The
Oxford
Sri
Lanka
Society,
the
official
Sri
Lankan
student
Society
at the
University
of
Oxford
will
celebrate
its 2nd
anniversary
on the
26th of
November.
Founded
by Dilan
Fernando
and
Arosha
Gunasekera,
the
Society
has made
tremendous
strides
in a
short
period
much to
the
delight
of the
small
Sri
Lankan
community
in
Oxford.
Through
the
dedication
and
commitment
of its
members,
the
Society
has
blazed a
trail
and kept
the Lion
flag
flying
high at
the
University
of
Oxford.
The
Society
has
achieved
many
“firsts”
within
the
University.
Some of
the high
profile
events
organised
to date
include
the
following:
• The
visit of
H.E. the
President
Mahinda
Rajapaksa
to
address
the
world-renowned
Oxford
Union in
May
2008,
barely 6
months
after
its
founding.
The
event
was a
spectacular
success
and
hailed
by all
and
sundry.
Subsequently,
H.E. the
President
accepted
the
Society’s
invitation
and is
now its
Patron.
With
this,
the
Society
joined
an elite
group of
Oxford
societies
which
can
claim a
Head of
State as
their
Patron.
The
event
also
marked
the
beginning
of a
truly
successful
relationship
with the
Oxford
Union.
• Sri
Lanka’s
61st
Independence
Day was
celebrated
in a
grand
manner
in
February
2009.
The
glittering
array of
distinguished
guests
included
7
Ambassadors
from
London,
dignitaries
from the
University,
Hon.
Nirj
Deva,
MEP and
the Lord
Mayor of
Oxford.
For the
first
time in
its
900-year
history,
a
Special
Service
was held
at the
University
of
Oxford,
to bless
the
country
and the
people
in
celebration
of our
Independence
Day.
This was
followed
by a
Charity
Tea (in
aid of
the Api
Wenuwen
Api
fund)
and the
Main
Ceremony,
which
showcased
the rich
diversity,
magnificent
beauty
and
cultural
heritage
of the
country.
• Wesak
Full
Moon
Poya day
was also
officially
observed
for the
first
time by
the
Society
in May
2008. A
Buddhist
Sermon
was
organised
under
the
patronage
of the
Ven.
Bogoda
Seelawimala,
Chief
Incumbent
of the
London
Buddhist
Vihara.
The
sermon
was well
received
and was
held
amidst a
large
gathering,
comprising
of both
Sri
Lankans
and
foreign
guests,
including
Thai,
Indian
and
Chinese
Society
delegations.
• An
International
Forum on
Sri
Lanka
was
jointly
organised
with the
Oxford
Union in
its
hallowed
surroundings
in June
2009.
Themed
"Post
Conflict
Reconstruction
&
Democratisation
of Sri
Lanka's
Former
Conflict
Regions,"
it was
held
amidst a
large
gathering
of
Oxford
Union
members
and
Oxford
University
academics
and
hierarchy.
The
Forum
featured
an
eminent
panel
that
were
carefully
selected
to
represent
all the
different
stakeholders.
It
included
Hon.
(Dr.)
Sarath
Amunugama
(Chief
Guest -
Minister
of
Public
Administration
and Home
Affairs),
Hon.
Nirj
Deva MEP,
Prof.
Rajiva
Wijesinha
(Secretary-General
of the
Secretariat
for
Coordinating
the
Peace
Process
), Mrs.
Rajeshwari
Balasubramaniam
(Journalist
and
Human
Rights
Activist,
Mr. S.
Thavaraja
(former
EDDP
MP), and
Mr.
Seyed
Bazeer
(President,
UK-SL
Muslim
League).
This was
the
first
time a
panel of
this
nature
has been
assembled
to
address
the Sri
Lankan
situation
in a
comprehensive
manner.
It
offered
an
unparalleled
opportunity
to
present
a
diverse
range of
views on
the
matter
by the
different
stake-holders.
• The
Sri
Lankan
National
Cricket
team was
then
honoured
as the
very
first
International
sports
team to
be
invited
to the
Oxford
Union.
Unfortunately,
the
event
was
cancelled
at the
11th
hour due
to
security
fears.
• Very
recently,
Arjuna
Ranatunga,
1996
World
Cup
winning
Captain,
created
history
when he
when
addressed
the
Oxford
Union in
November
2009. He
became
the 1st
Asian to
do so in
the
186-year
history
of the
Oxford
Union in
what was
another
very
successful
collaboration.
The
event
was
graced
by
University
dignitaries
and
members
of the
Diplomatic
corps
including
H.E.
Niall
Wilkins
(Special
Representative
of the
South
African
High
Commissioner),
H.E.
Justice
Nihal
Jayasinghe
Sri
Lankan
High
Commissioner)
and
Deputy
Lord
Mayor of
Oxford
John
Goddard.
Mr. And
Mrs.
Ranatunga
were
first
felicitated
by the
Oxford
Sri
Lanka
Society
at
Balliol
College,
University
of
Oxford.
Founded
in 1263
AD,
Balliol
College
is the
3rd
oldest
of the
Oxford
Colleges
and
boasts
several
British
Prime
ministers
and
numerous
world
leaders
amongst
its
distinguished
alumni.
Incidentally,
former
Foreign
Minister,
the Late
Lakshman
Kadirgamar
was an
alumnus
of
Balliol.
The
Society
also has
a
cricket
team
which
plays in
an
informal
league
amongst
various
other
society
teams. A
Sri
Lankan
team was
fielded
for the
first
time
last
year in
the
“Mini
World
Cup” – a
tournament
featuring
teams
from all
Test
cricket
playing
nations.
This has
acted as
a
conduit
to bring
people
together
and the
team
boasts
members
from at
least 5
nationalities!
Through
these
high-profile
events,
the
Society
has
established
strong
relationships
with
several
Foreign
missions
in
London
and
events
are now
regularly
graced
by
members
of the
Diplomatic
corp.
We have
further
established
strong
links
with
other
societies
in the
University,
including
the
Indian,
Pakistani,
Thai and
Chinese
societies.
Delegations
from
these
societies
are
invited
for our
events
and are
also
included
in our
cricket
team.
With a
large
number
of
distinguished
guests
attending
events,
security
concerns
are of
paramount
importance.
In this
regard,
the
Society
is very
grateful
to Major
V.B.
Karunaratna
(former
Sergeant-at-Arms
– Sri
Lanka
Parliament)
for his
invaluable
advice
and
assistance.
The
Society
also
expresses
its
gratitude
to Mr.
Janaka
Alahapperuma
(President,
British
Sri
Lankan
Forum)
for his
invaluable
assistance.
Mr.
Thilak
Abeywardena
(Birmingham)
also
deserves
special
mention.
The
bedrock
of our
success
is the
fantastic
team
that has
helped
steer
the
Society
from its
humble
beginning
to these
great
heights.
Through
tireless
efforts,
the
Society
has
managed
to bring
together
Sri
Lankans
from all
communities
in
Oxford,
which is
perhaps
our
greatest
achievement.
Several
events
are
being
planned
for the
near
future.
If you
wish to
receive
information
about
these
events
or wish
to
collaborate,
please
contact
us via
the
following
e-mails:
slsoc@herald.ox.ac.uk
(official
e-mail),
dilan.fernando@bioch.ox.ac.uk
or
arvinda.atukorala@balliol.ox.ac.uk.
