Paying tribute to Motherland

INDEPENDENCE means many things to many people, but as a Nation, it registers in our collective conscience as freedom from subjugation. A new era dawned in our chequered history on February 4, 1948 when we became an independent nation after nearly 400 years of colonial rule.

Long before their advent, Sri Lanka was known to seafarers and explorers as a resplendent isle with a remarkable civilization.

The social, cultural and engineering achievements of our ancient kings - and ordinary people - still stand majestically in silent testimony in cities throughout the country. They still make us proud to be Sri Lankan.

Independence Day is an opportunity to instill pride and respect for our Motherland. It is a day on which we pledge to march forward as one nation, one people.

While a feeling of patriotism need not be confined to one day of the year, Independence Day does instill a sense of renewed pride in all those who love this country.

In this context, this year's Independence Day ceremony was one of the best we have ever witnessed. The event was conducted with such grandeur and pride that one could not help feeling patriotic.

"What we intend doing by conducting this event with such grandeur is to pay a tribute to our revered Motherland that was freed from the shackles of colonialism with the dawn of Independence on February 4, 1948," said President Mahinda Rajapakse, explaining the rationale behind the grand event.

The Independence Day parade by our Security Forces at Galle Face Green leaves no doubt that they would valiantly face any challenge to the country's sovereignty. It was simply heartwarming to see personnel and equipment from all three Security Forces and the Police at one place.

Another touching gesture was the two minutes' silence observed in honour of all patriots, past and present, who dedicated their lives for the freedom of the Motherland.

Whether they fought the colonial powers or forces bent on dividing the country was immaterial. A Nation remembered them with pride on Saturday.

All this would have been meaningless if the common people were excluded from the ceremony for whatever reason. But the ordinary masses were denied that opportunity for more than two decades. Independence is all about a new way of life for the masses - it is their celebration.

This year, they were no longer distant witnesses of an event confined to the high and the mighty. They thronged Galle Face from all parts of the country to participate proudly in a Nation's passage to the 59th year of independence.

Moreover, many of the schoolchildren who sang the National Anthem and Jayamangala Gatha were from the outstations, thus spreading the joy of independence far and wide.

This Independence Day was celebrated at a critical juncture in our history when efforts are being made earnestly to resolve the vexed ethnic conflict, an unfortunate blemish on the post-independence era. Yet, it is not an impossible task.

The President and the Government have expressed their commitment to resolve the issue by peaceful means.

A start has already been made in this direction. The next Independence Day will be even more meaningful if these efforts bear fruit.