In keeping with tradition, High Commissioner Prasad Kariyawasam, joined by the staff of the Sri Lanka High Commission in India, offered alms (morning meal) to Buddhist priests representing the Sri Lankan Buddhist temples located in India on the morning of 4 February at the High Commissioner’s Residence, to mark the 65th Independence and National Day of Sri Lanka. The alms-giving was followed by a Ceremony involving Sri Lankan expatriates in New Delhi at which High Commissioner Prasad Kariyawasam unfurled the National Flag to the accompaniment of magul bera (ceremonial drums). The Ceremony included the reading of the 65th Independence Day Message of President Mahinda Rajapaksa. Addressing the Sri Lankan community, High Commissioner Kariyawasam emphasised the important contribution that the Sri Lankan expatriate community can make to Sri Lanka’s socio-economic progress. Speaking about the special relationship shared by India and Sri Lanka that is based on civilisational links, the High Commissioner elaborated on the multifaceted nature of the relationship in the present context, which encompasses all areas of contemporary relevance.
Dr Farooq Abdullah, Minister of New and Renewable Energy, represented the Government of India at the Reception hosted by the High Commissioner at his Residence in the evening of 4 February. The Reception was attended by over eight hundred guests including members of the Indian Parliament, Heads of Mission and diplomats of many countries based in India, senior government officials, business persons, and media personnel. The Indian and Sri Lankan National Anthems were sung on the occasion by Sri Lankan students studying in Delhi. The students’ rendition of a few popular hindi and Sri Lankan songs at the Reception was hailed by Dr Farooq Abdullah as a manifestation of the close bonds that happily exist between India and Sri Lanka.
Sri Lanka High Commission
New Delhi
5 February 2013
