Lanka's culture, tourism promoted in Washington

The Embassy of Sri Lanka in Washington DC and the Indian Executive Director's Office of the World Bank organised a Sri Lankan cultural performance at the World Bank Headquarters earlier this week, as part of a continuing series of events marking Sri Lanka's 64th Year of Independence.

The show featured a series of dances by Sri Lanka's Channa-Upuli Performing Arts Foundation and a performance by singer Visharada Jananath Warakagoda. It was attended by the staff of the World Bank, the International Monetary Fund and several US federal agencies.

The audience also included top bank executives Mukesh Nandan Prasad, Executive Director of the World Bank for India, Bangladesh, Bhutan and Sri Lanka, Isabel Guerrero, the World Bank's Vice President for South Asia and Arvind Virmani, an IMF executive director.

Deputy Chief of Mission Ambassador Esala Weerakoon welcomed the guests to the performance.

He said, "Channa-Upuli has created a name for Sri Lanka's dance culture by proving that dance is a language understood by all. One cannot imagine a world without dance and music.

"It would be a dreary and colourless existence with little communication among people. Dance and music are the glue that holds us together, the cultural fabric of our lives and they sow the seeds for inventive, universally shared experiences."

The performance was part of a continuing series of events sponsored by the Embassy to promote both Sri Lankan culture and tourism. Past events have included a Sri Lankan chef series at the World Bank, signature tours of Sri Lanka for American professionals and receptions with travel writers and travel industry professionals.

The World Bank's Prasad praised the performance and said "I had an opportunity to visit Sri Lanka recently and found that it is a beautiful place, tranquil, calm and at peace with itself."