High Commission of Sri Lanka in India

Today, Sri Lanka delegation from the Ministry of Health in Colombo, and the Sri Lanka High Commission in New Delhi participated at the Technical briefing for Member States of the South-East Asia Region on the subjects to be discussed at the 144th Session of the WHO Executive Board 29th Meeting to be held in Geneva @WHOSEARO

Sri Lankan renowned artist Manoranjana Herath and Punkaj Manav inaugurated an art exhibition "Resonating Terrains" at the Gallery ONKAF in New Delhi by on Saturday 5th Jan.  The Exhibition will run from 5th Jan to 15th Jan.  The Artists cordially welcome everyone to see the paintings.

Sri Lanka High Commission commenced work in the New Year 2019 with an Oath Taking Ceremony on 1st January 2019 at the High Commission premises.  The Official ceremony included the hoisting of the national flag and the singing of the national anthem by the staff which were followed by the observance of a two minute silence in remembrance of the war heroes and those who sacrificed their lives on behalf of the motherland.  High Commissioner Austin Fernando read the Oath for the public servants together with the staff of the High Commission.

Addressing the staff the High Commissioner sought team work and commitment of the staff, furthering India Sri Lanka relations.

The High Commissioner and the staff took part in the religious observances held at the New Delhi Centre of the Mahabodhi Society of India in the evening.      

by Austin Fernando
High Commissioner of Sri Lanka in India

I was fortunate to be invited by the Ministry of External Affairs (MEA), India to visit Prayagraj for a day trip to observe the arrangements made for Kumbh Mela, by the Prayagraj Mela Authority, which functions under the State Government of Uttar Pradesh. Being a Buddhist, to integrate my thinking in the lines of believers of Hinduism was not difficult, though I was not previously exposed to this experience in Prayagraj.

Anyway, I was happy to be in Prayagraj within 45 days of arrival in India as High Commissioner of Sri Lanka. Many thanks are due to the MEA and its dynamic State Minister V K Singh, who has initiated a Diplomats’ Visit, on the instructions of Prime Minister Narendra Modi.

As I understand, Kumbh Mela- also called  Kumbha Mela, is a religious festival celebrated four times over the course of 12 years. The site of the observance rotates between four places on four sacred rivers—at Haridwar on the Ganges River, at Ujjain on the Shipra, at Nashik on the Godhavari, and at Prayag (modern Allahabad) at the confluence of the Ganges, the Jamuna, and the mythical river Sarasvati.

My inquiries on Kumbh Mela for the chronology revealed that it is referred to in the Rigveda, Shrimad Bhagavat, and various Puranas and in epics like the Ramayana, the Mahabhaaratha. Recorded history states that it has been in vogue from the Guptha Period. Chinese traveller and scholar Hsuan Tsang has in the 7th century has also described the congregation at Kumbha and the rituals of Sadhus.