The High Commission of Sri Lanka in Canberra celebrated Diwali, the Festival of Lights on 02 November 2024 at the High Commission premises. Sri Lankan Hindu devotees and representatives of other Sri Lankan Associations took part in the ceremony.
The High Commission premises were decorated with kolam and other festive decorations. Swami Jayshankar Shivam of Sri Vishnu Shiva Mandir in Canberra conducted the auspicious religious pooja and rituals related to the Diwali festival.
Welcoming the guests, High Commissioner of Sri Lanka to Australia, Chitranganee Wagiswara stated that Diwali signifies peace and joy, the presence of light over darkness, wisdom over ignorance, and victory over evil, and that Diwali is an opportunity to reflect on and illuminate one’s inner self.
Further, the High Commissioner read out extracts of the President’s Diwali message which emphasized the timely need to transform the orthodox ways of thinking, in order to eliminate injustice, discrimination, marginalization, hate speech and violence from the society, ultimately paving way to end all forms of discrimination in Sri Lanka.
President of the Vishnu Shiva Mandir Executive Committee, Thamotherampillai Sritharan, and Secretary of the Tamil Senior Citizens Association, Manivannan addressed the gathering and emphasized the significance of the Diwali festival in the context of the rich cultural diversity in Sri Lanka and its relevance to day-to-day life.
The programme included an instrumental musical performance and traditional Bharatanatyam dances performed by the Tamil community in Australia.
The event concluded with a traditional vegetarian dinner hosted by the High Commission.
High Commission of Sri Lanka
Canberra
07 November 2024
