Online edition of Sunday Observer

A National Anthem is a patriotic hymn a song or a musical composition officially recognised by a State or a Government to be representative of its nationalistic ardour. Usually such a national melody inspires love, devotion, fervour and allegiance to one's motherland.

In 1796, when Britain began its colonial rule over Ceylon, "God Save the King" also became our national anthem since the British sought local allegiance to the King of England. Yet, when the national consciousness was awakened in the struggle for independence, there was a flowering of patriotic "national songs and poetry."

Penned by Tibetan S. Mahinda Thera, M. G. Perera and Deva Suriyasena among others, they were sung at the close of formal occasions. By 1946, Ananda Samarakoon's "Namo Namo Matha" was out on the HMV gramaphone label. Yet another national song was his infusion of lyrics to the Indian National Anthem.

Reproving this, the then Education Minister C. W. W. Kannangara brought out another composition.

A debate heated up on the brink of independence to pick the most appropriate song representative of the nation. The result was the "National Anthem Contest" organised by the "Lanka Gandharva Sabha" and judged by a Sinhala and Tamil panel of judges. Although Samarakoon's "Namo Namo Matha" was an entry to the contest, the winning entry was "Shri Lanka Matha Pala Yasa Mahima", a composition by P. B. Illangasinghe and Lionel Edirisinghe. This was the anthem aired over the national radio on the grand occasion of the newly-gained independence on February 4, 1948.

But the choice led a public controversy as both composers came from the selection panel. The following year independence ceremonies chose Samarakoon's anthem, which by then had gathered steady popularity, and was sung by the students of Musaeus College, Colombo.

On February 13, 1950, the National Flag had State recognition but a national anthem was yet to receive sanction. J. R. Jayewardene, then Minister of Finance, proposed to the Cabinet that "Namo Namo Matha", which was already being played at State and private functions, be selected as Lanka's national anthem.No sooner the Cabinet decision was given in its favour on November 22, 1951, a movement was launched to find lapses in its composition. By 1953, the Ministry of Internal Affairs decided that a standard melody for the song should be created.

At this recording, the singers came from the School for the Blind in Seeduwa; Eastern musical arrangement from Ceylon Broadcasting Corporation and the Western, from the Army Band.

Since the election of S. W. R. D. Bandaranaike's government in 1956, the opinion emerged in the print media that the "Na" of Namo Namo Matha was ill-omened. The death of D.S. Senanayake, the collapse of the Dudley Senanayake parliament and the assassination of S. W. R. D. Bandaranaike were seen as its consequences.

And in 1961, the SLFP Government changed "Namo Namo Matha" to "Shri Lanka Matha" without consulting Samarakoon who, appalled at the change, warned that the act would result in his suicide, which act he did commit, at the age of 51 on April 5, 1962.

(Source: Ananda Samarakoon: A Critical Study by Prof. Sunil Ariyaratne)

The commemoration of Independence on February 4, 2003, will be imbued with significant reverberations when "Shri Lanka Matha," the nation's National Anthem, is relaunched with a new visage of stateliness. What you would hear then would be a rendering of the national anthem radiating a new vigour, dignity and veneration, with a chorus led by the country's most-loved and respected virtuoso-duo, Pandit Dr. W.D. Amaradeva and Visharada Nanda Malini.

The formal re-recording of Sri Lanka's National Anthem, "Jathika Geeyata Anu Pranayak" (Infusing new life to our National Anthem), is the second Jana Setha Project undertaken by "Silumina", the Sinhala weekly newspaper of Associated Newspapers of Ceylon Ltd., (ANCL). The concept emerges from Bandula Padma Kumara, Director (Editorial), ANCL, on being inspired by Pandit Dr. Amaradeva's song "Ratana Deepa Janma Bhoomi" and seeks to infuse new dignity and presence to the anthem in an ambience, which, as expressed by Nalin Ladduwahetty, Chairman, ANCL, is one "where the growing young generations increasingly forget its lyrics and reverence due to the melody is sadly lacking in many public and private functions."

The project's first discussion on at Lake House last week had the participation of Pandit Dr. Amaradeva, Visharada Nanda Malini, Dr. Sunil Ariyaratne, Rohana Weerasinghe who will compose the anthem's musical score, Sunil Samarakoon of Ananda Samarakoon Foundation, Chairman and Director (Editorial) of ANCL, Thilakaratne Kuruwita Bandara, Editor, Silumina, and media personnel.

"The world could not have had a national anthem as battered as ours," Dr. Sunil Ariyaratne refered to its past as divulged in his research "Ananda Samarakoon : A Critical Study". "A truly timely step," echoed Pandit Amaradeva who had previously furnished his virtuosity to compose the Maldivian National Anthem.

The venture which has the blessings of the Ministry of Cultural Affairs will culminate with placing Sri Lanka's formally-recorded National Anthem on CD on par with international standards and is another stride of the passage of Lake House back to enacting a second "D. R. Wijewardene era."