Sri Lanka Sinhalese/Burgher Family
Genealogy
PIERIS DERANIYAGALA - FAMILY #
1005
Deraniyagala family is descended from Keerawelle Hiripitiya Rala
from Malwathu Hiripitiya in Siyane Korale. Hiripitiya Rala
was a high courtier and an historical figure whom the
chronicles mention as having smuggled the tooth relic from
the catholic dominated court to the custody of the buddhist
King Mayadunne of Sithavaka in the 16th century. (see article down
below) (It is
said that the Keerawelle Royal clan of Keerawelle raja
pelpata, had descended from a Kalinga Royal Clan, which had
settled down in the Sathara Korale.)
0000 Keerawelle
Hiripitiya Rala b approx 1520.He was the Diyawadane Nilame
,caretaker of the tooth relic and the temple in the Kotte
Kingdom. In 1557 riots broke out during the Portuguese,
after Christianity was embraced by King Don Juan Dharmapala
(1551-1597) of
the Kotte Kingdom. Hiripitiya Rala smuggled the tooth
relic around 1557, when
there was a danger the tooth relic would be destroyed. He
then handed the tooth relic to the Buddhist King Mayadunne
of Sithavaka (1521-1581)
Then the tooth relic was hidden in the Delgamuwa temple in
the Delgamuwa village of Sabaragamuwa for 43 years. The
tooth relic was handed to King Wimaladharmasuriya in 1600
when he was King of Kandy. (See photo below)
000
Bandara b approx 1550
00
Bandara b approx 1580
0 Deraniyagala
Bandara b approx 1610. He was a ambassador to the
Dutch Govt of Ceylon (1650-1796)
,during the period King Rajasinghe 2 ruled Kandy (1635-1687).He may
have lived in the village Deraniyagala in the Kegalle
District of Sabaragamuwa Province.
Many adopted Portuguese names, were
often those of their sponsors at Baptism.
The
word Don or Dona, first conferred by Portuguese on nobleman
and women and high rank Sinhalese. And was later given to
any person, appointed to office under the government.
By the 1630's about half of the people of the coastal
regions of the South West and most of the inhabitants of
Jaffna professed Christianity. Many baptised Roman Catholics
may have continued to follow Buddhist rituals in their
homes, while adopting a different identity in public.
During about three quarters of a century of Dutch rule a
large number of baptisms took place. In 1718, the total in
Colombo, Galle and Matara areas were 93,165. The vast
majority converted to ensure their hold over property, the
legitimacy of their children, and rights of inheritance,
under the Company's administration. People of Ceylon ,
straddled two identities with some ease.
Both Portuguese and Dutch Governments, made profession of
Christianity a pre-requisite for government employment, and
vigorously sought
conversion. However when the British made it known ,that
they did not require conversion, to their form of
Christianity, many Lankan
protestants changed their professed religion to
Buddhism and Hinduism.
The
Thombu index was
started by the Portuguese, but registration work began in
the 1740's.
Pieris, Peiris or Peries is a Sinhalese surname. It
is a common surname in coastal area of Sri Lanka. is originated from
Portuguese surname Peres, and was spread across Sri Lanka
during the Portuguese period which ended in 1658.
0 Deraniyagala
Bandara, b:1610
baptised and took the name Pieris
1 Johan Pieris (Korala
of Salpita Korale)
2 Abraham
Pieris b1715, was in possession of a land named
Ambagahawatta, which his grandfather had cultivated, an
extent of 60 roods or 15 acres. (Son of Johan
Pieris)
1 Deraniyagala Manuel
Pieris Appuhami, b:1640 Approx. hailed from Attidiya near
Colombo (Member
of the Lascarins, Sinhalese foot soldier)+ Dona Maria (m21/11/1689) Manuel, received
paraveni lands at Attidiya, was called Deraniyagalawatte, as
reward for services. Was later
owned by his son Paulo Pieris. Had 7 children. (2 (1) to 2 (7))
2 (1) Deraniyagalage Paulo Samarasinghe Siriwardena
Mohandiram (Salpita
Korale) (b approx 1690 bp1707+ Hettimullage Guneratne Dona
Angela Dias, m:11/8/1727-d1752 (Samarasinghe and
Siriwardene maybe nambu nama, he received when he was made
Mohandiram)
3
Bastian
3
Louis
3
Salman
3
Joana b1730
3
Louisa
3 Juan Pieris+ Maria
4 Apolonia
4 Abraham Pieris
5 Lewis Pieris
6 Harmanis Pieris
7 Thomas
Deraniyagala +Leela
Wikramanayake (3121)
(d of VSDS Wikremanayake and Cecilia de Saram.)
8 Edward
Deraniyagala (b1/2/1936-d26/12/2004)
(Presidents
Counsel) (d 2004-Tsunami) (STC) +Gemini Jayasekera (died in Tsunami on
26/12/2004) (he was a collector
of antique items, observer of wild life and a talented
photographer) (see photo below) (They had 2 children)
9
(1) Rajiv
Deraniyagala (Nestle)+
Renuka Perera
9
(2) Sonali
Deraniyagala b1964
(Sonali
b:1964, studied economics at Cambridge University, and has a
doctorate from the University of Oxford. Economics
lecturer-UK) (she
survived the tsunami in Sri Lanka after being carried
several miles inland by the Waves in 2004)
(see photo and article below. Also Wikipedia article)
Sonali was married (M1)
to Dr Steeve
Lissenburgh,Researcher,1964-2004,died in tsunami on
26/12/2004,near Yala Safari Game Lodge, he was a resident of
UK, and was on holiday in SL, when he met his tragic death.
(Around 30,000
people died in Sri Lanka in the tsunami of 2004.) (They had
2 children.)
10 Vickram
Lissenburg (1997-d26/12/2004 Tsunami)
10 Nikhil
Lissenburg. (1999-d26/12/2004 Tsunami)
9
(2) Sonali
Deraniyagala (M2)
+ Fiona Shaw (m
2018)
2 (2)
Deraniyagalage Juan
Pieris + Dona Dominga (5
children)
3 Siman Pieris
3 Maria Pieris
3 Joanna Pieris
3 Apolonia Pieris
3 Adrian Pieris +Jebel
4 Abraham Pieris
5 Siman Pieris
4 Joan Pieris
5 Paulo Pieris
4 Christina Pieris
2 (3) Gimara Pieris
who had married and settled down in Rayigam Korale.
2 (4) Louisa Pieris
2 (5) Jebel Pieris
2 (6) Manika Pieris
2 (7)
Deraniyagala Louis Pieris Samarasinghe Siriwardena (Mudaliyar),
b:1689 , (Samarasinghe and Siriwardene are nambu nama, he
received) (d approx 1746) (M1)+ Ana Maria
Siriwardena de Saram
(d
approx 1745) (d/o
Anthonan Siriwardena de Saram , Mudliyar Salpita
Korale & Johanna Dias), Maria died before 1746 (3126) (Maria is a
sister of Leander de Saram) (m12/10/1727) See de Saram
family tree 3126
(The writer
believes, Ana Maria de Saram inherited some property in Mt
Lavinia, from her father Anthonan de Saram,as she married a
Louis Pieris,they came to this branch of the Pieris family,
some of which later had been purchased by Peter de Saram of
Udaha Walauwwa of Mt Lavinia.Probably the Ambagahawatte
property ,opposite the Odeon,around the year 1900)
2 (7)Louis Pieris
Samarasinghe Siriwardene (M2-27/3/1746) +Dona Natalia
no issue
Had 4 children. (3 (1) to 3 (4)from
Maria
3 (1) Gertruda
Pieris b1731-d1737
3 (2)
Jacoba Pieris
b1728-d1737
3 (3)
Deraniyagalage Cornelis Pieris Samaranayake Siriwardena
Basnayake Arachchi b1732 (M1)+
Dona Magdalena of Wolfendhal
4 Deraniyagalage Isaak Pieris Samaranayake
Siriwardena Mohandiram Ralahamy b:17 Apr 1763 + Louisa de Saram
Lama Etini m:3 Jun 1804. (3126) (d of Leander de
Saram) Had 3 children.
5 Jacoba Carlena Pieris
5 Johannes Pieris
5 Deraniyagalage Jacovis Pieris Samaranayake
Siriwardena + Fredricka de Saram, m:28 July 1841 (3126)Had 3
children.
6 (1)Jacoba Pieris
Samarasinghe Siriwardena+George Welikala (m1865)
7 Don Edward Welikala + Mary Perera Samarasinghe
(She
may be Deraniyagala Maria Pieris Samaranayake Siriwardena
Hamine mentioned in the Ambagahawatte deed.She may be che
daughter of Deraniyagalage Daniel Pieris Samaranayake
Siriwardena, Daniel was married to Ilena de Saram..There is
evidence of Mary Perera Samaranayake, Edward Welikala and
Ilena de Saram leasing a land in 1904. Subsequently these
Ambagahawatte lands were purchased by Peter de Saram
Weerasinghe Siriwardena of Udaha Walauwwa in Galkissa. Later
Peter de Saram gave the Ambagahawatte property to Thomas de
Saram and Eugine de Saram, his children.) (These lands were
situated opposite the former Odeon theatre. )
6 (2) Deraniyagalage Sophiya Pieris Samaranayake
Siriwardena + Don Baron Martinus Rupasinghe (m:1871)
7
Henry Foster Rupasinghe (b1893)+
Sumana Munasinghe
8 Hugh Fred Rupasinghe + Etinne Dias
Bandaranaike
9
Harsha Rupasinghe
6 (3) Deraniyagalage Richard Pieris
Samaranayake Siriwardena + Apolonia Ranasinghe.
7 Deraniyagalage Louis Edwin Pieris
Samaranayake Siriwardena +Engeltina Perera Rupasinghe
8
Deraniyagalage Basil Ivor Pieris Samaranayake Siriwardena
(DBIPS) (Civil
Servant) (SLAS) (1984-Secretary of the Ministry of Public
Administration.) (Awarded Deshamanya in 1994) (STC) + Eileen
Wickremasinghe (Principal
Visakha Vidyalaya 1983-87) b1929- d:2016
9
Udaya Siriwardena
9
Aruna Siriwardena b:1960 STC Mt. Lavinia +Shivani Pothuhera
10
Birendra Siriwardena
10 Serika Siriwardena
9
Cyrene Siriwardena + Paul Steele
10
Sumaya Steele
10 Pravin
Steele
7 Deraniyagalage Henry Walter Pieris
3 (3)
Deraniyagalage Cornelis Pieris Samaranayake Siriwardena
Basnayake Arachchi b1732 (M2) +Dona Ana de Saram (M1768)
4 Lewis
Pieris Samaranayake Siriwardena +Johanna de Saram (d of Velun de
Saram)
5 Deraniyagalage Daniel Pieris Samaranayake
Siriwardena +Elena de Saram
6 Deraniyagalage Maria Pieris Samaranayake
Siriwardena
4 Christina Pieris b1770
4 Plantina Pieris b1773
4
Johanna Pieris b1785
3 (4) Deraniyagalage Welhelmus Pieris
Samarasinghe Siriwardena (Mohandiram of the
Guard) born 17/9/1730 died 24/8/1816 + (m:26/8/1756
at Mapitigama) Dona Maria de Livera Wirekon (b approx
1738- d13/6/1812 (daughter of Jacabous de Livera
Wirekon of Kelaniya + Phillipa m:1737)
He had 5 children. (4
(1) to 4 (5))
(See de Livera
family tree 3109)
4 (1)Anganita
Pieris (d of
Welhelmus Pieris Samaraweera Siriwardene)+ Alexander Dias
Bandaranayake Bp6/9/1751 (She had 2 children)
5 Louisa Elizebeth Dias Bandaranayake +Simon de
Livera, Mudliyar Hewagam Korale, (his 1st marriage) (1
child,probably Elizebeth died at child birth around 1808)
6 Cornelius de Livera,bp1808
5
Bastian Franciscus Dias Bandaranayake + (M1) Johanna
Dassenaike
+ (M2)
Miss Perera Ekanayake
4 (2) Jacobus Antonius Samarawira Pieris Mohandiram
bp:11/9/1766 (died
1/6/1816) + Ana Jacaba de Silva, d/o Simon de
Silva Maha Mudaliyar. Had 1 child.
5 Welhelmus
Nicholas Pieris Wickremasinghe Siriwardena Mohandiram of
the Governor's Gate (of Kelaniya)
(b13/2/1789) bp 25/11/1792, d:10/3/1862 (expired after
suffering a very long time from a cough.) + Johanna Agnetha
de Silva (d/o
Bernedt de Silva Seneviratne Mohandiram and Catherina
de Saram
(b21/1/1788), and Grand daughter of Louis de
Saram) (3126)He had 6 children.
6 (1) Johanna Fredricka Pieris d27/5/1910 + Nicholas
de Siva Goonathileke Samaranayake (m1866)
6 (2) Julias Ernest Pieris b1840-d5/8/1899, Mudliyar
Hewagam Korale+Louisa de Saram
6 (3) Henry Richard Pieris (m1-4/1/1872) +
Angenita de Saram, d of Julias Valentine de Saram. -no
issue.
6 (3) Henry Richard Pieris (m2-10/2/1873) +
Catherine de Silva ,d of J de Silva Muhandiram.
7 Rosalind Pieris + Charles Edwin Samarakkody.b1881
(Proctor-later Judge)
(See Samarakkody family tree)3 children
8 Dottie Samarakkody
8 Malcolm Samarakkody.+ Daisy Kobbekaduwa (They had 5
children)
8 Hinton Samarakkody.
7 Steuart Pieris,no issue
7 Valentine Pieris or is it David Pieris-no issue.
7 Baron Pieris, no issue
7 Arthur Bertram Pieris (M27/11/1917) + Indrani Dias
Bandaranaike,b6/4/1900,d of William Cecil Dias
Bandaranayake.
8 Catharine Eliza Pieris,b1913 unmarried.
6 (4)Edwin Albert
Pieris Weerasinghe Mudliyar (m14/3/1873)+Susana
Hetroyda de Alwis (d
of Don Daniel Siegbertus de Alwis Goonetileke Samarasinghe
and Depanchy. (Depanchy is a daughter of Louis de Saram
Weerasinghe Siriwardena and Elena de Alwis.) Had 5 children.
7 Johanna Fredricka Ellenor Pieris (m5/10/1909) +
Charles Henry Samarakkody. (Mudaliyar Pasdun Korale)
(they had
11 children.) (see
Samarakkody family tree)
7 Rowland Pieris ,unmarried.
7 Henry Pieris + Jane Rodrigo no issue.
7 George Pieris, unmarried
7 Julian Edwin Pieris + Eliza de Silva
6 (5) James Louis Pieris b1833
6 (6) Cornelia Pieris b1845-1863
4 (3) Isaac Reynaldus Siriwardena bp:29/1/1770.
(probably died young)
4 (4)
Elizebeth Pieris Siriwardene bp:19/8/1763 + Don Hendrick
Dias Bandaranaike Mohandiram of Siyane Korale
(became Mohandiram 5/6/1794) (1001)
5 Daughter +Hendrick Perera Ekanayale
5 Son died without issue.
4 (5) Johan Louis Samarasinghe Siriwardena Pieris
Mudaliyar Siyane Korale
1825-1851
(Mace
bearer of the Supreme Court)b1773- d17/6/1857 + m:6/6/1805 Johanna
Corneliya Perera Gunerwardena (Canahara Mudiyanselage
Cornelia), b:7 Apr 1784,d29/3/1862 (d/o Abraham Perera
Abeyesekere Gunerwardena
Koeroewe Mudaliyar and Maria Samarakoon) (her
ancestor Canahara Mudiyanse the commander in Chief of
Sithavaka Rajasinghe in the siege of Colombo held by the
Portuguese) Had 5 children. (5
(1) to 5 (5)) (lived in a walauwwa, close to the Kelani
river.)
5 (1) Johanna Angenetta
Catherina Gertruda Pieris (b 8/7/1806) died after
1894,m16/10/1829+David de Alwis Goonesekara Seneviratne
(Mudaliyar of Bolgoda, Raiygam Korale Kalutara) (See de
Alwis Seneviratne Family tree. They had 8 children. (6 (1) to 6 (8))
6 (1)
Charles Abraham de Alwis Seneviratne b1832-d1856,unmarried
6 (2)Jane
Gertruda de Alwis Seneviratne b1833-1864 +David de Alwis
Mudliyar.
6 (3)
Johanna de Alwis Seneviratne b1830,died young
6 (4)Johanna
Carolina de Alwis Seneviratne
6 (5)Peter
Louis de Alwis Seneviratne
6 (6)Louisa
Petrenella de Alwis Seneviratne+ Robert Wilson Dias
Bandaranayake, (m13/5/1861)
7 Alice Louisa Dias Bandaranayake,b7/9/1863 + James
Perera of Wadduwa.
6 (7)Albert
Louis de Alwis,b1842-d1888 (Appointed
to the legislative council in 1881)+Johanna Carolina Perera
6 (8) Agnes Harriet de Alwis, (m1)+Robert Goonetileke
(m2)+Harry
Dassenaike
5 (2) Johan Godfred
Cornelis Pieris Samarawira Siriwardena
(b16/3/1808-15/5/1887) (Mohandiram of Attepattoo) +Johanna
Caroline Perera. (d of Johan Louis Perera) (m1834-no issue)
(1847 Ceylon Almanac)
5 (3)
Johannes Adrian Peter Pieris Samarasinghe Siriwardena Mohandiram of the
Gate (19/4/1811-21/10/1877)+Eliza
Perera
(m1847) (d of Johan Louis Perera)
5 (4) Johanna
Gertruda Maria Pieris,bp8/4/1816-d12/11/1897,
(m26/10/1846)+Don Fredrick de Livera Seneviratne
,Muhandiram.
5 (5) John
Martinus Pieris Siriwardena, (Jan 1856 Appointed
Asst. District officer Kandy Road, Jan 1858 Superintendent
Officer Nelundeniya,1865 District officer.) (Titular
Mudliyar)b:circa 24/11/1824 at Kelaniya. (A student of
Colombo Academy, now called Royal College) d 22/9/1894
+ (m1)Johanna Louisa Dias
Bandaranaike, b:12/12/1820,-d2/9/1860
m:Nov1851, , d/o of Don Johannes
Francisco's Dias Bandaranaike and Fredricka de
Saram, grand daughter of Don Conrad Peter
Dias Bandaranaike (1001)4 children in this marriage.
6
(1) Vincent
Godfred Pieris b 22/4/1855-d21/1/1897 unmarried.
6 (2) Catharine Pieris
b6/12/1856 -d11/4/1875,unmarried
6
(3) Rosmand
Pieris b5/11/1859,died young.
6 (4) John Louis Pieris
Siriwardena (see
pic below) (CCS) b3/9/ 1852 ,Surveyor General's
office, Schroff Mudliyar Colombo Kachcherie .Mudliyar
Alukuru korale 1902 (educated at Royal College, Colombo) + Florence Eliza
Dias Bandaranaike born
22/9//1871-d16/8/1927, m:29/5/1895 (daughter of Conrad
Peter Dias Bandaranaike b:1827) (1001) (ref: 20th Century
impressions of Ceylon by Arnold Wright-Page 525)Had 8
children. (7
(1) to 7 (8))
7 (1) Louis Alexander Pieris,b6/3/1897
+Dulci Dias Bandaranayake.,b1905 (d of Johannes Francis Dias
Bandaranayake.)Had 6 children.
8 John Louis Pieris,b31/5/1924,unmarried.
8 Conrad Peter Pieris,b14/8/1929,unmarried.
8 Edward George Pieris, unmarried.
8 Dulcie Gladys Pieris,b22/3/1932+Quintas
Keppetipola.
8 Margret Beatrice Pieris,b25/8/1936 + Shivananda
Seneviratne
9 Edward Seneviratne+ Chandrani, and had 3 children.
8 Michael Bearnard Pieris ,b1/4/1944+Malika
Subasinghe-no issue.
7 (2) Conrad Peter
Pieris ,b5/3/1902,unmarried,Excise dept Inspector.
(died in motor accident in Yakkala)
7 (3) Arthur William
Pieris ,b16/12/1904-d5/6/1965,unmarried.
7 (4) Solomon
Franciscus Pieris b16/12/1906+ Brenda Gunasinghe, d of
Francis Gunasinghe (They
had 5 children.) 8 (1) to 8 (5)
8 (1) Solomon Bryan Pieris + Anne Walton, (Irish
lady, they lived in Surrey)
9 Brenda Pieris
9 Naomi Pieris + Devendra Amarasinghe
10 Ryan Amarasinghe
8 (2) Florence Rachel Pieris,b9/10/1937+Loyd Leopole
Silva,they had 4 children.
9 Maria +Lalith Nanayakkara
10 Dhanuska
10 Hashan
9 Tamara +Ravindra Fonseka
10 Evan
10 Ivanka
9
Rovena Sirini unmarried
9 Niroshini Sorell +Rashka Dias
8 (3) Christine Yvonne Pieris,b22/1/1940,unmarried.
8 (4) Francis Eric Pieris,b29/4/1942-d1983+Nirmala
Koralage. (m1970)
9 Ruvani Pieris,b1971+Dharshana Ganepola
10 Dhakshini
10 Samath
9 Khrishan Pieris,b1973+Dharshani Jayawardena.
10 Travish Pieris,b (yr2000)
10 Nicola Pieris
10 Kayla Pieris
8 (5) Pamela Wendy Pieris+Sumanasiri Seneviratne
,DIG, they had 2 daughters.
9 Pradeepa Samantha
9 Deepthi Renuka
7
(5) Ethel Aexanderia Pieris (b7/2/1901-1930)+
Lionel Welliington de Saram (See de Saram family
tree) m 24/12/1921
7
(6) Diana
Margret Pieris,b18/7/1909 (m1940)+
Edmund de Livera Tennekoon of Ampitigala (See de Livera 3109
family tree)
8
Hazel de Livera +Jeramyn Fernando
7 (7) Florence Ruth Pieris,b5/4/1899,died young.
7 (8) Rachel Eliza Pieris b16/5/1903 + Charles Edward
Hartnoll de Saram m1928 (Araliya
kele estate Mirigama.)
5 (5) John Martinus Pieris Siriwardena
b24/1/1824-d1894 + (m2)Susan Elizabeth
Dias Bandaranaike.b18/5/1842 (d
of Udugaha Solmon Dias Bandaranaike Mudaliyar )m approx 1860
(8 children-6 (5) to
6 (12) (They
resided at Pieris Walauwwa, 40 Silversmith street, now
renamed Bandaranaike Mawatha.)
6
(5) Henry Ashmore Pieris Siriwardena (Harry) (Mudaliyar Hewagam
Korale) (eldest
son) (CCS)b:14/10/1861
(BP19/2/1862) (m24/5/1900) (d 16/4/1912) + Eliza
Harriet Dassenaike 1879-1917 (Died of pneumonia at
Bandarawela while on holiday) (d of Henricus Lucius
Dassenaike-Mudaliyar b approx 1830) (Home, Green Street
Colombo)3 children. 7 (1) to 7 (3)
(After
the husband's death, it is said that Eliza Harriet had
bought 200 acres jungle land in Katupitiya village in
Kosgolla,and planted coconut.
7
(1) Henry Ashmore Pieris 11 (b:13/9/1903)
(d:23/9/1995) (Stc cricket-1923) (Educated at Training
College Colombo, then STC Mtl)+ Edith Corneliya Obeyesekere
(b9/10/1913-d5/11/1990)
(eldest daughter of Donald Obeyesekere and Ethel Perera.)m
1934 (4 children) 8 (1) to 8 (4)
8
(1) Sita Cornelia Pieris b12/1/1936-d 13/4/2017+Cecil
Perera ,b1926 (son of Mudaliyar Eric Perera) Sita could play
the Piano.-no issue.
8 (2) Wimala
Nalini Pieris (b
16/2/1938-d12/7/ 2018)+ Dr Chitranjan Amarasinghe
(Wimala was a tennis
player. Was the games captain at Ladies College. Migrated to
USA.died in Washington.)
9 Felix
Amarasinghe
9 Shalini Amarasinghe.
9 Nilanthi
Amarasinghe
8 (3) Hemal
Ashmore Pieris,b20/1/1940 (Stc Mtl)
(Cambridge-Civil Engineering)+ Kanthi Weerasinghe (m1973) (Pianist) 2
children.
9 Hemal Asoka Pieris
+ Chantelle Jacotine (m2010)
10 Haveeka Ashok Pieris,b10/6/2016
9 Duminda Pieris
8 (4) Henry
Sri Mevan
Pieris b:16/2/1946 (Bsc,Msc,MBA,FPRI
(uk)
(cricketer STC-1964/65 & Sri Lanka) (see article
below) + Dr Nirmala Gunathilake (M1973) (St
Bridget"s Convent) (See article below) He had 2 children.
9
Dilani Pieris (St Bridgets) (AMW)b1974+ Haren
Yatawaka
10 Amithra
Yatawaka
10 Kiyana Yatawaka
10 Jaanya Yatawaka
9 Nilanka Pieris ,b1976 (Stc cricket captain-1995)+
Dilushi Wickremasinghe
10 Dineth Pieris,b2007
10 Nireka Pieris,b2010
7
(2) Louis
Augustus Paules Pieris b11/1/1905-d3/6/1955, (m1937) + Amelia
Obeyesekere (1915-2004)
(daughter of Donald Obeyesekere and Ethel Perera.) 5
children 8 (1) to 8 (5)
8 (1) Amelia Rajini Pieris b1938+ Neil Dias
Bandaranaike
9 Ayendra Dias Bandaranaike
9 Priyanthi Dias Bandaranaike
8 (2) Chrisanthi Vajirawathi Pieris b1940-d 9/2/2016,
unmarried.
8
(3) Louis Henry Ravindra Pieris ,b1942+ Amari Jayawardena
8 (4) Eliza Surani Pieris ,b1944+Chittranjan
Elangasekera
9 Shehara Elangasekera b1971+Naomal Weerakoon
10
Tehila
10 Liran
9 Shanuka Elangasekera,b1976 unmarried
9 Shalini Elangasekera,b1982 +Shenek Fernando
10Mishka
10 Ariala
10 Yeshaya
8 (5) Savithri Padmini Pieris,b1947 +Dr Raja
Amarasekera
9 Rajindra Amarasekera +Gowri
10
Johnmark Amarasekera
10 Shania Amarasekere
9 Sherina Amarasekera
9 Sharmini Amarasekera
7 (3) Eliza Irene Augusta Pieris b 8/9/1901 + Eric
Perera.Mudliyar (m1920)
6 (6) Dr
William Christoffel Pieris Siriwardena,
b:6/3/1867-d1917, (m15/8/1902, lived at 40,Silversmith
Street Colombo. Educated at STC (Mutwal) and later at
Marischal College Aberdeen. He became a Senior medalist in
Pathalogy and Bacteriology. He graduated in MBCM. He was a
visiting Physician of General Hospital. Lecturer in clinical
medicine at Medical College. District Medical Officer
Haputale. Later Judical Medical Officer (see pic below) + Ethel Mildred
Obeyesekere, (b:1885, d:1930), (3051) (daughter of S.C Obeyesekere of Talpe
Walauwa Galle.) (Page 524,20th Century Impressions of
Ceylon)
Had 3 children.7 (1)
to 7 (3)
7 (1) William Ian Pieris
b9/8/1904 (cricketer STC) + Anula Dias Abeysinghe, d of
Abraham Dias Abeysinghe (Had
3 children)
8 (1)
Ian.Susil Pieris (Siriwardene) (Stc Mtl) (Oxford)
(b3/12/1938-23/8/2021, (m17/11/1977)+Niranjala Madugalla
9 Dr Suba Siriwardena + Indika Wijekoon.
8 (2) Malkanthi Pieris b19/3/1937+ J.R Maurice Perera
(former high
court judge) (m1956)
9 Asoka Perera
9 Asanga Perera
8 (3) Priyanga Pieris
,b26/1/1941+ Shirani Weerasinghe (Eranga ) (famous
singing duo)
9 Dinuke Siriwardene Pieris (son)
7 (2) Iranganie Pieris b1908,unmarried.
7 (3) James Alwis Christoffel Rajasinghe Pieris
b1910,barrister,unmarried.
6 (7) Rosalyn
Florence Pieris Siriwardena b3/4/1865, (m28/11/1890+John Gunerwardena
Perera.
6 (8) Susana
Elizebeth Pieris Siriwardena ,b22/9/1870+Harry Willisford Dias
Bandaranaike ,Mudliyar Siyane Korale b14/1/1861 (Henry)
m1893 -no issue. (Harry is a son of Conrad Peter Dias
Bandaranayaka)
6 (9) Lydia
Augusta Pieris Siriwardena b 18/1/1863 (unmarried, died
at 96 years.)
6 (10) Euginia Felicia
Pieris Siriwardena ,b25/10/1872+Edwin Vernon
Gooneratne m1898 Mudaliyar
7 Olivia, died an infant in October 1904.
6
(11)
Deraniyagala Sir
Paul Edward Pieris Samarasinghe Siriwardhana, b:16/2/1874-d:1957,
educated at STC Mount Lavinia.Writer of Sinhala books and
Historian, Received University scholarship in 1891. Wrote
the book Sinhalese families which was published in 1911. BA
Trinity College Cambridge. LLM and Litt D (Cantab).Barrister
of Inner Temple 1895.Ceylon Civil Service 1896-1935.Trade
Commissioner for Ceylon in England. Organiser of National
day movement in 1913, 1903 District Judge Matara,1905
District Judge Kegalle, later District Judge Kalutara. + Lady Hilda
Constance Obeyesekere ,b29/8/1877,m:24/7/1899 (3051) (d of James
Peter Obeyesekere and Cornelia Henrietta)
They had 5 children. 7 (1) to 7 (5) (In
1936,they built the Nugedola
Walauwa in Nugedola Estate at Pasyala.) (Lady Hilda
Pieris had gifted, a residential hall for girls, for the
University of Peradeniya, and had named it ,the Hilda
Obeyesekere Memorial Hall.) (See article below)
Sir Paul Pieris was president of the
Royal Asiatic Society of Ceylon 1932-1934
He was awarded Knight Bachelor in the
queen's birthday Honours 1955.
7 (1) Paules
Edward Pieris Deraniyagala b:8 May 1900 - d:1/12/1973,
(STC), Director
National Museum of Ceylon 1939-1963, Dean Faculty of
Arts Vidyodaya University 1961-64, Specialist on fossil
and recent animals of Indian Sub continent. Scientist,
Zoologist (He had training in Zoology, good at
painting.)+ Prini Molamure (m1934) (3117) (See
article below) Had 4 children 8 (1) to 8 (4)
8 (1) Isanth
Deraniyagala, b approx 1947,married and lives in UK
8 (2) Arjun
Paulus Mayadunne Deraniyagala (Educated at Stc Mtl and
Trinity College Cambridge) b10/11/1935-d12/3/2021
(Chairman CEB in 1994) (He also had a Hotel and
cabanas at Mt Lavinia, by the beach)+ Miriam
Louise Goodyn (Belgian)
9 Yvani
Deraniyagala,b1978
9 Chandrudh Deraniyagala,b1977 (Degree in
Economics)+ (M1) Polexina Popa (seperated)
10 Dhiren Deraniyagala,b23/6/2005
10
Teja Deraniyagala,b12/12/2007
9 Chandrudh
Deraniyagala,b1977+ (M2)Amrisha Parathalingam, (m2019)
8 (3)
Dr Siran Upendra Deraniyagala,
b:1/3/1942-d
5/10/2021,
(STCMtl) He lived at his maternal ancestral home, Ekneligoda
Walauwa, Kuruvita, Director
General Dept of Archaeology, MA Trinity College
Cambridge University, Post Graduate Diploma
in Archaeology, Phd Harvard University. (He has
published 40 research papers and held key positions in the
Dept of Archaeology in the Cultural Ministry.) In
2005,Received the
Deshabandu award, Gold Medal in 2008 and in 2019 honoured
with a Presidential award. (See article below)
+ (M1) Baroness Victoria Von Plessen (German),divorced,
no issue
+ (M2) Dr Anne Sibyll Hannibal (German),divorced
9 Draupada Deraniyagala
+ (M3) Eranya Subasinghe, of Sandalankawa.
9 Ayiana Deraniyagala, b2010
9 Dhrona Deraniyagala,b2012
8 (4) Ranil
Yudisthira Deraniyagala
,b approx 1937 (entered Trinity College Cambridge) died
approx 1970+ (foreign
lady),divorced.
9 Justin Deraniyagala (son),lives in UK.
7 (2) Justin
Pieris Deraniyagala (StcMtl)
(Artist) (b20/7/1903-d24/5/1967)
In 1922 entered Trinity College Cambridge-BA
Laws.1926/27-State School of Arts UK.
(Greatest
Sri Lankan painter of the 20th century.)He had a painting
exhibition, at Colombo Art Gallery in 1936. (See
article below)
7 (3) Ralph
St. L P Deraniyagala ,b27/10/1904 (StcMtl) (Lawyer)
(Civil Servant &Clerk of the house of Representatives of SL)+ Ezlynne Amelia
Obeyesekere ,b1908-d1973 (3051) (1st Woman
Barrister) (m1935) (d of Forrester Obeyesekere.) They had
3 children. (See article below)
8
(1)
Dr Ralph Deraniyagala
(Bando) (Stc
Mtl)b6/2/1936- d 26/1/2019+ Indrani Nugara
9
Arubind Deraniyagala
b9/7/1976-d18/9/2003, (died under tragic circumstance in a
cyclone in USA.)
8
(2) Nigel Deraniyagala, died young. 1941-1943
8 (3) Julian Deraniyagala 1944-1946
7 (4) Miriam
Cornelia Hilda Pieris
Deraniyagala b 14/7/1908-13/3/1999 (Attended Hillwood
Girls College Kandy, when her father Sir Paul, was District
Judge Kandy) (see article below) + F Robert de
Saram (s/o
F R de Saram) (3126)
(m23/9/1937) They had 4 children
8 (1) Skanda Ajith de
Saram + Sharadha
Manorama Muthu Krishna (7010)
8 (2) Rohan de
Saram (Cello) (see article below)
+ Rosemary de Saram
9
Sophia de Saram
9
Suren de Saram
8 (3) Druvi
de Saram (Piano)
+ Sharmini de Fonseka
9
Mandhira de Saram
9
Radhika de Saram
8 (4) Niloo
de Saram + Desmond Fernando
9
Jeevani Fernando
8
(4) 2nd spouse of Niloo de Saram + Jehan Edwards
7 (5) James Massey Pieris, died a child.
6 (12) David George Pieris Deraniyagala b
3/7/1868 Gate Mohandiram + Enid
Muriel De Saa Bandaranaike (1001) (daughter of
Thomas Fredrick de Saa Bandaranaike) 5 children.7 (1) to 7
(5)
7 (1) Sumana
Erin Pieris b1915
+Merril Amarasekara m1950-no issue
7 (2) Mallika
Eileen Pieris
b1911 +Earl
Dassenaike m1931 (see Dassenaike family tree)
7 (3) Enid Indrani Pieris b1909+ Ronald Doyne de
Alwis Seneviratne (m:1936),
(1906-2001), (STC) (Director Medical
Research Institute, Dy Director of Health)
8
Ranjith Seneviratne
8
Manil Seneviratne + Tennakoon
9
Anushia Tennakoon + Devaka Cooray
10
Devin Cooray
10
Janek Cooray
7 (4) David Merrick
Pieris-1910-2000 unmarried, Solicitor
7 (5) Chandra
Muriel Pieris Deraniyagala,b8/7/1921, d 2008 + James Godwin
Vaughn de Livera 1915-2003 (3109) (Stc)
(Communication officer Civil Aviation, Served in the 2hd
world war in England.)m17/8/1950. They had 2 children.
8 Anil Gayan
de Livera.
(b1954-d1982 (unmarried)
8
Yasmin de Livera (Aus)
+
Ramesh Abayasekara
9
Jehan Abayasekara + Ishini Jayamaha
9
Yohan Abayasekara
2 2nd spouse of Louis Pieris Samarasinghe
Siriwardena, b:1680 + Dona Natalia, m:27/3/1746 -no issue
1
Deringellege Joan (John?)
Fernando
2 son
3
Abraham Pieris, a proponent in the Dutch Reformed
Church
Other relatives of Pieris Deraniyagala family tree
1
Deraniyagala Vincent Pieris Samarasinghe Siriwardena (Mt Lavinia)
2
John de Silva Jayatilleke Siriwardena
References:
Sinhalese
families book by Paul Edward Pieris (1911)
Chieftains
of Ceylon (1936)
Internet
20th
Century Impressions of Ceylon by Arnold Wright.
Relative Merits
Ceylon Almanac 1847
Data obtained from the Deraniyagala
family tree charts prepared by Harsha Rupasinghe & Udaya Siriwardene.
Contributions from Dr Siran Deraniyagala
The Community ,book of Mevan Pieris.
Prepared
by :
Mr Manjula de Livera
Email-manjulafamily@yahoo.com.au
manjuladelivera@yahoo.com.au
Last
Updated: 15th October 2023.
PEP Deraniyagala
(Children of Miriam Pieris & Robert de Saram)
Justin Edward
Deraniyagala
Justin
Deraniyagala
Sir
Paul E Pieris
Dr Siran Deraniyagala
Dr Sonali Deraniyagala
Chandra de Livera nee Pieris
Mevan Pieris
Rohan de Saram
Ralph L.P.Deraniyagala
Johanna Pieris &
Henry
Samarakkody
Ashmore Pieris,Mevan Pieris
Ashmore Pieris b1903
Nilanka Pieris (3 Thomian
cricketers of 3 generations.)
Thombu
Index-Dept of Archives
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Evening Standard (London), Jan 11, 2005
by LECH MINTOWT-CZYZ
A LONDON academic lost her entire family to the
Asian tsunami, it emerged today.
Dr Sonali Deraniyagala, 40, on holiday in Sri Lanka, saw the giant
wave wash away the car her husband-and two sons were sitting
in.
In an instant of appalling tragedy for the
economics lecturer, both her parents were taken by the water
at the same moment.
The bodies of Dr Deraniyagala's parents, Gemini
and Edward Deraniyagala, and her elder son Vikram, seven,
have been found but she does not know whether the remains of
five-year-old Nikhil will ever be recovered.
The body of her 40-year-old husband, fellow
academic Dr Steve Lissenburgh, has also still to be found.
In desperation Dr Deraniyagala, a lecturer at the University
of London's School of Oriental and African Studies placed an
advertisement in a Sri Lankan newspaper appealing for
information about her family but she has yet to receive any
news.
The heartrending advertisement included a
photograph of Nikhil and said: "Last seen at Yala Safari
Hotel on 26 December 2004. Nikhil is five years old and
three and a half feet tall with black hair and black eyes.
He may be dazed and confused and unable to express himself.
He cannot speak in Sinahala or Tamil. He can respond only in
English." The family had been making their usual Christmas
trip to visit Dr Deraniyagala's mother and father in Colombo
when tragedy struck.
The family were staying at the Yala Safari Game
Lodge, a coastal wildlife reserve, and had stopped off in
their four-by-four. It is understood Dr Lissenburgh and the
two children were still in the vehicle and were carried
away.
Dr Deraniyagala, who is thought to have got
out, was also swept up by the force of the water and
survived-despite being carried several miles inland by the
torrent. It is not known where her parents were at the time
of the disaster.
Dr Deraniyagala's uncle Ken Balendra, who lives
in Sri Lanka, said: "With the time that has now passed we do
not think there is much more that can be done. We have given
up hope of seeing them again.
"The tragedy is so heavy we can barely bring
ourselves to speak about it. My niece cannot speak about it
at all.
"She has not even been able to tell us exactly
what happened. Really all we know is that they were all in
the reserve and the water just took them all away with it.
We do not know how, but she managed to escape without
serious injury. But she is severely traumatised."
More than 30,000 people were killed in Sri
Lanka by the Boxing Day tsunami.
Today friends and colleagues of Dr Lissenburgh,
40, a senior researcher at the Policy Studies Institute who
focused on the social aspects of economics, paid tribute to
a man who "inspired affection and admiration in all who knew
him".
His colleague of 10 years, Dr Michael White,
said he was driven by a desire to make a difference to the
world's disadvantaged communities. "He did make that
difference. With more time, he would have made a great
difference," he said.
"He loved Sri Lanka and when he came back he
loved to talk about the good times he had there. He had a
big capacity for enjoyment.
Surely he was happy there in his last days and
hours."
A colleague of Dr Deraniyagala at London
University said: " Everyone who has learned of the dreadful
tragedy is united in their grief and support for Sonali. She
is a highly esteemed popular member of the department of
economics."
. Donor countries are urged today to guarantee
that money promised to tsunami victims would not be diverted
from other world disaster funds.
Oxfam echoed pleas from United Nations
secretary-general Kofi Annan that the billions of dollars
pledged to help the stricken region's recovery was "new
money".
LATEST
DEATH TOLL
Death tolls by country:
Indonesia: 105,522
Sri Lanka: 30,721
India: 10,136
Thailand: 5,291
Somalia: 298
Myanmar: 90
Maldives: 82
Malaysia: 68
Tanzania: 10
Bangladesh: 2
Kenya: 1
MORE than 450 Britons are now believed to have
died in the Asian tsunami.
Tony Blair told the Commons that 51 Britons had
been confirmed dead, and the total confirmed or presumed to
have died had risen to 453, up 10 from last week.
Mr Blair said the number of Britons unaccounted
for but not presumed to have died was 871.
Some of those unaccounted for may have been
trekking in remote regions in Asia and have simply not
contacted relatives. But the Prime Minister said the figure
"may never fall to zero".
At least 152,221 people have been reported dead
around southern Asia and as far away as Somalia on Africa's
eastern coast following the earthquake and tsunami on Boxing
Day.
Miriam
de Saram: Not a mere wanderer
By
Peter Burleigh - Sunday Times June 13, 1999
In the fall of 1968 there was a late
south-western monsoon. It might have been late August.
Whenever it was, reflecting an enthusiasm for ocean swimming
and a naivete about its dangers at that time of year, I had
gone to the beach just north of the Mount Lavinia Hotel as I
often did during that initial time of my assignment in
Ceylon. Despite the grey and cloudy sky, the thunderous
waves, and a major undertow, I nevertheless plunged in
foolishly alone in the stretch of beach, which is now seldom
unpopulated.
I swam for half an hour or so, testing my
skills and unconsciously, in retrospect, challenging the
monsoonal sea. Resting on the beach in exhaustion and
exhilaration, staring out to sea, I noticed to my surprise
and curiosity another swimmer. He was doing what I had done,
but with more skill and familiarity, and, I learned later,
awareness of the danger.
The other swimmer was Skanda de Saram. After he
emerged from the sea, we chatted and relaxed and, after a
time, Skanda invited me home to meet his family. (Skanda's
extended family, like so many in Sri Lanka, is a story in
itself). But that first day of our acquaintance, only his
mother was home. What a mother! Miriam (Pieris/Deraniyagala)
de Saram who died March 13, 1999 at the age of 91, became an
intellectual and social focal point for me, a young diplomat
on a first assignment in an alien and exotic place.
Unconventional, controversial, independent minded, erratic,
talented, and tough-minded, Miriam de Saram had since
childhood been a rebel. Daughter of Sir Paul E. Pieris
(Deraniyagala), the historian and author as well as Ceylon's
first Trade Commissioner in London, Miriam demonstrated her
grit and determination when she insisted on becoming the
first Ceylonese woman to study, master, and perform
publicly, both Kandyan and South Indian dancing. (She
appeared as an "exotic, oriental" dancer in Alexander
Korda's famous film, "The Drum", starring Raymond Massey,
Valerie Hobson and Sabu in 1937. When marriage outside the
tightly delineated universe of family consent and approval
was unthinkable, headstrong Miriam secretly married a
handsome, tennis-playing lawyer, Robert De Saram.
Essentially, though not permanently, outcast by her family
for such a marriage (which occurred in London, when her
father was Trade Commissioner), Miriam was unbendable;
determined to make her own choices regardless of the
consequences. The marriage produced Rohan, Skanda, Druvi and
Niloo.
From day one of our acquaintance, something
special transpired between Miriam and me. Miriam had studied
deeply in both Hindu and Buddhist thought. Born and dying a
Church of England Protestant, Miriam de Saram nevertheless
pursued psychological and religious enlightenment - whatever
its source and wherever it led. Thus, for me, she was a
fascinating source of insights, adventures, and wisdom. She
had studied with a Hindu saint in Jaffna, with Buddhist
scholars around the island; she had travelled to India in
search of knowledge into the multiple religious and
spiritual disciplines there. (Readers will excuse me if I
note that such searches were not for magico-religious gurus
so popular now in Sri Lanka and India; they were for
religious adepts who themselves were searching, reflective
of the long history of Indian, including Buddhist, religious
thought). When Miriam discovered I was interested in such
issues, she shared with, and challenged me to open up to
possibilities of self-knowledge and enlightenment, which
flow from these Indian traditions.
She took delight in introducing me, through the
culinary virtuosity of her longtime cook, William, to
traditional Sinhalese cuisine.
Whether string hoppers, hoppers, or rice, every
conceivable sambol, mouthscalding crab, cuttlefish, or
lobster curries, fish balls and cutlets and curries,
incredible vegetable dishes from vegetables I had never
heard of, let alone tasted (snakegourd and ma-karal come to
mind), ambul thiyal, coconut-laced lentils and other parippu
dishes - what an introduction! And jaggery/hakkuru sweets;
with curd for dessert.
Miriam also liked in drink, as I do. She
introduced me to milk-wine, to shandies, even to scotch!
We would sit on the veranda of her then home at
61, Ward Place, sipping whatever, and talking for hours
about Ceylon, its history, its politics (my job as third
secretary at the U.S. Embassy at the time), its sociology,
but, most all, its religious thought, as refracted through
colonial religions, and indigenous traditions. I learned of
Kataragama, of Adam's Peak, of caste distinctions among the
Buddhist nikayas, of Carnatic music to be heard during the
Vel festival at the devales on Galle Road; of Dutch Reformed
cemeteries in Hulftsdorf where some family ancestors lay
buried. It went on and on, reflecting both the rich
religious diversity of Sri Lanka and the extraordinary
depths to which Miriam had studied and learned.
Miriam also combined her interest and knowledge
of things Indian with a profound understanding of Western
culture, including classical music and literature. She
forced all her children to pursue Western music. As a
result, both sons, Rohan and Druvi are professional
musicians in the UK. Rohan, in particular, was considered a
prodigy as a cellist, and Miriam accompanied him throughout
Europe to study and play with the masters, including Pablo
Casals. A single mother, as we Americans would say now,
Miriam was both a demanding tyrant and a challenging
intellect with her children. She insisted on excellence and
would accept nothing less.
She also, unusually for a woman of her social
background, personally managed inherited coconut estates,
part of the huge legacy of the Bandaranaike-Obeyesekere
family in and around Horagolla. A determined, sometimes
dangerous, driver of an antiquated Volkswagen beetle in the
late 60s, for which no spare parts were legally available
during those years of draconian import restrictions, Miriam
drove at top speeds between Ward Place and the estates. She
reviewed accounts with a hawk eye and terrified estate
workers what she thought, often rightly apparently, of theft
beyond the norm.
I departed Ceylon in August l970, just prior to
the first JVP insurgency, but kept up a lifelong
correspondence with Miriam de Saram. Whether I was in
Washington, or Calcutta, or Kathmandu, or Bahrain, the
arrival of occasional aerograms with her spidery, densely
knit handwriting brought a wave of excitement and
anticipation - and never disappointment.
I made a few drop-by visits to Sri Lanka during
the next 25 years and always had at least a brief call on
Miriam. She was one of those amazing people — with whom one
could conflate years and catchup immediately. And she almost
always had a new intellectual enthusiasm she was pursuing
with characteristic relentlessness and childlike wonder.
When I returned to Colombo as U.S. Ambassador
in January 1996, Miriam was one of my first calls. Sadly, by
then, she was resident in the Joseph Fraser Nursing Home,
frail, brittle-seeming, and painfully thin. But, on nights
out - whether at Skanda and his wife Sharadha's, or with
niece Sunethra Bandaranaike, or at my residence on Horton
Place, she never failed to demonstrate her dazzling
intellectual skills and her humour. She could tell stories
on herself - and mercilessly on the rest of us - and laugh
at a high and joyous pitch. She was at that stage in life
when she liked to reminisce over her life and adventures -
and moments shared with special people. Sharadha and I
organized a viewing of her famous film one night and, on
another, her grandchildren, Tesalia and Ishviyan, gave a
beautiful classical recital. Miriam was delighted and
overwhelmed.
Living now in Manhattan where I am the US.
Ambassador to the United Nations, I was awakened in the
early morning hours of March 13 with a call from Sharadha
saying that Miriam had passed away. A fax arrived hours
later with details of the simple funeral ceremony. A week
later a long e-mail from Skanda arrived, describing Miriam's
last days.
Among many other accomplishments, Miriam de
Saram was a prolific writer of poetry. Her early poems,
organized and published privately by Skanda in the early
'9Os, provided, focused and distilled images of Miriam's
religious and philosophical searches. My favourite:
The Wanderer
I am a wanderer
In strange entanglements of opposites
Caught together
In a circus of confusion
Yet -
They appear to adjust themselves
To this environment for their existence
Where do we seek an answer?
I think it is - to look within
A constant Remembrance
In silence - calm
To look within
The writer is a former US ambassador to Colombo.
Rohan de Saram (Cello)
BIOGRAPHY
http://www.sound-scotland.co.uk/site/artists2006/bio_RohanDeSaram.htm
27 October - 28 November 2007
ROHAN DE SARAM
In November 2005 Rohan bid farewell to the
Arditti Quartet in order to pursue his own artistic vision.
He now works with other artists, friends and composers
around the world, bringing together music from different
musical periods and different parts of the world, both
eastern & western, classical and contemporary, composed
music and improvisations, with players from many musical
backgrounds.
Although he has been more recently known as an
outstanding performer of contemporary music, it was as a
classical artist that he made his name as a teenager and in
his twenties and thirties. Having studied cello from the age
of 11 with Gaspar Cassado in Siena and Florence, he was
awarded, at the age of 17, the coveted Suggia award to study
in the UK with John Barbirolli and in Puerto Rico with Pablo
Casals. At the invitation of Dmitri Mitropoulos, who
described him in 1957 as "a rare genius... .a born
musician... an amazing...cellist", Rohan was invited to give
his Carnegie Hall debut in 1960 with the New York
Philharmonic, playing Khatchaturian’s Cello Concerto under
the baton of Stanislaw Skrowaczewski.
Rohan has performed with the major orchestras
of Europe, USA and the former Soviet Union with conductors
such as John Barbirolli, Adrian Boult, Zubin Mehta, Seiji
Ozawa and William Steinberg, as well as with composers
conducting their own works such as Luciano Berio. After the
UK premiere of Il Ritorno degli Snovidenia for cello and
orchestra Berio said of him: "Your performance of Ritorno is
splendid, but besides Ritorno, your sound, your perfect
intonation, your phrasing and bowing technique, make you a
great performer of any music." As a result Berio wrote for
him his final Sequenza, no XIV, for solo cello which, as a
tribute to Rohan, includes large sections based on the
rhythms of the Kandyan drum of Sri Lanka, an instrument
which Rohan himself has played since his childhood in Sri
Lanka.
Rohan has worked with Kodaly, Shostakovich,
Poulenc and Walton, as well as more recently with many
leading contemporary composers such as Pousseur, Xenakis and
Berio who have, amongst others, written works for him. Some
of his recordings include Vivaldi's Sonatas, Rubbra's
Soliloquy for cello and orchestra, Britten's Cello Suites No
1-3, John Mayer's Ragamalas & Prabhanda, Xenakis' Kottos
and Carter's Figment I and II. Rohan's recordings of Berio's
Sequenza XIV awaits its release on Edition Zeitklang (also
including works by Xenakis, Carter, B. A. Zimmermann,
Ruzicka, Gelhaar, Pröve and Steinke) and on Mode (release
April 2006). Upcoming recording projects include Beethoven's
Cello Sonatas and Feldman's Trio.
In December 2004 Rohan was awarded an honorary
D. Litt. from the University of Peradeniya , Sri Lanka. A
year later, in December 2005 he received the Deshamaniya, a
national honour of Sri Lanka, given by the President of Sri
Lanka.
Rohan's future engagements include solo
recitals and concertos as well as duos with piano and duos
with guitar, trios with piano and violin as well as
improvisation concerts. His concerts in the immediate future
will take him to cities such as Stuttgart, Berlin,
Edinburgh, London, Turin, Rotterdam and Heidelberg. He will
also be teaching and performing at Darmstadt in the summer
of 2006. The successful collaboration with trumpet player
Rajesh Mehta in the Innovative Music Meeting will also be
continued.
Recent Reviews
Recent reviews include the following from The
Strad - of a recital at the Wigmore Hall, London on
17.10.99: "This recital marked the 40th anniversary of the
great cellist's debut... with a colossal performance of the
Kodály solo sonata which will stay with me as long as I
live. The interpretation went far beyond virtuosity into
that exalted sphere where only the most timeless music
resonates…"
Of his performance of Dvorak's Cello Concerto
at St. John's Smith Square in May 2004: "This was not only a
moving and involving performance. It was the kind of thing
one hears very seldom in our pre-packaged, cling-film modern
concert life. Here was a man, renowned for his involvement
with contemporary music, showing how well he comprehended
every aspect of a late Romantic masterpiece... in the
finale... technique was used as it should be, to aid
understanding rather than to show off skill. The poignant
statement of the song towards the end... was one of those
moments where the clocks seem to stop. ... our rapt
concentration was suspended by the merest thread. Few
soloists have the courage or the means to achieve this
effect, or the rhythmic control to make it work in context".
Thomian
Mevan Pieris probably the most learned cricketer
Island August 3, 2011, 12:00 pm
He was known as the
‘King of Swing’. Undoubtedly, he is one of the most feared
fast bowlers that Sri Lanka has produced. Added to his
cricketing prowess, he was also a brilliant academic.
I presume, in the
field of Polymer Science, he is one of the most qualified
individuals. This talented Sri Lankan all-rounder, holds a
BSC, University of Ceylon Colombo, MSc and M.B.A. from the
University of Sri Jayawardenepura and FPRI (UK). Further, he
holds a Masters Degrees in Polymer Chemistry and Business
Administration.
He is Henry Siri
Mevan Pieris, popularly known as Mevan Pieris.
Pieris learned his basics as a schoolboy at S.
Thomas’ College, Mount Lavinia.
S. Thomas’ College
produced highly distinguished and productive citizens,
including three Prime Ministers D. S., Dudley Senanayake and
S. W. R. D. Bandaranaike and well known historian, Sir Paul
Pieris academics, medical specialists, legal luminaries,
accountants, diplomats, financial wizards, educationalists,
top cricketers, etc.
Pieris represented
the S. Thomas’ College, First XI under Premlal Gunasekera
and Sarath Seneviratne in 1964 and 1965, respectively. This
right arm fast-bowler was a left-hand batsman. His best
performance with the bat was the dashing unbeaten 120 he
made against Ananda, in only 85 minutes at Mount Lavinia.
Pinnacle of schools
Big Matches
For any Royal or
Thomian cricketer, the greatest achievement is to play in a
Royal-Thomian encounter ‘The Battle of the Blues’, and
obtain colours.
Mevan Pieris had
the distinction of playing in the 85th ‘Battle of the Blues’
as a fresher on 13th and 14th March 1964, at the Colombo
Oval. The Thomians were led by Premalal Gunasekera and the
Royal captain was J. D. Wilson.
The Thomians
recorded an eight wicket victory. In this match, Anura
Tennekoon scored 78 and Sarath Seneviratne 96. Playing in
his first Royal-Thomian, Mevan Pieris bowled only five
overs, with two maidens and took 1 for 9 runs when he clean
bowled H. N. De Silva for eight runs.
Victorious Thomian
side
The victorious
Thomian team consisted of L. S. Perera, K. Boralessa, A. P.
B. Tennakoon, P. N. W. Gunasekera (Capt), S. B. Seneviratne
(Vice Captain), S. Rajapakse, R. P. Samarasinghe, G.
Balasingham, B. D. Ried, L. Chelliah and H. S. M. Pieris.
On 12th and 13th
March 1965, the Royal-Thomian match was played at the Oval
and H. S. M. Pieris (11-5-13-1) and (12-4-29-0), opened the
bowling with B. D. Ried (29-19-28-3) and (35-19-49-4). This
was the 86th ‘Battle of the Blues’.
Played for Sri
Lanka as an undergrad
Mevan Pieris, after
a brilliant sports and academic career at S. Thomas’,
entered the Science Faculty of the University of Ceylon,
Colombo. He captained the University cricket team in 1970.
As an
undergraduate, Pieris played for Sri Lanka and accounted for
MCC number three batsman Keith Fletcher, off the first ball
he faced.
In the first
official Test between Sri Lanka and England, Keith Fletcher
captained England.
In the same year,
University emerged Division I league champions. He played
against Madras (Chennai), captained by Sirinivasan
Venkataraghavan. The dashing left-hand batsman Mevan Pieris
scored twin half centuries and took 5 wickets for 55.
Mevan brings
victory for SL
Going down memory
lane, I can recollect this thrilling match. Madras needed
eight runs to win. Satwender Singh was 87. Pieris dismissed
Satwender Singh and thanks to this Sri Lanka won the match.
All hell broke loose. The spectators invaded the field,
carried Mevan shoulder high to the pavilion and showed their
appreciation to this fine all rounder.
Leading wicket
taker from 1970 to 1975
He represented Sri
Lanka from 1970-1975 and became the leading wicket taker,
accounting for the dismissal of some of the world’s finest
batsmen, such as Sunil Gavaskar, Zaheer Abbas, Doug Walters,
Greg Chappell and Keith Fletcher. He took 6 for 33 against
the Pakistan U-25 team, captained by Wasim Raja, at the CCC.
University colours
in three sports
While at
university, Mevan was awarded colours in tennis and hockey
in addition to cricket. He was was awarded the prestigious
Leslie Handunge Trophy.
In inaugural World
Cup team
Mevan Pieris had
the proud distinction of representing Sri Lanka in the first
ever World Cup played in England in 1975. In Sri Lanka’s
first match, played at Old Trafford, Manchester, on 7 June
1975, against the West Indies, Sri Lanka were dismissed for
a paltry 86 and WI won by nine wickets.
Dismissed Greg
Chappell and Doug Walters
In the 1975 World
Cup match against Australia, Sri Lanka lost by 52 runs. This
match was played at the Kensington Oval, London. As one of
the opening bowlers, Pieris bowled 11 overs, capturing two
wickets, that of Greg Chappell for 55, caught off his
bowling. The catch was taken by Tony Opatha. Then he
dismissed Doug Walters. He was caught by Anura Tennakoon.
Walters scored 59 in 66 balls with five tours.
In the third World
Cup match on 14 June 1975, at Trent Bridge, Nottingham,
against Pakistan, in reply Pakistan’s 330 for 6 in 60 overs,
Mevan Pieris bowled nine overs, gave away 54 runs, without
success. Sri Lanka scored 138 runs in 50.1 overs and
Pakistan won by 192 runs. In this match, Pieris scored 16
runs with two boundaries.
King of swing
Cricket and
academic pursuits were a passion for this unassuming
persona. He captained SSC and was a leading all-rounder. As
an in-swing bowler, he was almost always among the wickets,
capturing six or more wickets on many occasions. Because of
his brilliant performance, he carried the tag ‘Kings of
Swing’. In 1977, he scored a marvelous 137 against Colts, at
his home grounds, at Maitland Place.
Radio commentator
par excellences
Pieris is one of
the leading English cricket commentators in Sri Lanka. He
commentates on the Royal-Thomian match regularly.
Unknown facts about
Mevan
Mevan Pieris hails
from the Pieris Deraniyagala family of artists; foremost
among them was Mevan’s uncle, Justin Pieris Deraniyagala.
Following in the footsteps of his uncle, he became a highly
talented artist. His canvas paintings and portraits are hung
on the walls of the Institute of Chemistry, at Rajagiriya.
Trained singer
He is also a
trained singer and was a pupil of the famous Spencer
Sheppard.
Writer
Mevan Pieris is a
prolific writer. He has written many articles to journals
and magazines on a wide range of subjects and at present, he
is writing a family history and the evolution of the family
combine to which he belongs. He hopes to launch this
historical book next year (2012). Further, he plans to write
‘His Cricketing Memoirs’. He is also writing another
technical book on rubber and plastic chemistry and
technology.
Amazing academic
and professional career
Mevan Pieris’s
academic and professional careers are amazing, like his
distinguished cricket career. While he served at Arpico, he
sat for the Licentiateship Examination of the Institution of
Rubber Industry in the United Kingdom and was awarded the
gold medal for Sri Lanka for the best performance.
Thereafter, he secured a Masters degree in Polymer
Chemistry, at the University of Sri Jayawardenepura and
obtained a Merit degree in the Master of Business
Administration of the Post Graduate Institute of Management.
Visiting lecturer
In view of his
academic excellence, wide knowledge and experience, he is
today probably the most highly acclaimed visiting lecturer
at several universities.
Leader in
professional community
Pieris has been a
leader in the professional community. He is a former
President of the Plastic and Rubber Institute and also of
the Institute of Chemistry, Sri Lanka. He has been honoured
with several top awards, distinguished service and
achievement awards by professional institutes.
Mevan is married to
Dr. Nirmala Pieris, UNID, Consultant. They are blessed with
a son and daughter. Nilanka, following in the footsteps of
his illustrious father, played for the S. Thomas’ College
First XI and captained the team in 1995 while the daughter,
Mrs. Dilani Yatawara is a Chartered Accountant and the Group
Finance Director of Associated Motorways.