Sri Lanka, April 18 -- Dr A T Ariyaratne's life is a story of transformation. Born in 1931 in the Unawatuna, he was primarily educated at Buona Vista College and Mahinda College. He then pursued a career in teaching at Nalanda College Colombo until 1972 after earning a Bachelor of Arts degree in economics from Sri Jayewardenepura University. He later received honorary doctorates from the same university and Emilio Aguinaldo College in the Philippines.

Ariyaratne's true calling occurred in 1958 when he initiated the Sarvodaya Shramadana Movement. It was a grassroots initiative grounded in Gandhian principles of community development. Ariyaratne reinterpreted the Sanskrit term Sarvodaya to reflect a Buddhist ideal of all awakening, highlig...