He was the editor of the Sinhala Baudhdhaya newspaper under Maha Bodhi Society of Sri Lanka.

[5] In the 1947 general election, he contested Dandagamuwa electorate and entered parliament as an independent candidate.

[8] However his attempted educational reforms and his outspoken views were not received well be an influential section of the community, the school and university teachers and undergraduates.

Equally proficient in both Sinhala and English and as an erudite author and a person involved in the arts and culture, he was also a journalist, writer and translator.

[11] Some songs like "Loken Uthum Rata Lankavai" and "Sema Danamana Dinu Sujathadarani" written by him are considered masterpieces in Sinhala music even today.

He also translated Victor Hugo’s Les Misérables from French into Sinhala as Manuthapaya which became quite popular among readers.

He wrote a book of short stories titled "Poorna Viplavaya" in collaboration with his wife, Rani Iriyagolle Menike.