For five decades and beyond :

Central Province Hindu Assn preserves cultural heritage

By Ganga Ratnayake

Our teardrop shaped island is only a tiny speck on the world map, yet it is packed with multi-racial and multi-religious communities living in harmony. We boast of a rich culture and heritage imbued with characteristics blended in from each ethnic community, making it one of the best destinations for a cultural expedition.

Dance performance

With the Sinhala and Hindu New Year around the corner, I had the opportunity to drop by this elegant landmark facing the busy Peradeniya Road in Kandy - the Hindu Cultural Centre. Here I met P. Rajanathan – the Assistant Secretary of Central Province Hindu Association Kandy Trust who shared the milestones of the association and the notable services rendered by them to the local communities since five long decades.

Birth of Hindu Association

It all started with the Ther Festival of Sri Selva Vinayagar Temple, which rests in the heart of Kandy. Every year during the Ther festival the ornate chariot is paraded through the streets by the devotees. But in the early 1960s the temple trustees faced difficulties to continue the ritual.

To fund and manage the overall functions of the festival on behalf of the temple, the Chariot Festival Committee was formed on March 2, 1963 by the late A. Doraisamy Pillai who also became the chairperson. In the same year they organised their first procession to the Sri Dalada Maligawa, just before commencing the first day’s Randoli Perahera.

Apart from the Ther Festival, the committee also organised the Maha Sivarathri Festival since 1967. To further expand their services, the Association evolved into the Central Province Hindu Association (CPHA) in July 1970. Doraisamy Pillai became the President of the CPHA while K. Sellamuthu and P.L. Andiappan became the Honorary Secretary and Treasurer respectively.

A versatile centre

To manage their services efficiently, the CPHA purchased a plot of land facing Peradeniya Road and built a centre, which eventually became an iconic landmark of Kandy known as the Hindu Cultural Centre. It was opened in June 1983 by the then Mayor Tilak Ratnayake in the presence of eminent guests such as the Deputy Minister of Justice, the Government Agent, the Chief Lay Custodian, Chief Minister, Members of Parliament and the members of CPHA.

They organised the annual Navarathri Festival, the festival of nine nights in October. This vibrant festival attracts large crowds including the members of CPHA, their families, students, teachers and the public in Kandy.

In September 1983, a Fine Arts Institute was opened in the premises to teach dancing and music styles including Bharathanatyam, Kathak dance, Carnatic music and Kandyan dance. Starting with 20-25 students and three teachers, today they boast about 200 – 250 students studying under seven teachers from leading schools in Kandy. The students even perform for cultural events held outside the centre including the Indian Republic Day organised by the Deputy High Commission of India in Kandy.

The spacious auditorium of the Hindu Cultural Centre is regularly reserved by schools, institutes (government and private), and the public to host forums, seminars, workshops, dramas, cultural events, concerts and public receptions. In addition, the Department of Education also conduct their Literary Festival, Tamil Day Festival and the State Drama Festival.

A musical performance

During the times of ordeal in 1983, the Hindu Cultural Centre became a retreat for those in need of protection. The members of CPHA provided them free accommodation, food and clothing throughout the period and even volunteered their service at refuge camps in and out of Kandy.

Scholarships for plantation sector students

In the late, 1990s the President and Secretary of CPHA together with C. Nadaraja – then Chairman of Education and Cultural Sub-Committee – decided to award scholarships and bursaries to the children from the plantation areas in need of financial assistance. Thus in October 1998 they awarded two-year scholarships to students who successfully passed their GCE Ordinary Level Examination, to continue studies at the GCE A/Ls.

The initiative was launched following the celebration of the silver jubilee of CPHA in February 1996, where the dedicated members of the CPHA and the teachers of the Fine Arts Institute were rewarded for their outstanding services. Since October 2007 the association started offering bursaries for university entrants from the plantation sector and the hill country, and now they have awarded scholarships to more than 400 students to pursue their tertiary education at several universities including the Ramanathan Academy of Fine Arts in Jaffna.

GOPIO joint initiative

Since December 2010, the joint initiative of CPHA and GOPIO – Sri Lanka (Global Organisation of People of Indian Origin) awarded scholarships to study in India, for needy students who missed the opportunity to enter local universities. Several workshops and seminars were held for these students in Kotagala, Ragala, Kandy and Hatton to enlighten them on higher education in India and scholarship schemes granted by the High Commission of India in Sri Lanka. Over 100 students participate in these seminars biannually; while about 30 – 40 students have already joined Indian universities to pursue their studies.

One of the sub committees of CPHA organises tours for the members and families to outstations. They also facilitate guided tours for schoolchildren from the North and the East, to visit important places in Kandy such as the Sri Dalada Maligawa and the Royal Botanical Gardens among others.

Following the demise of the founding President A. Doraisamy Pillai in 2003, D. Subramanian succeeded the position. Thereafter, apart from cultural activities, CPHA also focused on promoting fine arts, and international artistes were invited to perform at the centre and conduct interactive workshops for the Fine Arts students and teachers in Kandy. These artistes include the veteran Bharatanatyam performers such as Ganna Smirnova from Ukraine and Dr. Rama Vaidyanathan from India.

Religious activities

Tug-of-war

To serve the Hindu and Buddhist communities, the CPHA in collaboration with leading Buddhist doctors in Kandy and SUCCESS – Sri Lanka institute formed the Hindu Buddhist Amity Front in December 2010. Their inaugural meeting was held at the Asgiriya Sri Chandananda Buddhist College auditorium in the presence of the Most Rev. Mahanayaka Theras of Asgiri and Malwathu Chapters.

In addition, they hold various religious activities for the Hindu community in collaboration with the local branch of Chinmaya Mission led by Brahmachari Jagrat Chaitanya and Brahmachari Dharshan Chaitanya at Sri Baktha Hanuman Temple in Ramboda.

They also held a three-day residential workshop for Hindu priests, temple administrators, teachers and students. Apart from visiting Hindu Sunday schools and temples, the Chinmaya Mission also present religious programs for the youth regularly.

Celebrating the Sinhala and Hindu New Year

With the dawn of 2011 the CPHA became the Central Province Hindu Association Kandy Trust (CPHAKT), chaired by D. Subramanian, with P.L Thangavel and V. Marimuthu Pillai as Honorary Secretary and Treasurer respectively.

On April 25, 2012 CPHAKT and Hindu Buddhist Amity Front organised their first joint Sinhala and Hindu New Year celebration, with the participation of Sinhalese Buddhist and Tamil Hindu families. This colourful event was held at the Police Grounds, Kandy and was brimming with exciting traditional games, fun and laughter.

In a humble yet significant way the event marked the beginning of a solid bond between the two distinct communities, who will continue to disseminate the message of peace and harmony year after year during the blessed festival of the spring.