Deshamanya Explained

Deshamanya Sinhala; Sinhalese: දේශමාන්‍ය Tamil: தேசமான்ய
Awarded By:	The Government of Sri Lanka
Type:	Title of honor/Order of merit
Eligibility:	Sri Lankan citizens
Criteria:	Highly notable service to the nation
Status:	Currently constituted
First Induction:	1986
Last Induction:	2019
Higher:	Sri Lankabhimanya
Lower:	Deshabandu

Deshamanya (Sinhala; Sinhalese: දේශමාන්‍ය|translit=Dēshamāṉya; Tamil: தேசமான்ய|translit=Tēcamāṉya; Pride of the Nation) is the second-highest national honour of Sri Lanka awarded by the Government of Sri Lanka as a civil honour. It is awarded for "highly meritorious service", and is conventionally used as a title or prefix to the recipient's name.^[1]

Recipients

1986

• P. R. Anthonis – surgeon and academic^[2]
• Gamani Corea – economist, civil servant and diplomat
• M. C. M. Kaleel
• Malage George Victor Perera Wijewickrama Samarasinghe
• Miliani Sansoni – Chief Justice of Ceylon
• Victor Tennekoon – Chief Justice of Ceylon

1987

• Edwin Felix Dias Abeysinghe
• Neville Kanakeratne – diplomat
• V. Manicavasagar – Supreme Court Justice, Chancellor University of Jaffna
• Wijetunga Mudiyansela Tillekeratne

1988

• Hector Wilfred Jayewardene – lawyer, member United Nations Commission on Human Rights
• Thambiah Sivagnanam

1989

• Shiva Pasupati – Solicitor General of Sri Lanka, Attorney General of Sri Lanka

1990

• Sepala Attygalle – Commander of the Army
• Nandadeva Wijesekera
• Badi-ud-din Mahmud – politician, Minister of Education
• Baku Mahadeva – civil servant
• Nanayakkara Wasam James Mudalige

1991

• E. L. Senanayake – politician, Speaker of the Parliament of Sri Lanka
• Montague Jayawickrama
• K. W. Devanayagam
• Nissanka Wijeyeratne – civil servant, politician
• Sivagamie Verina Obeyasekera
• Christopher Weeramantry
• Neville Ubesinghe Jayawardena
• Ivan Samarawickrema
• Chandirapal Chanmugam
• Abdul Caffoor Mohamed Ameer - Queen's Counsel, Attorney General of Sri Lanka

1992

• Abdul Bakeer Markar – Politician
• Hewa Komanage Dharmadasa
• Ananda Weihena Palliya Guruge
• E. L. B. Hurulle
• Abdul Majeed Mohamed Sahabdeen
• Suppiah Sharvananda
• Linus Silva
• Nissanka Wijewardane

1993

• Geoffrey Bawa – Architect
• C. A. Coorey
• Felix Stanley Christopher Perera Kalpage
• H. W. Thambiah
• Richard Udugama – Major General
• Ponna Wignaraja
• Noel Wimalasena

1994

• Jayantha Kelegama
• Lalith Kotelawala – Businessman
• Nandadasa Kodagoda – Academic
• Godfrey Gunatilleke
• Arulanandam Yesuadiam Samuel Gnanam
• Nugegoda Gabadage Pablis Panditharatna
• Surendra Ramachandran
• Deraniyagalage Basil Ivor Pieris Samaranayake Siriwardhana

1996

• Duleep Mendis – Sri Lanka national cricket captain
• Arjuna Ranatunga – Sri Lanka national cricket captain

1998

• Charitha Prasanna de Silva
• Ken Balendra – Businessman
• Doreen Winifred Wickramasinghe
• Tamara Kumari Illangaratne
• Elanga Devapriya Wickremanayake
• R. K. W. Goonesekera – Academic, Lawyer
• Vernon Mendis – Diplomat
• H. L. de Silva – Diplomat
• A. T. Kovoor – Academic
• Ranjit Abeysuriya – lawyer
• Duncan White – Olympic medalist
• Christopher Rajindra Panabokke
• W. D. Amaradeva – Music Director
• Chitrasena – Dancer

2005

• Kamalika Priyaderi Abeyaratne
• William Alwis
• Mahesh Amalean – Engineer and industrialist
• Sohli E. Captain
• Radhika Coomaraswamy – Academic, Human Rights Activist, Under-Secretary-General of the United Nations
• Lalith de Mel
• Rohan de Saram – Cellist
• Chandrananda de Silva
• Ashley de Vos – Architect
• Jayaratne Banda Dissanayake
• M. T. A. Furkhan
• D. Basil Goonesekera
• Cyril Herath – Inspector General of Police
• Asoka Kanthilal Jayawardhana
• A. S. Jayawarden – Sri Lankan economist and civil servant
• Harry Jayawardena – Businessman
• Nihal Jinasena – industrialist and sportsman
• Premasiri Khemadasa – Composer
• W. D. Lakshman
• Paddy Mendis – Air Chief Marshal
• Sunil Mendis – former Governor of the Central Bank of Sri Lanka
• J. B. Peiris – Senior Neurologist, Researcher and Pioneer of Neurology
• M. D. D. Peiris
• Denis Perera – Lieutenant General
• P. Ramanathan – Former Justice of the Supreme Court and Provincial Governor
• P. Deva Rodrigo
• Mano Selvanathan
• A. H. Sheriffdeen – Surgeon, academic and voluntary worker
• Roland Silva
• Bradman Weerakoon – Civil servant
• Kandekumara Hapudoragamage Jothiyarathna Wijayadasa
• Ray Wijewardene – Academic, Engineer

2007

• James Peter Obeyesekere III – Politician and aviator

2008

• Ramesh Mahendran

2017

• Abbasally Akbar^[3]
• K. M. de Silva
• Tissa Devendra
• Colvin Goonaratna
• Amaradasa Gunawardana
• Devanesan Nesiah
• Nandadasa Rajapaksha
• Priyani Soysa
• Latha Walpola
• Mineka Presantha Wickramasingha
• Bhanuka Wimalasooriya

2019

• Indrajit Coomaraswamy
• Ajith De Soyza
• Merrill J. Fernando
  • Mohan Munasinghe Moragoda Christopher Walter Pinto
• Surath Wickremesinghe^[4]

External links

• National Awards Conferred by His Excellency the President of Sri Lanka

Notes and References

1. Book: Gunawardena, Charles A.. Encyclopedia Of Sri Lanka. 2005. Sterling Publishers Pvt. Ltd. 254. 9781932705485.
2. Web site: National Awards. President of Sri Lanka Secretariat. 9 July 2013.
3. News: National Honours – 2017. The Daily Mirror (Sri Lanka). en. The Daily Mirror (Sri Lanka). 21 March 2017. 21 March 2017.
4. Web site: President honours outstanding citizens at National Awards ceremony.