Harini Amarasuriya has been appointed as the new Prime Minister of Sri Lanka. Amarasuriya is the third woman to serve as Prime Minister in Sri Lanka. Before entering politics, she had been a professor at the Open University of Sri Lanka. Harini Amarasuriya became Prime Minister of Sri Lanka, but studied in India. Regarding his education, apart from politics, he is also known for his educational qualifications.
Harini Amarasuriya, who took office as the 16th Prime Minister of Sri Lanka, is 54 years old. He received his primary education at the University of Delhi, India. According to media reports, in the year 1988-89 the situation in Sri Lanka became violent due to the Tamil movement. During this period, schools and colleges were closed. In such a situation, Harini Amarasuriya came to India for further studies.
The Prime Minister of Sri Lanka studied at the Hindu College of the University of Delhi.
In the year 1990, he joined the prestigious Hindu College, University of Delhi, where he received his higher education. He received his bachelor’s degree in Sociology from the University of Delhi from 1991 to 1994. During this time, famous filmmaker Imtiaz Ali and journalist Arnab Goswami were his groupmates. He subsequently completed his PhD in Social Humanities at the University of Edinburgh. During her educational career, she served as a professor at the University of Sri Lanka, where she carried out extensive research and teaching on topics in sociology and humanities.
Former DU principal is proud of her student
On the selection of Harini Amarasuriya as Prime Minister, Hindu College Principal Anju Srivastava expressed pride in the distinguished alumnus of the university. Speaking to PTI, Anju Srivastava said, “It is an honor to know that a Hindu has become Prime Minister of Sri Lanka. Harini was a sociology student from 1991 to 1994 and we are very proud of his achievements. I hope his time at Hindu College has played a role in shaping its path to success. He further said: “Hindu College has a long tradition of student government and we elect a Prime Minister and a Leader of the Opposition every year. Harini’s appointment is another milestone in the history of our university.”
Harini Amarsurya was a classmate of Imtiaz Ali
When Harini was elected prime minister, Amarasuriya’s colleague and now famous Bollywood director Nalin Rajan Singh reminisced about his student days. “I vaguely remember her, I know she was very involved in university festivals and debates,” he said. It was the 90s and for many of us people like Imtiaz Ali and Arnab Goswami were starting to make their mark. “It is wonderful to see him become Prime Minister.” On the other hand, Singh, former president of Hindu College, said that Amarasuriya’s new role will further strengthen relations between India and Sri Lanka. Apart from Nalin Rajan, Harini Amarasuriya has also been the companion of film director Imtiaz Ali. At the same time, well-known journalist Arnav Goswami also studied under Harini.
After returning from India, Amarasuriya joined a health-related NGO, where she helped children affected by the tsunami. After a few years, he went to Australia to pursue doctoral studies. After returning from there, she became a professor in a university in 2011. In the year 2019, she entered politics by joining JVP. She was elected as an MP in 2020, after which she became Acting Prime Minister of Sri Lanka in September 2024.
