What is the real Freedom?

The National Day of Sri Lanka is fallen on the 4th of February in every year.  In 2016, too, we celebrated the freedom of Sri Lanka by hoisting the National Flag, singing the National Song and with some cultural events at the Galle Face Court on 4th of February with a huge crowd of local and foreign well-wishers.  

In the year of 1505, the coastal area of Sri Lanka was captured by Portuguese.  Afterwards, Dutch and lastly British Rulers came into the power of our motherland for several centuries.  Our fellow Citizens were discriminated by the foreign rulers with tragic and harsh laws.  Although the coastal area was under the power of British Rulers, they could not touch the Kandyan Kingdom until 1815.  

With the unfortunate struggle suddenly propped - up among the King Shri Wickrama Rajasinghe and our Chiefs, our power hungry Chiefs have been supported the English Rulers to take the liberty of spreading - out their strength all over the Island.  With the signing of Kandyan Convention in 1815, our whole country was under the control of the British.  They took the King Shri Wickrama Rajasinghe under the imprisonment and took him and his two queens to Vellore Fort in Southern India and he died at the age of 52 years.  

British Administrators took the power in a terrible way on our citizens and exploited the resources, as well.  These unethical happenings carried - on to start - up  struggles everywhere in Sri Lanka against the British Leaders.  These conflicts were led by our National Heroes such as, Veera Puranappu, Gongale Godabanda  and Kappetipola Nilame in which we lost the lives of those fearless National Heroes.  Among all these antagonisms, British were able to control the whole country, without loosening their power.  

In the 20th Century, the master-minded people, such as S. Mahinda Thero, A.F. Senanayake, D.S. Senanayake, Sir Arunachalam Ponnambalam, Sir Ponnambalam Ramanathan, Srimath Anagarika Dharmapala and some other learned persons got along with some peacemaking societies seek the independence by common masses and discussions with Colonial Rulers.  At this time, our neighbouring country, India, too, was fighting against the British Rulers for their freedom.  Finally, just after the freedom given to India, Sri Lankans, too, were fortunate to get the freedom from the Colonial Empower.  

Though we got the freedom before 68 years, still we are having cultural, economic, social and ethnic problems.  But, as a multi-national and multi-religious country, we all have to get together and bring the real peace to this country.  

We salute the three forces for their valuable contribution given to the 30 years of ethnic war and was able to bring the peace to the Island.  Also, we must think the value of freedom one can get in this life and put the whole heart to protect the freedom, which we got 68 years back.  

HAPPY INDEPENDENCE DAY!