P. G. Punchihewa

Dr. Pannadasa Gardiye Punchihewa, C.C.S (b. Mirissa, Sri Lanka, 1 November 1935) is a Sri Lankan author and an international civil servant.

P. G Punchihewa
Born	Pannadasa Gardiye Punchihewa (1935-11-01) 1 November 1935 (age 88) Mirissa, Sri Lanka
Nationality	Sri Lankan

Early life

Pannadasa Gardiye Punchihewa was born in 1935 in the southern village of Mirissa in Sri Lanka.

Education

After being selected at the fifth standard scholarship examination he got admitted to the Central College, Telijjawila and passed his Senior School Certificate Examination in first division. He then joined Ananda College, Colombo and gained admission to the University of Ceylon in 1955. He passed out with a bachelor's degree with a second class (upper division), taught for a short while at Ananda College and the University. In 1960 he joined the Ceylon Civil Service. He also has a Diploma on Rural Social Development from the University of Reading UK and has obtained his Doctorate in Philosophy from the University of Sri Jayawardena pura, Sri Lanka.

Civil Service

Ceylon Civil Service
He commenced his public service as a cadet at the Galle Kachcheri and his first appointment was as an Assistant Controller of General Treasury. His subsequent appointments were as Government Agent of Moneragala District, Puttlam District, Kalutara District, Additional Secretary of Ministry of Plantation Industries, and Secretary of Ministry of Coconut Industries. He also held the posts of Chairman Coconut Cultivation Board and Chairman Coconut Development Authority.
International Civil Service
In 1985 he was elected to the post of Executive Director, Asian and Pacific Coconut Community (A.P.C.C), an Intergovernmental Organization based in Jakarta. He was re-elected three times and continued in that position until 2000.^[1]
After retiring from APCC and returning to Sri Lanka he served as a consultant to the UNDP (Colombo) and Government of Sri Lanka.

Publications

He has more than thirty publications to his credit published in English and Sinhalese which include research works, fiction, memoirs, translations and children’s books. Among the children’s books is his Mahi Pancha series consisting of six books about a little fly. He won the State Literary Award by the Government of Sri Lanka twice, for the best translation (2008) and the best children’s book (2002).^{[citation needed]}
Children’s Books:

1. Punchihewa, P. G. (2001). Podi Hamududuruwo Saha Thawath Katha. M. D. Gunasena and Company.(State Literary Award 2002)
2. Punchihewa, P. G. (2001). Eta Banda Wewa Saha Wenath Katha. M.D. Gunasena.
3. Mahi Pancha series: A series of children’s stories around a mischievous, inquisitive and intelligent little fly whom the author named Mahi Pancha. To date has five books in English and five in Sinhalese with each having three or four stories. The other titles include Mahi Pancha and his friends, Mahi Pancha and the fireflies, Mahi Pancha and Ali Pancha, Mahi Pancha becomes king, Mahi Panchai Mahi Panchiyi and Mahi Rajata tagi boga.

Illustrations are by Sybil Wettasingha
Translations:

1. Heyerdahl, Thor (1981). Kontiki Expedition. Marga Publications.
2. Pramoedya Anatha Toer (2002). The Fugitive. M. D. Gunasena and Company.
3. Anak Agung Pandji Tisna (2004). The Rape of Sukreni. Dayawansa Jayakody and Company.
4. Ganabol Polowa by PG Punchihewa into English Published by Stamford Lake Publications 2008

Fiction:

1. Punchihewa, P. G. (1997). Piyek Saha Puthek. M. D. Gunasena.
2. Punchihewa, P. G. (2000). Ganabol Polawa. M. D. Gunasena.
3. Punchihewa, P. G. (2008). The Shattered Earth. Stamford Lake Publications.

Research:

1. Punchihewa, P. G. (1979). Gama Saha Viparinamaya. Marga Publications.
2. Punchihewa, P. G. (2012). King Dutugamunu, The Commander-in-Chief. Stamford Lake Publications.
3. Punchihewa, P. G. (1994). The Role of the Coconut Industry in Rural Development, A Comparative Study: Indonesia, The Philippines and Sri Lanka. University of Sri Jayawardenapura. ^[2]
4. Punchihewa, P. G. (2000). The Cocomunity, from the desk of the Executive Director. Asia Pacific Coconut Community Publications.

Memoirs:

1. Punchihewa, P. G. (2007). Those were the Days. Vijitha Yapa.
2. Punchihewa, P. G. (2008). Avidda Paya. Stamford Lake Publications.

Family

He is married to Anoma Punchihewa (née de Silva ) and they have two children.

References

1. Sri Lanka Administrative Service, The Treasures of Two Centuries, 2012
2. Dr. P.G. Punchihewa [1], The Role of the Coconut Industry in Rural Development, A Comparative Study: Indonesia, The Philippines and Sri Lanka, University of Sri Jayawardenapura, Sri Lanka 1994

External links

• Dr. B.S.Wijeweera, “Two villages in the jungle” Punchihewa’s Shattered Earth and Leonard Woolf’s celebrated village, The Island, 14 May 2008.
• Tissa Devendra, “The Shattered Earth a Sensitive Novel”, Sunday Island, 27 April 2008
• Carol Aloysius, “The Shattered Earth”, The Nation, 15 June 2008
• Barry Tebb, “The Jungle in the Village”, The Sunday Times, 8 June 2008
• Anne Abeysekera, “The Story that has the ring of truth”, The Island, 10 June 2008
• K.S Sivakumaran, Moneragala Then (and even Now), The Daily News, 9 July 2008
• Bandu Silva, Dutugamunu, National Hero –a self-made personality, Ceylon Today, 17th Sep 2012
• Prof K.N.O. Dharmadasa, King Dutugamunu, Daily News, 22nd Aug 2012
• Kala Corner, A well researched work on a national hero, Sunday Times, August 26, 2012
• R.S.Karunaratna, “Focus on a legendary national hero”, Sunday Observer, September 16, 2012
• S.B.Atugoda, Musings of a Monarch, Daily News, 24 October 2012
• K.S.Sivakumaran, Literary Pot-pourri, Daily News, 28 November 2007
• Daisy Abey, A collage of memorable experiences, Daily News, 6 February 2008
• Carol Aloysius, “Nostalgic recollection”, The Nation, 4 February 2008
• Dr Leel Gunasekera, Men and matters of a time that was, Sunday Times, 10 February 2008
• Carl Muller, Reminiscences of forty years in Civil Service, Sunday Observer, 30 November 2008
• Gamini Seneviratne, Stories/memories, Sunday Island, 16th Dec 2007
• Tissa Devendra, Sparkling stories from kachcheries and beyond” The Island, 17 November 2007
• Prof Sunanda Mahendra, Resourceful Travel Notes, Daily News, 28 January 2001
• Manel Tampoe, A Sinhala translation of Kon Tiki after 32 years, The Island, 16 March 1982
• Somapala Jaywardena, “Kontiki Yathrawa” Lankadeepa, September 1981
• Neetha Ratnapala, The crafty Bali woman’s eating house, Sunday Island 13 December 2005
• Dr Vincent Sandanayake, Popular Indonesian Novel in Sinhala, Daily News, 24 November 2004