- 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.orgSouthampton 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 , theUnited Kingdom andSri Lanka . Members are from a variety of nationalities, includingIndia ,Pakistan ,Bangladesh ,Singapore ,Egypt ,Mauritius ,Kenya ,Zimbabwe ,Kuwait ,Australia ,United Kingdom ,Germany ,Italy ,Canada and theUnited 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 theUniversity of Southampton , thestag . Thelion represents theSinhalese race, the orange of the stag represents theTamil race, the green represents theMuslim (Moor) race, the yellow border represents other races inSri Lanka , the white representsRoman Catholicism , the maroon represents all other religions inSri Lanka , and finally the four Bo leaves representsBuddhism (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 asCeylon before 1972) is an island nation in South Asia, located about 31 kilometres (19.3 mi) off the southern coast ofIndia . 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 thanBuddhism , notablyHinduism ,Christianity andIslam . TheSinhalese community forms the majority of the population, withTamils , who are concentrated in the north and east of the island, forming the largest ethnic minority. Other communities include theMuslim Moors andMalays and theBurghers .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 byPortugal and theNetherlands beginning in the 16th century, before the control of the entire country was ceded to theBritish Empire in 1815. DuringWorld War II ,Sri Lanka served as an important base for Allied forces in the fight against theJapanese 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 ofSouthampton , on the south coast ofEngland . The university is a member of theRussell 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 theUniversity of Southampton . Other events are planned throughout the academic year which include social nights out inSouthampton and trips toLondon . The highlight of the society's events is the annual cultural show 'Heritage', which involves traditionalSri 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: srilanka@soton.ac.ukExternal links
# http://srilankan.susu.org
# http://www.facebook.com/group.php?gid=2234779873&ref=tsReferences
* 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
Wikimedia Foundation. 2010.