Yoganandini, a resident of northern Colombo, is expecting her second child on Friday. Yet, on Thursday, she chose to visit the President’s House, a vestige of the Dutch colonial era and which is now open to the public.
“I do not think one will get another opportunity to come here,” the pregnant woman says. Her father, Sathi, a former employee of a tea plantation firm in Hatton, sees larger meaning behind the move by President Maithripala Sirisena to make the House accessible to the public. “This symbolic move demonstrates that no place including the President’s House is out of bounds for anyone in this country.”
Kaleel, a long-time resident of the city and a gemologist, is not as excited as Yoganandini or her father, even though he has returned to the House after many decades. “Till about 1960, we, as boys, were allowed to enter the premises from the northern side and we all played even some sports.” In those days, only a handful of security personnel were there to guard the House and the height of the walls was four or five feet.
Civil war changed it all
The civil war, which erupted in the 1980s, had brought about a huge change in every facet of life in Sri Lanka, he adds.
The House, also called the President’s Palace, spans over an extent of 10 acres. Built when Van Anglebeck was the last Dutch Governor in Sri Lanka (1794-1796), the House came under the control of the British authorities in January 1804. The year after, Sir Thomas Maitland was the first British Governor to occupy it and he was there till 1811. Totally, 29 British Governors and six Presidents of Sri Lanka used the place.
Mahinda’s official residence, now Ranil’s
When Mahinda Rajapaksa was President (November 2005-January 2015), the House was his residence, even though he functioned from the Temple Trees, now the official residence of Prime Minister Ranil Wickremesinghe. Besides, the entire area surrounding the House was declared a high security zone.
After Mr. Sirisena took over as President, he never stayed there but has been using it for meeting foreign dignitaries. He now lives on Pajet Road (now renamed as Mahagama Sekara Mawatha) of Colombo 07, known as the locality of the Colombo elite.
Hasitha Gunawardena, Director in charge of the President’s House, says that had Mr. Sirisena chosen to stay at the House, the government would have to spend Rs. 1.6 crore a month. Now, the monthly maintenance is much less, he says.
An official at the President’s office says that this time, the House will be open for a week, ending June 14. Next year, the plan is to keep it open to the public for a month.
