Nelum Pokuna Mahinda Rajapaksa Theatre:

Fortifying friendly relations between Sri Lanka and China

By Shanika SRIYANANDA

How can a father describe his happiness on the day his son followed his footsteps? It is a priceless gift from a son to a father and who else can be proud of a son's achievement, other than his parents? On December 15, President Mahinda Rajapaksa was unable to express how happy he was. His charming smile and warm hug for his Loku putha showed it all. More than the young Parliamentarian Lakshman Namal Rajapaksa being exuberant over the achievement, the happiness it brought to his thaththa, the moment he took oaths as a lawyer was immeasurable.

It reminded the President of the day he took oaths as a lawyer and he was spellbound. His eyes filled with immense love and he expressed how happy he was. It is yet another day that a dream of President Rajapaksa became a reality.

At an auspicious time MP Rajapaksa took oaths as an attorney-at-law before a three-judge Supreme Court Bench, comprising Chief Justice Dr. Shirani A. Bandaranayake, Justice Nimal Gamini Amaratunga and Justice Suresh Chandra. Like the mothers in the rest of the world, his mother, First Lady Shiranthi Rajapaksa, who is always behind her three young sons, silently enjoyed the happiness of her elderst son’s achievement.

The event was witnessed by his two brothers Yoshitha and Rohitha, uncles Speaker Chamal Rajapaksa and Defence Secretary Gotabhaya Rajapaksa and Cabinet Ministers at the ceremonial sitting of the Supreme Court. After taking oaths, he got the blessings of his parents, who were seated in the front row of the Ceremonial Court premises and he worshipped them.

Nelum Pokuna Mahinda Rajapaksa Theatre

The ‘Lotus Pond’ bloomed with flowers. Beautifully illuminated in a pond, the Lotus, which showed its glamour was gifted by the Chinese people, who are long-standing friends of Sri Lanka. “The tragedy that was staged in our motherland for thirty years is now over.

The era of woe and grief is over. An era of a revival of theatre has come”, said President Rajapaksa at the inauguration ceremony on Thursday afternoon of the Nelum Pokuna Mahinda Rajapaksa Theatre, which is the largest in Sri Lanka and South East Asia. Constructed with expertise from China at a cost of Rs.3.08 billion, and gifted by the People’s Republic of China, the Theatre was opened by President and Zhang Meiying, Vice Chairwoman of the National Committee of the Chinese People’s Political Consultative Conference of the People’s Republic of China. The seven-storied open theatre modelled after the Nelum Pokuna (Lotus Pond) in Polonnaruwa is a gift from China to fortify friendly relations between the two countries.

The Theatre houses three galleries enabling to host three performances simultaneously and an open air theatre on the top floor. The main spectators' gallery can seat 1,288 people. The three-tier movable stage operated electrically can even accommodate a motor vehicle on stage and is equipped with ultra-modern equipment and hi-tech audio and video technology.

It will have facilities to conduct educational and research activities. “If a theatre like this had been constructed several decades ago, a large number of artistic productions might have been possible.

A great citizen does not simply emerge. Such a personality needs to entail the potential for delight and wisdom”, he said while expressing his gratitude to the Government of China for gifting this Theatre to Sri Lanka with the purpose of improving the imaginative power, self-confidence and self-discipline of the nation’s children.

He called attention to the physical and spiritual development among people and said it would help build a generation who can withstand any challenge in the future. Perception and self-discipline are integral parts of spiritual development. The country created the Samadhi Buddha statue in Anuradhapura when the Chinese were building the Great Wall. When China introduced printing technology to the world, Sri Lanka began writing Dhamma books,” he said.

The President also spoke about the Rubber-Rice Pact which was signed between Sri Lanka and China in the 1950s.

He said the Bandaranaike International Conference Hall and the Supreme Court complex, symbolise the everlasting friendship between the two countries. “China always stands by Sri Lanka in times of need.” He said the support extended by China to protect the country’s sovereignty, independence, and honour is immense.

He recollected how Chinese leaders promised support for the Hambantota Harbour Project, Norochcholai Coal Power Plant Project and the Performing Arts Theatre during his maiden visit to China as President.

The people of Sri Lanka have been waiting for these projects, he said. He thanked the government and the people of China for gifting this theatre to Sri Lankans.

“If this type of theatre was built some time back, a number of high quality artistic creations could have evolved. Sri Lanka is engaged in a mission to construct ports, airports and power plants to ensure that people receive all facilities,” he said. The President, who met representatives of traders and farmers unions held at Temple Trees on Wednesday had taken action to temporarily suspend the newly introduced system in transporting fruits and vegetables in plastic crates for a month. This new regulation introduced in transportation of fresh produce caused islandwide protests.

Govi Upahara 2011

Addressing ‘Mahaweli Govi Upahara – 2011’, the annual Mahaweli farmer felicitation ceremony recognise the contribution made by Mahaweli farmers to the country's prosperity and economy.

President Rajapaksa said the local farmer community in Sri Lanka could successfully face the challenges of a global food crisis. Explaining the decisions taken by the government to uplift the living standards of farmers and the agricultural sector, the President said local farmers contribute to fulfil food necessities of Sri Lankans amidst various hardships. He said the government spends more than Rs.50 billion per year on a fertiliser subsidy as the government considers it as an investment.

In particular, the contribution of Mahaweli farmers to agricultural development in the country deserves special mention, said President Mahinda Rajapaksa. In one era, some questioned as to why agriculture was necessary, and during that time, suggestions were made to fill up paddy fields, erect buildings and establish industries, he said adding that no money was allocated to irrigation development.

He said that ‘the Mahaweli Authority’ which comes under his purview was not only concentrating on assisting farmers to boost their agricultural production, but was also looking to boost the moral and spiritual uplift of the people in the Mahaweli region. He pointed out that the Mahinda Chinthana does not concentrate only on a person's physical development but also on spiritual and morale uplift. He said that the Mahaweli Authority will also be working towards helping farmers to get rid of alcohol and tobacco use as well as other abuses.

The construction of the first container terminal of the Colombo South harbour under the project on the expansion of the Colombo harbour was inaugurated by President Rajapaksa on Friday. The terminal will be the first of the four 1200-metre long container terminals of the port. Each of these terminals will have the capacity of 2.4 million TEUs. The construction of the initial 600 metres of the terminal will be completed by 2014, says the Ports Authority.

The rest of the construction will be completed in November 2016. Colombo South Harbour will be located west of the present south-west Breakwater in an area of approximately 600 hectares.

The proposed harbour will have four terminals of over 1,200m in length each to accommodate three berths with depths of 18m and provision to deepen to 23m to accommodate deeper draft vessels in future.