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A right royal walk

Dutugemunu himself would have been proud to be escorted by the Royal Parade August 3 with elephants and horses adding that regal touch to what was a very special Royal Walk.

Royal College has held Walks over the past few years, but this was an extra special Walk that had taken several months to plan by the Royal Old Boys Union and other groups, with the present boys also doing a lot of good work to involve their respective classes in the Parade.

Street parties are all the rage these days - but this was a street party to end all others, climaxing on the new Royal Sports Complex grounds with the country's most distinguished Old Royalist, Prime Minister Ranil Wickremesinghe taking centre stage to unfurl the Royal flag to signal the start of the celebrations on the grounds.

Kandyan dancers added that dimension of the traditional perahera, while the throb of Kandyan drums mixed with the College Western and Hewisi bands playing traditional marches and, of course the irresistible 'pappara' bands reminiscent of the Royal-Thomian match added a creation of musical sounds - if a somewhat atonal cocktail of such sounds - Rio's famous street carnival would have been envious of.

This was the first time that traditionally royal animals had been part of the Walk; the measured steps of the caparisoned pachyderms in contrast to the clip-clop of the hooves of regal horses of the Police Mounted Division, magnificently ridden and controlled by smart policemen who are the best riders of such horses in the country.

The vanguard of the ceremonial procession had already reached the Royal Sports Complex when the tail-end of the foot procession was still near Colpetty junction! Young Old Boys of the RCU proudly sporting the colours, Groups of various classes in innovative designer clothes incorporating the College colours, teachers, curious on-lookers and well-wishers cheered the Parade on as some of the younger Old Royalists and present boys danced their way along Galle Road while home-bound cars and buses rode over the islands in the centre of the road so that there would be no traffic jams.

Royal Principal H.L.B. Gomes was a happy and proud man as the August sunset left twilight behind and the party took off, to go on till the sun had turned in the meridian for the new day to dawn.

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