Kusala Abhayavardhana
Kusala Vichitra Abhayavardhana was a Sri Lankan social worker. She was the co-founder of the Civil Service International in Sri Lanka, founding secretary International Women’s Year Sri Lanka and national chair of the Women in Peace in Sri Lanka. She was a Member of Parliament from 1970 to 1977.Early life and education
Born on 1 November 1920, to a prominent business family, her father was W.D. Fernando and mother Bhadrawathie, who founded the Bhadrawathie Maha Vidayala in Polhengoda. She was educated at Visakha Vidyalaya, at the University of Ceylon, and at the London School of Economics.Political career
She contested the Colombo Municipal Council from the Thimbirigasyaya ward from the United National Party, but was defeated by Bernard Soysa. She was later elected to the Colombo Municipal Council and served as a Municipal Councilor. Kusala Fernando married Hector Abhayavardhana a journalist and Trotskyist in 1959. She contested the 1965 general election from the Lanka Sama Samaja Party in the Moratuwa electorate, where she polled second after Ruskin Fernando. At the 1970 general elections she ran as the LSSP candidate in the Borella electorate and was elected to parliament, defeating incumbent the United National Party candidate, M. H. Mohamed by 16,421 votes to 15,829 votes.
