Amid signs of recovery, Sri Lanka draws up calendar of events in 75th year of Independence

Colombo: Sri Lankan tourism authorities have created a calendar of events to woo tourists for the next several months leading up to the 76th anniversary of the country's independence next year as the cash-strapped country is showing signs of recovery from an unprecedented economic crisis it faced last year.

Sri Lanka or Ceylon as it was known during the British era, threw off the colonial yoke in 1948 to become a free nation, a year after India gained its independence from the imperial rule.

When the country, dubbed the 'Pearl of the Indian Ocean', marked the 75th anniversary of its independence on February 4 this year, it was reeling under a devastating economic crisis.

While an official ceremony was held in Colombo to mark the occasion, the mood among many Sri Lankans was hardly celebratory despite the significance of the milestone.

But, now the debt-ridden nation, facing its worst economic crisis since independence, due to a shortage of foreign exchange reserves, riding on a resilient spirit and bailout packages from international bodies, is on the road to recovery.

"We are moving forward with the IMF (International Monetary Fund) programme, the World Bank programme, the ADB programme...all in the process... Right now, the current government is giving the solution, and moving forward," said Chalaka Gajabahu, chairman of the Sri Lanka Tourism Promotion Bureau (SLTPB) in Colombo.

The fuel crisis and medicine crisis are "no longer there". Still, the economic situation is there, but it has "improved vastly and the numbers speak for themselves," he said.

The island nation is making comprehensive efforts to recover from the crisis and rebuild the economy, the SLTPB said, asserting that it was "ready to conquer any challenge" and "conquer the crisis".

In response to a query from PTI on the Sri Lankan government's plan to celebrate the next Independence Day, keeping in mind the debt restructuring the island nation is faced with, the SLTPB chairman said, "We are going to lead up with many, many projects."

"We have created an event calendar for the next nine months, a lot of events going to happen in Sri Lanka, water sports, a lot of Indian stars that we are trying to bring down to Sri Lanka to have concerts, and leading to the Independence Day, a lot of projects going to come out in December itself. It is under discussion," he said.

Sri Lanka's President Ranil Wickremesinghe, Minister of Tourism and Lands Harin Fernando and a lot of other people are involved in it. "It is going to be a smashing year, next year, 2024 is going to be the year, for sure," Gajabahu asserted.

Sri Lanka needs to rectify its "errors and failures" and review its strengths and gains as a nation, President Wickremesinghe said on the 75th anniversary of its independence in Colombo.

The cash-strapped country had marked the occasion with the spirit of "Namo Namo Matha - A step towards a century".

The year 2023 also marks 75 years of the establishment of diplomatic relations between Sri Lanka and India.

President Wickremesinghe on Thursday kicked off a two-day visit to India that is expected to impart new momentum in bilateral ties, especially in the economic and trade sphere.

Prime Minister Narendra Modi and Wickremesinghe will hold wide-ranging talks on Friday covering all key aspects of relations between the two countries.

The Sri Lankan president was received at the airport by Minister of State for External Affairs V Muraleedharan.

Muraleedharan had taken part in Sri Lanka's 75th Independence Day celebrations here in 2023, and described the country as a "friendly neighbour".

Muraleedharan had also prayed to the Buddha at the sacred Gangaramaya Temple in Colombo.

The famous temple is located not far from the Independence Memorial Hall, an imposing national monument built in the heart of the city that was rechristened Independence Square after the country won freedom from the British.

"This Hall was erected by the Government of Ceylon to commemorate the achievement of Independence of Ceylon on 4th February 1948," reads a trilingual -- Sinhala, Tamil and English -- inscription on a stone plaque embedded in a wall of the iconic landmark that faces many government buildings and institutions, and located near the sprawling Viharamahadevi Park (earlier Victoria Park).

In 1972, the dominion of Ceylon became the Republic of Sri Lanka, and the Democratic Socialist Republic of Sri Lanka in the year 1978.

The Sri Lankan government has planned a new reformist course for the next 25 years for the implementation of a stable government policy right until its 100th Independence Day celebrations in 2048.

Wickremesinghe in August last year had said that his government is preparing a national economic policy for the next 25 years to transform the crisis-hit country into a modern and competitive export economy.