List of Sri Lankan Britons
Encyclopedia
This is a List of Sri Lankans in the United Kingdom, people who are of Sri Lanka
n heritage living in Britain
. Sri Lankan Britons refers to all ethnic groups in Sri Lanka, but are mainly the Sinhalese
, Sri Lankan Tamils and Burghers
.
Sri Lanka
Sri Lanka, officially the Democratic Socialist Republic of Sri Lanka is a country off the southern coast of the Indian subcontinent. Known until 1972 as Ceylon , Sri Lanka is an island surrounded by the Indian Ocean, the Gulf of Mannar and the Palk Strait, and lies in the vicinity of India and the...
n heritage living in Britain
United Kingdom
The United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern IrelandIn the United Kingdom and Dependencies, other languages have been officially recognised as legitimate autochthonous languages under the European Charter for Regional or Minority Languages...
. Sri Lankan Britons refers to all ethnic groups in Sri Lanka, but are mainly the Sinhalese
Sinhalese people
The Sinhalese are an Indo-Aryan ethnic group,forming the majority of Sri Lanka,constituting 74% of the Sri Lankan population.They number approximately 15 million worldwide.The Sinhalese identity is based on language, heritage and religion. The Sinhalese speak Sinhala, an Indo-Aryan language and the...
, Sri Lankan Tamils and Burghers
Burgher people
The Burghers are a Eurasian ethnic group, historically from Sri Lanka, consisting for the most part of male-line descendants of European colonists from the 16th to 20th centuries and local women, with some minorities of Swedish, Norwegian, French and Irish.Today the mother tongue of the Burghers...
.
Media
- Christopher GreetChristopher GreetChristopher Greet was a hugely popular announcer and presenter of radio programs with Radio Ceylon, the oldest radio station in South Asia. Chris Greet enjoyed iconic status alongside other announcers of Radio Ceylon. Millions tuned into the radio station....
- Darshini David
- George AlagiahGeorge AlagiahGeorge Maxwell Alagiah OBE is a British newsreader, journalist and television news presenter.Since 3 December 2007, he has been the sole presenter of the BBC News at Six and has also been the main presenter of GMT on BBC World News since its launch on 1 February 2010...
- James CoomarasamyJames CoomarasamyJames Coomarasamy is the BBC World Service Europe Correspondent. He was formerly a BBC correspondent in Warsaw, followed by Paris and Washington, D.C....
- Neville JayaweeraNeville JayaweeraNeville Jayaweera is a distinguished civil servant of Sri Lanka. He was handpicked by the Prime Minister of Ceylon, Dudley Senanayake and the Cabinet Minister of Broadcasting, Ranasinghe Premadasa to be both Chairman and Director-General of Radio Ceylon and subsequently the Ceylon Broadcasting...
- Rohan JayasekeraRohan Jayasekera (writer)Rohan Asoka Jayasekera is a British journalist, editor, web designer and occasionally controversial activist for free expression and media rights...
- Rasantha Cooray
- Tim KashTim KashTim Kash is a television presenter best known for formerly presenting Top of the Pops in the United Kingdom, and MTV News on MTV UK and Ireland. He appeared on the U.S. edition of MTV News, and as a guest presenter on E! Network's Daily 10...
- Vernon CoreaVernon CoreaVernon Corea was a pioneer radio broadcaster with 45 years of public service broadcasting both in Sri Lanka and the UK. He joined Radio Ceylon, South Asia's oldest radio station, in 1956 and later the Sri Lanka Broadcasting Corporation...
Musicians
- Beverley CravenBeverley CravenBeverley Craven is a British singer-songwriter best known for her 1991 UK Top 5 hit single "Promise Me". Her most recent album, Close To Home, was released in 2009...
- Desmond de SilvaDesmond de SilvaDesmond de Silva is a Sri Lankan singer and entertainer, noted for his youthful voice that has changed little over four decades of performing, and regarded as the "King of Baila." Born in Matara in southern Sri Lanka, De Silva is now resident in Great Britain and has performed to packed concert...
- M.I.A.M.I.A. (artist)Mathangi "Maya" Arulpragasam , better known by her stage name M.I.A. , is an English singer-songwriter, rapper, record producer, painter and director of Sri Lankan Tamil descent. Her compositions combine elements of hip hop, electronica, dance, alternative and world music. M.I.A...
- DJ NihalDJ NihalDJ Nihal is an English radio and TV presenter, as well as club night promoter and DJ, currently broadcasting on BBC Radio 1, BBC Asian Network and since August 6, 2010 BBC Radio 5 Live...
- Nimal MendisNimal MendisNimal Mendis is a Sri Lankan singer and songwriter. He is one of a handful of Sri Lankan musicians to make it to the BBC television programme Top of the Pops in 1968....
- Som WardnerSom WardnerSom Wardner is a Sri Lankan-born British musician and socialite, best known as the frontman of the band My Vitriol.Wardner was born in Colombo, Sri Lanka and raised as a Sinhalese Buddhist. Noted for artistic abilities from an early age, Wardner had one of his art exhibitions opened by the...
- Suthan Sivapathasuntharam
- Vernon G. Segaram
Sports
- Francis BaconFrancis Bacon (cricketer)Francis Hugh Bacon was an English cricketer. Bacon was a right-handed batsman who was a right-arm slow bowler.-Career:...
- English cricketer - Dimitri MascarenhasDimitri MascarenhasAdrian Dimitri Mascarenhas is an English cricketer of Sri Lankan Tamil heritage. He is a right-handed batsman and a right-arm medium-fast bowler. He currently plays county cricket for Hampshire County Cricket Club, in the Indian Premier League for the Kings XI Punjab and for the Otago Volts in New...
- Murugan ThiruchelvamMurugan ThiruchelvamMurugan Thirumurugan Thiruchelvam is an English chess player. He was England's youngest player ever to gain an international chess rating . Less than a week after his 10th birthday, he played against the then world champion Garry Kasparov in a simultaneous exhibition...
- Duncan WhiteDuncan WhiteDuncan White, MBE was the first Sri Lankan athlete to win a medal for his country in an Olympic event. He won a silver in the 400-metre hurdles at the 1948 Summer Olympics in London, England...
- Sri Lankan Olympian for 1948 Olympic Games1948 Summer OlympicsThe 1948 Summer Olympics, officially known as the Games of the XIV Olympiad, were an international multi-sport event which was held in London, England, United Kingdom. After a 12-year hiatus because of World War II, these were the first Summer Olympics since the 1936 Games in Berlin...
Other
- Peter Kuruvita - Chef
- Arjuna SittampalamArjuna SittampalamArjuna Sittampalam is a financier in the United Kingdom. He is recently appointed as Research Associate at the EDHEC Risk and Asset Management Research Centre....
- Ganesh SittampalamGanesh SittampalamGanesh Sittampalam was the youngest person to pass an A-level in 1988 when he was nine years and four months old. However this feat has since been surpassed by a number of other children....
- Kali ArulpragasamKali ArulpragasamKali Arulpragasam is a jewellery designer based in London, UK. She is the founder and creative director of the jewellery company and label "Super Fertile," founded in 2006.-Super Fertile:...
- Kamal ChunchieKamal ChunchieKamal Chunchie was born in 1886 and died 1953. As a Methodist minister, he worked in race relations in Canning Town where he founded The Coloured Men's Institute.Kamal Chunchie was born in Sri Lanka and by 1920 was living in the East End of London...
- Nigel Barker