KAMALIKA PIERIS

Sri Lanka Thaaye, the Tamil version of the Sri Lankan national anthem, is an exact translation of Sri Lanka Matha and is sung to the same tune, observed DBS Jeyaraj.

Sri Lanka’s national anthem sings of patriotic praise to the country alone and not to any race, religion, caste, creed or community. Hence, the Tamil people found no reason to reject or protest against the national anthem. Once the meaning of the Sinhala words was known no Tamil found it objectionable. With an appropriate translation available the Tamils of Sri Lanka found themselves singing the national anthem with emotion, gusto and fervour in their mother tongue, said DBS Jeyaraj.

The Tamil version was first broadcast officially on Radio Ceylon” on February 4th 1955. In Delft, on Independence Day 1955 Bradman Weerakoon, GA Jaffna was asked to hoist the national flag. School children sang the National anthem ‘of course in Tamil.’

Ananda Wanasinghe recalled that Rama, a close friend of mine from Nelliyadi Central College tells me of singing national anthem it in Tamil at the beginning of assembly and at all other school functions. He adds that it was sung with emotion, pride, and honour.

Prof K. Sivathamby said a Tamil translation of the national anthem was been in existence since 1950, composed by N. Nallathamby. UNP said in a statement, that in 1950 there had been a competition to select the best Tamil translation of the song Namo   Namo Matha and Nallathamby had won it.

 DBS Jeyaraj said the 1950 committee under Wijeratne, had   agreed to a Tamil translation. M.Nallathamby, a teacher at Zahira College, Colombo was entrusted this task and a neat, precise translation was done. This version was extensively used in official functions in the pre-dominantly Tamil speaking Northern and Eastern provinces, he said.

Haris de Silva said that there are records to show that In 1951 Governor General Sir Oliver Goonetilleke had submitted a memo to cabinet saying that Namo Namo Matha had been sung in Sinhala and Tamil at the independence celebrations. He attached a Tamil translation by K. Kanagaratnam, Acting minister of education and an  English translation by CWW Kannangara ‘our representative in Indonesia ‘and one by S. Paranavitane. Cabinet had wanted Sir Oliver to consult GG Ponnambalam, who had had nothing to say on the matter.

On February 4th 1952, Namo Namo Matha” was sung at Independence Day ceremonies as the official national anthem. The Tamil version Namo Namo Thaaye” was sung in Independence Day functions at the Jaffna, Vavuniya, Mannar, Trincomalee and Batticaloa kachcheries, said Jeyaraj.

On March 12th 1952 the Government published huge advertisements in Sinhala, Tamil and English newspapers announcing that Namo Namo Matha” was the national anthem. The Sinhala and Tamil versions were published in the Sinhala and Tamil newspapers respectively the English newspapers had Sinhala words written in English.

The booklet issued in 1952containing the anthem had translations in English and Tamil.  In that year Cabinet had wanted the Tamil translation improved. This was done by K. Kanagaratnam.

In 1953 a gramophone disc was also cut for the Tamil version of the national anthem. While the melody and music was the same as that of the Sinhala version the Tamil words written by Nallathamby were sung by two women Sangari and Meena.

When Sir John Kotelawela visited Jaffna in 1954 the Tamil version of the national anthem was sung at functions felicitating the Prime minister, said Jeyaraj. Then when Queen Elizabeth II was visiting in 1954 it had to be decided which version was to be sung first.

The Tamil version thereafter started to come and go, its appearance at the Independence Day celebrations fluctuated. It was sung when the UNP was in power and ignored when the SLFP came in.

In the 1960s the Cabinet decided that the National anthem will only be in Sinhala.  Prime Minister Sirimavo  Bandaranaike had walked out of a function in the north when the national anthem had been sung in Tamil.

In the 1970s the Tamil translation came back. The 1978 Constitution listed the national anthem in its schedules. The Nallathamby translation was included as the Tamil translation following an appeal by K.W.Devanayagam. He  said that Muslims and Tamils living in the north and east who spoke mostly Tamil wanted the Tamil version for use in schools and occasions.

Thereafter in Jaffna Vavuniya, Trincomalee  and Batticaloa the Tamil version was played at functions attended by Tamils. The Sinhala version was played at functions attended by the Sinhala community.  When both parties attended, they avoided the lyrics and only played the tune.

I think  that during the Eelam war  (1983-2009) the Tamil version was not played at Independence Day ceremonies. I cannot recall hearing it sung. After the war ended, The Sunday Times reported on 12 December 2010 that the Cabinet of Sri Lanka headed by President Mahinda Rajapaksa had  decided  not to  feature the Tamil translation of Sri Lanka Matha at official and state functions.

At three functions at Kilinochchi, army had stopped the singing of Tamil versions, reported Sunday Times. They ordered  the recorded Sinhala version  to be played and it was. They had also distributed the Sinhala version of the national anthem to schools and told them that in future they should use the Sinhala version.

With the change of  government in 2014, the Tamil version came back. In March 2014 President Maitripala     announced that there would be no bar to singing the national anthem in Tamil. National anthem was sung in Tamil at the end of the Independence Day proceedings in 2016. The singers were students of Bambalapitiya Ramanathan Hindu Ladies’ College and Colombo Vivekananda College.

The Tamil translation was sung at the three Independence Day functions under  Yahapalana government of 2015-2018. It was sung at the end of the ceremony, after  the main activities were done and  just before the assembly   dispersed.   The Sinhala version  was sung at the beginning of the  ceremony.

When Pohottu came to power in 2019,  the Tamil translation was dropped. It was not sung at the Independence ceremonies of 2020 and 2021.   I do not think it was sung in 2022 either.  But the government has decided to sing the anthem in Sinhala and Tamil at the forthcoming  Independence Day celebrations of 2023.

When the National anthem was sung in Tamil at the end of the Independence Day proceedings on 4.2.2016 there were mixed reactions in both the Sinhala camp and the Tamil camp. After several decades, the National Anthem was being sung with official approval at the State-sanctioned commemoration of independence, enthused Jeyaraj.

The singing of the National Anthem in Tamil at the Independence Day event 2016 has conveyed a strong symbolic message to Tamil-speaking people that they and their language are an integral part of evolving Sri Lanka. This has made all those Tamils desiring to live as equals in a united, undivided Sri Lanka very, very, very happy he continued..

 Other Tamils did not agree. If Tamils thought that they had gained a status on par with the majority race they are wrong. They were shown to be second class. The Tamil version was sung  last, they said.

The singing of the national anthem in Tamil at the Independence Day in 2016 surprised many people,  said Jehan Perera. In Hambantota they did not like it. Some did not even know that Tamil was a national language. It came as a shock them. ( Continued)