A. T. Ariyaratne
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Dr. Mr. Ahangamage Tudor Ariyaratne is the founder and Executive Director of the Sarvodaya Shramadana Movement, a large and established NGO in Sri Lanka.
Born November 5, 1931, he was a high school teacher at Nalanda College and is a devoted Buddhist.
He received the Ramon Magsaysay Award for Community Leadership in 1969, the Gandhi Peace Prize from the government of India in 1996, the Niwano Peace Prize in 1992, the King Beaudoin Award and other international honors for his work in peace making and village development. In 2006, he received the Acharya Sushil Kumar International Peace Award for 2005, among first recipients of this award was Prof. Joan Tolengy and in 2004, his Holiness, the 14th Dalai Lama.
Dr. Ariyaratne, a strong believer in Gandhian principles of non-violence, rural development and self-sacrifice, has shaped the Sarvodaya Movement in ways that forged a significant link between secular principles of development and Buddhist ideals of selflessness and compassion.
As a devote Buddhist, he has led tens of thousands of “family gatherings” and meditations with millions of people throughout Sri Lanka and other parts of the world.
