Prof Praneeth Abyesundara of the Department of Anthropology of University of Sri Jayewardenepura has been appointed as the chairman of the National Arts Council, Sri Lanka by the Minister for the Education.
Arts Council of Sri Lanka was formed in the year 1952, in 2019 the Arts Council of Sri Lanka was affiliated to the State Ministry of National Heritage, Performing Arts and Rural Arts Promotion, and currently under the Ministry of Buddhasasana, Religious and Cultural Affairs, aiming to develop knowledge, understanding and practice of the fine arts of Sri Lanka, increase the accessibility of works of art to the public in the country. Furthermore, to preserve, promote and encourage the development of Sri Lankan indigenous arts and crafts, improve the quality and standards of arts of Sri Lanka and, to advise and co-operate with, Government departments, local authorities, and other bodies on the arts of Sri Lanka. The Art Council is overseeing about 11 advisory boards related to multiple genres of arts and media of the country.
Prof. Abyesundara is a Professor in the Department of Sociology and Anthropology of Faculty of Humanities & Social Sciences, USJ and was the former Head of the Sociology & Anthropology Department. Prof. Abyesundara studied at Ananda college Colombo, and obtained a BA. Special Degree in Sociology, and later MA in from University of Sri Jayewardenepura. He also obtained Merit in Post Graduate Diploma in Writership & Communication. He got his PhD. in Sociology from Banaras H.U. India.
He was awarded the State Literary Award in 2004 for his novel “Baranas nam nuwara”. He was awarded “Shasana Sanathana Shathakaabhimana (ශාසන සනාථන ශතකාභිමාන) special honorary award for his contribution to the betterment of the Buddha Sasana in 2019. And Prof. Abeysundara is a Prestigious Bunka Award Winner (Japan). He was a Member of State Literary panel, former chairmen of the All Ceylon Buddhist Congress of Sri Lanka and was the Chairperson of Art council of University of Sri Jayewardenepura are few of his long list of achievements.
