The Sri Lanka Military Academy (SLMA) at Diyatalawa wore ceremonial garbs one more time on Saturday (21) and adorned the shoulders of 60 more brave sons and daughters of the country with insignia of the President’s Commission when they passed out in a glittering spectacle upon completion of their graduate studies.
The Passing out Parade (PoP) ceremony of those 60 Officer Cadets at the SLMA, belonging to Intake 78, Intake 53 ‘A’ (volunteer) and Lady Intake 12 ‘A’ was graced by Dr Ajith Nivard Cabral, Governor, Central Bank of Sri Lanka as the Chief Guest at the invitation of Lieutenant General Daya Ratnayake, Commander of the Army who was attending the occasion as the Guest of Honour.
The day’s itinerary commenced with the arrival of the Chief Guest at the parade ground where he was accorded a Guard Turnout plus a Guard of Honour in conformity with military traditions before he was taken to the SLMA War Memorial for wreath-laying in the company of the Commander of the Army.
As the Chief Guest was entering the parade square, precisely by 9.00 a.m., colourfully-dressed Army bands with their rhythmic beats and associated formalities, heralded the formal inauguration of the most central segment of the commissioning ceremony where 60 Cadet Officers, were to receive their swords from the day’s Chief Guest, symbolizing official commissioning.
The parade, commanded by Major K.M.A.P Karunaratne was in a spectacular setting with gentle breeze and surrounding mountains. Company Under Officer B.A.P.D.A Bamunu Arachchi of Intake 78 and Officer Cadet L.A.R.L Wijendra of Intake 53 ‘A’ (volunteer) were awarded the First in Order of Merit for achieving the highest aggregate marks in their respective Intakes.
The Chief Guest at the invitation of the SLMA Commandant, Brigadier Indunil Ranasinghe afterwards symbolically planted a tree sapling in the compound to add eternal memories to his visit to the venue.
A brief address by the Chief Guest to the occasion a few minutes later culminated the first leg of the day’s ceremony.
During a parallel ceremony held at the SLMA gymnasium after the main parade with the presence of the SLMA Commandant, parents of the newly Commissioned Officers, adorned the shoulders of their brave and beloved sons with insignia of the President's Commissions, the highest honours they could receive.
The day prior to the main ceremony, the formal final presentation of those undergraduates occurred at the auditorium in the presence of the Commander of the Army whose initiatives, added a new feature to the whole programme, introducing a ‘book release’ from this time onwards. Just minutes before the sessions began the SLMA auditorium was dedicated to the memory of a well respected senior officer of the Army. Accordingly the Commander of the Army unveiled a plaque and named the new auditorium as ‘Colonel Fazly Laphir Memorial Auditorium’.
The final presentation of those Cadet Officers covered the theme, ‘Sustenance of Indigenous Values in Order to Enhance Patriotism and Professionalism in the Sri Lanka Army’.
The festive environment took the form of an academic forum after this new feature got underway with the release of the SLMA book ‘The Battle of Randeniwala’, the compendium that recalls and documents the memories and historical facts related to bravery and ancient chronicles and that prevailed during the times of our kings and imperialists. The production of the book was themed on the final presentation of another batch of Officer Cadets who had already passed out from the hallowed seat of learning at Diyatalawa.
Prof K.M.P Kulasekara, expressing his views on the contents of the book and presenting an analytical review, considered the product as a national asset of historic importance since only very few works had been done on those lines of ancient findings and thinking, specifically relevant to past events, surrounding central hills around Diyatalawa and the upcountry at large.
The first copy of the new book was afterwards presented to the Commander of the Army by the SLMA Commandant, bringing the brief ceremony to an end on Friday (20) evening.
The final Commissioning Dinner of Saturday’s Passing out Parade with regalia was to kick off at the Officer Cadets’ Mess with the Commander of the Army and the Chief Guest for the PoP, taking the centre-stage at the head table.
Senior tri-service officers, distinguished invitees, parents and well-wishers, relatives of Cadet Officers witnessed the day’s main highlights.
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