Caroline Anthonypillai was a leftist leader in Sri Lanka and wife of S.C.C. Anthonypillai, a Sri Lankan union organizer and Indian politician.
Background
Caroline (born Dona Caroline Rupasinghe Gunawardena) was born on October 8, 1908, in Avissawella to Don Jakolis Rupasinghe Gunawardena, a headman of the village and British agent, and his wife. After her father was arrested by the British during communal roundups, she was sent to a Buddhist girls" school, where she gained nationalist views.
Career
She was sometimes called the leading light of the leftist movement"
She had eight siblings, which included National Hero Philip Gunawardena. She was asked to teach Sinhala to Anthonypillai, one of many Tamils who decided to join the labor movement. She also participated in protests to gain equal rights for Ceylonese soldiers of World War I, who were neglected by the colonial government.
As an avid Trotskyist, Caroline and Anthonypillai opposed the war as an example of imperialism, and the British government cracked down on the LSSP.
Anthonypillai and Caroline then moved back to Madurai to become union leaders.
She organized many marches for the mill workers of Madurai, which led to a many of the union"s demands being metropolitan As crackdowns occurred, Caroline used ingenious methods of dispensing information to subvert the crackdowns.
Politics
In 1931, she began to work on political campaigns, and helped her brother contest a close election, which deepened her resolve for social justice. In 1935, she helped found the Lanka Sama Samaja Party (Sri Lanka"s first political party) with brothers Harry, Philip, and Robert.