The 62nd Anniversary of the Independence of Sri Lanka celebration was held at the Wheaton, Md. High School Auditorium on February 13, 2010.The highlight of the program, as the audience had anticipated, was a spectacular performance by internationally renowned Channa Upuli, the leading dance group in Sri Lanka. The dancers provided more than two hours of traditional and modern renditions, often accompanied by a lone drummer.
The popular singer Deepikia Priyadharshani Peiris also entertained. She was a guest of the Embassy of Sri Lanka, which sponsored the event.
Prior to the cultural program, children representing different ethnicities and religious traditions lit the traditional oil lamp with Jaliya Wickramasuriya, Sri Lanka’s Ambassador to the United States. The children were joined by couples dressed in the national costumes of all communities of Sri Lanka.
The large crowd braved snow-covered streets and bone-chilling winter temperatures to enjoy a slice of Sri Lankan culture and food. The Washington, DC area was blanketed with more than two feet of snow just days before the celebration.
The audience included Buddhist, Hindu, Muslim and Christian religious dignitaries, as well as U.S. government officials. As the show opened, Ambassador Wickramasuriya told the audience that the celebration heralded a new, peaceful era in Sri Lanka, which in May successfully concluded 26 years of conflict against terrorism.
“This Independence day we celebrate not just the freedom Sri Lanka gained from the British 62 years ago, but the real and lasting independence we gained from terrorism just a few months ago,” Ambassador Wickramasuriya said. “Our country has set a new course, and we must come together as a community of Sri Lankans to ensure that peace is maintained and that all Sri Lankans prosper.”
A chorus of children from the Sri Lankan-American community in Washington sang Sri Lanka Matha, the national anthem, followed by a rendition of the Star Spangled Banner by Ms. Janani Karunaratne.
The audience also watched a short film on the Uthuru Mithuru Northern Friendship Rail Reconstruction program. Under the program, the Yal Devi train that for years ran from Colombo to Jaffna will be reintroduced to link the South and the Northern parts of the country.
The ceremony highlighted Sri Lankan culture and traditions, leaving the audience in a patriotic spirit in celebration of Sri Lanka's 62nd Independence Day. In addition to Feb. 13 ceremony, the Embassy on Feb. 4 hosted a multi-religious Independence Day observance, preceded by the hoisting of the flag by Ambassador Wickramasuriya.
Embassy of Sri Lanka
Washington DC
USA
22 February 2010
