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Sri Lanka Army

Defender of the Nation

24th December 2022 23:31:04 Hours

Army Choirs Add X’Mas Festive Sentiments Holding Christmas Carols

The Sri Lanka Army as the festive season of sharing and caring with compliments set in heralding the forthcoming Christmas and the dawn of a New Year, contributed its share to the phenomenon by holding its annual Christmas Carols service at Nelum Pokuna auditorium on Tuesday (20).

General (Retd) Kamal Gunaratne, Secretary to the Ministry of Defence graced the spectacle as the Chief Guest at the invitation of Lieutenant General Vikum Liyanage, Commander of the Army and the Army Christian Fellowship.

The event, conducted in all three major languages - Sinhala, Tamil and English sang odes jointly to the Prince of the Peace, Jesus Christ and heralded his birth. It also prayed for world peace and prosperity.

Past Commanders, General Shavendra Silva, Chief of Defence Staff, Lieutenant General Vikum Liyanage, Commander of the Army, Vice Admiral Priyantha Perera, Commander of the Navy, Air Marshal Sudarshana Pathirana, Commander of the Air Force, Inspector General of Police C.D Wickramaratne, Major General (Retd) Ranjan Lamahewage, Director General Civil Security Department, Major General C.D Weerasuriya RWP RSP ndu, Chief of Staff, Major General D.G.S Senarath Yapa RWP RSP ndu, Deputy Chief of Staff and a distinguished gathering attended the seasonal arrangement.

Mrs Chithrani Gunaratne, the spouse of the Secretary to the Ministry of Defence, Mrs Sujeewa Nelson, the spouse of the Chief of Defence Staff, Mrs Janaki Liyanage, President, Army Seva Vanitha Unit, Mrs Mala Perera, the spouse of the Commander of the Navy, Mrs Chamini Pathirana, the spouse of the Commander of the Air Force, Mrs S. Wickramaratne, the spouse of the Inspector General of Police and Mrs Upendra Lamahewage, the spouse of the Director General Civil Security Department were among other invitees to the occasion.

The Carols that adorned the festive atmosphere, themed on ‘For to Us a Child is Born’ were also joined by choirs of the St. Joseph’s College and the Good Shepherd Convent, Kotahena, in addition to Army choirs. On the guidelines given by Major General W.B.S.M Abeysekara RSP USP, Chairman, Army Christian Fellowship (ACF), members of the ACF, together with Major General B.K.G.L.M Rodrigo RSP psc IG, Secretary to the ACF finalized the event under the patronage of the Sri Lanka Army Chaplain, Rev Fr (Dr) Noel Dias.

The day’s customary proceedings of the annual congregation began with reading of the Christmas message by Rev Fr Jude Sharman. Contribution by the veteran soloists, Anil Bharathi and a few more leading artistes whose talents are highly recognized came in for praise of the congregation.

Popular and seasonal hits, like “Bethlehem Pure”, “Namo Mariyane”, “Holy Night”, “Jingle Bells”, “Silent Night”, etc backed by Army choirs reverberated around the auditorium before distinguished guests exchanged greetings and compliments of the season.