Independence Day, February 4, 1948

Her Majesty Queen Elizabeth presides over the ceremonial opening of the third session of the Parliament in April 1954

British defeats in Europe and Asia during the 1940-1942 period of the Second World War-epitomised by the humiliating fall of Singapore-turned out to be the final blow to the country's already floundering Empire. Military and economic power, on which the imperial system depended, had been severely eroded. And on a political level, from the end of the First World War unrest and agitation for independence had begun to manifest in many parts of the Empire, exemplified in the then Crown Colony of Ceylon by the Trotskyist-inspired Lanka Sama Samaja Party.

Consequently, in the immediate post-war years independence was granted to many countries within the British Empire. In South Asia, India gained independence on August 15, 1947. Burma followed on January 4, 1948, and exactly one month later, on February 4, Ceylon became a Dominion, which in reality meant that the country had not completely divested itself of its colonial past.

Independence Day, February 4, 1948
Declaration of Independence was an occasion in which a member of the British monarchy, not necessarily of the higher echelons, was always present. "Slightly less prestigious representatives of the Queen than Prince Philip and Princess Margaret, but perfectly respectable ones, were the stalwarts of independence ceremonies," comments Philip Murphy in Monarchy and the End of Empire (2013). "The Duke of Gloucester [Prince Henry], the younger brother of King George VI, presided over the independence day of Ceylon."

The choice of the Duke of Gloucester was an appropriate one as he had made two prior visits to the Island. The first was in 1929 when he landed on his way to Japan. The second in 1934 concerned cultural heritage: the return of the golden throne of the Kandyan Kingdom (previously housed at Windsor Castle), now displayed at the National Museum, Colombo, together with the crown and regalia.

Fortunately the ritual and celebration of Ceylon's Independence Day was captured on film by the leading newsreel company, British Pathé. Ceylon Independence (1948)-alas without narration online-begins with the touch down at the Royal Airport Katunayake (now the Bandaranaike International Airport) of a silver-liveried RAF Avro York carrying the Duke and Duchess of Gloucester. One York was used by Winston Churchill as his "flying conference room" during the war. And this aircraft was no stranger to Ceylon; another served as the "flying office" of Lord Mountbatten, head of South-East Asia Command in Kandy, and a squadron was based at RAF Ratmalana.

The film shows the Gloucersters being greeted by the Governor of Ceylon, Sir Henry Monck-Mason Moore, who at Independence became Governor-General, which illustrates how the country's freedom was not yet absolute. Ceylon remained a dominion within the Commonwealth of Nations from 1948 to 1972, when the country's formal name was changed to the Free, Sovereign and Independent Republic of Sri Lanka. In 1978 it was modified to the Democratic Socialist Republic of Sri Lanka.

On the morning of February 4 the Duke was driven, with a vanguard of mounted soldiers, from Queen's House to the specially prepared, fabric-roofed Assembly Hall to deliver the Declaration of Independence from a dais overlooked by two sets of elephant tusks. It was hot inside: the select audience busily fanned themselves with programmes, while a vast sea of ordinary Ceylonese surrounding the hall stoically endured the tropical sun to witness this historical occasion.

“Independence Day Celebrations In Ceylon Resembled An Imperial Fête With A Few Of The Artifices Of The Nation State – National Anthem And Flag”
Today, within an area called Independence Square, renowned for its atmosphere and jogging tracks, stands the Independence Memorial Hall, a monument to the Assembly Hall built on the original podium. Adjacent is the awesome newcomer to Colombo's shopping complexes, the Arcade Independence Square, which, ironically, is a restored British colonial building.

Nora Wickramasinghe, in Sri Lanka and the Modern Age, feels that "Independence Day celebrations in Ceylon resembled an imperial fête with a few of the artifices of the nation state - national anthem and flag." The confirmation of these two artifices came next. Just before noon the Union Jack was lowered. As a recording of London's Big Ben chimed noon-courtesy of Radio Ceylon-the nation's new yet traditional flag, the lion rampant, was hoisted by Prime Minister D S Senanayake. During the flag-hoisting, the selected National Anthem, Sri Lanka Matha, was played by the radio station.

At that moment a nation with a glorious history and depth of culture, suppressed for five centuries by three consecutive colonial powers, was able to begin an awakening, to rediscover its past, re-establish an identity, emerge from the imperial shadows, and take its place in the modern world.

Celebrations later that day centred on an impressive water pageant in Colombo's harbour, which included a choir on a floating platform. "The boom of guns, the crash of fire-crackers, the peal of bells, and the whine of ships' sirens proclaimed the birth of the new dominion of Ceylon," declared the Associated Press.

Independence: The Awakening of a Nation
On February 4, 2015, Sri Lanka celebrates 67 years of Independence. There have been many achievements during that time in the economy, civil administration, social services and development in general. Other accomplishments, mostly in the arts and sport, are due to the post-independence exposure of the Island's people to the world, resulting in a new confidence on the international stage.

For instance, the new nation's ability to compete with the world's best was witnessed at the 1948 Olympic Games in London, just a few months after independence, when Duncan White won the silver medal in the men's 400-metre hurdles. Silver was also won by Susanthika Jayasinghe in the women's 200 metres at Sydney in 2000.

But where sport is concerned, it is cricket, a colonial irony, which has brought Sri Lanka immense recognition since international status was gained in 1981. The team quickly shifted from being underdogs to world-beaters, winning the Cricket World Cup in 1996 and the 2014 ICC World Twenty20. Sri Lanka has produced some iconic cricketers: Muttiah Muralitharan was voted the greatest bowler ever in 2002, and Kumar Sangakkara is one of the greatest batsmen of all time. Many other players have made an impact on the game internationally: Aravinda de Silva, Arjuna Ranatunga, Sanath Jayasuriya, and Mahela Jayawardene come to mind.

The blossoming of modernist post-independence art in Ceylon resulted in the formation of the '43 Group by Lionel Wendt, the Island's first and foremost photographer of international repute. This Group consisted of an extraordinary array of creative painters such as Harry Pieris, Geoffrey Beling, George Claessen, Aubrey Collette, Richard Gabriel, George Keyt, L T P Manjusri, and Ivan Peries. Their work is acknowledged internationally, their paintings highly valued.

Sri Lankan cinema properly began in 1956 with the film Rekawa, directed by Lester James Peries. From then until 2006, Peries directed 28 films, many shown at premier film festivals, many receiving awards. Nidhanaya (1972), Peries' best film, won a Silver Lion at the 1972 Venice International Film Festival, was selected as an outstanding film of the year at the London Film Festival, and chosen as the best film of the first 50 years of Sri Lankan cinema. Peries, best appreciated by French cineastes, was awarded in 1997 the Légion d'Honneur, France's highest order. He remains the doyen of Sri Lankan cinema, but in recent decades further talented directors-Prasanna Vithanage, Asoka Handagama, Dharmasena Pathiraja, Dharmasiri Bandaranayake-have begun to receive international recognition.

These are just a few of the Sri Lankans who have honoured the country with their international achievement since, and largely because of, Independence.

http://www.serendib.btoptions.lk/article.php?id=1612&issue=62#image-4

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