R.G. Senanayake Shaveen Jeewandara

On the eve of Gregory’s Road being renamed Mawatha, recounts who he was and what he did

Gregory’s Road, in the heart of Colombo 7 has its own stately air, with its colonial buildings and tree-lined pavements. On July 16, Gregory’s Road will be renamed R. G. Senanayake Mawatha, in honour of a man who fought hard for the progress of the common man - Richard Gotabhaya Senanayake.

“There’s a dining table in my home on which E. W. Perera signed the famous ‘letter-in-the-shoe’. The Grassmere mansion is where many of the ideals of winning our independence were originated, and my grandfather played a role in it,” says Chathuka Senanayake, grandson of R. G. Senanayake.

Although Chathuka never saw his grandfather, he had heard all about him from his grandmother, the late Mrs. Erin Senanayake. The people of Kelaniya, one of the seats that R.G Senanayake represented would also share stories with him. “They tell me that he was very much involved with the people at the ground level, and that he stayed true to his principles at all times,” says Chathuka.

R.G. Senanayake, born on November 4, 1911, was the son of patriot and philanthropist F. R. Senanayake, brother of D.S. Senanayake. After completing his higher studies at Cambridge University, he was plunged into politics following the unfortunate death of his brother-in-law, Siripala Samarakkody. R.G. filled the vacancy left in the Narammala seat. He quickly won the hearts of the people and was voted in as the Dambadeniya MP in the first Parliament on the eve of Sri Lanka’s independence.

R.G. Senanayake’s strong ties with the