Down memory lane: Celebrations on the first Day of Independence :

Hallowed was the day, forever bright its memory...

Aditha Dissanayake

The most important secular holiday on our calender, the only time in the year when the entire nation congregates in celebrations, observing Independence Day with religious events and fanfare dates back, (naturally) to the first Day of Independence on February 4, 1948.

"Colombo was robed in a mantle of splendour" was the headline of the Sunday Observer of February 5, 1948. The lead story covering the full length of the cover page described the day in flowery language.
 

"Ceylon's first day of independence, yesterday opening on a note of religious fervour and sober thanksgiving, steeped up as the day progressed in an atmosphere of joyous abundance culminating in a mammoth water pageant in Colombo's harbour the first of the series of celebrations which will now proceed in a crescendo to a climax of the opening of parliament on February 10.

It was long after midnight when the last belated reveler of the many thousand who flocked to the Fort area to view the illuminations and water pageant wended wearily back to bed."

The day had begun with crowds flocking in their thousands to places of warship with his Excellency the Governor General himself attending the service at the Wolvendhal Church. Religious services were also held at the Maligakanda Temple, St. Lucias Cathedral and the Maradana mosque attended by religious leaders. Large number of colourful processions too were seen through out the morning.

After the religious observances the crowds had looked for other entertainment and till evening the Dehiwala Zoo and the Colombo Museum had turned into the biggest attractions.

Songstress Vivien Boralessa remembers the senate building which presented an imposing spectacle and was the main attraction in the city. She further recalls singing the then National Anthem, dressed in a lama-sari to the distinguished gathering on Independence day. "I was seventeen at the time and a student at the Maradana Central. Master Lionel Edirisinghe was our teacher, and I played the estraj while singing the anthem".

Proving that somethings never change, back in 1948 too, motorists had their share of trouble on this day and had experienced one of the worst traffic jams in the history of the island. It had taken a car forty-five minutes to proceed from the Galle Face Hotel to the Lake House. Exist from the city had been just as impossible with a car journey from Fort to Bambalapitiya taking three hours.

At Negombo, M. Fernando, Chairman of the Urban Council had hosted the National Flag on the rampart of the Old Dutch Fort, while M.K.T Sandys, Government Agent for Sabaragamuwa had hoisted the national flag to the accompaniment of Magul Bera.

Mahinda Dissanayake, a retired school principal in Galle recalls the celebrations that took place at the town hall with the attendance of the Mayor, the forces and school children. "I was twenty-two at the time and it was after seeing the independence day celebrations that I began to take an interest in the political situation of our country.

The event spurred me to take an active part in politics later on in my life". He recalls vividly how he listened to the Prime Minister's speech on the radio, read by Cyril Attygalle, Member of Parliament followed by translations in Sinhala and Tamil.

According to Nozomi Kariyasu," The necessity of a National Flag was discussed even before Sri Lanka gained independence on February 4th, 1948. A. Sinnalebbe, MP for Batticaloa tabled a motion in the State Council on January 16th, 1948 suggesting that the Lion Flag of King Sri Wickrama Rajasinghe which was taken to Britain in 1815 should be made the National Flag.

This was debated and later Prime Minister Rt. Hon. D.S. Senanayake had named an Advisory Committee for the formulation of a National Flag. The Members of the Committee were S.W.R.D. Bandaranaike (Chairmen), Sir John Kotalawela, J.R. Jayewardene, T.B. Jayah, Dr. L.A. Rajapakse, G.G. Ponnambalam, Senator S. Nadesan, and Dr. Senarath Paranavithana (Secretary)."

Although a Committee for the formulation of a national flag was appointed no finality had been reached when the first Independence Day was celebrated on February 4th, 1948. However the Lion Flag fluttered on that day.

The Lion Flag and the British Union Jack fluttered on the occasion of the opening of the first Parliament of independent Sri Lanka (then Ceylon) on February 11th, 1948. Prime Minister D.S. Senanayake unfurled the Lion Flag at the Octagon (Pattirippuwa) during the Independence celebrations held in Kandy on February 12th, 1948.

Here is how the Time magazine of February 23, 1948 describes the celebrations in an article titled "Lion for Lion".

"For 2,000 years the Lion flag of Kandy waved defiantly over the Indian Ocean island of Ceylon. Under it the Sinhalese Buddhist kings struggled and connived with invading princes and rival island chieftains for uncertain sovereignty over their huge (25,000 sq. mi.) island of blue mountains, green jungles and yellow sands. Then Ceylon became a British Crown colony, and in 1815 the Lion of Kandy was hauled down to make room for another, more famous member of his species.

Last week, the British Lion was still in Ceylon, but only as a guest.

In a Buddhist ceremony in Kandy as old as the island's history, golden-robed chieftains and 100 richly caparisoned elephants (decked in ruby necklaces and white pantaloons) paraded the streets in dressy dignity to celebrate a new independence.

Jasmine-decked maidens and bare-breasted Sinhalese youths with bells on their ankles whirled in ancient dances.

Then, before Britain's Royal Duke & Duchess of Gloucester (who had travelled from London for the occasion) and 150,000 of Ceylon's six million-odd Eurasians, Indians, Sinhalese, Tamils, Moors and Malays, rugged, 6 ft., 63-year-old Prime Minister Don Stephen ("Jungle John") Senanayake hauled the old Lion flag to its place atop the Temple of the Tooth." Down memory lane...to all those who remember the country's first Independence celebrations - hallowed was the day, forever bright its memory.

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