Brin pirathapan, of sri lankan heritage, wins coveted masterchef uk title

Published

2 years ago

May 24, 2024

A fans’ favourite on TV show MasterChef has said his love of cooking is inspired by his Sri Lankan heritage.

Brin Pirathapan, 29, from Chelmsford, is one the three finalists on the BBC One show.

Dr Pirathapan, who was working as a veterinary surgeon in Bristol before entering the show, said his passion for food was sparked by his parents.

“The food I grew up with was never boring, coming from a Tamil, Sri Lankan background – we had nice food on the table and it’s never bland,” he said.

He said the home cooking he experienced growing up set the standard for him.

“It gave me that basis of learning about flavour and creating flavour and from there I started looking into different cultures and cuisines and built up my repertoire from there,” he said.

“I’ve been incredibly lucky with the amount of support I have had.

“It so nice that everyone is proud of me in this quite different career path of what I know.”

‘Second chance’

Dr Pirathapan still works as a vet but said he would love to work in the food industry in the future.

“I have almost been given this incredible second chance to focus on a proper passion of mine and I would love to take it forward,” he said.

“My priority now is going to be food.”

He told BBC Essex he had watched MasterChef since he was a boy and would have regretted not applying this year.

“The first time I walked into that kitchen… and it just hit me like a tonne of bricks that I was there,” he said.

“It looks exactly like it does on the show. It doesn’t look like a TV set – it looks like the big kitchen and you’re just there in that kitchen you’ve been watching for two decades now”.

“That was a pretty big moment – it was definitely nerve-racking but super-exciting as well.”

Source : BBC

18-Year-Old of Sri Lankan Origin Elected to French Municipal Council

Published

2 weeks ago

April 13, 2026

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Bilaal Lookman, a first-year law student of Sri Lankan origin, has been elected as a municipal councillor in France at the age of 18.

He secured a seat on the city council of Guyancourt, located on the outskirts of Paris, after contesting in the recent municipal elections—where he also cast his vote for the first time.

Born in November 2007 to a family with roots in Mannar and Jaffna, Lookman is among the youngest elected officials in France.

He developed an early interest in public affairs, gaining experience through internships in the offices of a Member of Parliament, a former Minister of Education, and the mayor of his town during his mid-teens.

Lookman has also engaged with senior political figures and diplomats, while actively participating in community service from a young age through local youth councils and volunteer work with a food-aid organisation.

Life Story

Sri Lanka’s Asha de Vos honoured at UN General Assembly

Published

1 month ago

March 17, 2026

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Sri Lankan marine biologist Dr. Asha de Vos’s portrait and words were featured at the opening of the UN General Assembly for International Women’s Day and CSW70, celebrating women who break barriers. Deputy Minister of Foreign Affairs Arun Hemachandra has hailed her message as a powerful call to empower women to challenge limits, shape science, and bring pride to the nation.

Life Story

Sri Lankan-Born Dr. Ashani Weeraratna Appointed First Female Chair of Johns Hopkins Cancer Department

Published

3 months ago

January 28, 2026

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Dr. Ashani Weeraratna has risen to the forefront of global cancer research, specialising in melanoma and the effects of aging on cancer. She is the E.V. McCollum Chair of Biochemistry and Molecular Biology at the Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health, a Bloomberg Distinguished Professor, and co-leader of the Cancer Invasion and Metastasis Program at the Sidney Kimmel Comprehensive Cancer Center.

She also serves as a professor of oncology at the Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine, joining the faculty in 2019. Her research focuses on the tumour microenvironment—the normal cells and structures surrounding a tumour—and its influence on metastasis and therapy resistance.

She was among the first to study how the aging microenvironment affects melanoma progression and treatment responses, examining biophysical changes that impact tumour and immune cell migration. Her work has revealed age-related differences in responses to targeted therapy and immunotherapy, insights that may inform future clinical practice.

Born in Sri Lanka and raised in Lesotho, Dr. Weeraratna moved to the United States in 1988 to study biology at St. Mary’s College of Maryland. She earned a Ph.D. in Molecular and Cellular Oncology at George Washington University Medical Center.

She currently serves as President of the Society for Melanoma Research and is a passionate mentor for junior faculty, women, and people of colour in STEM. Handpicked by President Joe Biden in 2021, she now chairs the top-ranked cancer department at Johns Hopkins University.