The High Commission of India and the Indian expatriate community in Sri Lanka celebrated the 63rd Republic Day of India on Thursday, 26 January, 2012 at India House in Colombo. The High Commissioner H.E. Ashok K. Kantha unfurled the National Flag and inspected a Guard of Honour presented by the BSF contingent. He read out significant excerpts from the Address to the Nation on the eve of Republic Day by the President of India, Hon’ble Mrs. Pratibha Devisingh Patil.

The High Commissioner noted that the President of India had given the nation a clear message on its vision and goals, as it sought its destiny in a complex and challenging global environment. He said the President’s speech underlined the need for all Indians to seek directions from India’s age-old values, the ideals of the freedom movement and the principles of the Indian Constitution, while also emphasizing unity, a positive attitude and the aspiration to grow without getting distracted by discordant pulls and pressures.

He went on to summarize the state of India-Sri Lanka relations, noting that the year 2011 had witnessed impressive progress in all areas, including political, security, trade, investment, tourism, education, culture, and development cooperation, in view of the unprecedented opportunities created following the end of armed conflict in Sri Lanka. He referred to the recent successful visits of the Hon’ble Minister of External Affairs of India, Mr. S.M. Krishna and that of the former President of India, Hon’ble Dr. A. P. J. Abdul Kalam and pointed out that India was the largest trading partner of Sri Lanka, a leading investor and also the source of the largest number of tourist arrivals in Sri Lanka. In 2011, bilateral trade surged by over 70% and is estimated to have touched an all-time high of US $ 5 billion, while Indian companies invested over $ 100 million in Sri Lanka. He also highlighted the vast expansion in India’s development assistance and the growing recognition that Indian projects were being completed in a timely and efficient manner. Referring to the MoU signed for construction and repair of 49,000 houses under a grant assistance of US$ 260 million, he pointed that this was perhaps one of the largest projects of its kind undertaken by India in a foreign country.

Dwelling on the importance of cultural cooperation and people-to-people links, he pointed out that India had just announced a three-fold increase in scholarship schemes for Sri Lanka, involving a grant of 2.5 billion Rupees. Indian Railways would be launching a special train named ‘Damba Diwa Vandana’, to take Sri Lankan Buddhist pilgrims from Chennai to all the major Buddhist sites in India. The High Commissioner also announced the launch of the High Commission’s Facebook page (www.facebook.com/hcicolombo), to provide an interactive platform for the various activities of the High Commission.

A brief cultural programme organized by the Indian Cultural Centre followed. Its highlights were singing of patriotic songs and Kathak performances by the students of the Indian Cultural Centre.  Subsequently, the High Commissioner of India and other officials of the High Commission paid their respects to the memory of fallen soldiers of the Indian Peace Keeping Force (IPKF) in a solemn ceremony at the IPKF memorial in Colombo.

To commemorate India’s 63rd Republic Day, reputed danseuse Aditi Mangaldas and her troupe, presented “Rhythm and Sound”, a contemporary Kathak performance at Bishop’s College Auditorium on 25th January. Hon. Champika Ranawaka, Minister of Power and Energy, Government of Sri Lanka, was the Chief Guest on the occasion. The troupe, sponsored by Indian Council of Cultural Relations (ICCR), have already performed at Galle and Kandy and will be performing in Jaffna later this week.