New Chancellor at Eastern University

Professor Yoga Rasanayagam, Emeritus Professor of the University of Colombo, has been appointed Eastern University of Sri Lanka Chancellor for five years by President Mahinda Rajapaksa.

Professor Rasanayagam is the first Tamil woman to be bestowed the post of Chancellor of a Sri Lankan university in the country's university system.

Professor Rasanayagam was also the first woman Dean of the Faculty of Arts at the University of Colombo. She also functioned as the Vice-Chancellor of the same university on several occasions. Professor Rasanayagam is a past student of Hindu Ladies College, Colombo and Methodist College, Colombo 3.

Professor Rasanayagam is an accomplished artist in the field of Carnatic music. She is an accomplished vocalist and veena player who qualified as a radio artist in the mid 50s to perform regularly broadcasting vocal and veena performances over the radio. When she was an undergraduate in the University of Peradeniya Prof Ediriweera Sarathchandra hand picked her to play the veena at the debut performance of his famous 'Sinhabahu' ballet. Rasnayagam continues to keep in touch with the field of music.