Sri Lankan-American youth wows US State Department with Kandyan drum performance

A group of American youth of Sri Lankan descent performed a traditional Kandyan Drum Orchestra at the 10th Annual Cultural Celebration, organised by the South Asian American Employee Association of the US State Department on 1 August.

Performances by youth from Afghanistan, Bangladesh, India, Nepal and Pakistan also added glamour to the annual South Asian cultural celebrations.

The Ambassador of Sri Lanka to the US Rodney Perera and Embassy officials participated at this event, while Bureau of South and Central Asian Affairs Acting Assistant Secretary Ambassador Alice Wells and Bureau of East Asian and Pacific Affairs Principal Deputy Assistant Secretary Ambassador Atul Keshap were also present. The Kandyan drummers were trained by Indika Aththanayake, founder of ‘Sri Lanka Bera’ in Maryland, United States.