Soma Edirisinghe facts for kids
Quick facts for kids
Soma Edirisinghe
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| Born | 5 July 1939 Meegoda, Sri Lanka
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| Died | 5 November 2015 (aged 76) Colombo, Sri Lanka
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| Nationality | Sri Lankan |
| Known for | Chairperson of EAP Holdings |
| Title | Deshabandu, Deshashakthi , Lion |
| Spouse(s) | E.A.P Edirisinghe |
Soma Edirisinghe (born July 5, 1939 – died November 5, 2015) was an important business leader, film producer, and social worker from Sri Lanka. She was known for her kindness and for helping many people. Soma Edirisinghe was born in Meegoda, Sri Lanka, and passed away in Colombo. She was married to E.A.P. Edirisinghe and they had four children: three sons named Jeewaka, Nalaka, and Asanka, and a daughter named Deepa.
Contents
Early Life and Education
Soma Edirisinghe grew up in a large family. Her father, Charles Perera, was a farmer, and her mother was a housewife. Soma went to school at Meegoda Government School, Dharmapala Vidyalaya Pannipitaya, and Samudradevi School in Nugegoda, which is near Colombo.
Leading a Big Business
Soma Edirisinghe's journey in business began in 1974. This was after her husband, E.A.P. Edirisinghe, who started EAP Holdings, sadly passed away. Many people thought she would sell the company because she didn't have much experience in business. But Soma decided to take charge instead.
She became the chairperson of EAP Holdings and helped the company grow a lot. Today, EAP Holdings is one of the biggest business groups in Sri Lanka. It includes many different types of businesses, like:
- TV and radio stations (such as Swarnawahini, Shree FM, RanOne, and E FM)
- Financial services and insurance
- Making and showing movies
- Selling gold jewelry
- Housing and land sales
- Hotels
- Importing and selling cars
The media part of EAP Holdings is very important in Sri Lanka.
Movies She Produced
Soma Edirisinghe also helped the family business get into making movies. She produced 20 films in Sinhala cinema. Some of her well-known movies include:
- Dhawala Pushpaya (1994)
- Seilama (1995) - This movie won the Sarasaviya Award for Best Film.
- Visidela (1997)
- Re Daniel Dawal Migel 1 (1998)
- Re Daniel Dawal Migel 2 (2000)
- Rosa Wasanthe (2001) - This movie won the Sarasaviya Award for Most Popular Film.
- Kinihiriya Mal (2001)
- Salelu Warama (2002)
- Yakada Pihatu (2003)
- Ra Daniel Daval Migel 3 (2004)
- Ira Madiyama (2005) - This movie won the Sarasaviya Award and Presidential Award for Best Film.
- One Shot (2005)
- Asani Warsha (2005)
- Hiripoda Wassa (2006)
- Samaara (2007)
- Tharaka Mal (2007)
- Heart FM the film (2008)
- Sir Last Chance (2009)
- Siri Daladagamanaya (2014)
- Ko Mark No Mark (2014)
Helping Others: Philanthropy
Soma Edirisinghe was a very generous person who loved to help others. This is called philanthropy. She started her charity work in 1961 during a big flood in Sri Lanka. She joined famous people to bring help to those who were affected. She later said that helping others made her feel less lonely after her husband passed away.
Her Work with Lions Club
In 1974, Soma Edirisinghe joined the Lions Club of Thimbirigasyaya. The Lions Club is a group that does a lot of charity work around the world. In 2003–04, she became the first woman to be chosen as a District Governor for the Lions Club in her area.
Janasarana Foundation
Soma Edirisinghe also started her own charity called the Janasarana Foundation. This group helps people in society who are in need. Some of the projects she started include:
- Chuo Maithree Pre-school for young children.
- The Suwanetha Mobile Eye Care Clinic, which provides eye care.
- The Punarjeewa Fund, which helps poor people get heart surgery.
- Improving hospitals that needed help.
- Giving scholarships and help to school children and schools that were not well-developed.
- Helping families who had lost everything because of war or natural disasters like floods, droughts, or the tsunami.
- Building houses for people affected by disasters.
- Setting up the Suwanetha Lions Eye Hospital.
The foundation also gave away 300,000 pairs of glasses to people who needed them. They also helped new business owners start their first companies.
Awards and Recognition
Soma Edirisinghe received many awards for her important work and kindness:
- Deshabandu National Award & Gold Medal (2004): For her amazing humanitarian services to the country.
- Deshashakthi National Award (2005): Also for her great humanitarian services, given by the Prime Minister of Sri Lanka.
- Excellency Award (2006): For her humanitarian work.
- Honorary Doctorate (2005): From the Open University of Sri Lanka for her work in business and helping society.
- Lion of the Year (four times): She won this special award from the Lions Club in 1994/95, 1995/96, 1997/98, and 1999/2000.
- Special Award of Appreciation (2001): From the SAARC Women's Chamber of Commerce for building friendships.
- The People's Award (2007): She was named "People's Social Worker of the Year" for her outstanding service to the community.
- Sarasaviya Awards for her films:
- Best Film for "Seylama" (1995)
- Best Film for "Re Deniyal Daval Migel 2” (1996)
- Most Popular Film for "Rosa Wasanthaya" (2001)
- Best Film for "Ira Madiyama" (2005)
- Award for "Excellent Social Worker by Empowering Women in the Society” (2011).
Her Life Story
In 2011, Soma Edirisinghe wrote a book about her life called Memoirs of a Glorious Life.
