The National Anthem of Sri Lanka is a unique patriotic musical composition. This unmatched creation has a long history, part of which is entwined with the history of Mahinda College. The composer of this lyrics and melody, Mr. Ananda Samarakoon created the song and its lyrics in 1940, primarily for his students at Mahinda College. The song came to the limelight in mid-1940 when it was sung by the choir of Musaeus College, Colombo at a public event. Here the song was picked up by Radio Ceylon and broadcasted as a regular song making it widely popular during the time.
Even prior to Ceylon’s independence in 1948, the ‘Lanka Gandharva Sabha’ organised a competition to find a national anthem. With the rising popularity of the song after being sung by the Museites, Mr Samarakoon forwarded his song to the competition as well.
The government appointed a committee headed by Mr. Edwin Wijeyeratne, the Minister of Home Affairs and Rural Development at the time, to pick a new national anthem. The committee after sifting through several songs elected “Namo Namo Matha” as the National Anthem of Sri Lanka. The committee made a minor change to Samarakoon’s song, with his approval, changing the tenth line from “Nawajeewana Damine” to “Nawa Jeewana Demine Nithina Apa Pubudu Karan Matha”. It was in 1950 that Mr. J. R. Jayewardene, Minister of Finance at the time, requested that the government recognise Samarakoon’s “Namo Namo Matha” as the official national anthem. The committee’s decision was endorsed by the government on 22 November 1951.
In the late 1950s controversy arose over its first line, “Namo Namo Matha, Apa Sri Lanka”. It was deemed to be “unlucky” and blamed for the country’s misfortunes including the deaths of two prime ministers. In February 1961 the government changed the line to its present form, “Sri Lanka Matha, Apa Sri Lanka”, despite Samarakoon’s strong opposition. This lead to Samarakoon unfortunately committing suicide in April 1962, leaving a note of accusation as to mutilating his lyrics.
The Second Republican Constitution of 1978 gave “Sri Lanka Matha” constitutional recognition. Thereafter on 15 August 1980, Mr. J R Jayawardena visited Mahinda College as the President of Sri Lanka and as the Chief Guest for the College’s prize giving which was held at Olcott Hall and here he listened to the National Anthem of Sri Lanka once again at the location where it was born.
Dr. Sujeeva Wijewickreme