Tab Article

Rating: ★★★★☆ (4/5)
Genre: Nonfiction, Biography, Social History, Sri Lankan Studies, Development Studies

Book Review:
''Revolution Under the Breadfruit Tree'' offers a vital and engaging look into one of Sri Lanka's most significant and enduring social experiments: the Sarvodaya Shramadana Movement. Author Gunadasa Liyanage narrates the journey of this grassroots movement and its visionary founder, Dr. A.T. Ariyaratne, with a style that blends biography, history, and social commentary.

The book's title perfectly captures its essence—a quiet, profound revolution rooted in village life, symbolized by the humble breadfruit tree. It details how Ariyaratne's philosophy, inspired by Gandhian principles and Buddhist teachings, mobilized millions through ''Shramadana'' (the sharing of labor) to build roads, schools, and clinics, fostering self-reliance and communal harmony. More than just infrastructure, Sarvodaya aimed at a total awakening (Sarvodaya) of the human spirit.

Liyanage's account is both informative and inspirational. It provides crucial insights into rural Sri Lanka's challenges and the power of community-led development. While it is undoubtedly admiring of its subject, it serves as an essential record of a unique socio-spiritual movement that gained international acclaim. This book is highly recommended for anyone interested in social work, alternative development models, Buddhist activism, and the modern history of Sri Lanka's civil society.