Formative Years
Sir Ernest de Silva was born at the "Royal Palace" to one of the most affluent families in Ceylon. His parents and grandparents were extremely wealthy and owned much land all over the country. His great-grandfather, Emans de Silva Gunasekera and his grandfather, S. D. S. Gunasekera bequeathed the properties to his father, A. E. de Silva, who later became the wealthiest businessman in Ceylon, and named his son A. E. de Silva Jr. The young heir received his education first at Royal College, Colombo, graduated subsequently from Clare College, Cambridge and was called to the bar at the Inner Temple. He was a close friend of Indian Prime Minister Jawaharlal Nehru who was a classmate of his at Cambridge. The two former schoolmates met again in 1930 when Nehru arrived for a visit.
Sir Ernest de Silva's wife, Evadne who, following his knighthood, became known as Lady Evadne de Silva, was herself a prominent philanthropist and, upon independence, became one of the first women in the Senate of Ceylon. One of his daughters, Sita, married Business Magnate U. N. Gunasekera, considered to be Sri Lanka's most notable and influential civil engineer of the 20th century, having built many of the nation's largest buildings, including its first five star hotels, and a silent philanthropist himself.
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Famous quotes related to formative years:
“The social forces that operate on a family during the daughter’s formative years continue to shape her experience. Thus the families, schools, and jobs that involve poor women are likely to be very hierarchically arranged, demanding conformity, passivity, and obedience—all unsupportive of continued intellectual growth.”
—Mary Field Belenky (20th century)