Young Anura Dissanayake grew up amid lush paddy fields, ancient irrigation tanks and vegetable plots. Though a typical, happy-go-lucky village boy, besides the childhood pranks, there was a seriousness that made him keenly aware of his surroundings and the disparities.

Marxist politician Anura Dissanayake won Sri Lanka’s presidential election over the weekend, dealing a blow to a political old guard that has been widely blamed for the unprecedented economic crisis that hit the South Asian island nation two years ago.