High Commission of Sri Lanka in India

The 63rd Anniversary of Independence was celebrated in the Indian capital with a solemn flag-hoisting ceremony in the morning of 4 Februay 2011 and a reception in the evening with the participation of the leading Indian representatives of all the important spheres, foreign diplomats and the Sri Lankan community in New Delhi at the premises of the Sri Lanka High Commission.

High Commissioner Prasad Kariyawasam hoisted the national flag, amidst the sounds of Magul Bera played by the members of Sri Lanka Navy cultural troupe. After national anthem was sung by the gathering, Buddhist monks headed by Ven Kahawatte Sumedha Thero chanted seth pirith.

Addressing the gathering, quoting from President Mahinda Rajapaksa’s message High Commissioner Kariyawasam said that the anniversary of independence is a day the whole nation could rejoice and rededicate to safeguard independence. He added that it is of paramount importance to accelerate the work on nation-building to fulfill the aspirations of the people. “The aspiration of the nation is to make more meaningful the freedom won with much sacrifice,” he said.

The President stated that the first Prime Minister of Independent Sri Lanka, Rt. Hon. D. S. Senanayake taking over the nation said that freedom has been obtained to relieve the pain and increase contentment of the people regardless of ethnic, party or religious differences. “This is the worthy aim of any nation that seeks freedom. It is of paramount importance to accelerate the work on nation-building to fulfill this aim. The march towards making Sri Lanka the Wonder of Asia should speed up as each step taken for development is a step towards freedom.”

The chief guest at the reception in the evening was Ms Kumari Selja, Minister of Culture and Urban Housing Development. She also released a ‘Sri Lanka Special Report’ published by the premier Hindi newspaper Jagran which has a circulation of over 2 million copies. While the Navy cultural troupe comprising of dancers and drummers kept the vast audience enthralled with scintillation dances and reverberating drum music, the guests were treated to Sri Lankan delicacies.

The wide coverage given by the Indian media included a live telecast of an interview with High Commissioner Prasad Kariyawasam by the pioneer television channel of India, the Doordarshan in its nation-wide channel. The High Commissioner’s message was broadcast by the Rajdhani (Capital) service of All India Radio.