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Tuesday, 16 August 2011 06:15 |
The Madhu Church in Mannar, considered by Catholics to be their holiest place in the island, attracted more than 100,000 pilgrims during the festival commenced in the second week of August. The Sylvan Shrine of Our Lady of Madhu in the Mannar District of Northern Province come alive once again with a record number of pilgrims visiting for first time in twenty years. The church festival of ‘Our Lady of Madhu’ started with the Government and the security forces making all efforts to cope with the large number of devotees who throng the church grounds during the festival time.
The security forces have now renovated the church buildings, cleared the grounds of all booby traps and land mines and the Government has restored water and electricity supply to the area. The devotees coming to Madhu were allowed to stay at the grounds from August 12 to August 16. Mannar Bishop Rayappu Joseph said that all possible measures were taken to provide the basic facilities to the devotees.
Madhu Church which has a history of over 400 years had been a hallowed place of worship for Catholics of Sri Lanka for several decades where generations of Catholics make it a point to make a pilgrimage at least once a year attending the monthly festivals. But the August 15th festival draws the biggest crowds because it is one of the most hallowed days for Catholics celebrating the day of Assumption of the Blessed Virgin Mary, mother of Jesus Christ, into heaven and also because the school holidays facilitate entire families to make the trip. There had been occasions when attendance at August festival at times touching close to a million people before the out break of the North East conflict.
Madhu festival provides an occasion for families and people of all walks of life, communities, races the young and the old to spend a few days away from it all camping it out in the open, imbibing in a bout of spiritual reflection together with some sort of mental and physical relaxation as well.
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Sunday, 14 August 2011 05:02 |
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Former High Commissioner for Sri Lanka to India, Mr. Chrysantha Romesh Jayasinghe, who until recently held the post of Foreign Secretary of Sri Lanka, passed away in Colombo, on 8 August 2011, following a brief illness.
High Commissioner Prasad Kariyawasam, joined by members of the High Commission staff and their families, organised a Thanksgiving Service in remembrance of the late Mr. Jayasinghe on 12 August at the Cathedral Church of the Redemption in New Delhi. A number of Heads of Diplomatic Missions in New Delhi and Senior Officials of India as well as friends of Mr Jaysinghe attended the service. The Service of Thanksgiving included the hymns ‘Blessed Assurance’ and ‘Abide with Me’, congregational song ‘Amazing Grace’ and a Tribute to the late Mr. C.R. Jayasinghe by High Commissioner Prasad Kariyawasam.
The text of the Tribute by High Commissioner Prasad Kariyawasam to the late Mr. C.R. Jayasinghe:
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Wednesday, 03 August 2011 10:02 |
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The Speaker of the Parliament of Sri Lanka Chamal Rajapaksa, visiting India with a delegation of Parliamentarians at the invitation of the Speaker of the Lok Sabha, Meira Kumar, called on the President of India, Her Excellency Smt. Pratibha Patil, on 2 August at the Rashtrapathi Bhavan. The Speaker was accompanied by Ministers Dinesh Gunawardena, W.D.J. Senewiratne, Risad Badhiutheen, Deputy Minister Muthu Sivalingam, MPs Rajiva Wijesinha, Malani Fonseka and Selvam Adaikkalanathan, Secretary General of Parliament Dhammika Kitulgoda and High Commissioner Prasad Kariyawasam.
The Official Visit commenced on 1 August with the delegation paying respects to Mahatma Gandhi at Rajghat. This was followed by visits to the Lok Sabha and the Rajya Sabha on the first day of the Monsoon Session of the Indian Parliament. Speaker Chamal Rajapaksa and the delegation were received by the Speaker of the Lok Sabha and the Chairman of the Rajya Sabha with official announcements in both Houses.
The delegation called on the Speaker of the Lok Sabha Meira Kumar, Vice President of India and Chairman of the Rajya Sabha, Hamid Ansari, Minister of Parliamentary Affairs and Water Resources Pawan Kumar Bansal and the Leader of Opposition Sushma Swaraj.
The delegation met and interacted with the President and members of the India-Sri Lanka Parliamentary Friendship Group in the Indian Parliament, several other MPs and Indian and foreign media personnel, at the Residence of the High Commissioner.
The visit, manifesting the strengthening of relations between the two countries at all levels, provided an opportunity for the delegation to brief their counterparts and the media on progress in resettlement, rehabilitation and restoration of livelihoods in the post conflict phase. The delegation discussed with their counterparts, the importance of regular interactions and visits to each other’s countries to share best practices and learn from each other. |
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Sunday, 31 July 2011 08:39 |
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The formation of the India-Sri Lanka Parliamentary Friendship Group in the 15th Lok Sabha has been announced. The announcement coincides with the bilateral visit to India by the Speaker of the Sri Lankan Parliament, Hon. Chamal Rajapaksa, with a group of Parliamentarians comprising Ministers Dinesh Gunawardena, W.D.J. Senewiratne and Risad Badhiutheen and MPs Muthu Sivalingam, Rajiva Wijesinha, Malani Fonseka, Selvam Adaikkalanathan and D.M. Swaminandan.
The India-Sri Lanka Parliamentary Friendship Group in the Indian Parliament comprises Members from both Houses, the Lok Sabha (the House of the People) and the Rajya Sabha (the Council of States) representing a cross-section of political parties. Following established practice in the Indian Parliament, the group comprises exclusively of Members of Parliament who do not hold cabinet portfolios.
Shri Kumar Deepak Das, a Rajya Sabha MP representing the Asom Gono Parishad, serves as the President of the 22 member Group. The Group comprises MPs from the Indian National Congress, the Bharatiya Janata Party, Biju Janata Dal, Bahujan Samaj Party, Janata Dal (United), Communist Party of India (Marxist), Telugu Desam Party, All India Democratic United Front, Bahujan Vikas Aaghadi, Shiromani Akali Dal, All India Trinamool Congress as well as one Independent MP.
The Members of the Group are scheduled to meet the Speaker of the Sri Lankan Parliament and delegation on 2 August in the Parliament House of India. High Commissioner Prasad Kariyawasam will host a Reception at the Sri Lanka High Commission to celebrate the formation of the Group and to welcome Speaker Chamal Rajapaksa and the delegation. Several Members of the Indian Parliament, especially from Tamil Nadu, and local and international media personnel will attend the Reception.
The formation of this Group in the Indian Parliament is an important step in forging stronger ties between the Indian Parliamentarians and their Sri Lankan counterparts. This will provide an opportunity for greater interaction between the Parliamentarians of the two countries and for visits leading to better understanding and appreciation of prospects, challenges and opportunities for exploring solutions to common problems. |
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Friday, 22 July 2011 12:30 |
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High Commissioner for Sri Lanka to India, H.E. Prasad Kariyawsam, called on the Chief Minister of Tamil Nadu the Hon. J. Jayalalithaa, at the Office of the Chief Minister in Chennai on 21 July 2011. The High Commissioner was accompanied by the Deputy High Commissioner of Sri Lanka in Chennai, V. Krishnamoorthy. The Chief Secretary of Tamil Nadu Debendranath Sarangi and other senior officials were also present at the meeting.
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