• SL and Indian culture ‘two sides of same coin’

The Sri Lankan Tamil community played a key role in the independence struggle during the colonial period, President Ranil Wickremesinghe said yesterday (11).

Wickremesinghe made the comments during the opening ceremony of a cultural centre built with Indian funding.

Addressing the gathering, Wickremesinghe recalled that Indian and Sri Lankan cultures were “two sides of the same coin,” thanking the Indian Government and Premier Narendra Modi for the assistance offered to Sri Lanka, particularly to help develop the war-torn Northern and Eastern Provinces. 

He also thanked India for the ongoing assistance to secure the International Monetary Fund (IMF) bailout package and to restructure external debt.

The President informed Indian diplomats present at the occasion that Sri Lanka would name the cultural centre ‘Saraswathi Mahal’.

Wickremesinghe recalled that during the buildup to independence from the British, the first publicly-chosen leader to the assembly had been Ponnabalam Ramanathan. He pointed out that all Sri Lankans should be thankful to Ramanathan for declaring Vesak Poya day a public holiday.

The President stated that it had also been Ramanathan who had helped protect Sinhala Buddhist leaders during the 1915 troubles, making representations to the Governor General on their behalf.

Wickremesinghe also called on the communities of Jaffna to join hands with those in the south to forge a Sri Lankan identity, which he said had been enriched by the cultural influence of Sinahal, Tamil, Muslim, Burgher, and other ethnic groups. He also pledged to protect and foster the rich history of Tamil literature, arts, music, and medicine.