| People
of Social Activities
A.T.
Ariyaratne
Dr
A.T. Ariyaratne is the founder leader of the Sarvodaya Shramadana
Movement in Sri Lanka.
This
soft spoken, modest, cheerful and simple guru spoke of his
early beginnings not with pride but with a sense of satisfaction
at having been able to achieve some of his life's goals -
goals which were directed and dedicated towards changing the
destructive trends he foresaw in this country to more constructive
ones.
Dr Ariyaratne
says he wanted to unite the people into a consciousness that
all of them belonged to one human family. And as far as the
constructive side of his goals were concerned, he wanted to
make them realise that instead of depending on the more powerful
for a living, the powerless could be self reliant via community
participation and a scientific program of action by which
they could improve themselves.
He is happy
that he has been successful in implementing his constructive
thinking at the grassroot level so much so that 15,000 villages
systematically follow his new social order.
Building a movement of this nature for almost
half a century has been no small task for him. It "demands
a lot of patience and you have to undergo a lot of suffering".
Dr Ariyaratne
was happy too that his children, three sons and three daughters,
have all a hand in the good work being carried out by Sarvodaya.
Some of them have given up their professions to serve as voluntary
workers. "I have an excellent wife - one in a billion
who has helped me to achieve what I have."
Dr Ariyaratne
appears to be concerned with one thing now; and that is that
although Sarvodaya is known as the largest people's participatory
development organisation, very few know that they are also
the largest social welfare body in the country taking care
of orphans, malnourished children, abused children, sexually
harassed women, teenage mothers, children who are victims
of the war and the elderly.
International
Awards ...
For his
selfless and arduous work, Dr. Ariyaratne has been richly
rewarded by international organisations, and personages:
* Ramon Magsaysay Award for Community Leadership,
Philippines, 1969;
* King
Boudouin Award for International Development, Belgium 1982;
* Alan
Shawn Feinstein World Hunger Award from Brown University,
Rhode Island, USA 1986;
* August
Forel Award from Good Templer Movement for Promoting Temperance,Denmark,
1990;
* Jamnalal Bajaj Award for Propagating Gandhian
Values Outside India, 1990;
* Niwano Peace Prize, Japan, 1992;
* IL-GA
Memorial Award for Public Service, Korea, 1995'
* Hubert H. Humphrey Award, USA, 1996;
* Mahatma
Gandhi Peace Prize, India, 1996;
* Life
Time Achievement Award from US-ASIA Foundation, 1999'
* Paratha
Dharma Visharada Award - World Buddhist Foundation - June
2000
* 'Vishwa
Sarana' Title for most outstanding personality on Development
of NGOs in Asia by National NGO Council, July 2000.
International
Appointments ...
* An International
President of the World Conference on Religion and Peace, 1994;
* A President
of the World Parliament of Religions, 1993;
* Member
of the Club of Budapest, Hungary;
* Fellow of the World Academy of Art and Science,
Minnesota, USA;
* Former
Chairman, Asian and Pacific Bureau of Adult Education;
* Former
Chairman, Approtech Asia, Philippines;
* Chairman of the Board of Trustees, Asian
Institute of Rural Development, India.
* Member, International Advisory Council of
Autoville Foundation, India.
* A Director
of Japan Ecology Foundation Commissioner Earth Charter.
|
