96th death anniversary of Sir Ponnambalam Arunachalam commemorated

Friday, 17 January 2020 00:00 - - {{hitsCtrl.values.hits}}

The 96th death anniversary of Sir Ponnambalam Arunachalam was commemorated on 9 January at 5.00 p.m. at the Presidential Secretariat premises (Old Parliament).

The Chief Guest was Acting Solicitor General Sanjay Rajaratnam while MP D.M. Swaminathan was the Guest of Honour.

The welcome address was delivered by Trustee A. Kailasapillai, while a citation was delivered by Trustees Vice Chairman Dr. J.M. Swaminathan.

Sir Arunachalam was a scholar, statesman, administrator and patriot. Sir Arunachalam was considered a man of strong will, clear vision, character and efficiency, who towered above the giants of his own day and remains an example and inspiration to succeeding generations of Sri Lankans.

He helped lay the foundation of the freedom which Sri Lankans today enjoy.

A short time after Sir Arunachalam’s death, people honoured his memory by erecting his statue in the grounds of the Old Parliament House, which is the present Presidential Secretariat premises.

It was unveiled by then-Governor Sir Herbert Stanley on 3 April 1930. It was the first statue to adorn this premises and stood in solitary splendour until the statue of his brother Sir Ponnambalam Ramanathan was erected in 1953.

The garlanding of the Statue was done by Rajaratnam and MP Swaminathan.

Family members Sarla Nagendra, Nirmalan Nagendra, Prashan Nagendra, Iswari Mahadeva and Hari Namasivayam, along with office-bearers of the Hindu Congress, Colombo North Hindu Paripalana Sangam and other distinguished personalities, also garlanded the statue.