Arthur V. Dias and grandson

Wilmot A. Perera Wilmot Abraham Perera (1905–1973) was a Sri Lankan statesman and philanthropist. He was declared a National Hero in 1993. A member of parliament, he was Ceylon's first Ambassador to China.Sri Lankan independence movement The Sri Lankan independence movement was a peaceful political movement which was aimed at achieving independence and self-rule for the country of Sri Lanka, then British Ceylon, from the British Empire. The switch of powers was generally kno ...

. She is a grandaunt of

Mahesh Rodrigo Mahesha Rodrigo (30 June 1928 – 7 January 2011) was a Ceylonese sportsman who represented his country in first-class cricket and rugby union. He was educated at Royal College, Colombo and played for the First XI cricket team and First XV rugby ...

and

Aravinda de Silva Deshabandu Pinnaduwage Aravinda de Silva ( si, අරවින්ද ද සිල්වා; born 17 October 1965) is a former Sri Lankan cricketer and captain, who has also played in English county cricket. de Silva helped Sri Lanka to win the ...

References

* H. L. Seneviratne (1999). ''The Work of Kings: The New Buddhism in Sri Lanka''. University of Chicago Press. . * Ancestry.com, rootsweb
"Sri Lankan Sinhalese Family Genealogy"
{{DEFAULTSORT:Dias, Celestina 1858 births 1933 deaths Sinhalese businesspeople Sri Lankan Buddhists Sri Lankan philanthropists Ceylonese Members of the Order of the British Empire People from Panadura