In Ceylon as in India, the British…

In Ceylon as in India, the British create an educated class to provide administrative and professional services in the colony.

By the late nineteenth century, most members of this emerging class are associated directly or indirectly with the government.

Increased Sri Lankan participation in government affairs demands the creation of a legal profession; the need for state health services requires a corps of medical professionals; and the spread of education provides an impetus to develop the teaching profession.

In addition, the expansion of commercial plantations creates a legion of new trades and occupations: landowners, planters, transport agents, contractors, and businessmen.

Certain Sinhalese caste groups, such as the fishermen (Karava) and cinnamon peelers (Salagama), benefit from the emerging new economic order, to the detriment of the traditional ruling cultivators (Goyigama).