He began studying history at the University College Colombo in 1938, where he first came into contact with communist ideas and met supporters of the Communist Party of Great Britain who had returned from studying at Cambridge University.
1938年始在科伦坡大学学习历史，在那里首次接触了共产主义思想，并遇到从剑桥大学学习回来的英国共产党的支持者。