Southampton University Sri Lankan Society

Infobox University

name = Southampton University Sri Lankan Society

president = Buddhika Ranasinghe and Sajith Dissanayake
established = 2003
committee = 9
city = Southampton
country = United Kingdom
members = 100
website = http://srilankan.susu.org

Southampton University Sri Lankan Society (SUSS) is a student society at the University of Southampton.

Having been founded in 2003, the society has grown in strength, and it's mission is to provide the opportunity for people from all cultures to meet, interact and learn about Sri Lankan culture and heritage [http://srilankan.susu.org] .

The society represents the Sri Lankan community at the University of Southampton, giving the chance for Sri Lankans and other societies to unite and work together [http://srilankan.susu.org] .

Events organised by the society, such as the annual cultural show, have gained popularity amongst students and others around Southampton, the United Kingdom and Sri Lanka. Members are from a variety of nationalities, including India, Pakistan, Bangladesh, Singapore, Egypt, Mauritius, Kenya, Zimbabwe, Kuwait, Australia, United Kingdom, Germany, Italy, Canada and the United States of America, to name a few.

History

The society was founded in 2003, with the first presidents being Sharmalene Silva and Gehan Soosaipillai. Past presidents include Nandhaka Pieris, Nilika Perera, Lackni Sellahewa, Jayashanki Perera, George Chellapa and Wibodha Dhanik Alkegama. Notable past committee members include Panchali Kumarasinghe, Praveen Ranjit, Pras Shanthakumar and Ransika De Silva. The current committee includes a variety of undergraduate and postgraduate students from the University of Southampton.

The Logo

The new society logo was designed by Indika Obeysekara on 20th August 2008. The design of the logo has been influenced by the flag of Sri Lanka as well as the representative animal of the University of Southampton, the stag. The lion represents the Sinhalese race, the orange of the stag represents the Tamil race, the green represents the Muslim (Moor) race, the yellow border represents other races in Sri Lanka, the white represents Roman Catholicism, the maroon represents all other religions in Sri Lanka, and finally the four Bo leaves represents Buddhism (standing for 'Kindness, Friendliness, Happiness and Equanimity') [http://www.lankalibrary.com/pro/flag.html] .

Committee 2008-2009

President: Buddhika Ranasinghe and Sajith Dissanayake, Secretary: Shamarli Mendis, Treasurer: Meliza Cyril, Events and Publicity: Shevan Algama and Kaushi Arulpragasam, IT Representative: Indika Obeysekara, Undergraduate Representative: Aruni Makuloluwa and Praveena Jayasena.

Without the help of these dedicated members, the society would not exist.

Sri Lanka

"Main article: Sri Lanka"

Sri Lanka, officially the Democratic Socialist Republic of Sri Lanka (Sinhalese: ශ්‍රී ලංකාව, Tamil: இலங்கை; known as Ceylon before 1972) is an island nation in South Asia, located about 31 kilometres (19.3 mi) off the southern coast of India. It is home to around twenty million people.

Because of its location in the path of major sea routes, Sri Lanka is a strategic naval link between West Asia and South East Asia, and has been a center of Buddhist religion and culture from ancient times. Today, the country is a multi-religious and multi-ethnic nation, with more than a quarter of the population following faiths other than Buddhism, notably Hinduism, Christianity and Islam. The Sinhalese community forms the majority of the population, with Tamils, who are concentrated in the north and east of the island, forming the largest ethnic minority. Other communities include the Muslim Moors and Malays and the Burghers.

Famous for the production and export of tea, coffee, coconuts and rubber, Sri Lanka boasts a progressive and modern industrial economy and the highest per capita income in South Asia. The natural beauty of Sri Lanka's tropical forests, beaches and landscape, as well as its rich cultural heritage, make it a world famous tourist destination.

After over two thousand years of rule by local kingdoms, parts of Sri Lanka were colonized by Portugal and the Netherlands beginning in the 16th century, before the control of the entire country was ceded to the British Empire in 1815. During World War II, Sri Lanka served as an important base for Allied forces in the fight against the Japanese Empire. A nationalist political movement arose in the country in the early 20th century with the aim of obtaining political independence, which was eventually granted by the British after peaceful negotiations in 1948 [http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sri_Lanka] .

Sri Lanka National Anthem

"Main article: Sri Lanka Matha

"Sri Lanka Matha" is the national anthem of Sri Lanka. The words and music were written by Ananda Samarakoon in 1940 in the Sinhala language, and was officially adopted as the national anthem on November 22, 1951 by a committee headed by Sir Edwin Wijeyeratne.

The first line of the anthem originally read: "Namo namo matha, apa Sri Lanka". There was some controversy over these words in the 1950s, and in early 1962 they were changed to their present form.

University of Southampton

"Main article: University of Southampton"

The University of Southampton is a university situated in the city of Southampton, on the south coast of England. The university is a member of the Russell Group and of the Worldwide Universities Network.

In the most recent RAE assessment (2001), it has the only engineering faculty in the country to receive the highest rating (5*) across all disciplines. According to The Times Higher Education Supplement, the University has the second largest research income among British universities for the physical sciences and mathematics, and the third largest research income for engineering and technology. The University places great emphasis on inter-disciplinary cooperation and on collaboration with industry. This is most evident in the University's Business division [http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/University_of_Southampton] .

Membership

Membership is free, just come along to the University of Southampton 'bunfight', locate our table and sign up. The 2008 bunfight was on Wednesday 1st October, 10am-3pm, in the Jubilee Sports Hall. [http://fresh.susu.org/?p=121] .

Events

The events begin with the annual Kottu night held at the University of Southampton. Other events are planned throughout the academic year which include social nights out in Southampton and trips to London. The highlight of the society's events is the annual cultural show 'Heritage', which involves traditional Sri Lankan games, food, live performances, dancing, and a fashion show. Money raised from these events will be sent to charities in Sri Lanka [http://socs.susu.org/socs/list?type=8] .

The next society event, 'Yo Machan', which will be joint with Southampton University Tamil Society, will be held at the Bridge Bar on Saturday November 1st 2008.

Contact

#Address: Southampton University Sri Lankan Society, Students’ Union Building, Highfield, Southampton, SO17 1BJ, United Kingdom
#Email: [e-mail]

External links

# http://srilankan.susu.org
# http://www.facebook.com/group.php?gid=2234779873&ref=ts

References

* http://srilankan.susu.org/
* http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sri_Lanka
* http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sri_Lanka_Matha
* http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/University_of_Southampton
* http://socs.susu.org/socs/list?type=8
* http://www.lankalibrary.com/pro/flag.html
* http://www.national-anthems.net/CE