24/11/2010
Tamil view on the National Flag and National Anthem
Friday ,10 October 2008( Posted : 06:10:09GMT)
Prof: K.Sivathambi
There was an opinion to make lion flag as the national flag of Sri Lanka when Sri Lanka attained it independence. The yellow and the green lines in the national flag depict the other communities. However, when creating a national flag, the involvement of the people of all societies in the country should be looked into and accepted by all of them. It is an undeniable fact that the organizers did not show any interest in involving the various communities in the making of national flag. It can be said people of other communities are not interested in the national flag and had accepted it without showing their likes or dislikes after a lap of a long period. Problem arises only when the question `whether proper places are given to the Tamil and the Muslim communities in the national flag?` is posed.
I don`t consider this as a big issue. The problem here is that the Tamil and the Muslim communities do not consider the national flag as their own and the national flag too do not give them such feelings. This is the reason for the tradition of hoisting the Nanthi flag (flag portraying Hinduism) at important functions in Jaffna. The national flag of a country is a symbol of reverence to all the people of that country. Unfortunately, the national flag of Sri Lanka does not represent the feelings of all the communities here.
It should be said the national flag of Sri Lanka does not give the same feelings the national flags of other countries create among the people of their own countries. In the national flag of India they had replaced the wheel appeared with the `Asoka wheel`. Asoka wheel is an accepted symbol revered by all the Indian people. As a result, the national flag of India has intermingled with the feelings of the people.
National flag cannot be cited as a reason for the presently existing ethnic crisis in Sri Lanka. In any way there is a place for the Sinhala community in the national flag and this cannot be considered a major issue. The national flag is hoisted officially and it is a common feature that the Tamils and the Muslims do not hoist the national flag in ordinary functions considering this as their own. The Tamils do not accept the lion appearing with the sword in the national flag as their own. They don`t even criticize the national flag as they have no feelings about it. However, the national flag of a country should carry its history or tradition. The Indian national flag portrays this, but the Sri Lankan flag was created with the foundation of Sinhala Buddhist country.
National Anthem
There is a Tamil translation for National Anthem and Pandithar M. Nallathamby had done this translation. Does the national anthem require a translation is a question asked and in the minds of Sinhalese. The national anthem like any other ordinary songs played in functions does not create any national feelings among us and we get nothing out of it.
No body care about whether or not the national anthem creates a national feeling among all the people. The national anthem would have come from the o***y of the country it and should represent all the people. It deviates from the term of national anthem if it represents a particular community.
The Sri Lankan national anthem has failed in Sri Lanka to give any reaction in the minds of the people of a multi ethnic society.
A translation for national anthem was required during a certain period but through this translation no one got the feelings of `our country`.
There are Sinhalese, Tamils and Muslims in Sri Lanka but, are there Sri Lankans? The country`s national flag and the anthem failed to create the national feelings because there are no Sri Lankans.
