Celestina Dias

Patthinihennadige Warnadeepthia Kurukulasuriya Celestina Rodrigo, MBE (known as Mrs. Jeremias Dias; 11 July 1858 – 26 March 1933) was a Ceylonese philanthropist and businesswoman. She was a pioneer in the field of Buddhist Girls' education and women entrepreneurs.[1][2] She was the founding patron (1917) of the premier Buddhist School for girls in Sri Lanka; Visakha Vidyalaya, located in Bambalapitiya, Colombo.[2][3] and few years later Sri Sumangala Girls College, Panadura.[4]

Celestina Dias

MBE
Celestina Dias aka Mrs. Jeremias Dias
Born(1858-07-11)11 July 1858
Nalluruwa, Panadura
Died26 March 1933(1933-03-26) (aged 74)
Panadura
NationalityCeylonese
Other namesMrs. Jeremias Dias
Occupation(s)philanthropist, businesswoman
SpouseJeramias Dias

Early life

She was born in the coastal town of Nalluruwa, Panadura to an old aristocratic family.[5][6][7] 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.[3] They were proprietors of coconut property, distillers, renters and exporters of arrack, one of the few avenues open to natives for growth and enterprise during the early colonial period.[8][9] They were also pioneers in the rubber and the hotel industry.[10] The family descends from Thome Rodrigo, a prince who signed the Convention of Malvana 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 (MBE) in the 1929 Birthday Honours for her charitable service to Ceylon.[11]

National service

In 1917, she established Visakha Vidyalaya, Colombo.[3] 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.[1] She entrusted its management to the likes of D. S. Senanayake Dr. W. A. de Silva, Baron Jayatilaka and the Buddhist Theosophical Society[12][13] She also built a modern laboratory for Ananda College, Colombo 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 for Buddhist monks.[14][10]

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.[1][15] She died on March 26, 1933.

Personal life

She married Jeramias Dias of Panadura, a businessman, planter and pioneer Buddhist revivalist, who was instrumental in organizing the world-famous "Panadura Vivadaya/Debate".[3][12][16] 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.[1] The "Panadura Vivadaya/Debate" was the turning point in the Buddhist revival movement in the island, which attracted the likes of Henry Steel Olcott. What is not quite so famous is that the Wesleyan 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.[17][18]

Her son Arthur V. Dias and grandson Wilmot A. Perera were also famous philanthropists and activists of the Sri Lankan independence movement. She is a grandaunt of Mahesh Rodrigo and Aravinda de Silva.

References
  • H. L. Seneviratne (1999). The Work of Kings: The New Buddhism in Sri Lanka. University of Chicago Press. ISBN 0-226-74866-9.
  • Ancestry.com, rootsweb, "Sri Lankan Sinhalese Family Genealogy".
  1. Remembering…Selestina Rodrigo - Mrs Jeremias Dias - Dr Harsha Boralessa (the Island) Accessed January 15, 2015
  2. People's Spaces: Coping, Familiarizing, Creating, Nihal Perera, p.57 (Routledge) ISBN 0415720281
  3. Mrs. Jeremias Dias:A visionary of the 20th Century by Dr. Ganga de Silva (The Island) Accessed January 15, 2015
  4. Fernando, Dr. Neville (26 November 1999). "A century of wisdom". The Sunday Times (Sri Lanka).
  5. The Rodrigos celebrate 175 years of helping the needy by Ara Rasool (Sunday Times) Accessed January 15, 2015
  6. A lasting legacy from the 19th century (Sunday Times) Accessed January 15, 2015
  7. The Rodrigo family of Panadura (Karava of Sri Lanka) Accessed January 15, 2015
  8. When the 'nobodies' made their mark (Sunday Times) Accessed January 15, 2015
  9. Extracts from 'Nobodies to Somebodies - The Rise of the Colonial Bourgeoisie in Sri Lanka', Kumari Jayawardena, (Social Scientists' Association and Sanjiva Books). ISBN 955-9102-26-5 Accessed January 15, 2015
  10. Charity begins at home – The Rodrigo Saga by Leelananda De Silva (The Island) Accessed January 15, 2015
  11. "SUPPLEMENT TO THE LONDON GAZETTE, 3 JUNE, 3929". thegazette.co.uk. The London Gazette. Retrieved 21 February 2022.
  12. Philanthropy in the twentieth century by Leelananda de Silva (The Island) Accessed January 15, 2015
  13. The Story of Selestina Rodrigo (Mrs. Jeremias Dias): Pioneer in Buddhist Girls’ Education Archived 2015-01-18 at the Wayback Machine, Manel Tampoe (Book Review) Accessed January 15, 2015
  14. Ananda History: Wilson Dias memorial Laboratory (Insolanka) Accessed January 15, 2015
  15. One man’s vision Archived 2015-01-18 at the Wayback Machine by D.C. Ranatunga (Daily FT) Accessed January 15, 2015
  16. The Great Panadura Debate Archived 2014-07-14 at the Wayback Machine by S. de F. Jayasuriya (Sunday Observer) Accessed January 15, 2015
  17. The Story of Selestina Dias: Buddhist Female Philanthropy and Education - Manel Tampoe, p. 23 (Social Scientists' Association) ISBN 9550762165
  18. Methodist Church, Panadura celebrates 150 years - Nalin Peiris (Daily News) Accessed January 15, 2015
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