Tamil Nadu - Chennai   

Spotlight on Indo-Sri Lankan cultural ties

CHENNAI: A two-day traditional Indo-Sri Lankan cultural programme to illustrate and enhance cultural ties was held at the Maha Bodhi Society, Egmore, in collaboration with the Deputy High Commission of Sri Lanka here from Friday.

The annual ‘Kathina Pooja ceremony’ as per the Sri Lankan calendar has been held in the city for the past few years. According to Sri Lankan tradition, the festival is organised at the end of their monsoon season after three months of continuous meditation by Buddhist monks.

The event included colourful displays of traditional dances by Sri Lankan and Indian troupes and was followed by an all-night ‘Pirith chanting.’

The festival in which both Tamil and Sinhalas participated was meant to stress on the cultural similarities, that the two people share, said M.Mahanama, a Buddhist monk. “We were part of the same land mass once upon a time. History and political problems have broken some of our bonds. Joint cultural festivals like this are an attempt to reconnect with the Tamil people again. We are like brothers,” he said.

The Deputy High Commissioner of Sri Lanka for South India, V.Krishnamoorthy, who participated in the festival on Friday, said that there has to be a joint effort to work towards peace and harmony for all. “We must realise that we are all part of the universal fabric of brotherhood and must overcome problems through joint action.”

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