Rosy Senanayake

10 March 2020 11:14 am Words : Kamanthi Wickramasinghe Photos : Nirmala Dhananjaya When incumbent Mayoress of Colombo, Rosy Senanayake was crowned Mrs. World in 1985, it was a boost for local women to take up challenges and seek for opportunities to win the world. Her journey has been an exciting one, with a passion to empower women in all strata of society. Today, as she continues to be in active politics. Senanayake believes that Sri Lanka can do much more in terms of giving the due recognition that women deserve. In an interview with the Lanka Woman, Senanayake shared memories of her childhood, her journey as a beauty queen and a diplomat and her vision for girls and women in the country.

You were brought up in a village setting and later moved into the city. Tell us how it molded you to who you are today.

My father was a public servant and was working at the River Valley Development project in Gal Oya. We lived in Ampara and I went to pre-school there. Then he was moved to the UdaWalawa project and I schooled at Ferguson High School, Embilipitiya. That upbringing was what made me relate to people in any strata. Back in the day my father used to get invited for the village Avurudu celebration and since it was during our school holidays we too used to attend those functions. I enjoyed going here and there with my father and even the wildlife was part of our day-to-day life. We used to have peacocks, deer and even jungle fowl walking in our garden. I have friends from my village school whom I still keep in touch with. I would go there once a year to visit them.

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https://www.magzter.com/LK/Wijeya-Newspapers-Ltd./Lanka-Woman/Women’s-Interest/